The United States and Iran appear close to a deal to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Tel Aviv, ISRAEL --Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Friday the U.S. and Iran agreed to wording of an agreement aimed at ending their war in the Middle East and that mediators were working with both sides to finalize a deal.
The apparent breakthrough in negotiations comes after Iran exchanged fire with the U.S. and Israel over three days this week, threatening to push the region into a full-scale war. U.S. Central Command late Friday said in a social media post that it intercepted several Iranian attack drones that were targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
The war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 has rattled the Middle East and virtually shut down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 7. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday the terms of dealing with Iran's nuclear program would be finalized in the 60 days after the initial agreement is signed and that the parties could decide to extend that period.
Iran's nuclear program has been a key point of division. The U.S. and Israel fear it could lead to an atomic weapon - a main reason their leaders cited for going to war. Tehran has insisted its nuclear efforts are for peaceful purposes.
A senior U.S. administration official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said Friday that the emerging agreement would begin the process of destroying or removing Tehran's highly enriched uranium. The official said the 60-day period after both sides sign the deal would be used to work out technical details for removing Iran's enriched uranium.
The official did not detail who the U.S. envisions taking charge of removing the uranium, believed to be entombed under three nuclear sites that were battered by American strikes last year. The U.S. official said the emerging agreement includes provisions for reopening the strait. Araghchi said Iran wants a deal that allows Tehran to charge ships "for services rendered" when they transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has imposed a toll system during the war, which the U.S. and other nations say violates international law. Transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for oil and natural gas, has been disrupted and crimped global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics more expensive well beyond the region.
Three regional officials said the emerging deal is also expected to include the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran and the release of frozen Iranian assets. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations. They said they expect a signing ceremony for the agreement in the coming days after officials in Washington and Tehran approve it.
Iran has insisted throughout that any deal must also include a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting Hezbollah, Iran's proxy militia. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Friday that Israel could still act independently toward Iran and that the country would not pull out of the zones it is occupying in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, nor would it withdraw from the northern refugee camps of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Michelle L. Price in Washington and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia contributed to this report.
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