Gunman shot dead near White House as Trump says Iran deal 'largely negotiated'

 A man who opened fire at a checkpoint near the White House was shot dead by Secret Service officers returning fire during the incident. Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time.

A law enforcement official described the man as an emotionally disturbed person who opened fire on officers at a checkpoint near 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. He was taken to hospital and later died.

A bystaner was also hit by gunfire, though it remains unclear whether the shot came from the gunman or officers returning fire.

The gunman was identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, said a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the investigation.

Court records show the man had previously told police he was “Jesus Christ”.

The shooting came shortly after Trump said an Iran peace deal was “largely negotiated”, with “final aspects and details” still being discussed.

In a post on social media, he said the emerging agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but did not outline further details.

However, Iran’s Fars news agency said any agreement would leave the Strait under Iranian management, calling Trump’s assertion “inconsistent with reality.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists in New Delhi on Saturday that “there’s been some progress made”, adding there “may be news later today”.

Pakistan hails progress as deal framework emerges — but Iran pushes back

The US President said he had spoken with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, and separately with Israel.

He described the deal as a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE” that still must be finalised by the US, Iran and the other countries involved in Saturday’s talks.

There was no mention of Iran’s nuclear programme and highly enriched uranium, a central sticking point, with Washington insisting Tehran cannot obtain nuclear weapons while Iran denies pursuing them and says it has a right to enrich uranium for civilian use.

The Pakistani army said the negotiations had resulted in “encouraging” progress, while two Pakistani sources involved in the talks described the proposed agreement as “fairly comprehensive ⁠to terminate the war.”

Pakistan has played a central role in mediating the talks, aiming to reduce differences between Washington and Tehran after weeks of conflict left the Strait of Hormuz largely closed to shipping despite a fragile ceasefire.

A post on the X account of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Trump for his “extraordinary efforts to pursue peace.”

A regional official with direct knowledge of the Pakistan-led mediation efforts, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the agreement would include an official declaration of the war’s end, followed by two months of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme.

The deal would also see the Strait of Hormuz reopened and the US end its blockade of Iranian ports.

Pakistani sources said a revised proposal from Iran and Pakistan had been submitted to Washington, with a US response expected by Sunday. One source said further talks could take place after the Eid holiday ends on Friday if the memorandum is accepted.

However, Iranian officials dismissed suggestions a deal is close, saying differences remain unresolved and core issues are yet to be agreed.

Tehran has also set out its key demands, including oversight of the Strait of Hormuz, an end to the US blockade on its ports and the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil exports.

Iranian state TV reported that Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei described the draft as a “framework agreement”, adding: “We want this to include the main issues required for ending the imposed war and other issues of essential importance to us.

“Then, over a reasonable time span, between 30 and 60 days, details are discussed and ultimately a final agreement is reached.”

He said the Strait of Hormuz was among the topics under discussion, telling Iran’s official IRNA news agency: “Over the past week, the trend has been toward narrowing differences.”

He added that while disputes were easing, negotiations remained unresolved, saying: “The trend this week has been towards a reduction in disputes, but there are still issues that need to be discussed through mediators. We will have to wait and see where the situation ends in the next three or four days.”

“Our focus at this stage is on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon,” he said, adding that lifting sanctions on Tehran “has explicitly been included in the text and remains our fixed position”.