US and Iranian representatives may hold an official meeting once both sides finish reviewing a Pakistan-drafted memorandum to end the war with Iran, with a final decision possible within 48 hours.
American and Iranian representatives may sit down for an official meeting as soon as both sides finish examining a draft agreement, Reuters reported. The draft is a memorandum of understanding written by Pakistan and aimed at ending the war with Iran.
Washington and Tehran are close to agreeing on the document, AP reported, citing two regional officials and a diplomat. Now that the draft is in the hands of both sides, the officials said, a final decision could arrive within 48 hours.
US President Donald Trump told CBS that he has already read the draft. He declined to say whether it met his terms, but noted that Iran is "getting a lot closer" to a deal he could accept. He also said he "will only sign a deal where we get everything we want."
Al Jazeera, citing an Iranian source, reported that the memorandum covers the following:
The Iranian source said the memorandum does not address nuclear issues, describing them as complex and in need of time to negotiate. Nuclear talks, the source said, could open 30 days after the agreement.
Trump presented a different picture. He told Axios that any deal will include nuclear enrichment and Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. He added that he does not believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "worried" that the US would sign a bad deal.
In the same interview, Trump rated the chances of a "good" deal a "solid 50/50." "I think one of two things will happen: either I hit them harder than they have ever been hit, or we are going to sign a deal that is good," he said. He also stated that he planned to sit down on Saturday with Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Vice President Vance to review Tehran's most recent reply.
Citing an Arab source, Reuters also reported that Trump would hold a call on Saturday with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been "some progress" in the talks and that there "might" be updates later on Saturday.
The diplomatic push follows days of pressure from Jerusalem. On Sunday, Axios revealed that Netanyahu pressed Trump to resume strikes on Iran immediately after Tuesday's midterm elections, while Trump preferred to let diplomatic contacts with Tehran advance first. On Saturday, Trump also warned that Iran must either reach an agreement with the United States or "we will end it."
Join our newsletter to receive updates on new articles and exclusive content.
We respect your privacy and will never share your information.
