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Signing in Doubt
President Donald Trump said the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran would be signed on Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz would immediately be reopened after the signing.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the MoU would not be signed on Sunday due to "the other side's hesitation," citing Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on social media platform X that a peace deal between the United States and Iran is expected to be finalized within the next 24 hours, and that Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing immediately after.
The Washington Post reported that Trump and Pakistan’s prime minister said the expected deal would extend their fragile ceasefire, but that Tehran appeared to cast doubt on the prospect.
Hardliners Protest
ایران اینترنشنال reported that hardliners held protest rallies against an emerging deal with the United States in Tehran and Mashhad, accusing Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of being an infiltrator and compromising with the US.
The same report said President Trump warned that he has an “ultimate alternative” if the process fails and said he ruled out any cash exchange in the deal, vowing to retrieve Iran's uranium stocks at a later time.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted by state media as saying, "We will have to wait and see about the exact date of the signing of the memorandum of understanding, although it will not be tomorrow," while adding that the possibility in coming days cannot be ruled out.
In parallel, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad will host the signing ceremony for an Iran-US peace agreement by video conference on Sunday, even as Iran’s foreign ministry earlier said the signing will not happen on Sunday.
What’s at Stake
The Guardian said Trump claimed the deal would prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and would reopen the strait of Hormuz to international shipping, quoting his Truth Social post that Iran “no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one”.
The Guardian also reported that Iran, the US and mediators had suggested earlier on Saturday that a preliminary peace deal could be signed within days, while giving differing timelines and versions of its text.
CBS News said Trump also told viewers that the agreement would stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon and that the U.S. would retrieve and destroy nuclear waste once the situation had calmed down.
Council on Foreign Relations framed the immediate expectation as an MOU that would extend the ceasefire for at least sixty days and open the Strait of Hormuz, while negotiations would continue on issues including the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
