Agreement on Iran war ‘largely negotiated,' Trump says amid fragile ceasefire
Officials from the U.S. and Iran appear to be nearing a deal to end the ongoing Middle-East conflict, according to public statements from President Donald Trump and officials from both nations Saturday.
A potential deal would come after a fragile, almost two-month ceasefire between the two nations and weeks of negotiations.
“An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries, as listed,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Saturday afternoon.
Trump wrote that he had a “very good call” with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, and Qatar Minister Ali al-Thawadi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Pakistan Military Commander Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah, King Abdullah II of Jordan, United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to discuss the agreement.
Two regional diplomats with knowledge of the talks confirmed to NBC News that Vice President JD Vance and Steve Witkoff were also on the call, that the call was positive and that good progress is being made.
Trump added in his post that he had a separate phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu that “went very well.”
“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” Trump wrote. “In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in India earlier on Saturday that “there may be news later today” regarding Iran, though he didn’t specify what the news might be.
Also on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told state media that “we are very far from and very close to an agreement.” He added that the positions of the U.S. and Iran in negotiations “have become closer, but not to the point of an agreement rather to the point where a solution may be possible.”
The White House has not commented on the call or its contents.
But in a phone call Saturday with Axios, the president resumed previous threats against Iran that have made the ongoing ceasefire tense at times. Trump told the news outlet there was a “50/50” chance of making a “good” deal or “blow[ing] them to kingdom come.”
Trump told the outlet that he would meet with Jared Kushner and Witkoff on Saturday and that he would likely make a decision by Sunday on whether to resume the war.
Baghaei told Iranian state media that the current plan was to draft a memorandum of understanding to end the war and then discussions would continue to finalize the agreement in a timeframe of 30 to 60 days. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., slammed the possibility of an extended ceasefire deal with Iran.
“The rumored 60-day ceasefire — with the belief that Iran will ever engage in good faith — would be a disaster. Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!” Wicker, the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee wrote in a post on X.
On Thursday, there appeared to be renewed energy in ongoing negotiations, with Trump saying the two nations could reach a deal to end the war in just a few days.
Earlier in the week, Trump said he’d called off a planned attack on Iran after regional U.S. allies urged him to hold off because negotiations were moving in a positive direction.
Still, on Monday, the president warned in a post on Truth Social that he’d told U.S. military leaders “to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”
The war began in late February with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and has led to surging oil prices and threats of escalation, including Trump’s statement in April that “a whole civilization will die tonight.”
The conflict has led to the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and cost U.S. taxpayers over $25 billion, per estimates from the Pentagon to U.S. lawmakers last month. Thousands of people have been killed across the region, including more than 3,000 in Iran, according to an official from the country.
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