Pakistan confirms that the US and Iran have reached "a definitive and consensual text of the peace agreement"

BarcelonaThe text of a preliminary agreement between Iran and the United States seems to be almost complete. While the armies of Iran and the United States exchanged attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday night, their negotiating teams tried to bring their positions closer, and after both sides have pointed in this direction in recent hours, Pakistan has just confirmed that the US and Iran have reached "a definitive and consensual text of the peace agreement".

"Amidst the intense mediation efforts undertaken by Pakistan, we are fully aware of the incessant disinformation campaign carried out by those who wish to sabotage the peace agreement. Setting aside the noise, we can confirm that a final agreed text of the peace agreement has been reached and that Pakistan is working closely with both sides to finalize the next steps. Peace has never been closer than now," wrote the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, in a message on X.

assured that a "grand agreement" had been reached with Tehran.assured that a "great deal" had been reached with Tehran."The time and place of the signing will be announced soon," he wrote on Truth Social, implying that the officialization of the pact was imminent.

Iranian authorities, however, lowered expectations. While the Foreign Ministry spokesperson admitted that "much of the text has been finalized," he also assured that Tehran has not yet made a final decision. In fact, the spokesperson described this 14-point plan as media speculation and reproached the United States for continuously changing its conditions.

Mutual accusations continued this Friday. In another post, Trump reproached Tehran for negotiating in bad faith and assured that the terms of the agreement leaked by Iranian media "have nothing to do with the conditions that were agreed in writing." "Very dishonest people to deal with. With them, there is nothing like negotiating in good faith. Incredible!" he added. And he regained his threatening tone: "They had better get organized, and fast!".

Disagreements over Hormuz

The draft that has been leaked to the press (both American and Iranian) states that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen immediately in exchange for the gradual lifting of sanctions against Iran, based on their degree of compliance. On the other hand, the ceasefire would be extended for 60 days – also on the Lebanese front – during which negotiations on the nuclear issue would continue. In addition, the text includes a framework for addressing Iran's enriched uranium reserves. The text would have received the approval of high-ranking Iranian officials, but it would still be pending final approval by the Iranian supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, according to the Axios portal.

The terms reported by the Iranian news agency Mehr are more favorable to Tehran. In addition to the aforementioned conditions, it assures that the US would make considerable concessions, such as committing to withdraw its forces from around Iran and to present a reconstruction plan for the damage inflicted on the Iranian economy. "The United States and its allies must present plans for the reconstruction of Iran worth at least 300 billion dollars," states the Mehr agency.

Regarding the timelines of the agreement, US sources tell various media that the understanding could be officially announced this Sunday in Geneva, where the Vice President of the United States, J.D. Vance, and the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, would travel to seal the pact. However, Iran's official message is that there is still no agreement on the terms. According to the official Iranian agency IRNA, Tehran does not commit to ceding control of the Strait of Hormuz without tolls because it considers it unfair to restore the conditions that prevailed before the start of the war.

The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has not referred to the alleged agreement, and has only insisted that the main objective is for Iran not to have atomic weapons. "As long as I am the Prime Minister of Israel, Iran will not have nuclear weapons. President Trump and I are in complete agreement on this issue," he said in a statement, in which he took credit for himself: "For more than 30 years, I have been at the forefront of the international fight against Iran's nuclear program. If it were not for this fight, Iran would have possessed atomic bombs to destroy Israel a long time ago."

Precedents

The situation in the Strait of Hormuz, war reparations, the lifting of naval blockades, the withdrawal of sanctions, and the release of Iran's frozen assets have at other times been points of contention between Iranian and American negotiators that have prevented them from reaching an agreement several times in recent monthswhich have prevented them from reaching an agreement several times in recent months. In this regard, it remains to be seen whether the leaked draft will eventually lead to a lasting peace pact or if it will remain as another window for delegations to continue negotiating.

Be that as it may, Trump is feeling increasing pressure to end a conflict that, at the time he announced it, he promised would last four weeks. With the midterm elections looming – scheduled for November – the war has become a political headache for the White House, as polls show Trump's approval ratings are plummeting due to voter discontent over rising prices, especially for fuel.

Meanwhile, mediators between Iran and the US are holding their breath so that skirmishes around the Strait of Hormuz do not jeopardize this embryonic pact. This Thursday, American forces shot down two Iranian one-way attack drones after Tehran attempted to attack commercial vessels transiting this waterway. And this Friday morning, the Iranian army stopped a tanker transiting the strait, where, according to Iranian media reports, several explosions have been heard.