Iran War Live Updates: Mediator Says U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Could be Finalized Within 24 Hours
Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said on Saturday that a peace deal between the United States and Iran was “likely expected” within 24 hours, a day after both sides said they were closer than ever to an agreement.
Pakistan, along with Qatar, has played a key role in mediating talks aimed at ending months of war. Mr. Sharif said in a social media post that Pakistan was preparing for “the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week.”
U.S. and Iranian officials had said on Friday that an agreement could be signed within days, though the terms of the emerging deal remain uncertain. Officials familiar with its contents said on Friday that it was an initial framework to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil and gas shipping, and to end the American naval blockade of Iran.
More contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, would be deferred to a second phase of negotiations, lasting 60 days, where major differences persist and neither side has shown much willingness to compromise.
There is still the potential for the deal to be derailed, with events overnight underscoring the fragility of the moment.
The U.S. military said early Saturday that it had intercepted and destroyed Iranian attack drones that were targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Fighting has also persisted in Lebanon, where Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah have been at war for more than 100 days amid faltering efforts to establish a lasting cease-fire. On Saturday morning, Israel issued evacuation warnings for nearly two dozen towns and villages in southern Lebanon, with reports of airstrikes and artillery fire soon after.
The Lebanese army said on Saturday that an Israeli drone had targeted one of its soldiers in the southern Nabatieh region, seriously wounding him. Hezbollah also said it had targeted Israeli military soldiers and vehicles with drones and rockets.
Iranian officials have said any broader regional settlement must include Lebanon and have called for the Israeli military to withdraw from Lebanese territory and end its attacks there.
The developments capped a week of swings between escalation and diplomacy. The United States and Iran exchanged attacks, and President Trump threatened to go further, warning that America would strike Iran “VERY HARD” and was considering seizing Iran’s oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Persian Gulf, before retracting the threat hours later.
The military exchanges and increasingly confrontational rhetoric raised fears of a broader war, even as mediators continued negotiations behind the scenes.
Here’s what else we are covering:
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The potential deal: A senior Trump administration official said the proposed agreement, referred to as a memorandum of understanding, was set to establish a 60-day cease-fire that would lead to another, far more complicated negotiation on sanctions relief and Iran’s nuclear program, which could take months or longer.
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Israel: In a social media post on Friday, the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, said that, in the event of a deal, Israel would not withdraw from territory it occupies in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. He said the country must retain the ability to act independently to block Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
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Funeral of Iran’s former leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran in late February, will be buried on July 9 in the northeastern city of Mashhad. Several days of ceremonies will begin July 4, Iranian state media reported on Saturday.