DUBAI — President Donald Trump and mediator Pakistan said Saturday an initial deal to end the war in the Middle East would be signed Sunday, though Iran denied the signing would take place so soon.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two sides agreed on a framework for a peace deal and Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing Sunday, to be followed by technical-level talks in coming days.
Trump also said in a social media post that the deal with Iran was scheduled to be signed Sunday and the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for a fifth of global oil supplies which Iran blocked, would be immediately "open to all" after it is signed.
Vessels are seen Thursday in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei cautioned against commenting on the timing of the signing.
"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," state media quoted Baghaei as saying.
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"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," he was reported as saying.
A U.S. official who spoke to reporters later declined to comment on the timing but said: "It's a great deal and a very strong deal."
It is not the first time the two sides appeared close to an initial agreement on ending the war that began Feb. 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, but Sharif said on social media: "We are closer to a peace deal than ever before."
The war sent global energy prices sharply higher and killed thousands of people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, where it revived a conflict between Israel and Iran-aligned Hezbollah militants.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war; his son Mojtaba replaced in the role. Khamenei's funeral will begin July 4 in Tehran, Iranian state media reported Saturday.
A woman walks past a banner June 7 with a picture of the late Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran.
What's in the deal?
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that while changes in the deal were still possible, the tentative agreement showed his country emerged stronger from the conflict.
Hours after those remarks, U.S. forces shot down multiple Iranian one-way attack drones heading toward the Strait of Hormuz, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the drones posed a threat to commercial traffic. U.S. Central Command later confirmed the action and said the strait was open.
Iran for months effectively blockaded the strait, and the U.S. navy blocked Iranian ports to reduce its oil exports.
The proposed memorandum of understanding calls for reopening the strait and lifting the U.S. naval blockade, sources on all sides of the talks said. Negotiations over Iran's nuclear program — Trump's stated rationale for starting the war — would take place afterward.
"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," said the U.S. official who spoke Saturday.
"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.
As pro-government night rallies continued across Iran for more than 100 nights, residents and news agencies reported slogans chanted by opponents of the agreement with the U.S. A resident in the northeastern city of Mashhad told Reuters in Dubai that some protesters chanted: "Death to the compromiser," an apparent reference to Araghchi. "Compromiser, resign, resign."
Frozen assets
Draft terms described to Reuters by multiple sources indicate the U.S. 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.
Fars also quoted him as saying foreign military bases in the region must end, without providing details.
Iran's nuclear program would be addressed during a 60-day period of talks. A U.S. official said the agreement ultimately would lead to the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program, with its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to be destroyed and removed.
However, Araghchi said Iran, which sources said has not accepted the dismantling of its nuclear program, wanted to retain the uranium in diluted form.
The proposals also include discussion of possible war reparations for Tehran and dropping longstanding U.S. demands for limits on Iran's missile program, the sources said. The U.S. official disputed that account.
Smoke billows Saturday in southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon.
Israel not party to memorandum
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would not be party to the agreement. He clashed with Trump over U.S. demands that Israel curb military action in Lebanon to allow Washington to reach a deal with Tehran.
Araghchi said the agreement would end the war in Lebanon, implying an Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas.
Israel's defense minister said it would not withdraw. A senior Israeli official said Israel expects to retain its freedom to act against threats.
