Washington, United States. The United States and Iran signaled on Friday that an agreement to end their war was close, with a senior US administration official saying both sides had agreed on a text and that Washington expects to sign an initial deal in the coming days. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said changes were still possible, but described the tentative agreement as evidence that Iran had emerged stronger from the conflict.
Draft agreement and reactions
Araqchi said on state television that “Iran is the winner of the war with the US.”
The senior US administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that the deal met President Donald Trump’s core objectives and put negotiations “in a very, very good place.”
The proposed memorandum of understanding calls for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, according to sources on all sides of the talks. Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, which Trump had cited as the rationale for starting the war, would take place afterward.
Military activity near the strait
Hours after Araqchi’s remarks, US forces shot down multiple Iranian one-way attack drones heading toward the Strait of Hormuz, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the drones had posed a threat to commercial traffic.
US Central Command later confirmed the action and said the waterway was open for transit.
Iranian news agencies reported that explosions were heard along the strait in Iran’s Sirik port and Qeshm island. Residents and local officials attributed the sounds to shots fired by Iranian forces to warn vessels attempting to cross the waterway without permission from the Revolutionary Guards’ navy.
Disputed accounts of the terms
Accounts of the draft proposal from Western, Pakistani and Iranian sources pointed to terms that could favor Iran, prompting criticism from Trump, who dismissed the reports as inaccurate.
While there were minor differences in the details, the proposals broadly offered Tehran much of what it has sought, with Trump appearing to secure little beyond the reopening of the strait, which Iran closed after the US and Israel strikes in February.
