President Donald Trump announced Saturday that a landmark agreement with Iran could be signed as soon as Sunday, projecting confidence that a deal would eliminate Tehran's nuclear threat and restore critical shipping routes in the Middle East.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared that Iran "no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement." He said the strait of Hormuz would be "OPEN TO ALL" immediately following the signing.
The president added a veiled warning, stating that if negotiations faltered, "we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again."
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed the optimism, saying Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signature within 24 hours, with technical talks scheduled for the following week. "We are closer to a peace deal than ever before," Sharif posted on social media.
But Iran's foreign ministry quickly tempered expectations. Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei cautioned that a signing would not happen Sunday, though he acknowledged the possibility within coming days. The careful language highlighted lingering uncertainty even as both sides publicly expressed hope.
The strait of Hormuz sits at the center of the negotiations. Iran closed the waterway to most shipping early in the conflict, disrupting global energy markets. The passage had carried roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied gas before hostilities erupted three months ago. Reopening it would represent a major shift in the Middle East standoff.
The proposed agreement reportedly includes broad elements: Iran's frozen assets, estimated at $24 billion, would be released under certain conditions. Negotiations on Iran's nuclear program would extend over 60 days. Sanctions on Iranian oil and petrochemical sales would be suspended. The U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, in place since April, would be lifted. Iran would also gain authority to collect service charges for strait passage.
Yet the two sides are narrating vastly different outcomes. Iranian officials, citing state media, claim Tehran emerged victorious from the conflict. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television Friday that "Iran is the winner of the war with the US."
Washington presents the deal as a capitulation by Tehran. U.S. officials say the agreement demands that Iran's nuclear material be destroyed, its nuclear program dismantled entirely, and that it halt support for militant groups across the region. One anonymous U.S. official told reporters the deal meets Trump's core objectives.
Trump himself had dismissed an Iranian account of the draft agreement published by the semi-official Mehr news agency, calling it entirely false. The competing narratives underscore how fragile the agreement remains, with each side staking claim to major concessions from the other.
The conflict that led to these negotiations has been marked by Trump's repeated claims of imminent breakthroughs. He has announced nearly 40 times that a deal was essentially done, only to pivot toward military threats against Iran.
Recent days saw escalating clashes. Thursday brought Trump's threat to seize Iran's Kharg Island oil export terminal and launch fresh attacks, followed hours later by his announcement of a diplomatic breakthrough. On Friday, U.S. forces intercepted several Iranian one-way attack drones headed toward the Hormuz Strait.
The potential agreement has triggered alarm in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly clashed with Trump over demands that Israel curb military operations in Lebanon to facilitate U.S. negotiations with Tehran. On Saturday, Israeli forces conducted airstrikes in southern Lebanon and issued evacuation orders for Nabatieh and more than 20 other locations.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump has talked his way into this corner before, and the gap between Tehran and Washington's versions of what they're signing couldn't be wider."
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