New Details Emerge on U.S.-Iran Crisis, as Talks Race Toward a Fragile Deal

The report says Trump told Iran in advance that the United States would strike, while also hoping not to derail a deal. He later vented frustration over the lack of progress and threatened to hit Iran again, but Qatar and Pakistan pushed hard to avert more attacks. According to U.S. and other officials, the breakthrough came after Qatari diplomats returned from Tehran on Wednesday with a new draft, and Pakistani officials convinced Trump the agreement was close enough to cancel planned strikes. The New York Times earlier quoted Pakistanis as telling Trump, “We have a deal.”

In the past day, Washington, Tehran and the mediators all projected optimism, but no formal memorandum has been signed. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said completion would likely come within 24 hours, followed by an electronic signing and then technical talks next week, calling it a “historic peace agreement.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry disputed that timing, with spokesman Esmail Baghaei saying it could happen in the coming days and warning that “the hesitation of the other side” requires caution. Tehran also said no team would travel in the immediate days to Geneva or Pakistan.

The agreement now under discussion is not a final peace deal, but a short memorandum of understanding, reportedly under two pages, that would extend the ceasefire by 60 days. During that period, Iran would stop threatening ships in the Strait of Hormuz and allow free passage through a route that carried about one-fifth of global oil supplies before the war, while the United States would lift its blockade on Iranian ports. The two sides would then negotiate a final accord focused on Iran’s nuclear program.

Major gaps remain. The U.S. wants to present the arrangement as one that will ultimately dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, while Tehran says those issues are deferred. A Qatari source told the Journal that disputes remain over frozen Iranian funds, control of the strait and removal of highly enriched uranium. Trump has pushed back hard against leaked Iranian versions of the draft, calling Iranians “disrespectful and dishonest” and ordering his team to promote a counter-narrative. A senior U.S. official later said any sanctions relief would be performance-based and would come only after Iran dismantles nuclear facilities, ends uranium enrichment and stops funding groups such as Hezbollah.

Other reported flashpoints include whether Iran would receive money quickly, with Reuters citing claims that the UAE may have agreed to release billions for Tehran, a report Abu Dhabi denied. There is also disagreement over Lebanon, the future of U.S. forces in the region, and the handling of the Hormuz strait. The ambiguity allows both sides to claim success for now, but both appear to need a deal. Former Israeli intelligence official Danny Citrinowicz said they have “no other choice,” while the Journal said Trump is trying to postpone the hardest issues in hopes of getting Tehran to the table.