Iran war live: US, Tehran signal peace deal within reach but not signed yet

It’s thought that the deal is not unlike what was on the table a few weeks ago, but any changes that there have been are important because they’ve sought clarity.

They don’t want there to be any ambiguity in this agreement.

And if you ask anyone in and around the White House, they’ll tell you one thing brought this to a conclusion, and that was the US military and the strength of Donald Trump.

We saw two nights of attacks on Iran.

The first night we were told was in response to the downing of an Apache helicopter.

The second night, Donald Trump said it, Pete Hegseth said it … this was all about getting Iran to negotiate, to accept the deal that was on the table.

They believe that Iran had been stringing this out, and they believe that the strength of the US military was the key point in getting Iran to sign on to this deal – even though they’re still waiting to get the final details of the deal, where and when it will be signed, to make sure it is actually all done and dusted.

A senior Iranian official claims that US President Donald Trump has agreed to the unfreezing of Iranian funds despite his public silence on the matter, Iranian state media reports.

Mohsen Rezaei, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, said Trump “has agreed to the release of $24 billion of Iran’s frozen assets, but he does not explicitly declare this”, according to the state-run Fars news agency.

President Trump earlier declared such reports in Iranian media as “fake news”.

What Donald Trump is saying is that you’re not to believe what the Iranians are leaking. He is very angry. He says it bears no relation to what is actually in the deal.

He’s said that they’re very dishonourable people to do business with, that there’s no such thing as negotiating in good faith. And he also warned them that they had better get their act together and do it quickly.

That’s a slightly belligerent tone from Donald Trump, who 24 hours ago was saying this deal was almost done and they were looking forward to getting it signed within the next couple of days.

JD Vance, the vice president, has been out and about saying that the US and their allies are getting what they want, they are protected, and their concerns are the priorities in this deal.

And he says that there are certain benchmarks that Iran has to meet, and when they do that, if they hit those targets, then they will get some financial rewards.

And that’s how a lot of agreements are structured – you do this, and we do that. And it seems that’s exactly what is happening here.

But it’s clear that Donald Trump is not happy with what the Iranians have leaked.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been explaining why the deal hasn’t yet been signed, saying that there is a disagreement, or a level of disagreement, between the Supreme National Security Council and other leaders.

They are discussing; they are not on the same page yet.

But that’s not a big deal, according to him. It’s going to be finally agreed on, and there is no deadline for that, but understandably, it’s very soon.

And once it is approved, at the beginning there will be a remote electronic signing, and then there will probably be a meeting between the two sides somewhere to sign it on paper.

Of the two phases, the first one is key to this process because there will be a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon. There will be the lifting of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and also there will be a mechanism in place to deal with the unfreezing of Iranian assets.

The second phase will include the nuclear file and some other points, such as, for instance, the lifting of sanctions on Iran.

So, there is a degree of optimism now different from before.

The two sides are closer than ever before to the signing of that memorandum of understanding, which is going to hopefully lead to a final end to the war.

The sticking point, of course, in any case – whether in the first phase or in the second phase – will be Lebanon. Because in the first phase there should be that ceasefire.

That’s a litmus test.

Pakistani mediators have expressed “cautious optimism” that negotiations between the US and Iran will soon offer “immediate relief” from the conflict.

Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid reports.

• Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the US has “never been closer”.
• Araghchi also provided details of what is in the memorandum, saying it agrees to end the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, according to Iranian state media.
• Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said earlier a “final, agreed-upon text of the peace deal has been reached” with “next steps” to be finalised.
• The US military’s Central Command said US forces “continue to strictly enforce” the Trump administration’s blockade on Iranian ports.
• Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the country will not withdraw from Lebanon, Syria or Gaza, stressing that Israel must retain the “ability to act independently to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons”.
• UN peacekeepers have observed “extensive” Israeli military activity in parts of southern Lebanon, the UN said.
• A UK court sentenced four activists to prison on “terror” charges over a 2024 protest raid against Israeli weapons company Elbit Systems.

Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the US and Israel’s war on Iran, as well as Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.

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You can find our updates from Friday, June 12, here.