IRAN WAR: Trump says peace deal approved, Iran says otherwise
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U.S. President Donald Trump is claiming a peace deal with Iran could be finalized as soon as this weekend.
Trump said on Truth Social that a deal is imminent after days of retaliatory strikes between Iran and the U.S., despite a fragile ceasefire in place. The president said the time and place of the signing of the peace deal “to be announced shortly.”
However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told state media that no deal has been finalized, calling it “merely speculation” and that Tehran had not made a final decision on it.
Qatar and Pakistan acted as mediators, but “U.S. actions are affecting the diplomatic process,” Baghaei said.
This as the conflict in the Middle East has been going on for 105 days.
Here’s the latest on the Iran war on Friday:
U.S. shoots down Iranian drones near Strait of Hormuz
American military forces shot down two Iranian attack drones as they tried to strike commercial ships travelling in the Strait of Hormuz, France 24 reported.
An official told the outlet that despite the clashes between the two countries, traffic flow through the strait continues.”
New details on draft peace deal
New details on a 14-point draft memorandum of understanding being negotiated between U.S. and Iran have been revealed by Iranian state media.
In the draft agreement, the U.S. agrees to lift sanctions, withdraw its military forces from Iran and surrounding areas, end the naval blockade and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, oil sanctions would be removed and Iran’s frozen assets will be released, Mehr’s News Agency reported, per NBC News .
Washington would also be required to present a plan to help build Iran’s economy.
“Nuclear and economic issues” would be the focus on final negotiations, Mehr’s reported.
Trump says Iran has ‘taken a pounding’
While President Trump has claimed on multiple occasions that Iran was close to signing off on a deal with the U.S., he said this time is different because Iran has succumbed to the strength of American military.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump accused Iranian leaders of moving too slowly on negotiations, arguing that it submitted to the U.S. military, including the wave of attacks earlier this week.
“Because they’ve taken a pounding,” Trump said, in response to why Iran will agree to a deal now. “They’ve taken a pounding like few people could take, and they want to make a deal a lot more than I do.”
Trump said Iran “Could have had it done the other way I guess, but it would have taken longer,” per USA Today .
Iran refutes agreement has been finalized
According to Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, a peace agreement with the United States has not been finalized and is “merely speculation,” despite what President Trump has said.
Baghaei told state-run news agency IRNA that Tehran hasn’t made a final decision on any deal, noting that Qatar and Pakistan were “active as mediators” and that the “U.S. actions are affecting the diplomatic process,” CNN reported.
“From the beginning, the status of the negotiations was clear to us, and a large portion of the text had already been finalized. However, the Americans kept changing their positions,” Baghaei said, noting Iran had “proven that it does not compromise on what it has defined as its red lines.”
“So far, Iran has not reached a final decision regarding any agreement,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump said he was cancelling the strikes against Iran that he had declared hours earlier because “final points” of a deal with the country had been approved.
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