US President Donald Trump said an agreement with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday and would lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but Iranian officials indicated that significant differences remain and denied that a final deal was ready for signature.
"An agreement with Iran is scheduled to get signed tomorrow," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Saturday, adding that "immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL."
However, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) pushed back against the claim, saying no signing was planned for Sunday and criticizing Trump's "unusual insistence" on a specific date. The IRGC said a framework agreement had not yet been finalised.
The contrasting statements underscore lingering uncertainty over a diplomatic effort that Washington hopes will ease tensions, secure commitments on Iran's nuclear programme and restore freedom of navigation through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
According to US officials, negotiators are working toward a memorandum of understanding that would trigger a new 60-day period of technical negotiations aimed at implementing the framework and resolving outstanding disputes. Sources familiar with the discussions said officials were planning for a virtual signing because an in-person meeting posed logistical challenges and carried a greater risk of the process being derailed.
The memorandum outlines broad commitments that Iran would be expected to accept, including measures related to its nuclear programme, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the disposition of Iran's enriched nuclear material, according to a senior Trump administration official.
But major questions remain. Iranian descriptions of the proposed agreement differ from details released by US officials, particularly on sensitive issues such as the future of Tehran's nuclear activities, the role of regional proxy groups and the handling of frozen Iranian assets.
In his Truth Social post, Trump expressed optimism that the process would move forward quickly, while also issuing a warning if diplomacy fails.
"Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly," he wrote. "If it doesn't, we have the ultimate alternative."
Trump also said that once conditions permit, the United States would secure and destroy Iran's remaining nuclear material.
"At the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the Nuclear Dust, buried deep under the powerful sunken granite mountains, thanks to our beautiful B-2 Bombers and their brilliant pilots, and downblend and destroy it, whether in Iran, or the United States," he said.
The developments come as Trump prepares to depart Washington on Monday for the G7 summit in France, where discussions with fellow leaders and Middle Eastern partners are expected to include regional security and the status of negotiations with Iran.
