Draft Iran accord emerges amid mixed signals from Trump

A final deal to end the U.S.-Iran war could be signed in the coming days, but unresolved details and a need for approval from top officials could delay a resolution to the more than 3-month-old conflict.

On Friday, Iran’s semiofficial Mehr news agency published details of what it said was a 14-point draft memorandum of understanding that would focus first on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and withdrawal of U.S. forces.

The reported agreement came after President Donald Trump called off pending strikes Thursday against Iran’s energy infrastructure. Speaking at a rally the same day, Trump declared that the U.S. had “ended the war with Iran.”

A breakthrough in talks could halt a cycle of retaliation that has pushed the region closer to a renewed war. The U.S. and Iran signed a temporary ceasefire in April but have since struggled to agree on a final deal.

Even as reports of an imminent signing circulated on Friday, Trump again expressed his dissatisfaction with Iranian negotiators. In a post to Truth Social, Trump said Iran’s leaks to the “fake news” have “nothing to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing.”

“They better get their act together, and FAST!” the president said.

According to Mehr, the draft memorandum calls for 60 days of subsequent negotiations on Iran’s uranium stockpile, contingent upon the lifting of U.S. sanctions and the unfreezing of Iranian funds.

As of Friday, the text still needed to be reviewed and finalized by the appropriate Iranian authorities, Mehr reported.

On Thursday, Trump told reporters that Washington and Tehran had agreed on a framework for the final peace deal. The “great settlement,” as Trump called it, included an immediate reopening of the strait and a promise from Iran to never obtain a nuclear weapon.

Trump said the deal would likely be signed in the coming days, with a possible ceremony in Europe to be attended by Vice President JD Vance. On Thursday night, four C-17s departed for Europe carrying equipment for the vice president, according to open-source air traffic monitors.

In recent months, Trump has repeatedly said a deal to end the war was imminent. In May, he said an agreement was “largely negotiated,” but the effort drew opposition from some conservative allies who preferred a tougher approach.

It isn’t clear how the current draft differs from the framework discussed at the time.

Iran has been cautious in its statements about the status of negotiations. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Thursday that negotiations had not been finalized and that Iran would not cross its red lines in any agreement. 

“We have not reached a final conclusion on this matter,” he said. “This is a very important issue that is currently being reviewed by the relevant decision-making bodies.”

Axios, citing a diplomat from one of the mediating countries, said that the U.S. and Iran had agreed on the text of a deal but that it needed final signoff, including approval from Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

Under the draft memorandum, the Strait of Hormuz would be immediately opened without tolls, with a requirement to return to prewar shipping volumes within 30 days, according to Axios.

Any steps on Iran’s nuclear program would take place only if a second deal is reached. Sanctions relief would be tied to Iranian compliance with the initial agreement, Axios reported, citing the diplomat.

Iran has maintained a virtual chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz since the war began, effectively cutting off a fifth of the globe’s oil supply and driving up fuel prices around the world.

The U.S., in turn, has set up a naval blockade on Iranian ports, hoping to inflict further economic pressure on Tehran by cutting off its main passage for imports and exports.

Tensions escalated earlier this week after an Iranian drone struck an Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman. Both pilots were safely rescued, but Trump vowed to retaliate against Iran for its actions, ordering strikes against military targets over the course of two days.

Iran responded with strikes of its own, firing missiles and drones at U.S. bases in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait this week. Local authorities in those countries said most of the strikes were intercepted or failed to meet their targets. U.S. officials said there was no damage to U.S. bases and no harm to personnel.

Trump momentarily appeared ready to escalate the war on Thursday, threatening to hit Iran “VERY HARD” and assume control of its oil industry before calling off the attack a few hours later.

The war began Feb. 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and has resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members. Iranian officials have said over 3,000 people were killed in Iran during the war.