Trump says US-Iran deal to be signed Sunday

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said Saturday that a deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz will immediately reopen to international shipping.”The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.The announcement came a day after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said negotiations had entered their final phase and that a peace agreement could be finalized within 24 hours.Sharif said Pakistan, which helped broker a ceasefire in April and has continued mediating between the parties, was preparing for an electronic signing of the agreement followed by technical-level talks next week.Trump described the proposed agreement as a barrier against Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.He said Tehran no longer seeks nuclear arms and would not acquire them through development, purchase or any other means.”Our relationship with Iran is a much different and better one than previous Administrations have had,” Trump said, adding that no money would be exchanged as part of the agreement.The US president also said Washington intends to remove and destroy what he called “nuclear dust” linked to Iran’s nuclear program at a later stage.US officials told Axios that the signing ceremony is expected to take place virtually, primarily for logistical reasons.However, Iran pushed back on reports that the agreement would be signed Sunday.Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the timing of the memorandum remained uncertain.”We will have to wait and see about the exact time of signing the memorandum; although it will not be tomorrow, the possibility of this happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out,” he said.Baghaei also said Iran’s negotiating team had no plans to travel to Geneva or any other location within the next two days.The United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on Feb. 28, citing concerns over Tehran’s nuclear program and threats posed by the Iranian government.Iran responded with attacks targeting Israel and Gulf countries, while also closing the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting a key route for global energy exports.