US President Donald Trump has said that the first agreement to end the US-Israel war with Iran is “expected to be signed tomorrow”.
However, the announcement, made on President Trump’s Truth social account on Saturday, contradicts an earlier statement by Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghai.
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In remarks carried by Iran’s IRNA news agency, Baghai said no memorandum of understanding would be signed on Sunday and that negotiators had no immediate plans to head to Geneva, Switzerland, to prepare for such an event.
Bagai said the deal could be signed “within a few days.”
Hours later, President Trump wrote, “The agreement will be signed tomorrow, and immediately after signing, the Strait of Hormuz will be open to all.” Sunday marks President Trump’s 80th birthday.
Iran and the United States have repeatedly contradicted each other in recent days in laying out the details of an expected deal, even as both sides have signaled extensively that a deal is closer than ever.
Still, terms have not been formally announced, and U.S. and Iranian officials stressed Friday that the deal is not yet finalized.
President Trump said in a post on Saturday that beyond opening the Strait of Hormuz, the deal would be “a wall to ban nuclear weapons!” And that means no money is exchanged.
President Trump also mentioned Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, claiming, “At the appropriate time, when everything is calm, we will go and extract the nuclear powder.”
But on Friday on Iran’s Press TV, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the first memorandum was only a starting point for negotiations over the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
He added that the signing would result in an immediate halt to fighting, but that Iran and Oman would continue to control the Strait of Hormuz.
Araghchi said the issues of lifting foreign sanctions against Iran and unfreezing the country’s assets would be discussed after the memorandum of understanding was signed.
From threats to diplomacy
The latest diplomatic flurry comes after the United States and Iran exchanged attacks over two days this week, threatening to end a pause in fighting that has been in place since April 8.
The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, as indirect talks continued over the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
The US and Israel also launched a 12-day war against Iran in 2025 during another round of nuclear negotiations.
Iranian officials say deep mistrust of the United States is slowing progress toward a lasting agreement to end the current war.
Meanwhile, President Trump has repeatedly promised to reach a deal that exceeds the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed under his Democratic rival, former President Barack Obama.
Under the deal, which President Trump unilaterally withdrew from in 2018, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program and allow international inspections in exchange for sanctions relief.
Iran has long maintained that it is building a nuclear program for civilian use only and does not seek nuclear weapons.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump vowed once again that any agreement reached would be stricter than the JCPOA.
“The relationship with Iran is very different and better than previous administrations,” he said.
“We hope this whole process is completed quickly, easily and smoothly,” he added.
“If not, we have the ultimate alternative, which we hope will never be used again,” he wrote, without elaborating on what his threat meant.
