TEHRAN: Senior US and Iranian officials said on Saturday they could be close to a breakthrough in talks to strike a draft deal to end the war in the Middle East.
Iran said gaps remain between the parties, and the dispute over its nuclear program would not be part of the initial talks.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will discuss the latest Iran draft agreement with advisers and might make a decision on whether to resume the war by Sunday, Axios reported, citing an interview with the US president.
“Either we reach a good deal or I’ll blow them to a thousand hells,” he was quoted as saying.
But US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism, just as Pakistan’s army chief, a key go-between between the United States and Iran, left Tehran after two days of talks with senior Iranian leaders.
“There is a chance that, whether it’s later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say,” Rubio told reporters Saturday during a visit to New Delhi, adding that he hoped that he would soon be able to announce “good news.”
The Iranian foreign ministry also said that a draft deal might at last be close.
“Our intention was first to draft a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement composed of 14 clauses,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on state television.
He noted what he called “a trend toward rapprochement” but said “it does not necessarily mean that we and the United States will reach an agreement on the important issues.”
Pakistan’s military said on Saturday that army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s visit to Tehran had contributed “meaningfully” to mediation efforts.
Munir wrapped up what the military described as a “short but highly productive” visit to Iran after holding meetings with President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni amid renewed diplomatic efforts to prevent a resumption of hostilities in the region.
In a statement released after Munir’s departure from Tehran, Pakistan’s military said the visit focused on advancing mediation efforts and supporting regional stability.
“The discussions remained focused upon expediting the consultative process underway to support peace and stability in the region and to reach to a conclusive agreement,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
“The engagements were held in a positive and constructive environment and contributed meaningfully toward the mediation process,” it added. “The intensive negotiations over the last twenty four hours have resulted in encouraging progress toward a final understanding.”
‘Getting a lot closer’ to agreement
Trump told CBS in a phone interview on Saturday that the US and Iran are “getting a lot closer” to an agreement to end the war in the Middle East.
But in the interview with the TV network, Trump also warned that if the US and Iran do not come to an agreement, “we’re going to have a situation where no country will ever be hit as hard as they’re about to be hit.”
The US president struck a less upbeat tone in another Saturday morning interview with news website Axios, saying that it was a “solid 50/50” chance of a deal being struck.
Trump warned he would “blow them to kingdom come” if a deal wasn’t reached, Axios reported.
Both outlets also reported that Trump was scheduled to speak with Gulf leaders by phone later on Saturay.
‘Excessive demands’
Chief negotiator Ghalibaf had warned earlier that Washington would face a tough response if it resumes hostilities, after US media reports raised the prospect of new strikes and Iranian officials accused the US side of making “excessive demands.”
“Our armed forces have rebuilt themselves during the ceasefire period in such a way that if Trump commits another act of folly and restarts the war, it will certainly be more crushing and bitter for the United States than on the first day of the war,” Ghalibaf posted on social media.
He issued the warning after meeting in Tehran with Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, a leading figure in international efforts to negotiate an end to the war, which broke out after the United States and Israel attacked the Islamic republic on February 28.
Weeks of negotiations — including historic face-to-face talks hosted by Islamabad — have still not produced a permanent resolution or restored full access to the Strait of Hormuz, choking vast quantities of global oil supply.
Araghchi said in a call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Tehran was engaged despite “repeated betrayals of diplomacy and military aggression against Iran, along with contradictory positions and repeated excessive demands” by Washington.
Araghchi held a bevy of diplomatic calls, speaking with his counterparts from Turkiye, Iraq, Qatar, and Oman, IRNA said.
US President Donald Trump also spoke on Saturday with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, whose office said he had told Trump he supports “all initiatives aimed at containing the crisis through dialogue and diplomacy.”
