President Trump said it was a “solid 50/50” Saturday whether he could forge a peace agreement with Iran and would likely decide by May 24.
President Donald Trump held a conference call with the leaders of several Middle Eastern nations on Saturday to discuss a possible agreement between the United States and Iran. The Gulf states that joined the call were Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan, Reuters reported. The call started at 1 p.m. […]
The Trump administration and Iran are close to a deal to end the war, with remaining gaps focused on "wording" of several points, a U.S. official briefed on the negotiations said Saturday.Why it matters: It's one of the strongest signals yet that the nearly three-month-old war could be nearing an end. The official stressed no final decision has been made by President Trump.Reality check: Trump and his advisers thought they were close to a deal several times at earlier stages in the war, but none materialized.The latest: Trump held a call on Saturday with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan. According to a source briefed on the call, several of the leaders urged Trump to take the deal.Trump is expected to speak on Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an Israeli official said.Vice President JD Vance, who was in Ohio, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who was at West Point, were called back to Washington for a meeting to discuss the deal.Catch up quick: Earlier Saturday, Trump told Axios he would be meeting with his negotiators later in the day to discuss Iran's latest offer, and would likely decide by Sunday whether to resume the war.Trump said it was a "solid 50/50" as to whether he would be able to make a "good" deal or else "blow them to kingdom come."Zoom in: Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has been mediating between the parties, left Tehran on Saturday after meeting top officials there and trying to push a deal across the line.A deal was not finalized but Pakistan said there was "encouraging progress toward a final understanding."The new draft that Trump intends to review on Saturday emerged from the Iran-Pakistan talks.The other side: Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said Saturday that Iran and the U.S. were in the final stage of discussions on a memorandum of understanding to end the war.The spokesperson said the MOU would also deal with gradually reopening the Strait of Hormuz, lifting the U.S. blockade and releasing frozen Iranian funds.He added that a 30-60 day period of negotiations on a detailed agreement would follow.This is breaking news. Check back for updates.
A framework agreement to end the Iran war is being “fine-tuned,” according to a security official from Pakistan, who has been helping media negotiations between Iran and the US.
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Pakistan's top military commander, Field Marshal Asim Munir, landed in Tehran on Friday as part of an effort to reach a deal under which the U.S. and Iran would agree to end the war and launch negotiations for a broader agreement, a Pakistani security source told Axios.Why it matters: Munir has been the lead mediator between the U.S. and Iran since the war began. The fact that he's in Tehran after several days of lower-level talks could signal a final push by Pakistan to try to get a deal, though U.S. and Iranian officials have cast doubt on the idea of an imminent agreement.The latest: Munir arrived in Tehran on Friday and was received by Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, the Pakistani military said in a statement.A Qatari delegation also arrived in Tehran to support the mediation effort, Reuters first reported and a source familiar confirmed to Axios.A U.S. official briefed on the diplomatic efforts described the negotiations as "agonizing." The U.S. official said drafts are "going back and forth every day" without much progress.A spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry said Friday that a deal was not close, but that negotiations are ongoing around ending the war and the Strait of Hormuz. "Issues related to the nuclear file are not supposed to be discussed in detail at this stage," he said.State of play: The mediators are trying to finalize a letter of intent that includes an agreement to end the war and principles for another 30 days of negotiations on a broader deal that would also address Iran's nuclear program. Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey have all been involved in the mediation.It has remained unclear whether Iran would be willing to sign such a document at a time when some in Tehran appear to believe the leverage is on their side.A source close to Trump claimed Trump had grown increasingly frustrated over the past several days and has raised the possibility of a final major military operation, after which he could declare victory and end the war.The intrigue: On Friday afternoon, the White House announced a change to Trump's schedule for the weekend, after a planned speech in New York on Friday evening: Instead of staying in his Bedminster Golf Club, he will return to Washington.What they're saying: "There's been some slight progress. I don't want to exaggerate it, but there's been a little bit of movement, and that's good," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday. He added that the fundamental U.S. demand is that "Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. It just cannot."Rubio said a deal would have to address Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium and its enrichment policy going forward.He also said Iran must not be allowed to set up "tolls" in the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran reiterated its intention to establish such a system on Thursday.Go deeper: Trump bleeds votes in Congress to keep Iran war goingThis story was updated to note Munir's arrival in Tehran.