On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that after reviewing the latest proposal from the Islamic Republic with his advisers and negotiators, he would likely make a final decision by tomorrow on either reaching a “good” agreement or taking tough action against Iran. He described the chances of each scenario as “fifty-fifty.”
In an interview with Axios, Trump said he plans to meet with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the U.S. representatives involved in negotiations with Iran, to discuss Tehran’s latest response. According to him, JD Vance will also attend the meeting.
The U.S. president emphasized: “I think one of two things will happen; either I will hit them in a way they have never experienced before, or we will sign a deal that is good.”
He also stated that some factions favor reaching an agreement, while others support continuing the confrontation. Trump meanwhile dismissed claims that Benjamin Netanyahu is concerned about the possibility of a weak or unfavorable deal being signed.
At the same time, Asim Munir, Pakistan’s army chief, who in recent days has reportedly played a mediating role between Tehran and Washington, left Tehran after meeting with senior Iranian officials.
Pakistan announced that although a final agreement has not yet been reached, “encouraging progress” has been made toward mutual understanding between the two sides. According to the report, the latest draft proposal that Trump is expected to review is the result of consultations conducted between Iran and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated that Tehran and Washington are in the final stages of talks over a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending tensions. According to the spokesperson, the memorandum includes issues such as the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, lifting the U.S. blockade, and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
The Iranian official added that if the memorandum is signed, negotiations lasting between 30 and 60 days would begin in order to reach a more comprehensive agreement.
However, Trump stressed that he would only accept a deal that addresses Iran’s uranium enrichment activities and the fate of its stockpile of enriched uranium—issues that observers say are among the most significant points of disagreement between the two sides.
Over the past 24 hours, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan have launched extensive diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions between Tehran and Washington. As part of these efforts, several contacts reportedly took place between Abbas Araghchi and Steve Witkoff.
Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, also said on Saturday that “progress” had been made in the negotiations and that new developments might emerge in the coming hours. He once again stressed that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons and must give up its enriched uranium stockpile.
Despite these developments, disagreements between the two sides over Iran’s nuclear program and the status of the Strait of Hormuz remain unresolved, and it is still unclear whether these issues would be fully settled even if an initial agreement is reached.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
