Islamabad/Washington: A source from Pakistan, deeply involved in the mediation efforts, has revealed that the United States and Iran stand on the brink of finalizing a succinct one-page memorandum aimed at bringing the ongoing Gulf war to a close, Reuters reported.
The source endorsed a prior Axios article on the draft one-page document, which drew from two US officials and two additional insiders.
“We will close this very soon. We are getting close,” the Pakistani source said.
According to Axios’s Wednesday dispatch, the White House sees a breakthrough looming on the memorandum after President Donald Trump suspended a nascent naval operation to restore the Strait of Hormuz passage.
Axios indicated the White House expects Tehran’s positions on major sticking points within the next 48 hours.
Neither the State Department nor the White House provided immediate responses to requests for comments.
Axios detailed provisions including Iran’s pledge to suspend nuclear enrichment, America’s commitment to drop sanctions and unlock billions in impounded Iranian funds, and mutual easing of Hormuz shipping barriers.
14-Point Framework
US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are hashing out the one-page, 14-point memorandum with Iranian counterparts, both directly and via go-betweens, Axios reported.
The draft memorandum, according to Axios, signals a halt to regional warfare and triggers 30 days of intensive talks toward a full agreement addressing the issue of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear curbs, and US sanction removals.
Shipping curbs by Iran and the US naval cordon would unwind progressively over that month, Axios quoted one US official as saying, with options for Washington to revive the blockade or strikes if talks sour.
Trump earlier halted “Project Freedom,” unveiled on Sunday to escort vessels through the obstructed strait. The effort flopped in boosting traffic but ignited renewed Iranian assaults on strait ships and sites in adjacent nations.
The freshest clash saw a French firm report Tuesday that one of its container vessels took fire in the strait, with wounded crew airlifted out.
Pausing the operation, Trump pointed to “great progress” in Iran dealings, staying mum on specifics.
“We have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Trump wrote on social media.
Trump initiated the naval push after signalling he’d spurn Iran’s recent 14-point counter offer. That Tehran plan, floated last week, postponed nuclear debates until postwar shipping woes cleared.
On a Wednesday trip to China, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sidestepped Trump’s comments but insisted on “a fair and comprehensive agreement.”
Araghchi further posted about a call with Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, underscoring diplomacy among neighbors to avert further flare-ups.
Strait Blocked From February
Since the U.S.-Israel offensive began February 28, Iran has barred all but its own vessels from the strait. The U.S. layered on its Iranian port blockade in April.
Trump’s Project Freedom couldn’t convince commercial operators of safe passage, instead drawing Iranian drone and missile barrages—including on a South Korean freighter’s engine room—while Tehran claimed expanded control over UAE coastal stretches opposite the strait.
Amid the operation, Iran hammered UAE assets, notably the Gulf state’s sole major oil terminal outside the strait, enabling limited outbound flows.
