The United States and Iran signaled on Friday that a deal to end their war is close, with a senior US administration official saying the two sides had agreed on a text and that Washington expects to sign a preliminary deal in the coming days.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said change was still possible, but the temporary agreement showed his country had emerged stronger from the conflict.
“Iran is the winner in the war with America,” he said on state television.
Sources on all sides of the talks said the proposed memorandum of understanding calls for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. The talks over Iran’s nuclear program – which US President Donald Trump has argued was the trigger for the war – will take place.
The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that the deal meets Trump’s original objectives and takes negotiations to a “very, very good place.”
Accounts of the draft resolution from Western, Pakistani and Iranian sources pointed to wording that might favor Iran, drawing criticism from Trump, who dismissed the reports as inaccurate.