For the first time since the Iran–US/Israel war began, both Washington and Tehran are officially signalling movement towards a memorandum of understanding. President Trump says that the framework accord has been “largely negotiated,” while Iranian officials have also publicly indicated progress. This follows weeks of sustained Pakistani backchannel engagement and Field Marshal Asim Munir’s important visit to Tehran. Yet no agreement is complete until it is signed. Throughout this conflict, there have been too many occasions when apparent progress suddenly disappeared.

The initial reactions themselves show why the difficult phase is still ahead. In Washington, Democratic opponents and pro-Israel voices immediately accused Trump of compromising American interests and giving legitimacy to the “Islamic Republic of Iran.” At the same time, IRGC-linked media and regime supporters are presenting the same development as proof that Iran forced America to retreat. Before direct negotiations have even resumed, the spoilers are active in sabotaging the impending diplomatic process.

The proposed memorandum itself is not a peace agreement. It does not resolve the difficult questions that brought the two sides into confrontation. It simply creates a process through which these issues can be discussed directly. The next round of talks in Islamabad will therefore become more important than the framework itself.

Pakistan deserves considerable credit for reaching even this stage. Islamabad first helped break the momentum towards wider war through the ceasefire. It then kept diplomatic channels alive when negotiations repeatedly appeared........

© The Friday Times