Trump Says U.S.-Iran Deal Ends War Sunday, Strait of Hormuz Reopens Afterward

President Donald Trump said a U.S.-Iran deal to end the war would be signed on Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz would be “open to all” immediately afterward, while Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said finalization was “likely expected in the next 24 hours.”

Iran’s foreign ministry later said the deal would likely not be signed Sunday, with Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei saying, “it will not be tomorrow.”

Al Jazeera

CBS News reported that despite the optimism, the U.S. shot down several Iranian attack drones in the Strait of Hormuz early Saturday, and President Trump called the incident “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.”

DW reported that the potential deal would likely see economic relief for Iran in exchange for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while fighting continued in the region as the U.S. claimed it shot down several Iranian drones overnight.

Le Monde reported that Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would be “OPEN TO ALL” immediately after signing, even as fresh skirmishes in the Strait of Hormuz threw global markets into turmoil.

CBS News said dozens protested Saturday outside a foreign ministry office in Iran’s northeastern city of Mashhad, chanting slogans against Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi after a televised interview about potentially signing a peace deal with the U.S.

In a video shared by Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency, women in black chadors chanted “death to dishonorable Araghchi, the infiltrator” while waving red and black flags.

AP News

DW quoted former Middle East advisor and negotiator for the US State Department, Aaron David Miller, saying, “What you've done is buy yourself a ticket, on both sides, to a negotiation that is going to be long and tedious.”

Le Monde reported that Araghchi had said the deal on the table called for the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports and that “the administration of Strait of Hormuz will no longer be the same as before,” calling the waterway one of Iran’s “main instruments of deterrence.”

The Guardian reported that Trump said in a Truth Social post that Iran “no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one,” while also saying “The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow” and that the Hormuz Strait would be “OPEN TO ALL.”

The Guardian said the proposed deal calls for reopening the strait and lifting the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, while negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program would take place afterwards.

PBS News said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated the terms of dealing with Iran’s nuclear program would be finalized in the 60 days after the initial agreement is signed, and a senior U.S. administration official said the emerging agreement would begin the process of destroying or removing Tehran’s highly enriched uranium.

AP reported that Araghchi told Iranian state TV on Friday that both sides were working toward signing an initial agreement declaring an end to the war “on all fronts, including Lebanon,” where Israel has been fighting the Iranian-allied militia Hezbollah.

AP also said the emerging agreement was expected to include the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran and the release of frozen Iranian assets, while the U.S. official said the emerging agreement includes provisions for reopening the strait.

CNN reported that a signed memorandum of understanding would trigger 60 more days of “technical” negotiations on implementation and remaining issues, and it described Iran’s efforts to seal off its cache of near bomb-grade uranium by collapsing tunnels and booby-trapping entrances with explosive mines.