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Donald Trump said the deal is 
largely negotiated. 

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Iran said the deal is not done. 
Pakistan said there has been 

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encouraging progress and the 
world is waiting to find out 

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which of those three statements 
is closest to the truth. 

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It is Sunday the 24th of May 
2026, Day 86 of Operation Epic 

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Fury. 
The ceasefire remains 

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technically in place. 
The memorandum of understanding 

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is, by most accounts, in its 
final stages of drafting, and a 

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gap between the two sides that 
was described as deep and 

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significant just days ago has, 
according to multiple diplomatic

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sources, narrowed considerably. 
Whether it has narrowed enough 

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is the question that now defines
everything. 

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This is Epic Fury, the US Iran 
war podcast. 

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There is a great deal to work 
through today. 

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Let us get straight into it. 
The most consequential 

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development of the past 24 hours
came on Saturday evening when 

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President Trump posted on Truth 
Social that a broader agreement 

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between the United States, the 
Islamic Republic of Iran and, in

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his words, the various other 
countries had been largely 

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negotiated. 
He said the final aspects and 

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details were currently being 
discussed and will be announced 

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shortly. 
He confirmed the proposed 

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agreement included the reopening
of the Strait of Hormuz. 

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He said he had spoken personally
with the leaders of Saudi 

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Arabia, the United Arab 
Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, 

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Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and 
Bahrain and had held a separate 

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call with Israel. 
He described the document in 

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question as a memorandum of 
understanding pertaining to 

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peace. 
The post was notable not just 

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for its content but for its tone
and its scope. 

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This was not Trump issuing a 
threat or a deadline. 

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This was Trump announcing, in 
language that sounded more like 

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a closing statement than a 
negotiating position, that a 

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deal had effectively been done. 
The regional leaders he named, 

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eight countries plus Israel, 
represent the full architecture 

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of the Middle East stakeholders 
who have been most directly 

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affected by the conflict. 
The fact that he had spoken to 

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all of them before making his 
announcement suggests the post 

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was not an impulsive statement, 
but a coordinated message 

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intended to build public 
momentum toward finalization. 

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That post set off an immediate 
chain of contradictory responses

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that illustrates with unusual 
clarity exactly how fragile and 

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contested this moment remains. 
Within hours, Iran's state 

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affiliated Fars news agency 
published its own account of the

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current state of the memorandum.
It said the Strait of Hormuz 

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would remain under Iranian 
management, according to the 

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latest version of the proposal 
exchange between the two sides. 

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It called Trump's description of
a deal to reopen the Straight 

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incomplete and inconsistent with
reality. 

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Iran's Foreign Ministry 
spokesman Esmael Baguii 

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reinforced that position, 
telling Iran's official state 

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media that any mechanism 
concerning the Strait of Hormuz 

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should be agreed between Iran, 
Oman and the country's bordering

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the waterway. 
And that the United States, in 

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his words, has nothing to do 
with it. 

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He added that lifting sanctions 
on Tehran had explicitly been 

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included in the text and 
remained Iran's fixed position. 

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So within hours of Trump 
announcing A largely negotiated 

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deal, Iran's official 
communications apparatus was 

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publicly disputing the 
characterization of one of that 

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deal's central components. 
That does not necessarily mean a

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deal is not close. 
It does mean the two sides are 

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still describing the same 
document in fundamentally 

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different terms. 
This pattern, an American 

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announcement of progress met by 
Iranian public skepticism or 

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partial denial, has played out 
repeatedly during the 

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negotiating period. 
What is different this time is 

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the specificity of Trump's 
claim, the breadth of the 

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regional leaders he said he had 
consulted, and the fact that 

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Pakistan's mediators are 
characterizing the state of the 

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talks in genuinely optimistic 
terms rather than cautious 

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diplomatic language. 
Secretary of State Marco Rubio 

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offer more measured assessment 
than the president. 

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Speaking to reporters on 
Saturday, Rubio confirmed that 

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significant progress had been 
made, but reiterated that the 

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United States core objective 
remained unchanged. 

