US-Iran Deal Includes Terms On Uranium, Hormuz, US Troops: Media Reports
US media late on May 23 began reporting what they said were terms of a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, although no official statements have been made from either side on the elements of the potential deal.
RFE/RL could not immediately confirm the terms reported by The New York Times and Axios.
US President Donald Trump hours earlier said an agreement with Iran to end the war “has been largely negotiated” and that “final aspects and details” are being discussed, although Tehran quickly hit back to dispute some of the president's claims.
The New York Times, citing two unidentified US officials, reported that the deal included an "apparent agreement" by Iran to give up its supply of enriched uranium -- a key US demand. How that would work would be decided in further negotiations, the Times reported.
Meanwhile, Axios, citing a US official, reported that the deal involved a 60-day cease-fire extension, during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Iran would be able to freely sell oil, and negotiations would be held on curbing Iran's nuclear program.
Axios said US troops deployed to the region would remain for the 60-day period and withdraw only if a final deal is reached. Negotiations to lift sanctions against Iran and unfreeze Iranian assets would take place during the 60-day period, Axios also reported.
The US also would lift its blockade on Iranian ports, the report added.
Pakistani PM Says To Continue Peace Efforts, Hopes To Host Next Round Of Talks
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on May 24 said Islamabad will continue its mediation efforts to bring an end to the Middle East war following the visit to Iran of his main mediator, Field Marshal Asim Munir, the Pakistani army chief.
Sharif confirmed that he participated in a phone call with US President Donald Trump and several other leaders and top officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain.
He said he congratulated Trump on "his extraordinary efforts to pursue peace and for holding a very useful and productive telephone call" on May 23.
"The discussions provided a useful opportunity to exchange views on the current regional situation and how to move the ongoing peace efforts forward to bring lasting peace in the region," Sharif wrote on X.
"Pakistan will continue its peace efforts with utmost sincerity and we hope to host the next round of talks very soon," he added.
Pakistan hosted top US and Iranian in Islamabad on April 11 for indirect talks. No major breakthroughs were reported following the sessions.
Following the call with Sharif and other leaders, Trump posted on Truth Social that said an agreement with Iran to end the war “has been largely negotiated” and that “final aspects and details” are currently being discussed, raising hopes again of a possible end to the conflict.
However, comments out of Tehran disputed some aspects of Trump's remarks and appeared to play down the possibility of an imminent agreement.
Israeli Sergeant Becomes 22nd Soldier Killed During Lebanon Campaign Against Hezbollah
Israel on May 23 said a soldier was killed a day earlier near the border with Lebanon, raising to 22 the number of its troops killed in the war with Iran-backed Hezbollah.
A militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the US, while the EU has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political branch.
The Israeli military named the slain soldier as Staff Sergeant Noam Hamburger, 23, who "fell during operational activity in northern Israel."
The Israeli military told AFP he was killed near the border with Lebanon.
Trump Says Iran Peace Deal 'Largely Negotiated,' Including Reopening Of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump on May 23 said an agreement with Iran to end the war “has been largely negotiated” and that “final aspects and details” are currently being discussed, raising hopes again of a possible end to the conflict.
“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,” he posted on Truth Social.
“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed and will be announced shortly. In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened,” he added.
Trump said the posting came after he participated in a phone call with the leaders and other officials of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain.
Trump also said in the posting that he had separately spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that the call had gone “very well.”
Trump has often suggested that a deal was imminent to end the conflict, which began with US and Israeli air strikes on February 28, only to later reject an Iranian proposal and again threaten to launch massive attacks.
Tehran did not immediately comment on Trump's remarks, but Iranian officials earlier on May 23 had suggested progress in the negotiations, conducted through Pakistani mediators.
Read more here.
Hezbollah Says Receives Message Of Support From Iran
Lebanon's Hezbollah movement on May 23 said it had received a message from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi saying Tehran would not drop its support for the group.
A militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the US, while the EU has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political branch.
In a statement, Hezbollah added that Tehran's latest proposal submitted through Pakistani mediation to end the Iran war reaffirmed its demand that Lebanon be included in any cease-fire agreement.
Meanwhile, Israel struck southern Lebanon on May 23 despite the ongoing cease-fire, which has been shaky at best.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli airstrikes on multiple locations in southern Lebanon, some of which came after Israel issued evacuation warnings to some 15 villages.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Iran Moves 2026 World Cup Camp From US To Mexico
Iran's national soccer team will be based in the Mexican border city of Tijuana during 2026 World Cup, which will will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, country's soccer federation president announced.
"We will be based in the Tijuana camp, which is near the Pacific Ocean and on the border between Mexico and the United States," Mehdi Taj said in Telegram post on May 23.
