France Urges US, Iran To 'Seize Opportunity' And Sign Peace Deal
France's foreign minister urged Washington and Tehran to seize the opportunity to end an untenable situation and sign a tentative peace deal that appears to be close, saying he passed the message on to his Iranian counterpart in a call.
"We call on both sides to seize this opportunity to end a situation that is clearly untenable and only creates losers... that is what I told my Iranian counterpart," Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrothe said told French TV channel LCI.
Barrot said he spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on June 12.
"I am cautious, but the positive signs are accumulating. I feel both sides have a will to reach this deal," Barrot said.
A senior US administration official has said the US and Iran were “very close” to sealing a deal that would reopen a critical shipping route and dismantle Tehran’s nuclear enrichment infrastructure, although some public differences remained between the two sides.
With reporting by Reuters
US Official Says 'High-Stakes' Iran Deal Nearly Finalized
WASHINGTON -- A senior US administration official has said the United States and Iran were “very close” to sealing a deal that would reopen a critical shipping route and dismantle Tehran’s nuclear enrichment infrastructure.
Speaking on background to reporters after a closed-door briefing on June 12, the official outlined what he called a straightforward but “high-stakes” memorandum of understanding, stressing that the agreement remains unsigned but has moved significantly closer to completion.
“We’re not quite at the finish line yet, but we are very close,” the official said, adding that the likelihood of a final signing was around “80 to 85 percent.”
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Israeli Minister Voices Doubts About Prospective US-Iran Deal
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has voiced concerns about a potential US-Iran agreement to end the Middle East war, saying the deal being pursued by US President Donald Trump was primarily focused on American interests.
In a Telegram post on August 12, Katz said Trump was working toward an agreement with Iran "with American interests in mind," while expressing hope that Washington would uphold the shared objective of preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
He urged the United States to also address Israel's broader security concerns, including Iran's missile program and support for regional armed groups.
Katz said Israel must retain the ability to act independently to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and stressed that its security doctrine seeks "decisive victories, not compromises or concessions."
He added that Israel would maintain its designated security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza.
His comments came as US, Iranian, and Pakistani officials, whose government has been mediating the talks, signaled that negotiations on a peace agreement were nearing completion.
With reporting by dpa
Pakistani PM Says Final Text Of US-Iran Peace Deal Has Been Reached
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Islamabad's mediators believed a final text of an agreement to end the Middle East war had been reached and were working with both sides "to finalize the next steps," despite what he described as an "incessant misinformation campaign being waged by those who want to sabotage the peace deal."
Writing on X on June 12, Sharif added that peace "has never been this close as it is now."
He tagged Trump, US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US envoy Steve Witkoff, Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in the post.
Sharif's comments came shortly after Araqchi said that an agreement with the United States to formally end the Middle East war was close, despite a public dispute over the contents of a proposed deal which prompted US President Donald Trump to accuse Tehran of negotiating in bad faith.
Trump's comments came after Iranian media published what it said were elements of a draft agreement, including Tehran's insistence on retaining the right to enrich uranium and maintain control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump, who said a day earlier that a deal could be signed within days, rejected the Iranian account, saying leaked terms had “NOTHING to do” with what had been agreed and accusing Tehran of issuing a “weak and pathetic statement.”
Senior US administration officials also told RFE/RL that they were "very close" to a deal that would dismantle Tehran's nuclear program, remove and destroy nuclear material, and keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
Araqchi later appeared to echo that optimism, saying on Telegram that the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” -- a tentative deal framework negotiated during talks in Pakistan's capital -- "has never been closer" and urging media outlets to avoid speculation while negotiations are being finalized.
Trump later posted a screenshot of Araqchi's Telegram post on his own Truth Social feed.
Senior US Administration Officials Say Iran Deal Three-Quarters Complete
WASHINGTON -- The United States and Iran are about "75 percent there" on reaching a proposed memorandum to end the war in the Persian Gulf, but senior administration officials said a full deal that would dismantle Tehran's nuclear program, remove and destroy nuclear material, and keep the Strait of Hormuz open is not yet complete.