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Iran must never have a nuclear 
weapon. 

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He also weighed in on the Hormuz
question directly, saying that 

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condoning threats to destroy 
vessels transiting the Strait 

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would set a dangerous precedent.
That last remark is important. 

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It speaks directly to one of the
issues that has proved most 

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difficult to resolve in these 
negotiations, whether Ron 

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retains the right to manage, 
charge for, or otherwise control

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access to the waterway after any
formal agreement is reached. 

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Rubio has made clear on multiple
previous occasions that the 

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United States views any toll 
system or Iranian management of 

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international shipping lanes as 
illegal and unacceptable. 

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His language on Saturday left no
room for ambiguity on that 

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point. 
The question is whether the 

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Memorandum of Understanding can 
be constructed in such a way 

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that both the United States and 
Iran can publicly claim the 

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hormones outcome aligns with 
their respective positions. 

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Pakistan's role in the past 48 
hours has been substantial and 

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has visibly shifted from 
background mediator to active 

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front facing participant in the 
final stages of negotiations. 

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Field Marshall Asim Munir, 
Pakistan's army chief, concluded

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a visit to Tehran on Saturday 
after arriving on Friday and 

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conducting what were described 
as high level engagements with 

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Iranian leadership, including 
Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi. 

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The two exchange views on the 
latest diplomatic efforts and 

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initiatives to prevent 
escalation of tensions, 

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according to a post on Arachi's 
Telegram channel. 

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Pakistan's military issued a 
statement after the visit saying

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that negotiations over the 
preceding 24 hours had resulted 

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in encouraging progress toward a
final understanding. 

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Pakistan's foreign minister IS 
Shakhtar followed with a post on

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social media saying the 
achievements of the negotiations

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offered grounds for optimism 
that a positive and durable 

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outcome was within reach. 
Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, 

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Reza Amiri Mogadam, said on his 
return to Tehran that with 

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conservative optimism, one could
hope that a positive stride was 

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taking shape if he added 
carefully, the other side was 

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adequately committed. 
Al Jazeera's Tehran 

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correspondent observed that the 
visit of Pakistan's army chief 

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to Tehran was itself a sign of 
significant progress, noting 

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that Arachi had also held phone 
calls with his Turkish, Iraqi, 

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Qatari and Omani counterparts, 
as well as with United Nations 

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Secretary General Antonio 
Guterres about the state of the 

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peace talks. 
What is emerging is a multi 

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track diplomatic effort spanning
at least half a dozen countries 

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and two international 
organizations. 

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That breadth of engagement 
suggests both sides are serious 

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about reaching an agreement and 
that the regional stakeholders 

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who have the most to gain from a
resolution. 

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The Gulf states, whose energy 
infrastructure and economic 

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stability depend on a 
functioning straight of Hormuz, 

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are applying sustained pressure 
on both Washington and Tehran to

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close the remaining gaps. 
Iran's own Foreign ministry 

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spokesman gave the most 
structured public description of

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where the current document 
stands, but Guy confirmed that 

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Tehran was in the final stages 
of drafting A framework 

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agreement aimed at ending the 
conflict. 

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He said the framework would take
the form of a memorandum of 

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understanding containing 14 
clauses. 

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The deals terms, he said, would 
provide for the gradual 

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reopening of the Strait of 
Hormuz, lifting the United 

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States naval blockade on Iranian
ports, the release of frozen 

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Iranian fawns, and a subsequent 
30 to 60 day period of detailed 

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negotiations on a broader 
agreement. 

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He also stressed that nuclear 
issues are not part of this 

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initial framework. 
Iran's position, clearly and 

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repeatedly stated, is that the 
first phase of any agreement is 

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about ending the war and 
reopening the Strait. 

