Iranian and U.S. officials said on Friday that a deal to end the Middle East war appeared closer than ever, with Pakistan — the mediator — expressing optimism that an agreement was within reach. Negotiations have proceeded fitfully in recent weeks, even after a truce in April, but officials on both sides described a narrowing gap on key points while important differences remained.
Despite the apparent progress, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly declared the deal all but done, only for talks to stall. Iranian state media published a breakdown of proposal elements that Washington said did not match its account, underscoring continuing disputes over the terms.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, posted on social media that “The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer,” referring to talks held in Pakistan’s capital. President Trump, accusing Iran of negotiating in bad faith and misrepresenting agreed terms, posted a screenshot of Araghchi’s message on his own feed hours later.
Araghchi told state television the draft agreement would require lifting the U.S. naval blockade of Iran’s ports and unspecified changes to how the Strait of Hormuz — a vital shipping lane for Gulf oil and gas — is administered. He also addressed Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, saying the only acceptable option was “to dilute it inside Iran,” a point Washington frames in the context of concerns that the material is linked to a nuclear weapons programme.
As mediators press on, negotiators face the twin challenges of reconciling public statements with private terms and converting optimistic declarations into a mutually acceptable, verifiable accord.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-iran-war-news-live-updates-trump-cancels-iran-strikes-after-high-level-approval-of-talks-naval-blockade-to-continue-us-iran-ceasefire-talks-11625401#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-06-14 06:19:00
