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US, Iran inch closer to deal to end the war: What to know
United States President Donald Trump says a possible agreement between Washington and Tehran to end months of war is now “largely negotiated”, raising hopes that tensions in the region could ease after a flurry of diplomatic overtures involving multiple countries.The proposed memorandum of understanding (MoU) reportedly includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for crude oil and gas, as well as talks aimed at formally ending the US-Israel war on Iran.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israeli attacks in Lebanon kill at least 20 despite supposed ceasefirelist 2 of 3Rising global costs threaten Mexico’s production costs and food stabilitylist 3 of 3Iran sends ‘mixed’ messages as Pakistani mediators depart Tehranend of listBut despite optimistic statements from Trump, Iranian officials say major disagreements remain, especially over the status of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear programme and conflicts involving Tehran-backed groups in Lebanon.So, what has Trump said, what is the pushback from Iran, and what are the key sticking points?What did Trump say?The president said on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday that an agreement between the US, Iran and several other countries in the region had been “largely negotiated” and that final details would be announced soon.“An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.He said the proposed agreement would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which has remained effectively closed to most shipping since the US-Israel war on Iran began on February 28.Trump described the proposal as a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE” and said the discussions involved Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain.Trump said he also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and it “went very well”.Sources told the Reuters news agency the proposed framework would unfold in stages: formally ending the war, resolving the Strait of Hormuz crisis, and opening a 30-day negotiation window for a broader agreement on sustained peace, which could be extended.Axios reported late on Saturday that Washington and Tehran were close to a deal, which it said would include no tolls on ships transiting the strait, while Iran would be able to freely sell oil.In exchange, the US would li...
Iran-US war latest: Trump has 'pretty solid' deal on the table, says ...
The US and Iran have a “pretty solid” draft deal “on the table” to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said as oil prices hit two-week lows amid optimism about a break-through. Mr Rubio said on Monday that the US will either have a good agreement with Iran or deal with the country “another way”. There was a "pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the strait, get the strait open, enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter, and hopefully we can pull it off," Mr Rubio said.His comments came as oil prices hit two-week lows on Monday amid optimism that the US and Iran were moving closer to a peace deal.Brent crude futures fell $4.71, or 4.55 per cent, to $98.83 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate was at $92.03 a barrel, down $4.57, or 4.73 per cent.‘The one toy I took from my war torn home’: Plight of the 400,000 children displaced by Israel’s war on LebanonClutching a pack of Uno cards and a Little Mermaid colouring book, eight-year-old Nour* was forced to leave her home in southern Lebanon as Israeli forces bombarded the region.Clothes were the only other item she carried as her family fled their town and joined more than one million internally displaced people fleeing Israeli attacks, which have razed villages to the ground.These treasured possessions, Nour says, were gifts from her mum and dad. “They mean so much to me,” she says from a collective shelter in Beirut where she now lives with her sister Tala* and mother Sarah*.It is a story all too common in Lebanon’s 632 collective shelters for refugees, where nearly 130,000 people are residing as they seek safety from ongoing shelling near their homes, which has continued despite a ceasefire agreement being extended for another 45 days.Read more from Alex Croft here: Holly Bancroft25 May 2026 12:11Iran central bank chief heads to Qatar after talks about frozen fundsIran's Central Bank Chief Abdolnaser Hemmati has travelled to Qatar, Iran's state media has reported, saying the visit follows talks with a Qatari delegation in Tehran regarding Iran's frozen funds. Iran has been pushing in negotiations for its frozen funds abroad, including in Qatar, to be released.According to Iran International, Iranian negotiators have demanded the immediate release of $12bn in frozen assets held in Qatar as a precondition for advancing talks with the United States. The release of the Qatar funds ...
U.S.-Iran peace deal emerging, while war threats still loom
Vessels are anchored off the coast of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on May 21, 2026. AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption AFP via Getty Images President Trump and other administration officials are tempering expectations raised of an imminent agreement to end the war in Iran while Iranian officials have signaled there are still disagreements on key issues. Trump, after saying Saturday that the U.S. and Iran had "largely negotiated" a memorandum of understanding that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, said Sunday in a series of posts in social media that the U.S. would not rush into any agreement. "If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one," adding: "So don't listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about," Trump posted on Sunday. Speaking in New Delhi, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday, the United States would "give diplomacy every chance to succeed before we explore the alternatives." Iran has not officially commented on the proposed agreement. But semi-official news agencies, often used for Iranian leadership messaging, have said that disputes over "one or two" issues were jeopardizing the potential deal. On Monday, Tasnim news agency, close to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, accused the U.S. of "obstructionism" over the release of some frozen Iranian funds in exchange for lifting restrictions over transit through the Strait of Hormuz. The news agency also said the agreement being negotiated called on Iran to restore the number of ships transiting through the vital waterway to pre-war levels within 30 days and for the U.S. to completely lift its blockade within the same time. Another state-backed agency, ISNA, said Iran would insist on administering the strait along with Oman. The two countries share the narrow waterway, with the transit passage governed by the U.N. law of seas. The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, sparking a regional war that for the first time spread to U.S. allies in the Gulf including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Iran struck U.S. military bases and energy infrastructure in those countries in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli strikes. A ceasefire was agreed in April. Several thousand Iranians were believed killed in the U.S. and Israeli strikes. While Trump originally focused on the idea of regime change in the Islamic republic and the perceived threat of Iran building nuclear weapons, current talks have centered on re-open...
Middle East crisis live: Trump insists any Iran deal will be 'great and ...
From 1h agoIran deal will either be 'great and meaningful' or there will 'be no deal' at all, Trump saysIn a post on Truth Social, the US president, Donald Trump, has again hit out at US lawmakers who reacted furiously to reports that a proposed deal with Iran contained major concessions from Washington.“I laugh at all of the Dumocrats, RINOS, and Fools who know nothing about the potential deal I am making with Iran, things that haven’t even been negotiated yet,” Trump wrote.“The deal with Iran will either be a great and meaningful one, or there will be no deal. It will be the exact opposite of the JCPOA disaster negotiated by the failed Obama Administration, which was a direct and open path to a Nuclear Weapon for Iran,” he said, referring to the 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to limit Iran’s nuclear enrichment in return for sanctions relief.Trump withdrew from that international deal in 2018, saying the agreement was “rotten” and complaining it only limited Iran’s nuclear activities for a fixed period. He has claimed the new deal will be far superior, without saying how.Key events1h agoIran deal will either be 'great and meaningful' or there will 'be no deal' at all, Trump says1h agoIsrael issues more forced evacuation orders for Lebanese towns and villages4h agoIran says progress on many issues with US but agreement not 'imminent'5h agoLead Iranian negotiator re-elected as parliament speaker6h agoSummaryShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureRussian president Vladimir Putin and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa discussed by phone the need to find a rapid diplomatic resolution to the Iran crisis, the Kremlin said on Monday.It comes as Iran warned on Monday that, while some progress had been made, it was not yet close to striking a deal with the United States to end the Middle East war.World oil prices tumbled on renewed optimism about an agreement, after top US diplomat Marco Rubio suggested a deal could be reached within the day – but Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman responded: “No one can make such a claim.”Lucy CampbellDonald Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that the agreement would include opening of the strait of Hormuz, a crucial chokepoint for global trade, which Iran has effectively shut since the US and Israel started the war in February.But the US president did not mention Iran’s nuclear program and highly enriched uranium, despite repeatedly insisting that Tehran ...
