In a remarkable development on the ground that coincided with the growing talk about the imminence of reaching a peace agreement between the United States and Iran, an informed source revealed to Reuters, on Friday, that American forces shot down several Iranian unidirectional attack drones that were heading towards the Strait of Hormuz.
The source, who requested to remain anonymous, explained that the drones were posing a threat to commercial shipping traffic in the strait, while the US military confirmed that Iran had launched a number of attack drones in an attempt to target commercial ships crossing the vital sea lane.
The incident came hours after US President Donald Trump warned Tehran against launching more drones towards ships trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed that Tehran has not yet signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States, indicating that amendments to the text are still possible.
Araqchi said in an interview with Iranian television that the nuclear file will be discussed at a later stage if the temporary agreement is implemented, explaining that the expected understanding includes ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, in addition to lifting the blockade and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
He added that the only way to deal with the stock of highly enriched uranium is to dilute it inside Iran.
In an additional indication of the progress of the negotiations, Trump re-published a post by Araqchi on the “X” platform in which he stressed that reaching a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran is closer than ever before.
For his part, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that a final, agreed-upon text for the peace agreement between the United States and Iran had been reached, indicating that Islamabad was working with the two parties to put the final touches on the next steps.
Sharif wrote on the “X” platform: “We can confirm that a final and agreed upon text of the peace agreement has been reached, and Pakistan is currently working closely with the two parties to complete the final procedures.”
