The United States (US) and Iran have more or less confirmed that they are nearing a peace deal to end the over three-month-long conflict in the Middle East. However, there is total uncertainty over when the peace treaty would be signed, as Washington maintained that the signing would be held on Sunday, while Tehran denied it completely.
It all started on Thursday, when US President Donald Trump announced that the two sides were nearing a peace deal, which would be signed over the weekend. Later, he said the signing will take place on Sunday. Following Trump’s announcement, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi confirmed the peace deal but warned that the Islamic Republic could withdraw if its demands are not met.
And on Saturday, Iran said the deal won’t be signed on Sunday. “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… The possibility of this happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei was quoted by local media as saying.
However, Trump has maintained that the deal would be signed only on Sunday, even as there is no clarity on whether it would be remotely or somewhere in Europe like he mentioned earlier. Adding to the uncertainty, Axios and CBS reported that the deal would be signed in Geneva, whereas Iran insisted the process would take place virtually.
“The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Saturday. “We look forward to working with Iran, and the entire Middle East, long into the future. Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly. If it doesn’t, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again.”
Iran has yet to reply to Trump’s claim, which has only left everyone in confusion over the peace deal. And Pakistan, which is one of the top negotiators, has only added confusion to this, with its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying that the deal would be signed electronically on Sunday.
“We are closer to a peace deal than ever before. With finalisation likely expected in the next 24 hours, Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical-level talks next week,” Sharif said in a social media post.
This uncertainty is likely to continue, though, till Iran makes a confirmation about the signing.
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