Trump says Iran accord is set for Sunday as Tehran disputes timing
The US president's Truth Social post clashed with an Iranian spokesman's account as both sides signaled a possible deal to pause the war.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
US President Donald Trump said an initial agreement to halt the US-Israeli war with Iran was due to be signed Sunday, raising expectations for a breakthrough while Tehran publicly disputed the timing. The conflicting accounts underscored how unsettled the diplomacy remains, even as both governments have indicated that an agreement may be close.
Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social that the deal was scheduled for signing the next day and said the Strait of Hormuz would be open to all after that step. He also described the arrangement as a barrier against Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon and said no money would change hands.
Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei gave a different account in comments carried by Iran’s IRNA news agency. Baghaei said no memorandum of understanding would be signed Sunday and said negotiators were not preparing to travel immediately to Geneva for such a ceremony.
Baghaei said a signing could take place in the coming days, according to IRNA. His remarks came before Trump’s post, which put a firmer timetable on the prospective agreement.
Deal terms remain unclear
No official text has been released. Al Jazeera reported that US and Iranian officials said Friday the agreement had not been completed, despite both sides saying in recent days that talks had advanced.
Trump said in his Truth Social post that, at a later point, the United States would retrieve what he called “Nuclear Dust,” a reference to Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile. He also said any deal would be tougher than the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear agreement reached under former President Barack Obama.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the expected memorandum more narrowly in an appearance Friday on Iran’s Press TV. He said the document would start further talks over Iran’s nuclear programme and would bring an immediate pause in fighting, while Iran and Oman would continue managing the Strait of Hormuz.
Araghchi also said questions involving sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets would be addressed after the memorandum was signed, according to Press TV. That account differed from Trump’s claim that no money would be exchanged.
Diplomacy follows renewed strikes
The diplomatic push followed two days of strikes between the United States and Iran this week, which threatened a pause in fighting that had held since April 8, according to Al Jazeera. The US and Israel began the current war against Iran on February 28 while indirect talks over Iran’s nuclear programme were under way, Al Jazeera reported.
Al Jazeera also reported that the US and Israel fought a 12-day war with Iran in 2025 during another round of nuclear diplomacy. Iranian officials have said distrust of the United States has hindered efforts to reach a durable settlement.
Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018. Under that agreement, Iran accepted limits on its nuclear activity and international inspections in exchange for sanctions relief.
Iran has long said its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes and that it is not seeking a nuclear weapon. Trump said on Truth Social that relations with Iran were better than under previous US administrations and added that he hoped the process would conclude quickly, while warning of an unspecified alternative if it failed.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.