Iran war day 86: Trump announces potential deal amid ‘cloud of mistrust’

Trump announces progress on Iran peace deal, signalling the Strait of Hormuz, vital for global trade, could reopen soon.

United States President Donald Trump says a memorandum of understanding on an agreement with Iran has been “largely ⁠⁠negotiated” and would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the vital oil chokepoint closed since the US and Israel launched their war in February.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, the mediator in the talks, said the next round of negotiations between the US and Iran will happen “very soon”.

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Pakistani ⁠⁠Foreign ⁠⁠Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday that  “meaningful progress” ⁠⁠had been achieved, offering grounds for optimism that a positive ‌‌and durable outcome is within reach.

However, Iran’s Fars News Agency pushed back on some of Trump’s claims, reporting that the draft agreement would leave Iran in charge of the strait and calling Trump’s assertions “inconsistent with ⁠⁠reality”.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to hold a security cabinet meeting this evening to discuss the potential deal, Israeli media reported.

Here is what we know:

In the US:

• Trump posted on social media that the emerging agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping passage whose closure has sparked a global energy crisis. He did not say what else would be included in an agreement.
• In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president described the agreement as a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE” that was still “subject to finalization” between the US, Iran and “various other Countries”, adding that all “Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly”.
• Trump said the progress followed calls with Israel and key regional allies and “the Strait of Hormuz will be opened,” offering potential relief to global energy markets.
• “Significant progress” has been made on resolving the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on a visit to India. The top US diplomat also accused Iran of sponsoring “terrorism” across the world and reiterated that Tehran must never have a nuclear weapon.

In Iran:

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei noted “a trend towards rapprochement” with Washington but said “it does not necessarily mean that we and the United States will reach an agreement on the important issues”.
• “Our intention was first to draft a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement,” he said on state television.
• Baghaei added that he hoped the details of a final agreement could be worked out “within a reasonable timeframe between 30 to 60 days” after the initial framework was complete.
• The ⁠⁠naval blockade must ⁠⁠be completely lifted within 30 days, Tasnim reported, citing the proposed memorandum ⁠⁠of understanding (MoU), adding that at least part of Iran’s frozen funds ‌‌must be released in the first phase.
• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said no decision will be made on a deal with the US without the permission of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
• Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said it was “too early” to frame the MoU as a “victory”. “There is still a cloud of mistrust from Tehran’s vantage point pertaining to the United States,” he said. “Whether this is going to end up as a long-lasting solution or another round of confrontation – it’s something that we have to keep waiting on.”
• Iran are moving their World Cup training base to Mexico after football’s world governing body, FIFA, approved a request to transfer it from Tucson, Arizona, the head of Iran’s football federation said.

In Lebanon

• The Lebanese Civil Defence agency said its regional facility in the southern city of Nabatieh has been destroyed by an Israeli strike.
• An Israeli soldier was killed near the border with Lebanon, taking to 22 the number of soldiers killed in the fighting with Hezbollah since March 2 despite a so-called ceasefire that came into effect on April 22.
• Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem received a message from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, saying the latest proposal through Pakistani mediators aimed at ending the war emphasised “the demand to include Lebanon” in the broader ceasefire.
• Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said Israeli attacks have killed 3,123 people since March 2, the day the war between Israel and Hezbollah escalated again.

In Gaza

• A predawn Israeli air strike killed three members of a Palestinian family, including a one-year-old boy, in central Gaza, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said.
• British and Irish activists from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla who were abducted in international waters and subsequently deported by Israel, returned to London and Dublin.