Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif Says US and Iran Agreed Text to End Their War

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Friday that the United States and Iran “have agreed to wording of an agreement aimed at ending their war,” and he said mediators were working with both sides to finalize a deal.

“Pakistan's prime minister said Friday the United States and Iran have agreed to wording of an agreement aimed at ending their war in the Middle East and that mediators were working with both sides to finalize a deal”

ABC7 Bay Area

Sharif said the U.S. and Iran had reached a "final, agreed upon text," and he added that Pakistan was working with the warring countries on next steps.

ABC7 Bay Area

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday an agreement "has never been closer" in a post on X, and U.S. President Donald Trump shared Araghchi’s post on social media.

The talks come after Iran exchanged fire with the U.S. and Israel over three days this week, threatening to return the Middle East to full-scale war, and a fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 7.

A senior U.S. administration official told reporters the deal was 80% to 85% done and said technical details on how to remove Iran’s enriched uranium would be worked out over 60 days after both sides sign it.

CNN reported that Gen. Dan Caine, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, rushed from a meeting of senior NATO officials in Brussels back across the Atlantic to Tampa, Florida, on May 19 to be briefed on plans for the U.S. military to send ground troops into Iran to forcibly seize its highly enriched uranium.

CNN said Trump paused the ground operation after being warned it would likely prompt severe Iranian retaliation, extending the war and plunging the global economy into further turmoil, and it quoted a source saying “Lots of risk.”

Al-Jazeera Net

The Hill said Miad Maleki warned that “Any version of this deal with Iran means the leverage is out the window,” as details emerged about an agreement Trump said could be signed as soon as this weekend between Washington and Tehran.

The Hill also reported that Trump pushed back on Iranian media reports laying out the 14-point memorandum of understanding, with Sen. Lindsey Graham writing on X that the deal as described by Iran would be “awful.”

In the same period, ABC7 Bay Area | Other reported that the emerging agreement could effectively end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and begin the process of destroying or removing Tehran’s highly enriched uranium.

The anticipated memorandum of understanding described by FekrShahr, citing IRNA, says Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday evening local time: "We have just reached a great agreement regarding the war with Iran, and the final documents will be finalized in the next few days."

“The US’ top general made a secret, rushed visit to US Central Command headquarters in Florida late last month to be briefed in person on plans for the US military to send ground troops into Iran to forcibly seize its highly enriched uranium, the key component necessary to produce a nuclear weapon, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN”

CNN

FekrShahr also said Trump told reporters the Strait of Hormuz would reopen and that the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran is "somewhat conceptual," while Axios details relayed in the same account say the MOU calls for immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without transit fees and sanctions relief based on compliance.

The Hill reported that a senior U.S. official said under the deal Iran’s highly enriched uranium will be destroyed and Tehran could make a long-term commitment not to procure a nuclear weapon, while it also noted that U.S. officials have said Iran will not have its assets unfrozen or receive any money until it follows through on certain steps.

ABC7 Bay Area | Other said the emerging agreement could include the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran and the release of frozen Iranian assets, and it added that a fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 7.

The Hill framed the political stakes as Iran hawks circling as details emerge, with Miad Maleki warning about leverage and with Sen. Lindsey Graham demanding more details while expressing alarm about the reported terms.