Updated May 7, 2026 at 6:42 AM CDT
Iranian officials said on Wednesday that they will relate Iran's response to mediating country Pakistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei told Iran's ISNA news agency.
A Pakistani official said Thursday that Islamabad remained hopeful that a deal between the U.S. and Iran would happen soon.
"If an agreement is reached in Pakistan, it would be an honour for us," said Tahir Andrabi, a spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, as quoted by Pakistan's daily Dawn.
NPR has not confirmed the details of the U.S. proposal, and the White House has not made them public.
ISNA said Iran's negotiators are discussing the end of the war, not the nuclear issue, which would come at a later stage of negotiations. The news outlet dismissed U.S. news reports about a memorandum of understanding as "media speculation."
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Meanwhile, France moved its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to the Red Sea on Thursday.
The deployment of the "Charles de Gaulle" aircraft carrier was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron on social media following a call with Iran's president, Massoud Pezeshkian.
He said the "forward deployment" of the carrier was done in the context of the multinational mission established by France and Britain in mid-April to what they said at the time were efforts to restore freedom of navigation.
Macron said on Wednesday the mission "can help restore confidence among shipowners and insurers" and that it would "remain distinct from the warring parties."
"All parties must lift the blockade of the Strait, without delay and without conditions. We must return, on a lasting basis, to the regime of full freedom of navigation that prevailed prior to the conflict," Macron said.
Macron added that "recent events clearly demonstrate the utility such a mission would provide."
He said he invited the Pezeshkian "to seize this opportunity," and that he "intend to speak with President Trump on this subject."
"A return to calm in the Strait will help advance negotiations regarding nuclear issues, ballistic missiles, and the regional situation," Macron said. "The Europeans—upon whom the lifting of sanctions depends—will play their part in this process."
The Strait of Hormuz — an important passageway for oil, fertilizer and other goods — has been effectively closed since the U.S. and Israel launched their attack on Iran on Feb. 28, disrupting global energy supplies and pushing up fuel prices. Iran has attacked commercial ships that try to transit the strait without its approval. The U.S. has imposed its naval blockade since April 13. U.S. Central Command said that, as of Wednesday, its blockade had turned around 52 vessels.
On Tuesday, Trump suspended a U.S. military effort to help merchant vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz, but kept in place a U.S. naval blockade on Iran's ports.
"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump wrote online Wednesday morning. "If they don't agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before."
Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be provided, but it was not immediately clear how much the move would reopen the shipping route.
"With the end of the aggressors' threats and in light of new procedures, safe and sustainable transit through the strait will be facilitated," the Revolutionary Guard's navy command said in an online statement. It did not give details about the new terms.
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