"We are very close," one official said on June 12.
Another official said negotiators had reached agreement on both the broad concepts and detailed provisions of the accord, but stressed that "the deal is not done until we sign it."
Terms of a proposed agreement have been leaking out -- both in the United States and in Iran --through media outlets.
The accounts have varied slightly on the details, but some appeared to favor Iran, prompting US President Donald Trump to label the reports as having "NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing." He did not specify which terms in the reports were inaccurate.
A senior administration official, reacting after the president's statement, said that, under the proposed agreement, Iran's nuclear material "will be destroyed and removed" and its nuclear program "will be dismantled."
The deal would also include a long-term commitment that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, backed by what officials described as a meaningful inspection regime to verify compliance.
In addition, Iran would be prohibited from funding terrorist groups as part of broader efforts to promote stability in the Middle East, the officials said.
The officials added that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open under the agreement.
Some reports appeared to show that Iran would gain access to billions of dollars worth of frozen assets, while sanctions on Iranian oil exports would be waived.
A US administration official said that any sanctions relief would be contingent on Iran fulfilling its obligations.
"None of their money will be released until they perform," the official said, adding that Iranian assets would remain frozen until Tehran meets its commitments.
They did not give any further details.
Trump Accuses Iran Of Leaking False Details Of Proposed Nuclear Deal
US President Donald Trump says Iran has misrepresented the status and contents of ongoing US-Iran negotiations, asserting that details reportedly leaked to the media “have NOTHING to do” with terms he says were already agreed to in writing.
In a Truth Social post on June 12, Trump accused Iranian officials of acting in bad faith and described them as “very dishonorable” negotiating partners.
He also condemned what he characterized as an Iranian drone attack on Indian ships departing the Strait of Hormuz the previous night, saying the attack had been repelled and was “totally unacceptable.”
Trump warned Tehran to “get their act together, and FAST.”
The US president's comments come a day after he said a “great settlement” had been reached to end the conflict with Iran and that a memorandum of understanding could be signed as soon as this weekend in Europe.
Trump said the agreement would permanently bar Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and could lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian officials, however, appeared to downplay the prospect of a final agreement. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said key issues remain unresolved and accused Washington of repeatedly changing its position.
Iranian State Media Claims Draft US Deal Includes Nuclear Ban
Iran’s state-affiliated Mehr news agency claimed on June 12, citing an unnamed official source, that a draft memorandum between Iran and the United States includes Iran’s commitment not to develop nuclear weapons; a permanent halt to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon; a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days; and 60 days of negotiations to reach a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program.
Reports from Iranian state media during negotiations have often been used to float ideas or advance particular positions -- and have frequently proven to be inaccurate or incomplete.
US President Donald Trump on June 11 said a “great settlement” has been reached with Iran to end the war, which began on February 28, adding that he expects a deal to be signed in the coming days.
"We have a deal that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, which was the whole purpose of what we had to go through to get this," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
The White House has not elaborated further on the contents of a possible deal, however Axios reported that under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) "Iran would make certain commitments on its nuclear program -- first and foremost to never acquire a nuclear weapon and to resolve the standoff around its enriched uranium."
Axios also reported, citing a "diplomat from one of the mediating countries and a US official," that the MOU would extend the cease-fire for 60 days and "calls for the strait [of Hormuz] to be reopened immediately without tolls, with a return to pre-war shipping volumes within 30 days. In return, the U.S. blockade would also be lifted."
The Mehr news agency further claimed that other provisions included the lifting of Iran’s naval blockade, the withdrawal of US forces from areas surrounding Iran, the suspension of sanctions against Iran, and the release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian funds.
Quoting the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, Mehr claimed that the text requires final approval by the Iranian authorities.
Pakistani journalist, Baqir Sajjad, who works for the English daily newspaper Dawn in Islamabad, posted on X that the draft Iran-US agreement is being considered for approval at the leadership level in both countries.
