Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi has stated that an agreement with the United States on the formal end to the war in the Middle East is close to being reached, despite a public dispute over the content of the document, which prompted US President Donald Trump to accuse Tehran of negotiating in bad faith.
Trump’s comments came after Iranian media published what they claimed were elements of a draft agreement, notably Tehran’s insistence on retaining the right to enrich uranium and control shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump, who had stated the previous day that the agreement could be signed within a few days, rejected the Iranian version, saying the leak had “nothing to do” with what had been agreed.
Senior US administration officials also told Radio Free Europe that the parties were “very close” to an agreement that would see the dismantling of Tehran’s nuclear programme, the removal and destruction of nuclear materials, and the keeping of the Strait of Hormuz open.
Subsequently, Arakchi stated in a telegram that the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” – a preliminary framework agreement reached during talks in the Pakistani capital – “had never been so close”, and urged the media to avoid speculation whilst negotiations were ongoing.
Later, Trump posted a screenshot of Arakchi’s message on his Truth Social feed.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on social media platform X that mediators in Islamabad believe the final text of the agreement has been reached and are working with both sides “to finalise the next steps”, despite what he called “a relentless disinformation campaign being waged by those who wish to sabotage the peace agreement”.
He added that peace “has never been as close as it is now”.
Sharif tagged Trump, US Vice-President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Envoy Steve Whitecoff, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Arakchi in the post.