Washington, United States. US President Donald Trump said an agreement to end the war with Iran could be reached soon, as a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel came into effect and oil prices fell on hopes of a resolution.
Trump signals possible weekend talks and near-term deal
Speaking outside the White House, Trump said the next round of US-Iran talks could take place at the weekend and that a deal was within reach.
“I think we’re very close to making a deal with Iran,” he told reporters, adding he might travel to Islamabad if an agreement were signed there. Hours later in Las Vegas, he said the war “should be ending pretty soon.”
Sources cite Pakistani mediation and reported progress
A Pakistani source involved in back-channel mediation said progress had been made and that an upcoming meeting between the two sides could result in a signed agreement, with a memorandum of understanding to be followed by a comprehensive deal within 60 days.
A separate diplomatic source said Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir had been in Tehran since Wednesday and had achieved a breakthrough on unresolved issues.
Nuclear issues remain a central sticking point
Nuclear ambitions remained a central point of dispute. At talks in Islamabad last weekend, the US proposed a 20-year suspension of all Iranian nuclear activity, while Tehran countered with a three-to-five-year halt.
Trump said on Thursday that Iran had offered not to possess nuclear weapons for more than 20 years. Two Iranian sources indicated signs of compromise on Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, with Iran considering shipping part of it out of the country.
Oil prices fall while Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed
Oil prices fell in early Friday trading on deal optimism, with Brent crude declining to $98.17 a barrel, while Asian stock markets headed for a second consecutive week of strong gains.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply passes, remained effectively closed. Before the war, more than 130 vessels transited the strait daily, but only a trickle have done so since the conflict began on 28 February.
Lebanon-Israel ceasefire takes effect amid early strain
The Lebanon ceasefire, mediated by Pakistan and brokered with US involvement, came into effect on Thursday. Trump said he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun and planned to invite both to the White House for talks within the coming week or two.
Iran has insisted any peace deal must also address the fighting in Lebanon. Celebratory gunfire rang out across parts of Beirut at midnight, but the Lebanese Army reported Israeli shelling of several southern villages in the hours that followed.
The Israeli military said its forces remained deployed in the area in response to continued Hezbollah activity. Hezbollah said its last strike was carried out 10 minutes before the ceasefire took effect.
What developments will you be watching most closely in the US-Iran talks and the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire?
