CBS News reports a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran is likely to be signed early next week, paving the way for further talks on a long-term deal. Separately, Iran's Fars News Agency claims Washington backed down from its new demands and accepted Tehran's original proposed text, though it says Iran has not yet delivered its final response.
Two new reports this evening, within minutes of each other, describe the US-Iran deal process as accelerating toward a formal signing as early as next week. At 22:16, Iran's Fars News Agency published a detailed account claiming the US withdrew the additions it introduced two weeks ago and returned to Iran's original proposed text, but stressed Iran has not yet given its final answer. Minutes later, around 22:22, CBS News—citing a Western official—reported that a memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed early next week, serving as a framework for further talks on a long-term deal. The reports align with a sequence The Zioneer has tracked since Wednesday night: Iran transmitted a final draft MOU to the US via Qatar, and Iran's state news agency assessed a high likelihood of approval. Earlier this week, VP Vance said a deal could come next week or take months, while a senior US official described secret talks on a 15-year nuclear freeze.
As we reported at 20:44 Wednesday evening, Iran submitted a final draft memorandum of understanding to the United States through Qatari mediation, a US source involved in mediation efforts confirmed. By 22:16 that same evening, Fars reported that the text was ready two weeks ago but Trump demanded additions, which Iran resisted, and that Washington had now accepted Tehran's original formulation, making approval highly likely. Through multiple versions from Fars and other sources that evening, the thread moved from an unconfirmed claim of a US retreat (version 1) to a consistent picture: the same Fars sourcing, endorsed by Israeli diplomatic reporters, described the US returning to the original draft, but Iran's final official approval remained pending. The CBS report now adds a timeline for signature from a Western official, though that official's precise identity and access to the direct negotiations remain unclear.
The thread sits against a wider backdrop The Zioneer has reported over the past several days. On Monday, VP Vance said a deal could be signed next week or take months, reflecting White House uncertainty. Earlier this week, a senior US official described secret talks on a 15-year nuclear freeze, including a shutdown of enrichment and dismantlement of key sites, as we reported at 07:50 Monday. The emerging picture is one of quiet but intense backchannel diplomacy, with Qatar as the primary mediator. President Trump is set to speak with Prime Minister Netanyahu tonight, a source told i24NEWS, after Trump's previous announcement on understandings caught the Israeli leadership by surprise.
What remains open: whether the Fars account of a US retreat from new demands is confirmed by other sources; whether Iran delivers its formal approval before the reported early-next-week signing; and whether the CBS timeline reflects a finalized schedule or a provisional one. Israel's level of briefing on the latest text also remains unclear.
7 developments
- DevelopingIran's Fars: final decision on US deal framework still under review
- StrongFars: Iran relays reservations on US deal via Qatari mediators, nothing final
- StrongIran's Fars News: Tehran leaning toward approving US deal
- DevelopingIran sent no new proposal to the US, source close to Iranian negotiating team says
Source and signal
- Internal intake