Middle East crisis live: Trump says Iran’s version of peace deal has ‘no relation to the truth’

Donald Trump has dismissed Iranian media reports on an imminent deal with the US as “fake news”, saying they were not the terms Washington agreed to.

Several Iranian media outlets have been reporting what they described as details of a draft proposal being reviewed by Iran’s leadership. Some of the terms of the agreement, according to the reports, include Iran’s control of the strait of Hormuz and postponed discussions on its nuclear programme (see posts at 12:49 and 09:32).

Trump said the reports were inaccurate and lashed out at Iran.

He wrote on Truth Social:

The terms that Iran leaked out to the Fake News have NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing. What they said, including their weak and pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth. Very dishonorable people to deal with. With them, there is no such thing as dealing in good faith. AMAZING! Also, their totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. They better get their act together, and FAST!”

Here are the latest images from southern Lebanon, showing the aftermath of Israeli strikes in the ancient coastal city of Tyre:

Reports of Iran signing an agreement with the US on Sunday in Geneva are false, the country’s Fars news agency has reported.

It cites a source close to Iran’s negotiating team.

Hezbollah is confident that Iran will insist on Lebanon being included in a deal with the United States, a leading Hezbollah politician said on Friday, as hopes grew for an agreement between Tehran and Washington.

Hezbollah, founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982, entered the regional conflict in support of Tehran on 2 March, opening fire at Israel and prompting an Israeli offensive that has killed thousands of people in Lebanon.

Iranian officials have repeatedly insisted on an end to fighting in Lebanon as part of any wider agreement.

“If the agreement happens, we have complete confidence in the Islamic Republic … we have confidence that it will insist on any agreement including the file of Lebanon,” Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah politician, said in an excerpt of a speech broadcast by the group’s al-Manar TV.

The prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he is “in full agreement” with Donald Trump to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

In a statement on X, he said:

As long as I am prime minister of Israel-Iran will not have nuclear weapons.

There is full agreement between me and President Trump on this issue.

For over 30 years, I have been at the forefront of the international campaign against Iran’s nuclear program.

Had it not been for this campaign, Iran would long ago have had atomic bombs to destroy Israel.

Iran is working to destroy the Jewish state, and I dedicate my life to preventing them from doing so.

As long as I am prime minister of Israel, this will not happen.”

There were no further comments from the Israeli prime minister on other aspects of a potential deal between the US and Iran, including the situation in southern Lebanon where the Israeli military continues its bombing campaign.

Iranian state media reported any nuclear negotiations will be held within 60 days after the signing of a memorandum of understanding “within the framework of its fundamental principles”, including its right to enrich uranium.

Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) has cautioned against media speculation about a potential memorandum of understanding to end the war, particularly on claims regarding the strait of Hormuz.

IRNA reported that Iran will not surrender its control of the strategic waterway and the US will have no role in its future management.

Here is a translation of the report (originally in Persian):

Contrary to some bizarre claims in the media, Iran in no way makes a commitment in this text to hand over its management or to restore the strait of Hormuz to the state before the military aggression of the US and Israel. The only point mentioned is the normalisation of transit through the strait of Hormuz upon the end of the war, the establishment of maritime security by the coastal states, the end of the illegal blockade, and the removal of threats to commercial shipping by the US and Israel. At Iran’s request, the US will have no role whatsoever in the future management of the strait of Hormuz. It has been made clear that the future administration of the strait will be based on an Iranian initiative and proposal, within the framework of a matter pertaining to the countries of the region. In this framework, discussions about the future of the strait of Hormuz will not take place even in negotiations after the signing of the agreement, and Tehran will directly resolve this issue in talks with Oman.”

Global oil prices fell on Friday to lows not seen since the first week of the Iran crisis after Donald Trump claimed he was close to reaching a peace deal with Tehran.

The price of Brent crude began to tumble from about $93 a barrel in overnight trade after the US president called off further military strikes against Iran which were scheduled for the evening.

It traded briefly below $85 a barrel on Friday morning in fresh hope that a deal between the US and Iran could mean a reopening of the strait of Hormuz over the weekend, and was later trading at about $87.50, a 3% fall on the day.

“Headlines are driving the market once again, as confidence grows that an eventual deal will be struck and the strait reopens,” said Tamas Varga, an analyst at PVM Oil Associates.

Read more:

The Pakistani foreign minister, Ishaq Daar, has welcomed the “progress” made between the US and Iran, signalling that a deal between the warring parties is materialising.

Daar discussed the recent developments “regarding United States-Iran understanding” with the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, in a phone call this morning, according to a statement on X.

Both sides welcomed the progress achieved through sustained diplomatic engagement and expressed hope that these efforts will soon lead to a durable understanding and peaceful resolution.

They reaffirmed that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable means to resolve conflicts and advance lasting peace and stability.”

Pakistan has positioned itself as a mediator between the US and Iran, with reports suggesting that a possible initial agreement would be named the “Islamabad declaration” in recognition of its role.

The Israeli military continued to strike southern Lebanon this morning, according to the Lebanese National News Agency, amid reports the US and Iran are nearing a deal to cease hostilities. It is unclear whether the deal would include Lebanon, where the Israeli military has been fighting the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, but American and Iranian media reports seem to suggest it will. Israel is not directly involved in the US-Iran talks and there has been no indication on whether it would agree to halt its military campaign in Lebanon.

There’s been a flurry of reports in the US media of a potential signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding in Geneva, Switzerland. Axios, CNN and Bloomberg have cited sources saying the signing ceremony may happen ahead of (or during) the G7 summit that begins in France on Monday

Reports say the delegations of the world’s largest economic powers are expected to land at Geneva airport for the summit in Evian-les-Bains, near the Swiss border.

