Trump says Khamenei approved peace deal, Tehran disputes claim
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has claimed that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has approved a draft peace agreement. The agreement, he said, would extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, Iran's Fars news agency reported that no such approval has been given yet. An informed source close to Iran's negotiation team was quoted as saying that no text for a preliminary memorandum with the US had been approved.
Strike cancelation
Trump says US canceled planned strikes against Iran
Trump announced the cancellation of planned strikes against Iran, saying discussions had reached the highest level of Iranian leadership. He said that he expects a signing to occur "over the next few days." He claimed all parties, including the US, Israel, and the Gulf countries involved, had approved the memorandum in concept and detail. However, Iranian state media later reported that Washington accepted Tehran's proposed text, leading to a reconsideration of the agreement by Iran.
Negotiation status
Iran has not reached final decision regarding agreement
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei clarified that no deal has been finalised yet. "Most of the text had already been finalised, but the Americans kept changing their positions," he said. He emphasized that Iran does not compromise on its red lines and has not reached a final decision regarding an agreement. The peace deal under negotiation aims to open the Strait of Hormuz and lift the US blockade.
Ongoing negotiations
Tehran and Washington exchanging proposals to end war
Tehran and Washington have been exchanging proposals to end the war that started on February 28. Despite a ceasefire being in place since April 8, both sides have exchanged fire recently. Axios reported that Qatari envoy Ali Al-Thawadi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were working late into Wednesday night to finalize the agreement. Three sources told Axios that gaps were narrowed on key issues such as releasing Iran's frozen assets and reopening Hormuz during the ceasefire period.
Agreement confirmation
Agreement in principle reached during talks in Tehran
Iranian officials told negotiators that an agreement in principle was reached during talks in Tehran. However, Khamenei has not given final approval yet. The peace deal aims to end hostilities within a 60-day ceasefire period, although further negotiations are required for any agreement on Iran's nuclear programme and the lifting of US sanctions.