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Nuclear talks come in phase two.
That sequencing is itself a 

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source of ongoing tension. 
The United States has 

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consistently insisted that 
Iran's nuclear program must be 

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central to any deal. 
Rubio's statement on Saturday 

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reaffirmed that the United 
States goal is for Iran never to

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have a nuclear weapon. 
Whether Washington is prepared 

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to accept the first phase 
agreement that sets nuclear 

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questions aside for later, or 
whether it is insisting that at 

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minimum a commitment on 
enrichment be embedded in the 

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memorandum itself, remains one 
of the unresolved questions. 

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A source familiar with the 
negotiations, speaking to CNN, 

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said Iran is prepared to reopen 
the Strait of Hormuz in the 

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deals first phase, with a 
nuclear issue addressed in the 

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second phase. 
That framing aligns with what 

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the guy described publicly. 
But whether the United States 

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has formally accepted that 
sequencing or is still pushing 

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to include at least a 
preliminary nuclear commitment 

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in the initial document is not 
confirmed by public statements 

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from either side. 
The broader outline of what is 

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being discussed has been 
described in reporting by the 

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Financial Times and other 
outlets. 

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The proposed deal includes a 60 
day extension of the ceasefire, 

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the gradual reopening of the 
Strait, discussions over 

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diluting or transferring Iran's 
stockpile of enriched uranium, 

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steps by Washington to ease 
restrictions on Iranian ports, 

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and potential sanctions relief 
across a range of sectors. 

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Iran's Foreign Ministry has 
confirmed the general structure 

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but on the most difficult 
points, sovereignty over Hormuz,

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the enriched uranium stockpile, 
and the scope of any nuclear 

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commitment. 
The two sides have not publicly 

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announced agreement. 
The enriched uranium question 

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deserves particular attention 
because it has been one of the 

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most complex and contentious 
issues throughout the entire 

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negotiating process. 
Iran has accumulated a 

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significant stockpile of uranium
enriched to varying levels, 

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including material enriched to 
60% purity, which sits below 

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weapons grade but well above the
levels required for civilian 

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reactor fuel. the United States 
has pushed for that material to 

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be transferred out of Iran or 
diluted to lower enrichment 

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levels. 
Iran's Foreign ministry has 

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stated flatly that the uranium 
will under no circumstances be 

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transferred anywhere. 
There have been reports 

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exploring whether a third 
country, Russia, has been 

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mentioned in some contexts could
take custody of the material, 

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but Iran has publicly rejected 
that approach. 

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Reporting from earlier in the 
negotiations suggested the 

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United States may be exploring a
time limited commitment on 

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enrichment rather than a 
permanent restriction, and that 

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Iran has countered with a 
shorter time frame. 

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Neither side has confirmed the 
specific terms currently under 

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discussion. 
The internal divisions within 

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Iran over these negotiations 
have not dissolved. 

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Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, 
the hardline commander of the 

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Islamic Revolutionary Guard 
Corps, has been publicly 

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critical of what he views as 
concessions by Iran's civilian 

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leadership. 
He was reported in April to the 

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said the supreme leader had not 
even been buried before 

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negotiations began with those 
who had killed him. 

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That sentiment reflects a 
genuine tension within the 

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Iranian system between those who
want an end to the conflict and 

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those who believe the act of 
negotiating represents a 

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compromise of the Islamic 
Republic's foundational 

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principles. 
The Irgc's political influence 

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within Iran's decision making 
architecture is not incidental, 

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It is structural. 
The corps commands enormous 

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economic interests within Iran 
beyond its military function, 

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and any deal that fundamentally 
reshapes Iran's strategic 

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posture will have direct 
implications for the Irgc's 

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institutional power. 
That is why Vahidi skepticism is

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00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:37,320
not merely ideological 
posturing. 

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It reflects the interests of an 
institution that has thrived in 

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part because of the very 
confrontational posture with the

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United States and Israel that 
the current negotiations would 

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formally bring to an end. 
Parliament Speaker Muhammad 

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Baker Kalabaf has served as 
Iran's lead negotiator 

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throughout the Islamabad 
process. 

