Negotiators are exploring an accelerated timeline for formalizing a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, with discussions underway about moving the signing ceremony from Friday to as early as Wednesday, according to sources familiar with the talks.
The proposed shift would allow the agreement to be signed remotely rather than in person, triggering immediate implementation of provisions governing the Strait of Hormuz. Both the U.S. and Iran have expressed interest in opening the strategic waterway sooner, sources said, making the compressed schedule attractive to both sides.
The timing remains unsettled. As of Wednesday morning, no final decision had been reached about whether to accelerate the signing, and the White House declined to comment on the matter.
The political dynamics surrounding the deal remain murky. One source claimed Iran insisted the agreement text remain unpublished until the formal signing ceremony, while another suggested the White House faced pressure to release the document publicly. A third source disputed the notion that political pressure was driving the accelerated timeline.
Adding to the confusion, a senior administration official told reporters that President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf had already signed the agreement electronically on Sunday. A diplomatic source denied that any such signing occurred. A second source acknowledged it happened but characterized it as a preliminary signature, distinct from the formal ceremony planned for Friday. The rationale for two separate signings remains unexplained.
Despite any acceleration of the document signing, both delegations are expected to convene in Switzerland on Friday as planned. Vice President Vance and Ghalibaf will use the in-person meeting to discuss launching negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, sources indicated.
The White House has maintained since Sunday that Iran's opening of the Strait and the lifting of U.S. sanctions would only commence following the formal signing ceremony. Should the deal be signed earlier in the week, those provisions would take effect immediately, according to the diplomatic source.
Author James Rodriguez: "The opacity here is striking, even for a deal this significant. Two signings, a shifting timeline, and flat denials suggest either remarkable incompetence or deliberate obfuscation from someone in the room."
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