"The total distance between us and the venue of our games in Los Angeles is 55 minutes by flight," he added, noting that the new camp location is closer to the team's match venues than its previously planned camp in the United States.
Taj's said the decision was made after the world soccer governing body, FIFA, approved a request to move the training camp from Arizona. There was no immediate comment by FIFA.
Iranian soccer fans have for months faced uncertainty over whether they will see their national team compete in the sport’s most important event of the year, amid the conflict between the United States and Iran.
Earlier in the week, FIFA has reportedly planned to again prohibit fans from displaying Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag at the World Cup, renewing a controversy that shadowed the tournament in Qatar four years ago and drawing immediate backlash from the Iranian diaspora and opposition figures.
The ban was reported by The Athletic on May 19 after FIFA pointed to its stadium code of conduct, which bars "banners, flags, apparel, and other paraphernalia that are of a political, offensive, and/or discriminatory nature" from venues.
Read full story by Radio Farda here.
With reporting by Reuters.
Trump Says Even Odds Of 'Good' Iran Deal Or Renewed Strikes
US President Donald Trump said on May 23 there were even odds that Washington would secure a "good" deal with Iran or renew its bombing campaign targeting the country.
"I think one of two things will happen: either I hit them harder than they have ever been hit, or we are going to sign a deal that is good," Trump said, according to Axios, adding that he might decide by May 24 whether to resume the war.
Separately, Reuters reported that Trump was expected to hold a phone call later in the day with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan.
Trump's latest comments come hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that "some progress" has been made in mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran.
"There's been some progress done, some progress made, even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done," Rubio told reporters on May 23 while visiting India. "There is a chance that, whether it’s later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say," he added.
Speaking to RFE/RL on May 22, Anwar Gargash, a senior official in the United Arab Emirates, said that a resumption of hostilities in the Iran war would be "catastrophic" for the Middle East.
"I don't think either the United States or Iran wants a resumption of hostilities. The region and the UAE do not want a resumption of hostilities," Gargash said.
Although he warned that there was "a regional issue and a global issue with Iran's nuclear program."
"The requirements for a deal are known," he said. "Right now, Iran wants to also bring about a change in the use of the Strait of [Hormuz]. That change will actually [cause] serious issues. And we worry [the strait] might be weaponized [again] in a future conflict."
With reporting by Axios and Reuters.
Pakistani Army Chief Wraps Tehran Talks
Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, held a fresh round of meetings with senior Iranian officials in Tehran on May 23 as part of a widening diplomatic push involving Pakistan, Qatar, Gulf states, and Western countries amid growing fears that the conflict in Iran could reignite.
Iranian state media reported that Munir met separately with Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, following earlier talks with Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi that continued late into the night on May 22.
The discussions reportedly focused on diplomatic proposals and messages exchanged between Tehran and Washington, including a 14-point framework document Iran considers central to future negotiations.
“The history and experience of negotiations with Americans dictate that we exercise the utmost caution,” Pezeshkian told Munir during their meeting, according to Iranian state media.
Read full story here.
Two Iranian Women Given Long Sentences For Working With 'Hostile Networks'
Two women in Iran's Semnan Province have been given prison sentences for "working in line with the goals of American-Zionist spy services."
Leila Ramezani and Fatemeh Malek-Ahmadi were sentenced to 26 years and 27 years in prison, respectively, as well as "dismissal from all government services" and banned from leaving the country.
The ages and occupations of the two women were not publicly released.
According to the state-run ISNA news agency, citing a judicial official, the two women were accused of "establishing contact with hostile networks and sending visual content and information needed by the enemy."
The province's chief justice referred to the two women as "mercenaries."
When the US and Israel were bombing Iran, Iranian television often broadcast footage of government agents raiding the homes of people who were said to have taken videos of bomb sites and sent them to media outlets abroad.
The women's sentences come as Iran has intensified its crackdown on alleged espionage since the war began in late February. The authorities have arrested thousands of people for collaborating with "hostile networks," with rights groups criticizing judicial proceedings for their lack of due process.
Report: Iranian President To Open Up Internet Access
Iran’s Etemad daily reported on May 23 that President Masud Pezeshkian is working to expand public access to the Internet “through legal channels.”
According to the report, the government has created a “Cyberspace Steering and Organization Headquarters” and appointed Mohammad Reza Aref as its head.
Etemad suggested that "the issue of unblocking the Internet will most likely be approved this week."
Earlier this week, however, Ali Yazdikhah, deputy chairman of the cultural commission in Iran's parliament, said that there is currently no need to open up the Internet because of what he called "security risks and threats to personalities and the country."
The Iranian government cut off the Internet on February 28 at the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran. According to Netblocks, the global Internet monitoring organization, the Internet outage in Iran has now exceeded 2,000 hours.