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Kalabaf is himself a former IRGC
commander, a figure who has 

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00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:04,040
spent decades navigating between
hardline military factions and 

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technocratic pragmatism. 
Analysts have noted that while 

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Kalabaf has the authority to 
negotiate a deal, he remains in 

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contact with figures like Vahidi
in order to understand where the

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genuine red lines within the 
system lie. 

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That dynamic civilian 
negotiators with authority to 

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talk military hardliners with 
the capacity to obstruct 

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implementation has shaped every 
round of these negotiations and 

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will continue to shape whatever 
agreement eventually emerges. 

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Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei 
has remained largely absent from

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00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:36,240
public view throughout the 
ceasefire and negotiating 

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00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:39,040
period. 
He has not appeared on camera. 

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He is not given a speech. 
His position on the current 

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00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:46,320
Memorandum of Understanding is 
not publicly known, and that 

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opacity matters enormously. 
Any agreement that cannot 

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demonstrate the explicit backing
of the Supreme Leader risks 

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being challenged, walked back, 
or undermined from within after 

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the fact. 
Whether Common A is actively 

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directing the negotiating 
posture, or whether the civilian

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00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:05,240
and parliamentary leadership are
operating within parameters he 

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00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:08,760
set some time ago and has not 
revisited remains unclear. 

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The global economic dimension of
where these talks stand 

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00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:14,240
continues to press on both 
sides. 

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Trump referenced the Strait of 
Hormuz in his Saturday post in 

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the context of the Memorial Day 
holiday weekend, noting that 

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Americans are facing elevated 
fuel prices at a moment of peak 

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00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:27,440
summer travel demand. 
Brent crude oil remains 

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00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:29,840
significantly above its pre war 
level. 

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00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:32,880
The disruption to global 
shipping that has accumulated 

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00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:36,480
over 86 days of conflict has 
left a mark on supply chains, 

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00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:39,480
insurance markets and energy 
logistics that will not be 

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00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:42,440
instantly reversed even if a 
deal is formally announced 

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00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:45,160
tomorrow. 
Shipping insurers have priced in

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00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,600
months of elevated risk. 
Carriers have restructured 

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00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:51,640
routes. 
Some long term supply contracts 

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00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,760
have been renegotiated. 
The economic argument for a 

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00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:57,640
swift resolution is 
overwhelming, and it applies 

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00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:00,720
with equal force on the Iranian 
side, where the war and the 

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00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:03,560
blockade have compounded an 
already strained economic 

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00:14:03,560 --> 00:14:06,640
situation. 
Iran's oil exports, which have 

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00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:09,560
been partially recovering 
through informal channels before

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00:14:09,560 --> 00:14:12,320
the conflict began, have been 
severely disrupted. 

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00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:15,960
Sanctions relief, which Tehran 
has made a fixed demand in the 

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00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:19,720
current negotiations, represents
not just a symbolic prize but a 

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00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:23,360
genuine economic lifeline. 
The Iranian public has borne the

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00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:27,520
cost of this war in terms of 
inflation, supply shortages and 

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00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:30,640
the broader psychological burden
of a country under sustained 

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00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:33,280
bombardment. 
Any government in Tehran has an 

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00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:37,040
interest in delivering economic 
relief alongside whatever 

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00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:40,320
narrative of national resilience
it chooses to construct around 

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00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:43,760
the outcome of the negotiations.
The position of Israel is a 

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00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,120
factor that has complicated 
these negotiations throughout. 

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00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:50,120
Both the United States and 
Israel have stated that the 

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00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:53,880
Pakistan mediated agreement does
not extend to Lebanon, where a 

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00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:57,440
separately negotiated ceasefire 
governs the situation involving 

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00:14:57,440 --> 00:14:59,840
Hezbollah. 
Israel's interest in the final 

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00:14:59,840 --> 00:15:03,080
shape of any US Iran agreement 
extends well beyond the 

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00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:05,080
immediate question of the 
ceasefire. 

