US and Iran Close to Signing First Stage of Peace Deal

The US-Iran Peace Deal Nears

The United States and Iran appear close to signing the first stage of a peace deal, but both sides are offering different timelines as to when it will happen.

Different Timelines

US President Donald Trump and mediators from Pakistan say an agreement is scheduled to be signed on Sunday. But Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will not be Sunday – and an exact date has yet to be set.

Key Provisions of the Deal

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that the agreement consisted of 14 points, the first of which is the lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports. He said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) calls for an end to hostilities across all fronts, including Lebanon, and an agreement not to initiate war or use force.

Reactions from Both Sides

Trump wrote on Truth Social that after a framework deal is signed, the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies that Iran has blocked, would immediately be “open to all”. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Saturday that the signing date was yet to be determined, but “it will not be tomorrow.”

International Reactions

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the war in tandem with the US in February, said Trump had promised him any agreement would include the removal of the enriched nuclear material. Democratic lawmakers have expressed scepticism over Trump’s plans, with one congressman describing the potential deal as “basically a surrender document”.