The latest
The U.S. and Iran are closer to ending their war than at any point since fighting began in February — but the finish line keeps moving.
Details
• Trump posted on Truth Social that a memorandum of understanding would be signed Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen immediately after. He said Iran had agreed to give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons and that “no money will exchange hands.”
• Iran’s Foreign Ministry pushed back within hours. Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the signing would not happen Sunday, citing what he called the “other side’s inconsistency.” He did not rule out a signing “in the coming days.”
• A senior U.S. administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters the confidence level had risen to “80–85%” — up from 75% earlier the same day — but cautioned: “We’re not quite at the finish line yet.”
• Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose government has served as the lead mediator, said a “final, agreed upon text” had been reached and that an electronic signing could follow shortly. His deputy separately briefed Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister on the state of talks.
• The two sides remain publicly at odds over core terms. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said nuclear issues would only be addressed after the memorandum is signed. A U.S. official said the deal, in principle, commits Iran to a 15–20 year freeze on uranium enrichment and the dismantling of its nuclear sites, in exchange for phased sanctions relief tied to compliance.
• Iran’s state media published what it described as draft terms — including the release of $24 billion in frozen assets and compensation for damage caused by U.S. and Israeli strikes. Trump rejected that account flatly, saying what Iranian media reported had “NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing.”
• The U.S. military shot down several Iranian one-way attack drones targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday morning. Trump called the strikes “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.” CENTCOM said it had redirected 141 vessels and disabled nine since the blockade on Iranian ports began April 13.
• In Lebanon, Israeli forces struck multiple locations in the south, including areas around Nabatieh and Baalbek. The Israeli military said it had killed 80 Hezbollah fighters and struck around 310 targets in the past week. Israel issued evacuation warnings for more than 20 locations ahead of further raids.
• Netanyahu said he and Trump are in “complete agreement” that Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons. Israel is not a party to the memorandum but has made clear it expects the final deal to include removal of enriched material, dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and an end to Iranian support for regional proxies.
• Oil prices fell sharply on deal optimism. West Texas Intermediate dropped nearly 4% to under $85 a barrel. Prices had peaked above $110 a barrel earlier in the war.
What to watch
The G7 summit opens Monday in France. Trump is expected to discuss Strait of Hormuz demining plans with allies and hold sideline meetings with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the UAE. If no signing happens before then, the summit becomes the next pressure point — and the deal’s next test.
