ISLAMABAD (AP) — A potential agreement to end the war between the United States and Iran moved closer to reality Sunday, as Qatari mediators flew to Tehran to work out the final details of a deal, according to two regional officials who spoke anonymously because they lacked authorization to address the media publicly.
Those officials expressed measured hope that both nations were finally nearing an agreement that could stop a conflict responsible for thousands of deaths and reopen the Strait of Hormuz — a critical waterway whose blockage has sent shockwaves through global markets.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif both stated Saturday that a signing was expected to take place Sunday. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei indicated it could occur within the next few days. Trump added that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened immediately once the deal was signed.
The agreement is expected to be completed electronically rather than through a formal in-person ceremony, though the exact timing and process remain uncertain.
The deal does not resolve the most difficult disputes between Washington and Tehran — including Iran’s nuclear program and its frozen financial assets — but it would create a 60-day window for technical discussions on those topics. Pakistani and regional officials, also speaking anonymously, described months of difficult negotiations led by Pakistan, during which both sides came close to walking away on multiple occasions.
Under the terms currently being discussed, the U.S. and Israel appear to have fallen short of their original objectives, which included dismantling Iran’s missile and nuclear capabilities and cutting off its support for proxy forces. It remains unclear whether those issues will be addressed in the final agreement.
Separately, Trump was expected to raise the topic of clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz at the Group of Seven summit beginning Monday. The waterway plays a vital role in global shipments of oil, natural gas, and products like fertilizer, and its effective closure has caused significant economic disruption worldwide.
The apparent progress toward a deal follows a tense week in which Iran exchanged fire with both the U.S. and Israel, raising fears that a fragile ceasefire — in place since April 7 — could collapse and drag the region back into full-scale conflict.
Iran’s nuclear program has been a long-standing source of tension with the U.S. and Israel, and a broader international concern. Trump posted on social media that once conditions stabilize, the U.S. would move to “downblend and destroy” Iran’s enriched uranium, either in Iran or on U.S. soil.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran currently holds 440.9 kilograms — roughly 972 pounds — of uranium enriched to 60% purity, which is just one technical step below the 90% threshold considered weapons-grade. Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes and has not publicly agreed to surrender its enriched uranium stockpile. That material is believed to be stored beneath three nuclear facilities that were heavily damaged in U.S. airstrikes last year.
Fighting has also continued in Lebanon, where Israel has pushed its military operations deeper into the country than at any point in more than 25 years, clashing with the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah despite an existing ceasefire. Iran has sought to have the Lebanon conflict included in any broader deal, and has also pushed for the release of billions of dollars in frozen funds.
The deal as currently structured has drawn strong criticism from Israel’s government, which has largely been left out of negotiations led by Pakistan and other parties. Even some members of Trump’s own Republican Party — facing pressure from an unpopular war heading into midterm elections — have spoken out against the agreement, with some arguing it does not represent an improvement over the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from during his first term and continues to call “bad.”
