Iran says deal to end fighting with US has 'never been closer'

Both Iran and Pakistan say a deal has never been closer - echoing US President Donald Trump's statement on Thursday. Iran says deal to end fighting with US has 'never been closer' Flip flop or deliberate? - Unpacking Trump’s strategy on Iran Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. A sense of normality has returned to the streets of Tehran since the April ceasefire A large billboard in Tehran which people drive and walk past A deal with the US to end fighting in Iran has "never been closer", Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has been mediating between the warring sides, echoed Araghchi's statement, saying "a final, agreed upon text of the peace deal has been reached and Pakistan is now working closely with both sides to finalize the next steps". US President Donald Trump reposted Araghchi's statement, which also asked the media not to speculate about the content of the deal. Iranian media have published details of the alleged deal, prompting Trump to say they had "nothing to do with the terms that were agreed to" and "bears no relation to the truth". Trump says there is "no such thing as dealing in good faith" when it comes to negotiating with the Iranians US President Donald Trump speaking in the Oval Office surrounded by people listening Trump accused Tehran of leaking the details and added that they were "very dishonorable people to deal with". On Thursday, the US president said he had cancelled "scheduled attacks" against Iran, because negotiators had "just made a great settlement" - a deal that was likely be to signed imminently. Trump has repeatedly talked up the prospects of a deal to end hostilities that began with wide-ranging US and Israeli strikes across Iran on 28 February. Iran responded with attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf - as well as effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for the world's oil and liquefied natural gas. Despite having agreed a ceasefire in April, the US and Iran have exchanged intermittent fire, including two rounds of tit-for-tat strikes this week. Watch: Flip flop or deliberate? The BBC's Gary O'Donoghue explains Trump’s strategy with Iran Split screen. Left, Donald Trump. Right, Gary O'Donoghue. Israel is not involved in the talks which have been mostly mediated by Pakistan and are meant to lead to an extension of the ceasefire and the start of negotiations on key issues, including Iran's nuclear programme. For decades, Iran has been accused by Western countries of trying to build a nuclear weapon. It has denied the accusations saying its programme is for peaceful purposes - to generate electricity and for research purposes. On Friday, Iran's Mehr news agency published what they described as terms of an agreement - a list of issues that Tehran has been publicly demanding and the US rejecting. US officials have also mentioned terms that Iran has consistently rejected. The reported details included the lifting of a US naval blockade and "at least $300bn (£223bn)" to address the damage caused by the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The alleged contents of the deal said Iran wanted a final agreement to be endorsed by a UN Security Council resolution. "The final agreement shall be limited to issues concerning the future of enriched materials and enrichment activities, sanctions relief, and the programme for rebuilding Iran's economy," it said. It added that "final negotiations shall not begin until half of Iran's frozen assets have been released, Iranian oil sanctions have been suspended, and the naval blockade has been lifted". The list of issues included typical Iranian demands, including the end of the Israeli conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. From the US perspective, a senior administrative official told the BBC the Iran deal included the expectation that nuclear material was destroyed and removed and the nuclear program dismantled. The official said that none of Iran's money would released until the Iranians had met US demands, the Strait of Hormuz would be opened and Iran would be expected not to fund terrorist groups - a reference to Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies across the Middle East. US Vice-President JD Vance added his voice later, saying he had noticed "a couple of bizarre things in the reporting over the last few hours". "Iranians are not receiving any cash, and no funds are being released for simply signing a deal or attending a meeting," Vance said in a post on X. He added that the deal "is structured to ensure that the US and its allies concerns are prioritized, and that if the Islamic Republic of Iran meets its obligations, then economic benefits will flow to them and to the entire region". In his post on X, the Pakistani prime minister acknowledged "incessant misinformation campaign being waged by those who want to sabotage the peace deal" and said "peace has never been this close as it is now". Centcome video of one of the ships it targeted Three ships attacked by the US in three days: What we know A composite image shows President Donald Trump on the left holding a finger up and wearing a suit, shirt and tie as he speaks to reporters. On the right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also wears a suit, shirt and tie and interlaces his fingers as he speaks during a press conference. Bowen: Trump and Netanyahu wanted to reshape the Middle East - now they risk a permacrisis Iran says reports of a deal are "speculative" after the US president says a "great settlement" to end the conflict has been reached. The US military had attacked the Palau-flagged tanker on Wednesday after accusing it of not complying with directions. Bases across Iran have been hit by US strikes, with experts identifying damage to jets and warships. The proposed "anti-weaponisation" fund was announced to settle a lawsuit by Trump against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. The Trump-backed candidate is running as a Republican in the deeply liberal state on a platform that he says isn't beholden to party ideology. Grande called a White House video using her song Bye "heinous nonsense", joining multiple artists demanding Trump's team not use their music. The US and Canada say they need to resolve "outstanding issues" before the cross-border project, seen as a symbol of binational cooperation, opens. The nomination comes after lawmakers objected to his first selection, Bill Pulte, over a lack of relevant experience.