'Peace has never been this close': PM Shehbaz says text of 'final' US-Iran peace deal agreed upon

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday confirmed that a “final agreed-upon” text of the peace deal between Iran and the United States had been reached.

A day prior, US President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran could sign a peace deal as soon as this weekend, which, if finalised, would be the most significant diplomatic breakthrough yet to end the months-old war.

“We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “The strait will officially open as soon as we sign, which could be soon, very soon, maybe over the weekend in Europe,” he said.

In a post on X, PM Shehbaz said Islamabad was working “closely” with both sides to finalise the next steps of the process.

“Peace has never been this close as it is now.”

The premier also cautioned against an “incessant misinformation campaign being waged by those who want to sabotage the peace deal”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made similar comments, calling the potential deal the “Islamabad memorandum of understanding”.

“The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer,” he wrote on X, urging the press to refrain from speculating until it is finalised.

“In line with our responsible and transparent approach, all details will be shared with the public in due course.”

Earlier today, Trump rejected reports about the terms of a possible deal with Iran in a post on Truth Social, asserting that they have “nothing to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing”.

He added that Tehran needed to “get their act together, and fast”.

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance issued a statement of his own on X to dispel “fake information” revolving around the possible agreement.

“First, the Iranians are not receiving any cash, and no funds are being released for simply signing a deal or attending a meeting,” he wrote on X.

“The deal is structured to ensure that the US and its allies’ concerns are prioritised, and that if the Islamic Republic of Iran meets its obligations, then economic benefits will flow to them and to the entire region.”

He added, “This deal has the potential to remake the region and lead to lasting peace.”

On Wednesday night, it looked like war had resumed, with Washington and Tehran trading strikes after an American Apache attack helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz.

The two countries traded strikes again on Thursday, with Trump warning that he had planned “bigger” bombing raids today.

However, he cancelled the strikes following discussions with the highest levels of leadership in Tehran.

“Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkiye, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others,” he wrote on Truth Social.

The war started on February 28 with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, with both countries trading attacks until a ceasefire was agreed upon in April, with Pakistan acting as a mediator. A round of talks was held in Islamabad that month, though no deal was reached after 21 hours of negotiations. ...