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00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:08,600
Israel went into this conflict 
with the stated objective of 

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00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:12,280
eliminating Iran's nuclear 
capability and its capacity to 

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00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:14,440
arm proxy forces across the 
region. 

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00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:17,880
Whatever agreement emerges will 
be scrutinized in Jerusalem 

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00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:21,240
against those benchmarks, and 
any deal that is perceived as 

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00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:24,600
leaving Iran with a residual 
nuclear program or a functioning

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00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,680
proxy network will face 
significant Israeli opposition. 

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00:15:28,160 --> 00:15:31,440
the United States has repeatedly
stated that Israel was not part 

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00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:34,280
of the Pakistan mediated 
process, but the two countries 

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00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:36,960
have remained in close 
consultation throughout, and 

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00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:39,200
Trump's Saturday posts 
specifically mentioned a 

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00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:41,880
separate call with Israel 
alongside his calls with the 

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00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:44,480
Gulf states. 
Hezbollah's leader received a 

292
00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:47,800
letter from Iranian Foreign 
Minister Arachi on Saturday, 

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00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:50,560
with Al Mana television 
reporting that the letter said 

294
00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:52,800
Tehran would not abandon its 
allies. 

295
00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:56,240
Whether that communication was 
intended to reassure Hezbollah 

296
00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:58,720
ahead of an agreement that 
Hezbollah might view as leaving 

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00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:02,040
it exposed, or whether it 
reflects A genuine constraint on

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00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:05,040
what Tehran can commit to in the
memorandum, is not certain. 

299
00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:07,880
What is clear is that the 
Lebanese dimension of this 

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00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:10,960
conflict remains an unresolved 
thread running beneath the 

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00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:13,600
surface of the current 
negotiations, and it will need 

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00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:16,480
to be addressed in whatever 
second phase process follows the

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00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,760
memorandum of understanding. 
Where does this leave things as 

304
00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:23,600
Sunday gets underway? 
Trump has said a deal is largely

305
00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:26,080
negotiated and will be announced
shortly. 

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00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:29,960
Iran has said its positions on 
Hormuz and sanctions are fixed. 

307
00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:33,440
Pakistan has said there has been
encouraging progress. 

308
00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:37,400
Rubio has confirmed significant 
progress while reiterating core 

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00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:40,600
United States objectives. 
The Iranian Foreign Ministry 

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00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:43,840
spokesman said viewpoints are 
getting closer and that three to

311
00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:47,480
four more days may be needed. 
The 14 clause memorandum of 

312
00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:51,240
understanding is, by multiple 
accounts, being fine-tuned 

313
00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:52,920
rather than drafted from 
scratch. 

314
00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:55,960
That is a materially different 
stage from where these 

315
00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,280
negotiations stood even 2 weeks 
ago. 

316
00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:02,520
The gap that remains is real. 
The distance between a Strait of

317
00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:05,040
Hormuz that reopens under 
international freedom of 

318
00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:08,480
navigation and a Strait of 
Hormuz that reopens under some 

319
00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:11,560
form of Iranian management is 
not a semantic distinction. 

320
00:17:12,079 --> 00:17:14,920
It reflects 2 fundamentally 
different visions of what the 

321
00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:17,520
post war order in the Persian 
Gulf looks like. 

322
00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:20,400
The same is true of the nuclear 
question. 

323
00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:24,680
Whether enrichment limits appear
in the first phase memorandum or

324
00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:28,040
are deferred entirely to a 
second phase negotiation is not 

325
00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:31,360
merely A sequencing matter. 
It determines whether the United

326
00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:34,480
States can credibly present the 
agreement as having addressed 

327
00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:37,400
the central threat that 
justified the launch of the war 

328
00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,400
in the first place. 
It is also worth understanding 

329
00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,040
what a memorandum of 
understanding is and is not. 

330
00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:46,920
It is a framework document, not 
a binding treaty. 

331
00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:50,560
It establishes intent and 
outlines the structure for more 

332
00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:52,440
detailed negotiations that 
follow. 

