Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that the United States and Iran have agreed on a “final” deal to settle hostilities between the two countries.
“We can confirm that a final, agreed-upon text of the peace deal has been reached and Pakistan is now working closely with both sides to finalize the next steps,” Sharif wrote. “Peace has never been this close as it is now.”
Pakistan has served as a mediator between Iran and the United States, hosting talks in April.
Sharif’s comments come after both U.S. and Iranian officials said on Friday that a deal was close, even as semi-official Iranian media outlets published terms of the agreement that were at odds with what the Trump administration said was under discussion.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance denied Iranian media reports that the United States had agreed to immediately unlock billions of dollars for Iran if it signed an 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. “The deal is structured to ensure that the U.S. and its allies’ concerns are prioritized, and that if the Islamic Republic of Iran meets its obligations, then economic benefits will flow to them and to the entire region.”
Sharif likewise said there was an “incessant misinformation campaign being waged by those who want to sabotage the peace deal.”
A senior U.S. official told reporters on Friday that Iran had agreed to five points in a “performance-based deal,” including that its nuclear material would be removed, its nuclear program dismantled, frozen funds would be released on fulfillment of conditions, the Strait of Hormuz would be open, and Iran must cease funding terrorist proxies.
For weeks, U.S. officials, including U.S. President Donald Trump, have suggested that the two sides were on the verge of reaching a peace settlement, only for Iranian officials to publicly reject key U.S. demands, including on Iran’s nuclear program.
Leaders of the two countries appeared to be in agreement on Friday, with Trump reposting a message from Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi.
“The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer,” Araghchi wrote. “Pending its finalization, the media should refrain from entering speculation about its content.”
