Donald Trump has claimed that a peace deal with Iran has been 'largely negotiated', following calls with a Pakistani mediator, Gulf allies and Israel. The US president wrote on his social media platform that a memorandum of understanding was being finalised and would be announced shortly, adding that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened as part of the agreement.
However, Iran's Fars news agency, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that the strait would remain under Iranian control, calling Trump's assertion 'inconsistent with reality'. The agency stated that 'the management of the Strait, determining the route, time, method of passage, and issuing permits will continue to be the monopoly and discretion of the Islamic Republic of Iran'.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later congratulated Trump on his peace efforts and said Pakistan hoped to host another round of talks between the US and Iran 'very soon'. Sharif described the US president's call with leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, the UAE, Jordan and Pakistan as 'very useful and productive'.
Details of the potential deal remain sparse, but reports suggest it could include a 60-day ceasefire extension, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz with no tolls, and negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme. In exchange, the US would lift its blockade on Iranian ports. Three senior Iranian officials told the New York Times the agreement would stop fighting in Iran and Lebanon and could release $25bn in frozen Iranian assets.
The announcement has triggered dismay among Republican hawks who had long called for military action against Iran. Trump had previously warned that if a deal was not reached, the US would begin striking Iran again.
