President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the United States and Iran plan to sign a peace agreement on Sunday, claiming the deal would prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that Iran "no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement."
However, Iran's foreign ministry immediately cast doubt on the timeline. Esmaeil Baghaei, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, said the exact date of signing remained uncertain. "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 said. He added that signing could happen "in the coming days" but was not guaranteed for Sunday.
Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who has served as a key mediator in the talks, expressed more optimism. He said on Saturday that Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing within 24 hours, to be followed by technical-level talks the following week. "We are closer to a peace deal than ever before," Sharif wrote on social media.
The disagreement between the US and Iran over what the agreement contains has added to the uncertainty. According to sources quoted by Iran's Mehr news agency, the deal would end conflict on all fronts, including Lebanon, release 24 billion dollars of Iran's frozen assets, and allow Iran to levy service charges on passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Negotiations on Iran's nuclear program would occur afterward.
US officials presented a different picture, telling reporters that the agreement would require Iran's nuclear material to be destroyed and its nuclear program dismantled. They also said none of Iran's frozen money would be released until Iran met certain demands and stopped supporting allied militant movements in the Middle East.
Trump has made repeated claims about reaching a deal with Iran over the past three months, creating skepticism about whether an agreement will actually be finalized as announced. The president noted that if the deal fails, the US has "the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again."
The announcement drew criticism from Democratic Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, who called the reported details a terrible deal. "It's basically a surrender document from Donald Trump to the supreme leader of Iran," Moulton told reporters on Saturday.
Recent days have witnessed intense clashes between Iran, Israel, and the US since a ceasefire began in April. The proposed agreement would also reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, which has been in place since mid-April.