Trump to discuss Strait of Hormuz demining efforts at G7 as confidence grows for Iran war deal

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Momentum for a deal to end the Iran war appeared to grow Saturday as key mediator Pakistan said an agreement was closer than “ever before” and U.S. President Donald Trump was expected to discuss demining the Strait of Hormuz during next week’s Group of Seven summit.

Separately, Iran’s state-run television announced that funeral ceremonies for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed in the war’s opening attack, will take place in July.

A senior U.S. official, who briefed journalists on condition of anonymity on ground rules set by the White House, said Trump also planned to meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit that starts Monday with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and United Arab Emirates to discuss efforts to wind down the war.

Britain and France, both G7 members, have expressed interest in assisting with demining the critical waterway once the conflict is paused. The official noted that both already have some military vessels at sea that could participate in the demining process.

It was not immediately clear how many mines are in the strait that Iran has effectively controlled since shortly after the war began, virtually shutting down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf. The U.S. blockaded Iranian ports in response. A tenuous ceasefire has been in place since April 7.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a deal aimed at ending the war was expected to be finalized within 24 hours. Pakistan was preparing for the electronic signing of the agreement, to be followed by technical-level talks next week.

The senior U.S. official noted the Sharif’s upbeat comments. The U.S. believes what’s on the table for Iran is a “very strong deal,” the official said, but declined to speculate on when it could be signed.

Iran signaled caution.

“Although it will not happen tomorrow, the possibility that it could take place in the coming days cannot be ruled out,” foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a statement carried by state TV.

Baghaei added that the Islamabad memorandum under discussion was focused on ending the war and “at this stage, it has been decided that there will be no discussion of the nuclear issue.”

Iran’s nuclear program and highly enriched uranium have long been at the center of tensions with the U.S. and Israel and an international source of concern.

Three regional officials, said Friday on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations, that they expected a signing ceremony in the coming days after officials in Washington and Tehran approve the agreement.

The apparent breakthrough came after Iran exchanged fire with the U.S. and Israel earlier in the week, threatening to rupture a fragile ceasefire and push the Middle East back into full-scale war.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X on Friday that an agreement “has never been closer.” Trump, who has asserted multiple times in recent weeks the countries were on the cusp of a deal, shared Araghchi’s post on social media.

Trump on Thursday claimed significant progress in negotiations, hours after he threatened to seize Iran’s oil industry.

Funeral ceremonies for Khamenei will be in July, the country’s state-run television said. The funeral, burial and farewell events for Khamenei will take place between July 4 and 9 during Muharram, a traditional period of mourning in the Shiite Muslim calendar.

Khamenei is succeeded by his son, Mojtaba, who is seen as even less compromising.

The funeral ceremonies are expected to begin in Tehran, and the procession will move to Qom, a stronghold of many senior Shiite clerics, and then to Mashhad, Khamenei’s birthplace. He’ll be buried there at the Imam Reza Shrine, considered the holiest place among Shiite devotees.

Funerals for Khamenei’s daughter and son-in-law, also killed in the February strike, will be on the same day.

Khamenei remolded the Islamic Republic after taking the reins following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. Khomeini was the fiery, charismatic ideologue who led the overthrow of the shah and installed rule by Shiite Muslim clerics.

Khamenei ruled far longer than Khomeini. He greatly expanded the Shiite clerical class and built the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard into the most important body underpinning his rule. The Guard became a military and business behemoth, the country’s most elite force and head of its ballistic missile arsenal.

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Magdy reported from Cairo and Madhani from Washington. Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed.