Iran Denies Trump’s “War Over” Claim as Details Emerge on Possible U.S. Deal

While U.S. President Donald Trump announced what he called an end to the war, Iran’s Mehr news agency published new details about a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. According to the report, the final negotiations would focus on nuclear issues and the economy, but would not include any discussion of Iran’s ballistic missile program.

Mehr said the memorandum would oblige the United States to lift sanctions, pull back its forces from near Iran, remove the naval blockade, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, cancel oil sanctions and release frozen Iranian funds. CNN separately reported, citing a diplomatic source, that the main points of the deal include a 60-day ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, to take effect when the agreement is signed, immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian transit fees, free movement of oil and goods, and the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade. The report added that Iran would receive some sanctions relief as implementation advances and talks continue in good faith, but there is no fixed timetable for removing sanctions.

The same CNN report said the agreement satisfies all U.S. nuclear demands, including an Iranian commitment not to seek nuclear weapons and to address its stockpile of enriched uranium. It would reportedly be called the “Islamabad” agreement.

Separately, U.S. officials told Politico that leaders from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan made a last-minute effort to persuade Trump to hold off on an overnight strike, telling him that “an initial deal is within reach.” They said the Gulf leaders’ calls helped convince Trump to delay the military action, and NBC reported the strike was canceled about three hours before it was due to begin. During a late-night phone rally for Georgia’s lieutenant governor in the November midterm elections, Trump said, “In case you haven’t heard, we ended the war with Iran today and they agreed to never have nuclear weapons.” Iran denied his claim. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei called reports of the war’s end “speculative” and said, “Nothing has been finalized yet.”