Qatari mediators travel to Tehran for final touches on a possible deal to end Iran war
Iran and the US inched closer to a deal to end the Iran war, as Qatari mediators traveled to Tehran on Sunday to finalize the agreement, according to two regional officials.The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, expressed cautious optimism that the US and Iran were finally approaching an agreement that could halt hostilities that have killed thousands of people and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure has thrown world markets into disarray.US President Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday that the deal would be signed on Sunday, while Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said it could happen in the coming days.Trump said that the Strait of Hormuz would open immediately after the signing.The deal is expected to be signed electronically, without an in-person ceremony, though it’s unclear when or how the signing will take place.The deal does not solve the thorniest issues between the US and Iran, including Iran’s nuclear program or its frozen assets, but offers a 60-day framework for technical discussions on those issues, according to Pakistani and regional officials familiar with the ongoing negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.The officials described Pakistan’s monthslong effort leading the negotiations, struggling to keep both sides from walking out of the room and a total collapse of the negotiations on multiple occasions.Under the current deal being discussed, US and Israel appear to have fallen short of their original goals of destroying Iran’s missile and nuclear programs and ending its support for proxies.
It is not clear how the deal will address these issues, or if they will be part of the final agreement.Meanwhile, Trump was expected to discuss demining the Strait of Hormuz during the Group of Seven summit that starts Monday.The waterway is crucial to sign...