A virtual signing ceremony scheduled for Sunday will formalize a breakthrough agreement between Washington and Tehran, ending months of intensive shuttle diplomacy and clearing the way for a 60-day extension of the regional ceasefire.
The memorandum of understanding, brokered by Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, will reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international traffic and establish a framework for nuclear negotiations. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Saturday that the remote ceremony would proceed immediately after finalization of the final text, with technical-level talks to follow the next week.
President Trump confirmed the timeline on his Truth Social platform, declaring that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened to all shipping traffic upon signing. He also made a pointed reference to Iran's nuclear capabilities, stating that when conditions allow, the U.S. would retrieve what he called "the Nuclear Dust" stored beneath Iranian mountains, using B-2 bombers to destroy it either in Iran or the United States.
Trump added a warning that should the agreement fail to be implemented "quickly, easily, and smoothly," military action remained an option.
U.S. officials explained the decision to conduct the signing ceremony virtually as a logistical necessity. Vice President J.D. Vance, who has led the American negotiating team, could not return to Washington in time before Trump's departure for the G7 summit in France on Monday morning.
The agreement represents the culmination of nearly three months of negotiations, with the four mediating nations playing critical roles in narrowing the positions of both sides. Reopening the Hormuz Strait carries significant implications for global energy markets, which have remained volatile throughout the recent regional tensions.
Trump is scheduled to meet with G7 leaders in France on Tuesday and will hold separate bilateral sessions with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates on the sidelines of the summit. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman received an invitation but was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also not expected to participate.
According to U.S. officials briefing reporters, the France meetings will focus on regional opportunities following the end of the war and on the Strait of Hormuz itself. The UK and France have been assembling an international coalition to clear mines from the critical waterway, an effort that will likely feature prominently in Trump's discussions with the Arab leaders.
Author James Rodriguez: "If Vance and the mediators can actually keep both sides at the table after Sunday, that's when the real test begins, because agreements on paper don't mean much when one party decides the other broke faith."
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