United States President Donald Trump has claimed that an initial agreement to end the US-Israeli war with Iran is “scheduled to get signed tomorrow,” according to a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.
However, this announcement contradicts an earlier statement by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, who told IRNA news agency that no memorandum of understanding would be signed on Sunday and that negotiators are not planning an immediate trip to Geneva. Baghaei indicated that a signing could occur “in the coming days.”
Hours later, Trump wrote, “The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL.” Sunday marks Trump’s 80th birthday. In recent days, Iran and the US have repeatedly contradicted each other on the details of the anticipated agreement, even as both sides signaled that a deal was closer than ever. No terms have been officially released, with US and Iranian officials stressing on Friday that the agreement had not been finalized.
Beyond opening the Strait of Hormuz, Trump stated the agreement would be “A WALL TO NO NUCLEAR WEAPON!” and that “no money would exchange hands.” He also claimed that “at the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the Nuclear Dust,” referring to Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile. However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Press TV on Friday that the initial memorandum would only be a launch point for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, with an immediate pause in fighting but continued Iranian-Omani administration of the Strait of Hormuz.
The issue of lifting sanctions and unfreezing Iranian assets would be discussed after the signing, Araghchi said. The latest diplomatic flurry followed two days of strikes between the US and Iran, threatening to end a pause in fighting since April 8. The US and Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28 amid ongoing indirect nuclear talks. Iranian officials have cited deep distrust of the US as slowing progress toward a lasting agreement. Trump has repeatedly pledged to surpass the 2015 JCPOA, from which he withdrew in 2018.
Source: www.aljazeera.com