The US, Iran and mediator Pakistan spoke of progress in diplomatic efforts.Image: keystone
May 23, 2026, 8:35 p.mMay 23, 2026, 8:58 p.m
After weeks of standstill, there is movement in the deadlocked talks to end the Iran war. The US, Iran and mediator Pakistan spoke of progress in diplomatic efforts. “Some progress has been made,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of his visit to India. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai spoke of a “convergence of positions” and Pakistan’s military even spoke of “encouraging progress” that had been made in the past 24 hours.
According to consistent US media reports, Washington and Tehran are working with mediators on a 14-point memorandum of understanding. The paper aims to create a framework for negotiations and formally end the war.
Tehran has now said that the framework agreement for further talks between Iran and the USA is about to be concluded. “We are currently in the final phase of drawing up a memorandum,” said Foreign Office spokesman Ismail Baghai on state television.
The focus of the memorandum is the end of the war, the Strait of Hormuz and the fundamental release of blocked Iranian assets abroad.
According to Baghai, further details will be negotiated within the next 30 to 60 days as part of the 14-point memorandum in order to reach a final agreement. This also includes the dispute over the Iranian nuclear program as well as the technical process for lifting sanctions against Iran and releasing Iranian accounts abroad.
Despite progress reports, there are also warnings
However, Baghai tempered expectations of a quick breakthrough. “An agreement could be both very close and very distant,” he said. The USA has taken contradictory positions and changed its views several times during the negotiation process so far. Therefore, Tehran cannot be sure that this will not happen again. At the same time, Baghai spoke of a “convergence of positions,” but without giving precise details.
According to the Iranian presidential office, Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian was open to a diplomatic solution to the conflict with the USA, but emphasized Tehran’s deep mistrust of Washington. “We are still willing to talk, but the experiences from past negotiations with the USA force us to be extremely cautious,” said Peseschkian.
US Secretary of State Rubio said there may be more information later today – or tomorrow or in a few days. But maybe not, he’s not sure at the moment.
According to a media report, US President Donald Trump estimates the chances of a possible and, from the US perspective, a good agreement in the Iran war at “50:50”. The “Axios” portal also quoted the Republican as saying: “I think one of the two will happen: either I will hit them harder than they have ever been hit, or we will sign a good agreement.”
Reports: Trump consultations with negotiators, Gulf states
“Axios” further reported, citing the conversation with Trump, that the US President would meet with his negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner this Saturday to discuss Iran’s latest offer. The media report also said that he would probably decide by Sunday whether to resume the war.
Meanwhile, several US media outlets reported, citing unnamed sources, that the US President wanted to hold talks with heads of state and government of the Gulf states this Saturday (US local time).
Israel and the USA attacked Iran on February 28th. There has been a ceasefire in the war since April 8th, which was most recently extended unilaterally by Trump. The ceasefire was always on the brink. Trump repeatedly threatened new, massive strikes on Iran if an acceptable agreement was not reached with the Islamic Republic. Just earlier this week, he said he had canceled an attack on Iran supposedly planned for Tuesday because there were serious negotiations.
Mediator Pakistan with high-level meetings in Tehran
As part of the latest efforts, mediator Pakistan sent its army chief Asim Munir to Tehran on Friday. “The intensive negotiations over the past 24 hours have led to encouraging progress towards a final agreement,” the Pakistani military said in a statement on Saturday. Munir completed a short but extremely productive visit to Iran. Trump had made positive comments about Munir several times in the past. (sda/dpa)