Iranian officials said on Sunday that the country’s supreme leader and national security council still need to approve the proposed peace deal between Tehran and Washington. Before the memorandum of understanding can be sent to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei for approval, one or two points in the proposed deal need to be clarified to Iran’s satisfaction, the officials added. They also said this had been communicated to the Pakistani mediators. On Saturday, Donald Trump claimed that a peace deal with Iran had “been largely negotiated,” following calls with Pakistan, Gulf allies, and Israel.
The Iranian government appeared upbeat, preparing to claim a major and historic victory over its two main enemies, the US and Israel. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said, “What has guaranteed the preservation and stability of the country is the solidarity and empathy of the people.”
Middle East crisis live: Rubio sees initial progress on reopening Hormuz after Trump claims Iran deal ‘largely negotiated’
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The deal reportedly offers Iran relief from sanctions and the release of up to $20 billion in frozen assets. In return, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and agree to negotiate on its nuclear program over the next 60 days, starting June 5 in Pakistan. Details of the final points of disagreement were not released. At least $12 billion of the assets are held in Qatar.
The deal also reportedly requires Iran, the US, and their allies to stop fighting, and for Israel to end its offensive in Lebanon.
On Saturday, Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the key original supporter of the war when it began in February, to try to reassure him about the ceasefire terms. Netanyahu is worried about the delay in addressing the nuclear issue, but he has little choice but to accept Trump’s decision to end a war that is unpopular at home and is hurting the global economy by driving up inflation and causing critical supply shortages.
Gulf states, along with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, lobbied Trump by phone on Saturday. They urged him to rule out resuming bombing campaigns inside Iran, arguing that such actions would only provoke Iranian retaliation and would not topple the entrenched regime.
Trump—who said on Friday he would not attend his son’s wedding this weekend, citing Iran as one of the reasons for staying in Washington—wrote on his social media platform that the “final aspects and details” of a “memorandum of understanding” were still being discussed and “will be announced shortly.” However, he said the Strait of Hormuz would be opened as part of the deal.
“An agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalisation between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the various other Countries,” Trump posted.
The US and Western countries have insisted that Iran should not be allowed to impose tolls on shipping in the strait.
Iran’s Fars news agency, which is close to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stated that the strait would remain under Iranian control. It reported on Telegram that “the management of the Strait, determining the route, time, method of passage and issuing permits, will continue to be the monopoly, and at the discretion of, the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
On Saturday, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said the future governance of the strait is a matter for negotiation between Iran on the north shore and Oman on the south, and not an issue in which the US can be involved.
Iran also said it had only committed to negotiate all nuclear-related issues in talks lasting 30 days, with an optional 30-day extension, pushing the timeline to late summer. No commitments have been made on the outcome of those talks, only on the topics to be discussed. This means the US has largely returned to the prewar position held in Geneva.On February 26, two days before the war started, a deal was reportedly reached that would allow Iran to resume selling oil and petrochemicals during the negotiation period without facing sanctions. The US would also lift its blockade of Iranian ports.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in India, said: “We’ve made some progress over the last 48 hours working with our Gulf partners on a framework that could, if successful, leave us with not just a fully open strait, but also address some of the key issues behind Iran’s past nuclear weapons ambitions.”
Facing growing domestic criticism that the deal doesn’t meet the US’s original goals, Rubio argued: “The idea that this president, given everything he’s already shown he’s willing to do, would agree to a deal that ultimately strengthens Iran’s nuclear ambitions is absurd. That’s just not going to happen. But we prefer to handle this through diplomacy, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
News of the potential deal upset Republican hawks, who had long pushed for US military action against Iran and criticized the 2015 deal—known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—that limited Iran’s nuclear enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief, negotiated under the Obama administration. Trump withdrew from that deal in 2018.
Mike Pompeo, who served as CIA director and secretary of state during Trump’s first term, condemned the proposed agreement as too similar to what Obama’s negotiators achieved and a benefit to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“The deal being floated with Iran seems straight out of the Wendy Sherman-Robert Malley-Ben Rhodes playbook: Pay the IRGC to build a weapons of mass destruction program and terrorize the world,” Pompeo wrote on social media, referring to Obama’s lead negotiators. He added that the alternative is “straightforward: Open the damned strait. Deny Iran access to money. Take out enough Iranian capability so it can’t threaten our allies in the region.”
Malley responded: “Not quite the path Wendy, Ben, or I would have taken. But if this deal ends an unlawful, unjustifiable war, stops senseless loss of life and destruction, and prevents global economic fallout, I’m sure we’d willingly accept it over the alternative.”
White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung was less diplomatic in his response to the former secretary of state. “Mike Pompeo has no idea what the fuck he’s talking about,” Cheung wrote on X. “He should shut his stupid mouth and leave the real work to the professionals. He’s not briefed on anything happening, so how would he know.”
After Republican Senator Roger Wicker wrote that the “rumored 60-day ceasefire—with the belief that Iran will ever negotiate in good faith—would be a disaster. Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for nothing!” Rhodes replied: “Nothing was accomplished by Operation Epic Fury except putting the IRGC in charge of Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.”
Ted Cruz, Republican Senator for Texas, warned that if the war ends with “an Iranian regime—still run by Islamists who chant ‘death to America’—now receiving billions of dollars, able to enrich uranium and develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake.”
Additional reporting by José Olivares and Robert Mackey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the requirement for Irans Supreme Leader and Security Council to approve a peace deal with the US
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 Why does Irans Supreme Leader need to approve a peace deal
In Iran the Supreme Leader has the final say on all major state matters especially foreign policy national security and nuclear issues A peace deal is considered a state interest that affects the whole country so his approval is constitutionally required
2 What is Irans Supreme National Security Council
Its a highlevel government body made up of top military intelligence and political officials They handle all major security and defense policies The council must debate and approve a deal before it goes to the Supreme Leader
3 Does the Iranian President or Parliament have the power to sign a peace deal alone
No The President can negotiate and Parliament can debate but they cannot finalize a binding peace deal The final legal authority rests with the Supreme Leader after recommendation from the Security Council
4 What happens if the Supreme Leader says no to a deal
If the Supreme Leader rejects a deal it cannot move forward The negotiations would either collapse or the US would have to renegotiate terms that the Leader finds acceptable
5 Is this approval process normal for all countries
No It is unique to Irans political system In most democracies the executive branch can sign treaties often with legislative approval Iran has a dual system where elected officials exist but ultimate power is with the unelected Supreme Leader
AdvancedLevel Questions
6 Can the Security Council approve a deal without the Supreme Leaders explicit signoff
Technically the Security Council can vote to recommend a deal but it is not legally binding without the Supreme Leaders final decree In practice the Council will not send a deal to the Leader unless they are confident he will approve it
7 What are the specific red lines the Supreme Leader usually sets for any US deal
The Supreme Leader has historically insisted on
No inspections of military sites
No limits on Irans missile program
Guarantees that the US will not renege on the deal a major issue after the US left the 2015 J
