WASHINGTON: A US newspaper has claimed that the US and Iran are close to finalizing a draft peace agreement aimed at ending hostilities, with a formal announcement potentially expected within the next 24 hours.
The report was published by The Washington Times, which claims that a draft for a comprehensive peace settlement agreement has already been agreed upon by key representatives from both parties.
Moreover, the report, citing unverified sources, says that the draft has been already agreed upon in preliminary negotiations by US vice president J.D. Vance, head of the Iranian parliament and speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, American diplomat Steve Witkoff, and advisor to US president Jared Kushner.
Finally, the report suggests that the draft will now be sent to relevant authorities for final signing while officials from both countries may make an official announcement regarding the draft agreement within the day.
The report further notes that diplomatic efforts had brought an agreement to several new proposals designed to bring an end to all ongoing hostilities between the US and Iran.
Neither US nor Iranian officials have publicly confirmed the existence of a finalized agreement at the time of publication.
Trump halts planned Iran strike after Gulf leaders’ intervention
Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced that the United States will hold off on a planned military strike against Iran, originally scheduled for tomorrow, following intervention by Gulf leaders and ongoing negotiations.
According to the statement released by President Trump on social media, he was contacted by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the UAE Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
According to the statement, these leaders asked the United States to halt its military activities because there were negotiations taking place in order to arrive at an acceptable solution among the US, the Middle Eastern countries, and the rest of the world.
“The deal will guarantee that Iran will not have nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
The President ordered the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the US military forces not to continue with the attack but to wait until they receive an instruction from him on whether to start the military operation.
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