What happened
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday, 13 June 2026, that a peace agreement to end the war between the United States and Iran was closer than ever and that its final version was expected to be completed within the next 24 hours.
“We are much closer to the peace agreement than ever before,” he said in a statement shared on social media. “With finalisation likely expected in the next 24 hours, Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week.”
Shehbaz said Pakistan was making arrangements for an electronic signing, which he described as part of the formal procedure once the final draft had been completed and approved by all parties. He thanked the United States and Iran for their cooperation during the negotiations, and also thanked friendly countries that supported the initiative, saying the progress achieved so far would not have been possible without constructive engagement from both sides.
The prime minister expressed confidence that the agreement would have a lasting positive impact on regional stability. “I am sure that this historic peace agreement will prove to be a strong foundation for lasting peace,” he said.
His remarks came amid Pakistan’s continued diplomatic efforts to facilitate dialogue. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB that a memorandum of understanding with the United States could be signed within the next few days, but warned that nuclear talks would only begin after an interim deal was fully implemented. He said the proposed memorandum had not yet been signed and that changes to its terms or text remained possible.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the proposed memorandum remained under review and that speculation about a completed agreement was premature. He said the text was in its final internal review and that a meeting of the relevant bodies was underway. In comments reported on 13 June, he also indicated the signing would not take place the following day, saying the exact date remained to be seen while not ruling out an agreement in the coming days.
Separately, US President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it was time to end the war with Iran, according to Axios, which cited a senior US official. The official said Trump described the potential agreement as “a great deal”.
Why it matters
Pakistan has served as the principal mediator between Washington and Tehran since helping broker a fragile ceasefire earlier in the year, and the statement set the most concrete public timeline yet from Islamabad for ending the conflict. A deal would wind down a war that has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global oil and gas, and would mark a diplomatic high point for Pakistan. But Tehran’s caution on the same day showed the two sides were still not aligned on when, or whether, a signing would take place.
What is still uncertain
The agreement had not been signed and no date was confirmed. Iran said the text was still under internal review and that a signing would not happen on 14 June, while Sharif said it could be finalised within 24 hours. The venue, the signatories and the final terms remained unsettled, and the accounts offered by the two sides of what the memorandum contains have differed.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited sources, which were reviewed on 2026-06-13. The deal had not been signed and the timeline remained contested at the time of writing.
- Samaa TV — "Iran-US peace deal expected within 24 hours: PM Shehbaz"13 June 2026 · The prime minister's statement, the electronic signing plan, Araghchi's and Baghaei's remarks, and the Trump-Netanyahu call.
- Reuters — "Pakistan PM says US-Iran peace deal signing expected within 24 hours"13 June 2026 · Sharif's statement that a final text had been reached and that technical talks would follow.