The Israeli military said it struck 310 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past week, as it claimed to have killed “80 terrorists”.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also revealed it conducted a raid in the southern Lebanese village Dibbine several weeks ago. The village is located north of the IDF’s so-called “yellow line” (an area carved out and occupied by the military) and is about 12km (7.5 miles) from the Israeli border. The IDF said its troops located “significant” weapon depots during the raid.

Donald Trump has claimed that the US has been conducting a “secret mission” in the strait of Hormuz to help Gulf petrostates bypass Iran’s chokehold on oil flows – which has roiled global energy markets for months.

The US president claimed Iran was unaware that dozens of tankers had been escorted out of the blockaded channel at night with their transmitters off.

He wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform that 200 vessels had got out this way, transporting more than 100m barrels of oil to global buyers.

So what is actually going on? Jillian Ambrose and Joanna Partridge explains here:

Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency has published a list of terms that are reportedly in the draft memorandum of understanding with the US. It cites a source close to the Iranian negotiating team, but the details have not been confirmed publicly by either Tehran or Washington. The report says the text is yet to be finalised by the Iranian leadership.

According to the report, the draft includes 14 points:

• Permanent and immediate cessation of war on all fronts, including Lebanon.

• The US’s “commitment to non-interference in Iran’s internal affairs” and respect for its sovereignty.

• Lifting of US naval blockade within 30 days.

• Withdrawal of US forces from around Iran.

• Reopening the strait of Hormuz within 30 days “with Iranian arrangements”.

• Suspension of US sanctions on Iranian oil.

• US and allies to draw up reconstruction plans for Iran “worth at least $300bn”.

• Sixty days of negotiations to reach a final agreement “based on nuclear issues and the complete lifting of” sanctions.

• Reiterating Iran’s commitment not to produce nuclear weapons.

• During the negotiations, the US will not increase its forces in the region or impose new sanctions.

• Release $24bn in blocked Iranian funds.

• Establishing a monitoring mechanism to implement the agreement.

• Final agreement to be approved by a UN security council resolution.

• The final negotiations will not begin before the release of half of Iran’s frozen funds, the suspension of oil sanctions and the lifting of the naval blockade. “Discussions about Iran’s missile programme and support for resistance groups have been definitively removed from the agenda.”

Israel has previously said it would continue its ground operation in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreed in April which has all but collapsed. The Israeli military has taken over swathes of the country as it attempts to dismantle Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful armed proxy in the region. Reports on the ongoing discussions to end the war suggest a potential deal between the US and Iran hinges on what happens with Israel’s war in Lebanon, with Hezbollah demanding the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the country.

American news outlet Axios reported that four US air force planes departed for Europe to prepare for a possible signing ceremony between the US and Iran on a deal to end the war.

The planes are reportedly heading to Geneva where US vice-president JD Vance is expected to sign on Washington’s behalf, according to Axios, citing sources familiar with the preparations.

While Donald Trump claimed a deal could be signed as soon as this weekend, Iran said it has not yet made a final decision.

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.

Iran’s foreign ministry has contradicted claims from Donald Trump that a peace deal between Washington and Tehran could be signed as soon as this weekend.

The deal, if confirmed, would be the most significant diplomatic breakthrough yet to end the three-month-old war, which has killed thousands and sent global energy prices sharply higher. But Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, has said that while large parts of the text under negotiation have been finalised, “a final conclusion” has not been reached.

“This is a very important issue that is currently being reviewed by the relevant decision-making bodies,” Baghaei said, adding that Tehran would not compromise on its red lines.

Trump told reporters at the White House: “We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran.

“The strait will officially open as soon as we sign, which could be soon, very soon, maybe over the weekend in Europe,” he said, adding that vice-president JD Vance could sign for the US.

Since mid-March, Trump has repeatedly claimed a deal with Iran to end the war was close, but no agreement has materialised.

In other key developments:

• Trump said he was cancelling a third day of US airstrikes and bombings that he had earlier said would happen because “discussions” with Iran “have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved”. He also said on social media: “Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others.”

• Israel, however, said it was “not a party to” what prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described as an emerging memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran. But the office said Netanyahu had spoken with Trump and that the final agreement at the conclusion of negotiations would include the removal of enriched material, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and the cessation of Iran’s support for its terrorist proxies in the region – measures that have been red lines for Iran in the past.

• The strait of Hormuz would open “as soon as we sign” the documents of the “great settlement” reached with Iran, Trump said. “The whole Middle East is happy.”

• Iranian media said the country’s forces had stopped a “violating tanker” from entering the strait of Hormuz. The report from the Fars news agency – closely linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards – came shortly after the sound of explosions were reportedly heard near the port city of Bandar Abbas.

• Trump had earlier posted on social media that the US would seize Iran’s Kharg Island “in the not too distant future”, but later said the seizure would be off the table “if we sign this agreement”.

• The price of oil rose after Trump threatened a “very hard” attack on Iran, but plunged hours later after he said he was cancelling the strikes. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 1.9% to $86.08 a barrel, on top of a 2.6% drop overnight, and Brent dropped 1.5% to $89.08 a barrel, having fallen nearly 3% overnight. Asian stocks joined a global rally, with South Korea’s Kospi surging 7.4% and Japan’s Nikkei up 2.7%.

• A strike wounded 10 staff members of a hospital in the Lebanese city of Tyre on Thursday, the facility’s director told the AFP news agency, as Israeli raids continued in the country’s south. All three of the historic city’s hospitals have been hit since the start of the latest war between Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and Israel in early March.

• India’s government voiced a “strong protest” after three Indian seafarers were killed in US military strikes against oil tankers travelling through the strait of Hormuz.