Iranian MP says draft US deal more damaging than earlier versions

IRGC-affiliated Fars News criticized Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for what it called an “ambiguous” response to President Donald Trump’s rejection of Iranian media reports about the terms of a possible US-Iran memorandum of understanding.

Fars said Araghchi’s English-language post on X, in which he said the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding had never been closer” and urged media outlets not to speculate about its content before finalization, failed to directly rebut Trump’s claim that the leaked Iranian version of the deal was false.

The outlet said Araghchi’s call for media restraint could be interpreted as an indirect confirmation of Trump's accusation that some of the published reports were inaccurate.

Fars also noted that Trump reposted Araghchi’s message shortly after it was published, portraying it as support for his own account of the negotiations.

The outlet questioned whether Araghchi’s language amounted to a retreat or an alignment with Trump’s narrative, especially after Trump claimed Iranian officials had privately apologized over what he called false information.

Fars said Iran’s public opinion needed clarity and firmness in response to US accusations, not “ambiguous” diplomatic language that could provide “media material” for Washington’s claims.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Friday a memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington is in the final stages of being compiled, but no final decision has yet been made.

"Regarding the text of the understanding, we are in the final internal review stages. A meeting of the relevant bodies is currently underway."

Baghaei said Iran’s positions and red lines had been clearly stated since the start of the Pakistan-mediated negotiations, adding that Tehran had sought to present its account “based on reality.”

He also said remarks suggesting the two sides are very close to an understanding were “not new.”

A senior US administration official said Friday Israel is expected to support a broad regional peace agreement with Iran once it sees the full terms, including provisions on the destruction and removal of Iran’s enriched material.

“When Israel sees the full terms of the deal, they will be comfortable with that,” the official told reporters, adding that the administration is “confident the Israelis will get on board.”

The official acknowledged deep mistrust surrounding the agreement but said dissent was believed to be “quite minimal,” including inside Iran, where “some Iranians don’t love this deal.”

The official said the agreement is broad in scope and that the sides had reached specificity on the destruction and removal of enriched material.

The US military prepared plans for a possible ground operation inside Iran to seize highly enriched uranium, prompting America’s top general to make an urgent secret visit to Central Command headquarters in Florida last month, CNN reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reportedly rushed from a meeting of senior NATO officials in Brussels to Tampa on May 19 for in-person briefings on the potential operation.

The urgency of the briefings showed how close the Trump administration came to approving the high-risk plan, CNN reported. Caine later briefed President Donald Trump on the options, according to one of the sources.

Trump ultimately paused the plan after being warned it could trigger severe Iranian retaliation, prolong the war and worsen turmoil in the global economy. He was also concerned about the possibility of significant US casualties, sources told CNN.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister said on Friday that a final agreed text of a peace deal between Iran and the United States has been reached, adding that Islamabad is working closely with both sides to finalize the next steps.

In a statement, the Pakistani premier said ongoing mediation efforts had brought the parties closer to an agreement despite what he described as an “incessant misinformation campaign” by those seeking to sabotage the process.

“Setting aside the noise, we can confirm that a final, agreed upon text of the peace deal has been reached,” he said, adding that Pakistan is coordinating with both sides on implementation. “Peace has never been this close as it is now.”