Trump Says Iran Peace Deal Could Be Signed Sunday, Strait of Hormuz to Reopen

President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States plans to sign a new agreement with Iran on Sunday, claiming the deal would prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.

In a Truth Social post, Trump asserted that Iran “no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement.”

The statement added: “The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL. Our relationship with Iran is a much different and better one than previous Administrations have had … Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly. If it doesn’t, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again!”

Earlier Saturday, Iran, the United States and mediators indicated a preliminary peace deal could be signed within days to end the three-month war in the Middle East.

The parties provided differing timelines and versions of the agreement’s text, reflecting ongoing disputes.

Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister, said Saturday that Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing within 24 hours, followed by technical-level talks next week.

“We are closer to a peace deal than ever before … We are confident that this historic peace deal will form a strong foundation for lasting peace,” Sharif wrote on social media.

However, Esmaeil Baghaei, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, counseled caution.

“We will have to wait and see about the exact date of the signing of the memorandum of understanding, although it will not be tomorrow,” Baghaei was quoted as saying. “The possibility of this happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out.”

Recent days have seen the most intense clashes between Iran and Israel and the United States since a cease-fire came into effect in April.

On Thursday, Trump threatened to seize Iran’s oil export terminal of Kharg Island and launch a new wave of attacks.

He then suddenly claimed a diplomatic breakthrough, saying a draft deal had been “approved” by “the highest level of Iranian leadership.”

During the conflict, Trump has claimed about 40 times that a deal was on the point of completion.

Each time, he then reverted to threatening Iran with new attacks.

Officials from both the United States and Iran are trying to frame the possible deal as a victory, claiming it includes a series of major concessions by their adversaries.

Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, said on state television Friday that the draft agreement showed his country had emerged stronger from the conflict.

“Iran is the winner of the war with the US,” he told viewers.

Hours after those remarks, US forces shot down several Iranian one-way attack drones heading toward the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that carried about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquid gas supplies before the conflict but was closed to most shipping by Iran within days of the outbreak.

The proposed deal calls for reopening the strait and lifting the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, sources on both sides of the talks said. Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program would take place afterward.

On Friday, Trump said a report of the draft deal published by Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency, which quoted a source close to Iran’s negotiating team, bore “no relation to the truth.”

According to Mehr and Iranian officials, the agreement would end conflict on all fronts, including Lebanon, where Israel has launched an offensive against Hezbollah, and ensure the release of $24 billion (£18 billion) of Iran’s frozen assets.

It would also set a 60-day period for negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program, offer the suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil and petrochemical sales, allow Iran to levy service charges on passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and lift the US naval blockade on Iranian ports in place since April 13.

The claims contrasted dramatically with statements from Washington, where officials said the agreement stipulated that Iran’s nuclear material would be destroyed and its nuclear program dismantled.

They also said none of Iran’s frozen money would be released until it met certain demands, and that Iran would stop supporting allied militant movements around the Middle East.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters Friday that the deal met Trump’s core objectives and put negotiations “in a very, very good place.”

The apparent deal has prompted consternation in Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has clashed with Trump over US demands that Israel curb military action in Lebanon to allow Washington to reach a deal with Tehran.

Israeli forces carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday and issued evacuation warnings for the city of Nabatieh and more than 20 other locations ahead of raids.