Donald Trump: US-Iran deal “largely negotiated.” Pakistan named.

ISLAMABAD (The Thursday Times) — President Donald Trump has announced that a peace agreement with Iran has been “largely negotiated” and is “subject to finalisation,” saying the deal will be announced “shortly” and confirming that the Strait of Hormuz will be opened. Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir was named personally by Trump in the Truth Social post confirming the breakthrough, listed alongside the heads of state of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain as a party to the call from which the announcement emerged.

The Thursday Times has covered Pakistan’s central role in these negotiations from the start. Read our full analysis of how Field Marshal Munir built the trust of both Washington and Tehran here.

“An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries, as listed. Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly. In addition to many other elements of the Agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.” President Donald Trump · Truth Social · 23 May 2026

Trump posted from the Oval Office after conducting the conference call with Arab and Muslim leaders that The Thursday Times had reported earlier today. He confirmed he spoke separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that the conversation “likewise, went very well.”

Pakistan named in the announcement

Trump’s Truth Social post listed every participant on the call by name and title. Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah of Pakistan appeared alongside President Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, President Mohammed bin Zayed of the UAE, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar, President Erdogan of Turkey, President El-Sisi of Egypt, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and King Hamad of Bahrain. Pakistan was not an observer on this call. It was a named party to a historic diplomatic moment.

This follows weeks in which Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have repeatedly credited Pakistan’s mediation. Rubio said publicly at a NATO summit on 22 May: “The primary interlocutor on this has been Pakistan and continues to be. They have done an admirable job.” Trump himself has referred to Munir in warm personal terms, calling him his favourite Field Marshal.

What the deal contains

Trump confirmed the Strait of Hormuz will be opened as part of the agreement, the single most consequential economic element of any deal given the waterway’s role in global oil supplies. He told CBS News earlier on Saturday that the deal includes a process to reopen the Strait, the unfreezing of some Iranian assets held in foreign banks, and a continuation of negotiations. He said the final agreement would ensure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon and that enriched uranium would be “satisfactorily handled.”

A US official briefed on the negotiations told Axios the deal was nearly finished but that there were still gaps on the “wording” of several points. The Financial Times had reported earlier on Saturday that mediators were nearing a 60-day ceasefire extension alongside a framework for nuclear talks. Trump’s announcement suggests the framework has moved significantly beyond what was being discussed this morning.

What Pakistan achieved

Pakistan brokered the original US-Iran ceasefire on 8 April 2026. It hosted direct US-Iran talks in Islamabad. It maintained the back-channel through every stall and near-collapse in the weeks that followed. Field Marshal Munir flew to Tehran on 22 May and conducted overnight negotiations that Pakistan’s army described as “highly productive” with “encouraging progress towards a final understanding.” Less than twenty-four hours after he departed Tehran, Trump announced the deal was largely done.

The sequencing matters. Munir’s visit. The conference call. Trump’s announcement. Pakistan threaded each step.

The Thursday Times will update this article as the formal announcement emerges. This is a developing story.