Despite reports of a near US-Iran agreement, fighting continues: sirens sounded in northern Israel as drones were intercepted, and the US said it downed Iranian drones in the Strait of Hormuz; Tehran keeps up attacks amid conflicting deal termsCENTCOM, the U.S. Central Command, said overnight between Friday and Saturday Israeli time that it had intercepted several drones launched by Iran toward the Strait of Hormuz. “Iran launched multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormu.,” the military said, adding that “The international trade corridor remains open for transit.” In parallel, Iranian state media IRIB reported explosions near the port of Sirik in southern Iran and near Qeshm Island, describing them as “warning fire” in the Strait of Hormuz.Similar to the situation in Hormuz, Hezbollah launched a drone toward Israel on Saturday morning, triggering sirens in Metula and Misgav Am. The IDF said it intercepted a “suspicious aerial target.” Iran is attempting to link between the arenas, and according to its position any agreement would also include a ceasefire in Lebanon. However, despite contacts and reports of a near agreement, the fire continues. Meanwhile, Lebanon reported Israeli strikes on several villages in the south of the country.Documentation of missile launches at American destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz in IranEarlier this week, security cabinet officials reportedly decided that any Hezbollah fire crossing the border would trigger an Israeli strike on Beirut’s Dahiya suburb, despite Tehran’s threats to respond whenever Israel does so.A senior U.S. administration official said Washington expects to sign a framework agreement within days. “I maybe would have said 75% this morning, it’s probably more like 80-85% now,” he said, adding that no signing date has been set due to Iran’s “very complicated” internal decision-making process.4 View gallery CENTCOM intercepted several drones launched by Iran toward the Strait of Hormuz (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo)The official said the deal includes a monitoring regime over Iranian activity. If Tehran complies with the demands, he said, it would receive economic rewards and benefit from the agreement. He acknowledged that if Iran meets expectations, there would be “significant sanctions relief.” He reiterated a U.S. claim that “the Iranians get nothing simply for signing the agreement.” He did not address ballistic missiles, noting that a 60-day technical negotiation phase would follow the signing.Regarding Israel, the official expressed confidence it would “cooperate” with the agreement. “When Israel sees the full terms of the deal, they will feel comfortable with it,” he said. However, even before the briefing, an Israeli official expressed anger over the emerging agreement. “Trump screwed us,” he said. Another Israeli official added that “the emerging agreement looks very bad. “From our perspective, it is a catastrophe, because it does not meet any of the principles we spoke about when the war began,” the official said.4 View gallery Missile launch from Iran towards Israel, 7th of June (צילום: WANA (West Asia News Agency)/ via REUTERS)The U.S. official said the agreement includes the following terms: nuclear material will be destroyed and removed, the nuclear program will be dismantled, no funds will be released until Iran complies, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened to traffic and Iran will stop funding terrorist groups. “This is what they have agreed to. This is a performance-based deal,” he said.However, Iranian news agencies published 14 points of a draft agreement that differ significantly: a permanent and immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts including Lebanon, a U.S. commitment not to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs and to respect its sovereignty, full lifting of maritime blockade within 30 days, withdrawal of foreign forces from areas near Iran, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days under Iranian arrangements, suspension of sanctions on oil sales and petrochemicals and full access to Iranian financial resources.The list also includes a commitment by the United States and allies to present reconstruction plans for Iran worth at least 300 billion dollars, 60 days of negotiations for a final agreement, lifting all U.S. sanctions and canceling UN Security Council and IAEA Board resolutions, reaffirmation of Iran’s commitment under the NPT not to develop nuclear weapons, no increase in U.S. forces in the region during talks, and no new sanctions.4 View gallery Regime supporters in Tehran, this week (Photo: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)It further mentions the release of 24 billion dollars in frozen Iranian funds during the 60-day negotiation period, half of it before talks begin, a monitoring mechanism, UN Security Council endorsement of the final deal, and removal of missile programs and regional proxies from the agenda.Following the Iranian reports, U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized them, writing that it was “fake news” that had “nothing to do with the terms that were agreed to.”He added: “Very dishonorable people to deal with. With them, there is no such thing as dealing in good faith. Also, their totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is totally unacceptable. They better get their act together, and fast.”Shortly afterward, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a breakthrough in long-running talks between Iran and the United States, saying a final draft memorandum had been reached. “We are fully aware of the constant disinformation from actors seeking to sabotage the peace agreement,” he wrote. “If we ignore the background noise, we can confirm a final agreed draft has been reached and Pakistan is now working closely with both sides to complete the next steps. Peace has never been closer.”4 View gallery נשיאFollowing the Iranian reports, U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized them (Photo: REUTERS/Daniel Heuer)Shortly before his statement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote that “the memorandum has never been closer.” He added that until it is finalized, media outlets should avoid speculation. Trump later reposted Araghchi’s message on his Truth Social platform.Reuters reported that the United Arab Emirates agreed to unfreeze billions of dollars for Iran, citing four sources. According to the report, two Middle East sources said the UAE would release 10 billion dollars for the Islamic Republic, while two others put the figure at around 20 billion dollars, conditioned on a halt to Iranian attacks. One source said an initial 3 billion dollars tranche had already been made available.Reuters noted it was unclear whether the funds came from frozen Iranian accounts in the UAE or from Emirati state funds. However, overnight the UAE denied the report, saying no frozen funds had been released or transferred. “No frozen funds have been released or transferred by the United Arab Emirates or through it,” the statement said.