US and Iranian officials both signaled Saturday they were nearing an agreement on a memorandum of understanding to end the war and set the stage for further talks, though US President Donald Trump was reportedly split on whether to agree to a deal or resume strikes.

Amid the negotiations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was convening coalition party leaders and security chiefs for a discussion on the emerging deal, according to Hebrew media reports. Israel has been reportedly left out of the talks and is instead relying on regional and intelligence sources to keep up with the negotiations to end the war that it launched with the US nearly three months ago.

Trump, who said Saturday that Netanyahu is “torn” about a potential deal, spoke with the premier Saturday night about the details of the talks.

Iran and Pakistan submitted a revised proposal to the US on Saturday, said two Pakistani sources familiar with the negotiations, with the US response expected on Sunday. One official described the nearing deal as “fairly comprehensive.”

The sources told Reuters the proposed ‌framework for a deal would unfold in three stages: formally ending the war, resolving the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, and launching a 30-day window for negotiations on a broader agreement, which can be extended. A Pakistani source said there was no guarantee the US would accept the memorandum, but if it did, the memorandum of understanding would lead to further talks next week.

No official text of the deal has been published, although Saudi site Al-Arabiya on Friday published what it said was the “final draft,” which also noted that the deal would be an interim agreement with “outstanding issues” to be negotiated after it comes into force  The reported draft agreement did not explicitly mention key US demands, including the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program and export of its stockpile of 60-percent-enriched uranium, limiting its ballistic missiles and ending its support for terrorist proxies.

In a phone interview on Saturday with CBS, Trump said the sides were “getting a lot closer” to an agreement, but also warned that if the US and Iran do not come to an agreement, “we’re going to have a situation where no country will ever be hit as hard as they’re about to be hit.”

The US president struck a less upbeat tone in another Saturday interview with news website Axios, saying that it was a “solid 50/50” chance of a deal being struck. Reporter Barak Ravid said he spoke with Trump on the phone, who told him the chances are even on........

© The Times of Israel