ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — The United States and Iran are close to agreeing on a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war between them, with a final decision on the draft expected within 48 hours. Officials and a diplomat involved in the process said both sides are reviewing the text prepared by Islamabad.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said talks had produced "slight progress" as uncertainty persisted over whether an agreement would be reached or fighting would resume. "Even as I speak to you now there is some work being done. There is a chance that whether it's later today, tomorrow, in a couple days we may have something to say," Rubio said. He also said there needs to be a "plan B" if Washington and Tehran fail to reach a deal, adding, "Someone's going to have to do something about it, OK?" Rubio repeated that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, must turn over its highly enriched uranium, and that the Strait of Hormuz must be open.

President Donald Trump said he was holding off on a military strike against Iran because serious negotiations were underway and at the request of allies in the Middle East. Vice President JD Vance and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner played roles in helping bridge remaining gaps. Qatar sent a senior official to Tehran to support Pakistan's mediation.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the draft included discussion of the Strait of Hormuz, while nuclear issues are not part of the current negotiations as Tehran first seeks to end the war. "Our focus at this stage is on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon," Baghaei said. "Lifting sanctions on Tehran has explicitly been included in the text and remains our fixed position."

Baghaei also said, "We want this to include the main issues required for ending the imposed war and other issues of essential importance to us. Then, over a reasonable time span, between 30 to 60 days, details are discussed and ultimately a final agreement is reached."

The war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28, cutting short earlier talks with Iran. Tehran retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. blockaded Iranian ports. U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces had redirected 94 commercial vessels and disabled four others from mid-April through Thursday.

Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, traveled to Tehran for a third round of talks with Iranian leaders, joined by Pakistan's interior minister, who had met with Iranian officials twice during the week. Munir held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian. Pakistan has worked to mediate a deal since Munir facilitated face-to-face talks between the two countries in Islamabad the previous month, and Islamabad continues efforts to arrange a second round of direct negotiations.