Iran War Live Updates: Mediator Says Peace Deal Could be Finalized Within 24 Hours

Iran sought to temper expectations. Esmail Baghaei, a foreign ministry spokesman, said a deal would not be signed on Sunday but left open the possibility that one could be in the coming days, according to state media.

U.S. and Iranian officials had said on Friday that an agreement could be signed within days, though the terms of the emerging deal remain uncertain. Officials familiar with its contents said on Friday that it was an initial framework to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil and gas shipping, and to end the American naval blockade of Iran.

More contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, would be deferred to a second phase of negotiations, lasting 60 days, where major differences persist and neither side has shown much willingness to compromise.

There is still the potential for even the initial agreement to be derailed, with events overnight underscoring the fragility of the moment.

The U.S. military said early Saturday that it had intercepted and destroyed Iranian attack drones that were targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Fighting has also persisted in Lebanon, where Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah have been at war for more than 100 days as efforts to establish a lasting cease-fire have faltered. On Saturday morning, Israel issued evacuation warnings for nearly two dozen towns and villages in southern Lebanon. There were reports of airstrikes and artillery fire soon after.

The Lebanese army said on Saturday that an Israeli drone had seriously wounded one of its soldiers in the southern Nabatieh region. Hezbollah also said it had fired drones and rockets at Israeli soldiers and vehicles.

Iranian officials have said any broader regional settlement must include Lebanon and have called for the Israeli military to withdraw from Lebanese territory and end its attacks there.

The developments on Saturday capped a week of swings between escalation and diplomacy. The United States and Iran exchanged attacks, and President Trump threatened to go further, warning that America would strike Iran hard and was considering seizing Iran’s oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Persian Gulf, before he retracted the threat hours later.

Here’s what else we are covering:

• The potential deal: A senior Trump administration official said the proposed agreement was set to establish a 60-day cease-fire that would lead to another, far more complicated negotiation on sanctions relief and Iran’s nuclear program.

• Israel: In a social media post on Friday, the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, said that, in the event of a deal, Israel would not withdraw from territory it occupies in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. He said the country must retain the ability to act independently to block Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

• Funeral of Iran’s former leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran in late February, will be buried on July 9 in the northeastern city of Mashhad. Several days of ceremonies will begin July 4, Iranian state media reported on Saturday.