333
00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:56,600
Both sides can, and in all 
likelihood will, interpret its 

334
00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:59,720
language according to their own 
domestic and political needs. 

335
00:18:00,120 --> 00:18:02,960
The United States will present 
it as a historic agreement that 

336
00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:06,520
dismantled Iran's nuclear 
ambitions and restored freedom 

337
00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:09,160
of navigation. 
Iran will present it as a 

338
00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:12,600
sovereign state successfully 
defending its interests and 

339
00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:14,840
securing the lifting of unjust 
sanctions. 

340
00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:18,400
Both narratives can coexist 
within the same 14 Clause 

341
00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,560
document, as long as the 
language is drafted carefully 

342
00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:24,480
enough to allow each side the 
flexibility to claim what it 

343
00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:27,720
needs to claim. 
That is both the opportunity and

344
00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:31,040
the risk of the current moment. 
A memorandum of understanding 

345
00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:33,840
that both sides can sell at home
might be achievable. 

346
00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:37,480
A memorandum of understanding 
that resolves every underlying 

347
00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:41,120
strategic disagreement between 
the United States and Iran is 

348
00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:43,320
not achievable in a matter of 
days. 

349
00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:46,040
The question is whether a 
document that opens a path 

350
00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:49,280
forward, imperfect, contested, 
subject to future 

351
00:18:49,280 --> 00:18:52,560
interpretation, is enough to 
formally end the conflict, 

352
00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:56,320
reopen the straight, and allow 
both sides to begin the longer 

353
00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,520
and more difficult work of a 
lasting settlement. 

354
00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:03,040
These are not small gaps. 
They are also not, based on 

355
00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:06,880
everything reported in the past 
24 hours, unbridgeable ones. 

356
00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:09,760
The question of whether they can
be closed in the days ahead, 

357
00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:12,880
before the current ceasefire 
window expires and before 

358
00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:16,200
domestic political pressure on 
both sides intensifies further, 

359
00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:19,360
is the question that now sits at
the center of this entire 

360
00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:24,640
conflict. 86 days since 
Operation Epic Fury began. 46 

361
00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:27,960
days since the ceasefire took 
hold, a war that began with 

362
00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:30,760
bombs falling on Tehran in the 
early hours of a February 

363
00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:32,760
morning has reached a point 
where the President of the 

364
00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:35,360
United States is describing a 
peace agreement as largely 

365
00:19:35,360 --> 00:19:37,760
negotiated. 
Mediators from Islamabad to 

366
00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:41,400
Muscat are expressing cautious 
optimism and Iran's Foreign 

367
00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,680
Ministry is confirming A-14 
Klaas memorandum is in its final

368
00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:46,760
stages. 
The distance from where this 

369
00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:50,600
conflict started to where it 
stands today is extraordinary. 

370
00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,360
The distance remaining to a 
formally agreed and sustainable 

371
00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:57,600
peace is, by the accounts of 
those closest to the process, 

372
00:19:57,600 --> 00:19:59,840
short. 
Whether the world is days away 

373
00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:03,160
from an announcement, or whether
the final gaps will prove harder

374
00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:06,440
to close than the optimistic 
signal suggest is a question 

375
00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,040
that will be answered in the 
hours and days immediately 

376
00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:11,840
ahead. 
The world is closer to an answer

377
00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:14,160
than it has been at any point in
this war. 

378
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:17,280
If this podcast is helping you 
make sense of what's happening, 

379
00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:21,080
take 2 seconds to leave a five 
star rating on Spotify or Apple 

380
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Podcasts. 
It makes a huge difference to 

381
00:20:23,960 --> 00:20:26,800
how many people find the show, 
and if you want the deeper 

382
00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:29,600
breakdown of what's really going
on and where this is heading, 

383
00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:33,240
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384
00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,320
Apple Podcasts. 
That is Day 86. 

385
00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:41,840
The deal is not done, but it is 
closer than it was yesterday and

386
00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:44,720
tomorrow, one way or another, we
will know more. 

387
00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:46,320
Stay with us.