Iran-USA: the blunder of leaks in Iranian media

Is the transitional 'memorandum of understanding' intended to end the war between the United States and Iran really close to being finalized?

The triumphalist announcement made by President Donald Trump about an 'imminent deal' with Iran has already been undermined by 'leaks' in Iranian state-controlled media, which continue to proclaim that the Islamic Republic got everything it was seeking: control of the Strait of Hormuz, the immediate release of frozen funds, the lifting of sanctions, and American investment to revive the Iranian economy…

A post by Trump on his social media platform abruptly set the record straight. However, it seems unlikely that this will prevent a deal from being reached — a view reinforced Friday evening by an announcement from the Pakistani mediator, who officially confirmed that the two sides had reached an agreement.

So what happened during this long day?

Friday in the Levant began under the most promising of signs. 'We have just reached a very good agreement to end the war with Iran, and once the documents are finalized — which should happen within the next few days — we will probably have a signing, perhaps in Europe,' President Trump declared from the Oval Office, as reported by AFP.

This announcement by Donald Trump, which has a familiar ring to it, generated enormous ink — in both the American and Iranian press. As for the former, it widely reported that the deal would be signed soon: Bloomberg News wrote that the document would be signed at the G7 summit in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sunday.

According to Axios, Vice President JD Vance's visit to Switzerland is already being arranged in anticipation of the signing. The American outlet highlighted both the Qatari and Pakistani mediation efforts that apparently made this breakthrough possible. Indeed, still according to Axios, the Qatari mediator signed the 'agreement in principle' with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran.

The American and Iranian versions

The Iranian press, true to its habits as regime-controlled media, did echo the strong possibility of an imminent deal — but went into considerable detail about what the terms of the truce would supposedly be. According to these outlets, Iran would have secured continued control over the Strait of Hormuz, the release of its frozen assets (figures of $24 billion, or at least half that amount, are being floated), the lifting of sanctions and the American blockade on ports, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the region bordering Iran, as well as the right to continue uranium enrichment.

According to the Mehr news agency, ballistic missiles are not mentioned in the text, and the framework agreement allows a six-month period to reach a final deal. Reports coming out of Tehran also indicated that a final decision had not yet been made by Iranian authorities, denying that the signing had been scheduled for Sunday.

It was these media 'leaks' that proved to be the fly in the ointment, triggering Donald Trump's fury on his Truth Social platform. 'The conditions the Iranians leaked to their media have nothing to do with the terms of the deal we reached,' he thundered, stating that 'the Iranians are very dishonorable' and that it is impossible to negotiate in good faith with them. 'They had better correct course, and fast!' he also wrote.

A U.S. administration official laid out Washington's position to the al-Hadath network's correspondent: no funds will be released until the agreement is implemented, enriched uranium will be removed from Iranian territory, and nuclear facilities will be fully dismantled. Another key clause, according to the Saudi network, will require Iran to stop funding proxies in the region — a matter of significant concern for Lebanon. The source confirmed that Iran has agreed to these terms.

Netanyahu: Iran Will Not Get the Bomb

Against the backdrop of statements regarding a potential deal to be signed soon between Washington and Tehran — a process from which Tel Aviv has been notably excluded — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to declare that he was "in full agreement" with Donald Trump that Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon, adding that this would not happen "as long as he remains Prime Minister."

Meanwhile, fighting in southern Lebanon continued on Friday with the same intensity between the Israeli army and Hezbollah. According to al-Hadath, the Israelis announced that they had seized control of all the hills overlooking the strategic city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah continues its attacks, including through the use of drones.

The fate of this front has been in question ever since talk of an imminent deal on the Iranian regional front began. On one hand, reports in Iranian media insist that any potential agreement would include a clause calling for a ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon. On the other hand, Israeli sources have reportedly stated that a deal between Iran and the United States would not cover the Lebanese front, "given that Israeli authorities are engaged in direct talks with Lebanese authorities in a separate process in Washington," pan-Arab media noted.

The question remained open on Friday in Lebanon, especially since the ceasefire in Iran in early April did not automatically lead to a similar measure in Lebanon — bearing in mind that ceasefires reached through direct negotiations have not fared much better.

What is clear, however, is that this forthcoming agreement is already fueling domestic controversy. Unsurprisingly, Hezbollah voices have already begun adopting a triumphalist tone. MP Hassan Fadlallah, in his characteristically provocative manner, rushed to declare that a deal "will have repercussions" for Lebanon, "whether Lebanese officials accept it or not." The lawmaker was invoking his party's go-to argument that only a ceasefire negotiated by Iran stands any real chance of success. He also took a swipe at President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, suggesting they have been "exploited" by Washington.

Admittedly, Hassan Fadlallah appeared to soften his stance somewhat by stating that "Iran does not seek to replace the Lebanese state." Such remarks nonetheless drew a response from Prime Minister Salam, who accused the Islamic Republic of trying to demonstrate that it holds decision-making power in Lebanon.

The debate over Iran's role in Lebanon, exercised through its local ally, shows no signs of dying down. Yet Washington sources, cited by several media outlets, continue to stress the American president's determination to keep the two files separate. This point will be one to watch in the coming days, in light of regional developments.

New Saudi Arabian Ambassador

Official Lebanon, for its part, continues to pursue a path of rapprochement with its Arab neighbors, long neglected. Beyond Saudi Arabia's decision, made the day before, to reopen its market to Lebanese agricultural products — which is expected to have a major impact on Lebanon's agricultural sector — noteworthy as well is the visit of Saudi envoy to Lebanon Yazid bin Farhan to President Aoun at the Baabda Palace on Thursday evening. The new Saudi ambassador, meanwhile, arrived in Beirut on Friday.

Another major story this Friday: after a lengthy controversy surrounding a possible Syrian intervention in Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah — following remarks made by Donald Trump on the subject — Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa categorically denied any involvement by his country in Lebanon's internal affairs.