West Asia war: Trump says peace deal to be signed today, Iran calls for caution on timeline

United States President Donald Trump has said that a deal to end the war in West Asia is scheduled to be signed on Sunday, even as Iran has expressed doubts about the timeline of such an agreement.

Trump remarked on social media on Saturday: “The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL.”

In an apparent reference to stockpiles of enriched uranium in Iran, the US president also said that “at the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the Nuclear Dust”, and that it would later be destroyed.

Trump reiterated his claim that the deal would entail Iran not having a nuclear weapon. “In fact, they no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement,” he said in a Truth Social Post.

However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei called for caution on the timing of the deal, and said it would not take place on Sunday, CNBC reported.

“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,” Baghaei was quoted as saying by Iranian state media. “The possibility of this happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out. However, due to the hesitation of the other side, we must be cautious in making any comments about this process.”

Nevertheless, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said that a deal was likely to be finalised in the next 24 hours. He said that Pakistan was “preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week”.

Pakistan has been facilitating dialogue between Washington and Tehran, and had in April hosted talks between the two sides, which collapsed without an agreement being finalised.

Since mid-March, Trump has repeatedly ⁠claimed ​that a deal with Iran to end ​the war is close. However, in the past week, the two sides have traded strikes, straining a ​ceasefire announced on April 8.

On Thursday, Trump said that he had “cancelled” a third consecutive day of planned US strikes on Iran, claiming that a deal with Tehran was close to being finalised.

The US president later announced a “great settlement” to end the war in West Asia, adding that he expected it to be signed in Europe by this weekend.

The war

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran’s action posed an existential threat to Israel. Washington acts as a guarantor of Israel’s security. Iran retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region, targeting major cities in Gulf countries and ships.

Since the conflict began, the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterbody connecting the Gulf to the Arabian Sea, has been blocked for most international commercial vessels, triggering a global energy crisis. About 20% of global petroleum supply passes through the maritime chokepoint.

On April 8, the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire to allow for further negotiations to end the war. However, the two sides have not yet been able to turn the ceasefire into a permanent end to the conflict.

Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.