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Signing Date in Dispute
President Donald Trump said an initial agreement to end the war between the US and Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday, while Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei cast doubt on the timing.
In a post on social media, Trump wrote that the Strait of Hormuz would be "open to all" once the deal is agreed, and he added that "The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow" on Truth Social.
Baghaei cautioned that "it will not be tomorrow" and said, "We will have to wait and see about the exact date of the signing of the memorandum of understanding".
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the deal was expected to be finalised within 24 hours and that Pakistan was "preparing for the electronic signing" immediately after finalisation.
The BBC reported the same dispute over timing, noting that Trump’s announcement contradicted Iran’s caution about when the memorandum of understanding would be signed.
Hormuz, Nuclear Dust, and Mediation
Trump linked the signing to immediate changes in maritime access, writing that "the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL" after the agreement is signed.
The BBC said the agreement envisaged reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting a US blockade of Iranian ports, while also stating that talks on Iran’s nuclear programme would begin later.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told Iran’s state TV that the deal would be a launch point for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme, and he said the signing would result in an immediate pause in fighting while Iran and Oman would continue to administer the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also raised the issue of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles, saying that "at the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the Nuclear Dust" and that it would later be destroyed.
The Straits Times reported that Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would be "open to all" immediately after the deal is signed, while also describing Iran’s insistence that it will maintain control over the strait and demand permission from its armed forces before transiting.
Israel’s Concerns and Next Steps
As the US-Iran deal timeline shifted, Israel’s leadership pressed for nuclear terms, with the Jerusalem Post reporting that Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it was "time to end this war".
“Trump says US-Iran deal to be signed on Sunday as Tehran casts doubt on timing President Donald Trump has said a deal to end fighting between the US and Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday, after Iran cast doubt on the timing”
The Jerusalem Post also quoted a senior US official telling reporters that "Hezbollah killed a lot of innocent Israelis" and that Washington did not expect any country to give up its right of self-defense.
France 24 reported that Tehran submitted a 14-point proposal to Pakistan that included ending the war on all fronts and establishing a new framework for the Strait of Hormuz, while an Iranian official said any "American intervention" in the Strait of Hormuz would be considered a violation of the ceasefire.
CNBC reported that Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif said finalisation was likely expected in the next 24 hours and that "technical level talks next week" would follow, while also noting that a senior Trump administration official said the US was not "100%" confident the agreement would be signed.
The BBC framed the broader context by saying the war began with US and Israeli strikes across Iran on 28 February and that, despite having agreed a ceasefire in April, the US and Iran had exchanged intermittent fire including two rounds of tit-for-tat strikes this week.
