US-Iran News Highlights: Iran's FM says US-Iran peace deal has never been closer; details to be shared in due course

US-Iran News Highlights: Updates to this blog have ended. For latest updates on peace deal click here.

A senior official in the Trump administration on Friday said that there will be significant sanctions relief based on how Iran performs.

US President Donald Trump still believes a deal with Iran could be signed over the weekend or on Monday, Axios reported.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Friday that the final text of a US-Iran peace deal had been agreed.

"We can confirm that 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," Sharif posted on X.

Hezbollah said on Friday that its fighters had confronted Israeli forces advancing towards a southern Lebanese town, as Israel pressed on with its strikes in Lebanon.

In a statement, Hezbollah said its fighters first targeted Israeli troops advancing towards Majdal Zoun, around five kilometres (three miles) from the western side of the border, on Thursday evening "with repeated rocket barrages, forcing them to retreat".

Wall Street traders drove stocks higher as oil fell after Iran signaled a deal with the US is approaching, fueling hopes for an end to the war that has roiled global markets.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday shared an update regarding the US-Iran peace deal. In a post on X, he wrote, “The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer. Pending its finalization, the media should refrain from entering speculation about its content.”

He added, “In line with our responsible and transparent approach, all details will be shared with the public in due course.”

Roughly seven million barrels of daily oil and fuel shipments are flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, or about half of the volumes stranded at the start of the Iran war, said US Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

Israeli Defence Minister says he and PM Netanyahu instructed the Israeli military to prepare accordingly to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, according to a post on X.

Iran has agreed to dismantle its nuclear program and destroy nuclear material under a deal with the United States, a White House official told AFP Friday, as the two sides gave clashing accounts of the agreement.

Tehran also agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz and will not receive any frozen funds until they honor their commitments under the "performance-based deal," the senior administration official said.

In a Truth Social post, US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran was responsible for attack on Indian ships. He wrote, "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!"

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran's leaked comments on a deal with the United States do not represent what has been agreed to.

"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!," he wrote on Truth Social.

Iran's NoorNews cited an informed source as saying the memorandum has not been finalised in Iran and denied that it would be signed in Geneva on Sunday.

Iran on Friday criticised the US attacks on merchant ships that killed three Indian nationals, saying such actions "threaten global peace and security".

India is ramping up its economic defenses as the war in Iran drives up energy costs, prompting authorities to ration diesel, weigh spending cuts and hunt for overseas capital.

On Friday, the government announced rare restrictions on diesel sales, capping purchases at 200 liters a day per customer. Separately, Bloomberg News reported that authorities are preparing for the budget deficit to possibly overshoot this year’s target by as much as 50 basis points.

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.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday (local time) said that he and US President Donald Trump were in “full agreement” to keep the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons. His remarks came a day after Trump touted an imminent deal with Iran.

In a statement, Netanyahu 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.”

About half of evangelical Christians - a core component of President Donald Trump's political base - believe his administration's approach to the Iran war and immigration enforcement is not in line with their understanding of Christianity, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

According to local media reports, Iran will not surrender its control over the Strait of Hormuz in any peace deal with the United States until the war is deemed to be over.

“Contrary to what is being circulated by Western media, Iran will not commit to relinquishing control of the Strait of Hormuz. The only matter referred to in the memorandum of understanding is the return of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz after the end of the war,” Iran’s state media reported.

A memorandum between the United States and Iran to halt the war in the Gulf could be signed as soon as Sunday, a Western source told Reuters on Friday, with Geneva emerging as the likeliest venue.