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Jun 13, 2026
Iran War Live Updates: Mediator Says Peace Deal Could be Finalized Within 24 Hours
The prime minister of Pakistan, a key intermediary between the U.S. and Iran, said a deal was “likely expected.” Officials on each side have also expressed optimism, but it still could be derailed.
Updated
June 13, 2026, 8:13 a.m. ET10 minutes ago
Here’s the latest
Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said on Saturday that a peace deal between the United States and Iran was “likely expected” within 24 hours, a day after both sides said they were closer than ever to an agreement.
Pakistan, along with Qatar, has played a key role in mediating talks aimed at ending months of war. Mr. Sharif said in a social media post that Pakistan was preparing for “the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week.”
U.S. and Iranian officials had said on Friday that an agreement could be signed within days, though the terms of the emerging deal remain uncertain. Officials familiar with its contents said on Friday that it was an initial framework to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil and gas shipping, and to end the American naval blockade of Iran.
More contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, would be deferred to a second phase of negotiations, lasting 60 days, where major differences persist and neither side has shown much willingness to compromise.
There is still the potential for the deal to be derailed, with events overnight underscoring the fragility of the moment.
The U.S. military said early Saturday that it had intercepted and destroyed Iranian attack drones that were targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Fighting has also persisted in Lebanon, where Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah have been at war for more than 100 days amid faltering efforts to establish a lasting cease-fire. On Saturday morning, Israel issued evacuation warnings for nearly two dozen towns and villages in southern Lebanon, with reports of airstrikes and artillery fire soon after.
The Lebanese army said on Saturday that an Israeli drone had targeted one of its soldiers in the southern Nabatieh region, seriously wounding him. Hezbollah also said it had targeted Israeli military soldiers and vehicles with drones and rockets.
Iranian officials have said any broader regional settlement must include Lebanon and have called for the Israeli military to withdraw from Lebanese territory and end its attacks there.
The developments capped a week of swings between escalation and diplomacy. The United States and Iran exchanged attacks, and President Trump threatened to go further, warning that America would strike Iran “VERY HARD” and was considering seizing Iran’s oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Persian Gulf, before retracting the threat hours later.
The military exchanges and increasingly confrontational rhetoric raised fears of a broader war, even as mediators continued negotiations behind the scenes.
Here’s what else we are covering:
The potential deal: A senior Trump administration official said the proposed agreement, referred to as a memorandum of understanding, was set to establish a 60-day cease-fire that would lead to another, far more complicated negotiation on sanctions relief and Iran’s nuclear program, which could take months or longer.
Israel: In a social media post on Friday, the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, said that, in the event of a deal, Israel would not withdraw from territory it occupies in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. He said the country must retain the ability to act independently to block Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Funeral of Iran’s former leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran in late February, will be buried on July 9 in the northeastern city of Mashhad. Several days of ceremonies will begin July 4, Iranian state media reported on Saturday.
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June 13, 2026, 7:28 a.m. ET55 minutes ago
Reporting from Jerusalem
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan said the finalization of an agreement between the United States and Iran was “likely expected” in the next 24 hours. Pakistan, he said in a social media post, was preparing for “the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week.”
Pakistan, alongside Qatar, has been a key mediator in the negotiations to end the war between the United States and Iran.
June 13, 2026, 6:25 a.m. ET2 hours ago
Reporting from Beirut, Lebanon
As Iran and the U.S. said they were close to a deal, Israel’s war with Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group backed by Iran, showed little sign of slowing down. Israeli strikes pummeled the south of Lebanon on Saturday as the military expanded its evacuation warnings, ordering residents of 20 towns and villages to flee their homes. Shortly after, Israel said that a “suspicious aerial target,” a term usually applied to Hezbollah drones, had been intercepted crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory. Iranian and Israeli officials have offered differing accounts about whether Lebanon would be included in any Iran deal. Analysts say that even if an agreement includes cease-fire language covering Lebanon, Israel is likely to retain room to keep striking targets.
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June 12, 2026, 2:54 p.m. ETJune 12, 2026
Adam Rasgon and Farnaz Fassihi
Adam Rasgon reported from Tel Aviv, and Farnaz Fassihi reported from New York.
As speculation swirls about the emerging Iran deal, here’s what we know
With a draft deal between the United States and Iran now on the table, speculation has been swirling about exactly what is in the agreement.
President Trump insisted on Friday that reports circulating about details of the proposed deal were incorrect. In a post on social media, he said the terms “Iran leaked” to the media “have NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing.”
There were conflicting accounts of the deal in Iranian media, with one hard-line news outlet reporting terms more favorable to Iran and the state news agency providing a more measured description. On Friday, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said that a deal “has never been closer,” but added that “the media should refrain from entering speculation about its content.”
Much about the emerging deal remains murky, with both sides keen to frame it as a victory. What is known is that a “memorandum of understanding” between the two sides is under discussion.
Two Iranian officials and one regional official briefed on the terms of the agreement said that the United States and Iran had agreed to a preliminary deal that would end the fighting, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the U.S. naval blockade on Iran. They said the deal would pave the way for further talks on the country’s nuclear program.
The agreement is similar to previous iterations of a deal that have emerged in recent weeks of stop-start negotiations, the three officials said, but added there have been some changes to the wording.
The United States, Iran and Israel have been at war since late February, and although a cease-fire was agreed to in April, there have been persistent flare-ups of fighting. Israeli officials have expressed concern about the agreement, saying they feared Iran would avoid making concessions on its nuclear program in the next round of talks.
The regional official was optimistic that the deal could be finalized but cautioned that last-minute spoilers could lead to its collapse.
Here is what we know from the three officials about the deal. The United States has not confirmed these details.
Under the terms of the framework, Iran and the United States would start negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. The negotiations should last a maximum of 60 days and the war would stop on all fronts, including Lebanon, for that period. It is unclear what would happen after the 60 days if a comprehensive deal is not reached.
Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz for the passage of ships and the United States would lift the naval blockade on Iran’s ports in the Persian Gulf.
During the 60-day negotiation period, Iran and countries in the region would discuss the future management of the strait, the three officials said. Last month, it emerged that Oman had discussed partnering with Iran to charge service fees for ships to pass through the strait, ignoring Trump administration warnings against such a plan.
If the agreement is finalized, a signing ceremony was expected to take place in the coming days in Geneva, Switzerland. Negotiators from the United States and Iran met there for talks in February before the war began.
Vice President JD Vance is supposed to lead the U.S. delegation, according to the regional official. Mr. Trump said on Thursday that he would send Mr. Vance to sign the agreement if it was finalized. Gen. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator and the speaker of parliament, was expected to lead the Iranian delegation, all three officials said.
In the memorandum, Iran would reiterate its commitment to not develop or acquire a nuclear weapon, the officials said. The agreement does not resolve the question of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, or the future of its nuclear program, and leaves those issues to later negotiations, according to the three officials.
The two Iranian officials said the next phase of talks would include discussion of the lifting of American sanctions, including on Iran’s oil sales and international banking transactions, in exchange for concessions on the Iranian nuclear program.