By Ayo Kehinde
United States President, Donald Trump, on Saturday, announced that a proposed agreement to end the escalating conflict involving Iran has been “largely negotiated”, raising fresh hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough after weeks of heightened tensions across the Middle East.
Trump disclosed this in a statement posted from the Oval Office after a series of consultations with key Middle Eastern leaders and international stakeholders involved in ongoing mediation efforts.
According to the U.S. President, discussions were held with Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, United Arab Emirates President, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Jordan’s King, Abdullah II and Bahrain’s King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Trump said the talks focused on what he described as a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE” involving the United States, Iran and other regional actors.
“An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalisation between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries”, Trump stated.
The U.S. President added that he separately spoke with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, noting that discussions with the Israeli leader also “went very well”.
Trump further disclosed that final details of the proposed deal were still being discussed and would be announced shortly, adding that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened as part of the arrangement.
The development comes amid mounting international efforts to prevent a wider regional conflict following weeks of military escalation, economic pressure and threats of renewed attacks involving Iran and its regional allies.
Reports by international media outlets indicated that negotiators from both countries had made significant progress toward a ceasefire framework expected to pave the way for broader negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and regional security concerns.
Sources familiar with the talks said the draft framework agreement was approved early Saturday by Iranian Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, U.S. Vice President, JD Vance, and U.S. special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, before being forwarded to both governments for final approval.
The negotiations were reportedly facilitated through Pakistan-led mediation efforts spearheaded by Field Marshal Asim Munir, who held several meetings with senior Iranian officials in Tehran in recent days.
A regional official with direct knowledge of the discussions said the proposed agreement could include an official declaration ending hostilities, alongside a 30-to-60-day negotiation process covering Iran’s nuclear activities, sanctions relief and regional security guarantees.
Among the key issues under discussion are the future of Iran’s uranium enrichment programme, the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Tehran and guarantees regarding freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes.
Speaking during a visit to India on Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that progress had been made in the negotiations.
“There’s been some progress made, and there may be news later today”, Rubio told reporters.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, described the emerging proposal as a “framework agreement” intended to first secure an end to the war before broader negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme commence.
“We want this to include the main issues required for ending the imposed war and other issues of essential importance to us”, Baghaei said in remarks carried by Iranian state media.
He added that sanctions relief remained a central demand of Tehran and confirmed that differences between both sides had narrowed in recent days.
“Over the past week, the trend has been toward narrowing differences”, he noted.
