Pakistan’s prime minister said Friday the United States and Iran have agreed to wording of an agreement aimed at ending their war in the Middle East and that mediators were working with both sides to finalise a deal.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the US and Iran have reached a “final, agreed upon text.”
He said Pakistan, which has taken the lead in mediation efforts, was working with the warring countries on next steps.
“Peace has never been this close as it is now,” Sharif said in a post on X.
The apparent breakthrough in negotiations comes after Iran exchanged fire with the US and Israel over three days this week, threatening to return the Middle East to full-scale war.
There was no immediate comment from US or Iranian leaders on Sharif’s statement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday an agreement “has never been closer” in post on X.
US President Donald Trump, who has said multiple times in recent weeks that the countries were on the cusp of a deal, shared Araghchi’s post on his own social media.
None of the leaders gave details about the emerging agreement.
The war launched by the US and Israel on Feb. 28 has rattled the Middle East and virtually shut down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf.
A fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 7.
Three regional officials said the emerging deal is expected to pave the way for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran, and the release of frozen Iranian assets. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.
