Iran considering US proposal as Trump says war will be 'over quickly'

Mediator Pakistan says it is "endeavouring to convert this ceasefire into a permanent end to this war". 4 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Kathryn Armstrong US President Donald Trump has predicted that the war in Iran will be "over quickly" and says that most people "understand" his goal of ending Tehran's nuclear ambitions. His comments come after Iran said a US proposal to end the war is "still being considered". US news outlet Axios reported that the White House believes it could be closing in on a 14-point memorandum of understanding with Iran, which could set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations. Pakistan's foreign minister said his country was "endeavouring to convert this ceasefire into a permanent end to this war".

In its report , Axios describes the memorandum as a one-page, 14-point memo which could set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations. The Reuters news agency reported that two sources briefed on the mediation between the US and Iran had confirmed the information initially reported by Axios, but the proposal has not been publicly outlined. Speaking during a virtual campaign event on Wednesday evening, Trump told Republicans in the State of Georgia that he was optimistic that the war would end soon. He added that most people understood he was right to deny Iran the opportunity to have a nuclear weapon. Ealier, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA): "The American proposal is still being reviewed by Iran and after concluding, it will inform the Pakistani side of its opinion." Responding to the Axios report, Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson of the Iranian Parliament's national security and foreign policy commission, wrote on X: "The Americans will not gain anything in a war they are losing that they have not gained in face-to-face negotiations." He also said Iran "has its finger on the trigger and is ready" and warned that if the US did not "surrender and grant the necessary concessions", Iran would "deliver a harsh and regret-inducing response".

Trump has threatened renewed violence as well, writing on his Truth Social platform that if Iran did not agree to a deal "the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before". He also said Operation Epic Fury - the initial US-Israeli offensive in Iran - would come to an end "assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to". Trump also said, not for the first time, that Iran has agreed to never have a nuclear weapon "among other things" - a claim that has not been confirmed by Tehran. "They [Iran] want to make a deal. Iran has yet to react publicly to the pause but the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) alluded to the strait reopening if there is an "end of the aggressors' threats".

The crucial waterway, through which 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes, has effectively been blockaded by Iran since the US and Israel began attacking it in late February. In early April, the US and Iran announced a ceasefire under which Iran ended its drone and missile strikes on Gulf countries including the UAE, but few vessels have been able to transit the strait since then. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that there was "full coordination" between himself and Trump over Iran. We share common goals, and the most important objective is the removal of all enriched material from Iran and the dismantling of Iran's enrichment capabilities," he said. His comments came after Israel launched its first strike on the Lebanese capital, Beirut , since a ceasefire was agreed in April.

Netanyahu wrote on social media that forces had targeted a senior Hezbollah commander "responsible for firing at Israeli settlements and harming IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers". Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia and political party, began striking Israel in early March in retaliation for its attacks on Iran. Despite the ceasefire agreement, Israel and Hezbollah have continued with their attacks, accusing each other of violations. Middle East Iran United States Mediator Pakistan says it is "endeavouring to convert this ceasefire into a permanent end to this war". Iran considering US proposal as Trump says war will be 'over quickly'