President Trump announced on Saturday that a peace agreement with Iran would be signed on Sunday, but Iranian officials quickly cast doubt on the timeline, saying no final decision has been reached on when such a signing might occur.
Trump made the announcement through a social media post, claiming the deal would prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. However, Iran's foreign ministry offered a different timeline, suggesting an agreement could be finalized in the coming days but that Sunday would not be the signing date.
The conflicting statements highlight the tension surrounding weeks of halting negotiations. A senior US official suggested there was an 80 to 85 percent likelihood of an agreement being signed within days, but acknowledged that internal divisions within Iran's leadership were complicating the process.
"Most of the people that we've been speaking to, and most of the people who have authority within their system, want to sign this deal, but not everybody," the official said. "And those internal fractures are sort of working themselves out."
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said an agreement on addressing what Tehran calls the US-Israeli war against Iran had "never been closer," but urged media outlets to avoid speculating about its contents until it was finalized. Iran's state news agency confirmed that "the broad outlines" of a deal were being finalized.
However, significant disagreements remain on key issues. The Strait of Hormuz has been a major point of contention. Iran shut the waterway to most shipping after the conflict began in February, wanting to levy tolls on vessels passing through. The US has insisted that Tehran restore freedom of navigation through the crucial waterway, which carries a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied gas supplies.
US officials said the agreement stipulates that the strait would open and the US would lift its blockade on Iranian ports. But Iranian state media claimed the deal would not require Iran to give up control of the strait.
The disagreements extend to other major issues as well. Iranian news agencies published a supposed draft claiming the deal would release 24 billion dollars of Iran's frozen assets, suspend sanctions on oil sales, include US reparations, and dismantle Iran's nuclear program. US officials countered that the agreement would require Iran's nuclear material to be destroyed, with no frozen money released until Tehran met certain demands, and that Iran would stop supporting militant movements.
Trump has repeatedly claimed in recent weeks that a deal was on the point of completion, only to revert to threatening Iran with attacks. The uncertainty over the signing date suggests that significant details remain under negotiation, with both governments facing domestic and international pressure to resolve the conflict.