Sajjad wrote that he spoke to a Pakistani diplomat, who shared an outline of the agreement, and confirmed that the "14-point" draft included "immediate de-escalation, end of hostilities across all fronts incl. Lebanon, US non-interference pledge, phased lifting of maritime blockade, sanctions relief on oil/petrochem, & gradual restoration of Iran’s financial access."
Oil Prices Drop After Trump Announced Possible Iran Deal
Oil prices fell sharply after US President Donald Trump announced he had canceled planned strikes on Iran and that a “great settlement” had been reached.
Brent crude futures fell $2.72, or 2.9 percent, to settle at $90.38 a barrel on June 11. On June 12, prices extended losses in early Asian trading, with Brent falling toward the $88.40-$88.65 range.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures dropped $2.32, or 2.6 percent, to settle at $87.71 a barrel on June 11 and traded near $86.00-$86.70 on June 12.
Trump said on June 11 that he expects the deal -- which could reopen the Strait of Hormuz -- to be signed in the coming days, possibly this weekend in Europe.
Asian equity markets rallied after the news and falling oil prices. Japan’s Nikkei 225 surged more than 3 percent in early-to-mid trading on June 12, climbing toward the 66,000–66,500 level after recovering modestly the previous day.
US Shoots Down Two Iranian Drones Near Hormuz, As Trump Hails Impending Peace Deal
(This item was updated to reflect comments by a senior US defense official to RFE/RL)
The US military shot down two Iranian attack drones after Tehran's forces attempted to strike commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a senior US defense official told RFE/RL.
“It appears Iran has attempted to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz tonight. US forces shot down two Iranian one-way attack drones. Traffic flow through the strait continues," the defense official said.
Iranian state media reported early on June 12 that the country's forces had fired toward a tanker attempting to traverse the waterway without permission from Iranian authorities.
Iranian media said blasts were heard near the coast of Sirik, igniting some fears of renewed air strikes amid reported momentum of a peace agreement.
State news agency IRNA later said any sounds could have been related to military activity in maritime regions, including off the coast of Sirik, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz.
State media quoted a military source as saying the sounds heard near Sirik were linked to Iranian forces confronting an oil tanker attempting to pass through the strategic waterway, through which some 20 percent of the world's oil and gas supplies flowed prewar.
The tanker later complied with the ban on transit after receiving warnings from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) navy, the source told state media.
Iran's top military command on June 11 announced the closure of the strait, including the transit of oil tankers and commercial ships, saying any vessel that attempts passage would be fired upon.
It came as US President Donald Trump on June 11 hailed what he called a “great settlement” with Iran to end the war and said a peace deal could be signed as soon as this weekend that would reopen the strait to shipping.
Trump said the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively closed after the war began on February 28, will also be opened “as soon as we have it signed.”
But an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman responded that a final decision on a deal had not yet been reached by the Tehran government.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Washington correspondent Alex Raufoglu and Reuters
Iran Soccer Team Works Out Before Reporters At Tijuana Base
Iran's World Cup soccer team took to the training field on June 11 at their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, as it prepared before reporters ahead of their first match across the border in Los Angeles.
The team has not made any public appearances since arriving in Tijuana. It originally had been set to practice in the city of Tucson in Arizona but was forced to switch sites because of visa issues.
For June 11 training session, journalists were given 15 minutes to watch a small group of players as they conducted warm-up exercises.
About 12 of the 26 members of the team were present. Star striker Mehdi Taremi was not among those to show up.
Iran is set to play its first match on June 15 in Los Angeles against New Zealand.
Iran's ambassador to Mexico last week told reporters that the team had only been allowed into the US on the day of its games and would have to immediately travel back to the Tijuana base afterwards.
The World Cup is being cohosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada. The team's appearance had at times been in doubt after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, setting off a broader Middle East war. In the opening match on June 11, Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0.