US, Iran inch closer to deal, timing remains unclear

Washington/Dubai: US and Pakistani leaders forecast a Sunday signing of a long-elusive framework agreement to end fighting between the United States and Iran, but Tehran cast doubt over the timing and hardline protesters in Iran voiced opposition.

US President Donald Trump posted on social media on Saturday (Washington time) that the deal with Iran was scheduled to be signed the next day, his 80th birthday.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two sides had agreed on a framework for a peace deal and that Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing on Sunday, to be followed by technical-level talks in the coming week.

But Iran did not confirm a Sunday signing. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, speaking before Trump’s post, had cautioned against commenting on the timing but was quoted by state media saying: “It will not be tomorrow”, but that it could happen “in the coming days”.

Previous declarations of an imminent breakthrough have failed to materialise.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that after a framework deal was signed, the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies that Iran has blocked, would immediately be “open to all”.

While US bombings have heavily degraded Iran’s military-industrial base and damaged its military, experts say the war has left hardline Revolutionary Guard dominance more firmly entrenched than before.

Videos on social media and Iranian news websites show opponents of an agreement gathering in squares and in front of the Foreign Ministry in Tehran, appearing to blame Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as they chanted, “Araghchi have some shame, let go of America!”

Reuters could not immediately verify the videos.

When the US and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28, Trump called on Iranians to rise up and take over state institutions.

Even as the US and Iran appeared to be moving towards an agreement over the past two days, clashes have continued, as the US military imposes a blockade on Iran and seeks to loosen its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which was the conduit for 20 per cent of the world’s oil shipments before the war.

On Saturday, US forces shot down multiple Iranian one-way attack drones heading towards the strait, the US military said.

Israel, which says it is not a party to the US-Iran deal, on Saturday said it had struck more than 70 sites over a 24-hour period in Lebanon against Iranian ally Hezbollah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has clashed with Trump over US demands that Israel curb military action in Lebanon to allow Washington to reach a deal with Tehran.

On Friday, Araghchi said while changes in the deal were still possible, the tentative agreement showed his country had emerged stronger from the conflict.

The proposed memorandum of understanding calls for reopening the strait and lifting the US naval blockade, sources on all sides of the talks said.

Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program – a key rationale Trump has given for the war – would take place afterwards.

“Iran is going to open up the Strait of Hormuz. That’s a requirement. It could be open with no tolls. As they do that, we will lift our blockade,” a US official told reporters.

“It’s going to happen in conjunction, and part of the next step, the phase after that, is going to be the demining of the straits,” the official said, indicating countries in the Group of Seven major powers could have a role in this.

Trump discussed the efforts to end the Iran conflict in a call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Downing Street said on Saturday.

Draft terms described to Reuters by multiple sources indicate the US would begin releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets and waive sanctions on its oil exports, in return for Iran opening the strait.

Iran’s Fars news agency quoted Baghaei as saying the release of Iran’s frozen assets was an integral part of the agreement and also that Iran would have to charge for services in the Strait of Hormuz.

He said foreign military bases in the region must end, the agency reported, without providing details.

Iran’s nuclear program would be addressed during a 60-day period of talks. The US and Israel fear Iran’s nuclear program could lead to an atomic weapon, while Tehran says its nuclear efforts are for peaceful purposes.

A US official said the agreement would ultimately lead to the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program and that its stockpile of highly enriched uranium would be destroyed and removed.

Reuters, AP

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