Iran-US Peace Deal Imminent
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei clarified that the Islamabad MoU centers on bringing hostilities to a close across all active fronts — including Lebanon — and that nuclear matters have been deliberately set aside for this phase of negotiations.
"We will have to wait and see about the exact time of signing the memorandum; although it will not be tomorrow, the possibility of this happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out," Baghaei said in remarks carried by a news agency.
The spokesman urged patience, citing what Tehran views as inconsistency from Washington. He said Iran must be "cautious," citing what he called Washington's "hesitation" in making comments about the process.
Addressing speculation over imminent diplomatic travel, Baghaei was unequivocal. "Our negotiating team has no plans to travel to Geneva or anywhere else in the next two days," he said. "We have to wait and see when will be the exact signing date."
Despite the delay, Baghaei struck a confident tone about the deal's trajectory, stressing that the likelihood of concluding the memorandum in the coming days "is very high," according to a news agency.
Baghaei also staked out Iran's position on the contested Strait of Hormuz, asserting the country's right to compensation for what he described as services rendered in the waterway. "According to international law, the Strait of Hormuz falls within the territorial waters of both Iran and Oman, and that sovereign rights in the strait belong to both countries," he argued.
Optimism over the deal was echoed from Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, writing in the early hours of Saturday on X — the US social media company — declared that Iran and the US are "closer to a peace deal than ever before."
Sharif signaled that Islamabad is actively preparing for what comes next. "With finalization likely expected in the next 24 hours, Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week," he said.
The Pakistan-brokered talks have centered on three core objectives: ending active hostilities between Tehran and Washington, restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and reaching a workable consensus on Iran's nuclear program.
Iranian officials have maintained that a substantial portion of the agreement's text has already been locked in, while repeatedly accusing Washington of impeding progress through shifting positions and contradictory public statements.
The negotiations are unfolding against a volatile regional backdrop. Tensions escalated sharply after US and Israeli forces launched coordinated airstrikes against Iran in late February, prompting retaliatory strikes by Tehran against Israel and nations hosting US military assets, as well as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global energy artery through which a significant share of the world's oil supply transits.
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