U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios on Saturday that he would meet with his negotiators later that day to discuss Iran's latest proposal and would likely decide by Sunday whether to resume the war, UNN reports.
Details
Trump said the chances of reaching a "good" deal or "smashing them to smithereens" are a "solid 50/50."
The U.S. President is expected to hold a conference call with Gulf leaders later today to discuss the situation with Iran, according to two sources familiar with the plans.
Participants are currently expected to include the leaders of Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey. A senior Israeli official said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aides are in contact with the White House regarding the new deal.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told Axios that some leaders in the region have urged President Trump to strike Iran to weaken the regime and secure a deal on better terms. On the other hand, he said, other regional leaders and some of the U.S. President's top advisors have urged him to accept the deal currently on the table.
Those voices, he said, argued that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be protected from Iranian influence, and that if Iran is struck, it is capable of destroying significant oil operations in the Persian Gulf.
Trump told Axios he would meet with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner later Saturday to discuss Iran's latest response. U.S. Vice President JD Vance is also expected to join.
Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has been mediating between the parties, left Tehran on Saturday after meeting with senior officials there and attempting to push the deal forward.
No deal was reached, but Pakistan reported "encouraging progress toward a final understanding," the publication writes.
The new draft, which Trump intends to review on Saturday, emerged from negotiations between Iran and Pakistan.
Iran stated it will not compromise in negotiations with the US23.05.26, 19:40
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said earlier Saturday that Iran and the U.S. are in the final stages of discussing a memorandum of understanding to end the war. The spokesperson said the memorandum would also address the gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of the U.S. blockade, and the release of frozen Iranian funds. He added that this would be followed by 30-60 days of negotiations on a detailed agreement.
Trump stated he would only agree to a deal that covers issues such as uranium enrichment and the fate of Iran's existing stockpiles. However, these issues are unlikely to be resolved in detail within the memorandum of understanding that the U.S. and Iran are discussing to end the war and begin more in-depth negotiations, the publication notes.
Regional mediators — Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan — have spent the last 24 hours working to bridge the differences between the parties. They held numerous phone calls with both Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Witkoff.
"I think one of two things is going to happen: either I'm going to hit them harder than they've ever been hit, or we're going to sign a deal that's going to be a good one,"
He acknowledged that "some people would much rather have a deal, and others would rather resume the war," but dismissed the idea that Netanyahu is "worried" that he might strike a bad deal.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that "some progress" has been made in the negotiations and "there may be some news later today."
He said that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon and must give up its enriched uranium, and the Strait of Hormuz must be fully reopened "without charging a fee."
Until now, the positions of the U.S. and Iran on both the nuclear issue and the strait have been irreconcilable. These issues may not be fully resolved even if a peace memorandum is signed, the publication points out.
Trump is considering the possibility of resuming war with Iran - Axios23.05.26, 17:40