Trump says Iran peace deal largely negotiated, Tehran confirms MoU talks underway

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that a peace agreement with Iran had been largely negotiated, while Iran said it was working with the United States to finalize a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that as part of the agreement, the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened.

Final aspects and details of the deal are being discussed and will be announced shortly, he said.

On Saturday afternoon, Trump spoke by phone with Gulf and other regional leaders to review Iran's latest proposal.

Trump said he also had a separate call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which, likewise, went very well.

Earlier on Saturday, Trump said that the United States and Iran are getting a lot closer to finalizing an agreement between the two countries, CBS News reported.

Trump also told U.S. news outlet Axios that he might decide on Sunday whether to resume the war against Iran following discussions with his advisers.

Also on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran and the United States were working to finalize a MoU on ending the war.

At this stage, the focus is on ending the imposed war, Baghaei told state-run IRIB news agency.

Iran's intention has been to first agree on a MoU consisting of 14 clauses, said Baghaei, noting that within a period of 30 to 60 days, they would reach a final agreement.

Baghaei said they are now at the stage of finalizing the MoU, with discussions focused on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.

He said among the major topics to be addressed in the MoU are the cessation of U.S. maritime attacks, or naval blockade as they themselves call it, and other issues pertaining to the release of Iranian frozen assets.

According to Baghaei, people should wait and see what would unfold in the coming three to four days, adding that Iran's nuclear issue was not a focus of the peace talks at that point.

Iran, the United States and Israel reached a ceasefire on April 8 after 40 days of fighting that started with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.

Following the truce, Iranian and U.S. delegations held one round of peace talks in Pakistan's Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which failed to yield an agreement.

Over the past weeks, the two sides have reportedly exchanged several proposed plans outlining conditions for ending the conflict through Pakistani mediation.

Trump says Iran peace deal largely negotiated, Tehran confirms MoU talks underway

Russia said its forces have hit Ukrainian targets like defense industrial enterprises and energy facilities, while Ukraine reported strikes over major Russian facilities.

The Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday said in its latest report that over the past 24 hours, its forces struck Ukrainian defense industrial enterprises, energy facilities used by the Ukrainian military, as well as assembly and storage sites for long-range drones. The military also reported hitting temporary deployment points of Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries in 142 locations.

Russian air defense units shot down eight guided aerial bombs and 800 fixed-wing drones during the same period, according to the report.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Saturday that its troops conducted precision strikes on multiple key Russian targets, including an oil terminal on the Black Sea coast. Ukrainian strikes also targeted logistical warehouses, ammunition depots, and communication nodes on the eastern front.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said in a social media post that Ukrainian forces carried out a long-range strike against a major chemical plant in Russia's Perm Krai region.

The death toll from a Ukrainian attack on a college dormitory in Starobelsk in the Luhansk region has risen to 21, with many others being injured, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situation said on Saturday.

The ministry said on Friday a large-scale overnight drone assault hit the campus of Starobelsk College, affiliated with Luhansk Padagogical University, causing the collapse of the student dormitory building.

A total of 86 students aged 14 to 18, along with one staff member, were inside the building at the time of the strike, said local health authorities.

The Russian-appointed governor of the Luhansk region declared May 24 and 25 as days of morning for the victims of the attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the attack was "not an accident," claiming that "there are no military facilities, security service sites or related agencies near the dormitory."

Ukraine's General Staff denied targeting civilian infrastructure, saying its forces strike only military facilities and objects used for military purposes in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Russia says targeting Ukrainian defense enterprises, Ukraine reports strikes on major Russian facilities