Iran War Deal Nears Completion, Mediators Say

Progress on a deal to end the Iran war appeared to mount on Saturday, with mediator Pakistan and the U.S. saying an agreement could be reached as soon as Sunday — although, Iran cast doubt on that timing.

President Trump, who has asserted many times throughout the war that the countries are on the verge of an agreement, said Saturday morning on Truth Social that a deal was "scheduled to get signed" Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz — a key global oil and gas transport route — would open soon after.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, however, said he didn't think a finalized pact would happen so soon. Baghaei told Iranian state media Saturday: "It will not be tomorrow." But, he added: "The possibility of this happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out."

Pakistan also signaled progress.

"We are closer to a peace deal than ever before," Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in an early morning post on X. A finalized peace deal was "likely expected in the next 24 hours," he said.

Sharif said both sides would sign the deal electronically, once finalized, followed by technical-level talks next week.

"We are confident that this historic peace deal will form a strong foundation for lasting peace," Sharif said in his post.

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X: "The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer."

Trump also said on Saturday that the deal would result in the elimination of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile that could be used in a nuclear weapon, a main sticking point in negotiations. But the exact details of the agreement are not yet clear.

"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 wrote on social media.

Trump followed with a vague threat: "Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly. If it doesn't, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again!"

It's the latest example of Trump flip-flopping between promising peace and ramping up threats against Iran. On Thursday, the president said he had called off planned strikes on Iran due to "the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved," Trump said on Truth Social.

The Group of Seven summit starts on Monday, where Trump is expected to discuss demining the Strait of Hormuz. A senior U.S. official, who briefed journalists on condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House, said Trump planned to meet on the G7 sidelines with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and United Arab Emirates to discuss efforts to wind down the war.

G7 members Britain and France have expressed interest in assisting with demining once the conflict is paused. It was not clear how many mines are in the strait that Iran has effectively controlled since shortly after the war began, virtually shutting down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf. The U.S. has blockaded Iranian ports in response.

"The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly," Trump wrote on social media Thursday.

A tenuous ceasefire has been in place since April 7.

NPR's Carrie Kahn contributed to this story.