Published on 6/13/2026
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Last update: 15:48 (Mecca time)
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing informed sources, that a visit by a Qatari diplomatic delegation to Tehran stopped days of mutual attacks between the United States and Iran following the downing of an American Apache helicopter, and convinced US President Donald Trump to cancel the strikes, which he described as harsh against Iran.
The newspaper said, in a report entitled “How did the United States and Iran go from a renewed war to the brink of peace?”, that Trump decided to escalate military action against Tehran after the helicopter fell, as he ordered retaliatory strikes on Iran, and threatened to strike civilian infrastructure. Tehran responded by targeting US bases and its allies in the Persian Gulf.
According to the newspaper, the turning point in last week’s drama came on Wednesday, when a Qatari diplomatic delegation returned from a visit to Tehran, carrying a new version of the draft peace agreement, according to American officials. At the same time, Pakistani officials convinced Trump that the agreement was imminent, so he canceled the “violent strikes” that he had promised that evening.
However, a Qatari official told the newspaper: “Gaps still exist between the Iranian and American positions regarding billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, control of the Strait of Hormuz, and disposal of Iranian highly enriched uranium.” People familiar with the matter said Iran continued to press for early access to its frozen funds.
The mediators stated that they are close to completing an agreement that reopens the Strait and eases restrictions associated with the US blockade on Iran, while leaving other issues, including Iran’s nuclear program and freezing Iranian assets abroad, to be negotiated later.
Meanwhile, US officials said that J.D. Vance, US Vice President, plans to travel to Geneva to sign the memorandum of understanding. From there, more technical talks on difficult issues can take place in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Trump got angry
The Wall Street Journal revealed that President Trump felt angry and frustrated when the media leaked a text allegedly from the final agreement, and he was leaning in favor of the Iranian position, and he directed his team to reject the narrative that led to the fact that the agreement would be weak or that Iran would receive money before fulfilling its obligations.
Yesterday, Friday, a senior US administration official said: “Iran will not receive sanctions relief and economic benefits until it takes specific steps regarding its nuclear program.”
The official added that if Iran dismantles its nuclear sites, ends its enrichment program, and stops funding “proxy armed groups” such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, it may see a broad easing of sanctions, which would constitute a strong boost to the country’s faltering economy.
The official added that Trump will ask world leaders at next week’s G7 meeting in France to intensify monitoring in the Strait of Hormuz and provide other assistance to ensure Iran’s compliance with the terms of the agreement.
On the other hand, Iranian officials warned that they had not made a final decision on accepting the conditions.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said: “We are in the final stages of reviewing the text of the agreement internally.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi had previously stated that there was a possibility of signing a memorandum of understanding with the United States digitally within the next few days.
