Trump says peace deal to be signed Sunday, Iran disputes timing

US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that Washington and Tehran would sign a peace deal on Sunday, while Iran's Foreign Ministry was reported to have said there would be no signing on Sunday, though it did not rule out the possibility of sealing such an agreement in the next few days.

Trump said on Saturday that a peace deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen immediately afterward.

"The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Trump also claimed that Iran now "no longer wants a Nuclear Weapon" and suggested the United States will work with Iran to remove enriched uranium at an "appropriate time."

He said the signing of the deal would make US relations with Iran "different and better," but warned that "we have the ultimate alternative" unless the process moves forward "quickly, easily and smoothly."

Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar also said Saturday that an electronic signing ceremony of the US-Iran deal is scheduled for Sunday, after Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said earlier on the day that the United States and Iran had agreed on a peace deal framework and were expected to sign it shortly. Pakistan has been mediating the US-Iran peace negotiations.

However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei reportedly denied that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States to end the conflict would be signed on Sunday, citing what he described as "the other side's hesitation."

Baqaei also stressed that any potential MoU between Iran and the United States "would merely serve as a framework for continuing talks" and should not be regarded as "a final agreement." He added that discussions on the nuclear issue are expected to continue over a 60-day period, according to Iranian state media reports.

Israel, which launched attacks on Iran alongside the US in late February, said its core concerns have been left out of the memorandum between Washington and Tehran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a security cabinet meeting on Sunday evening to discuss responses to an possible signing of the memorandum, according to China Media Group (CMG).

Israeli officials noted that the document makes no mention of Iran's ballistic missile program and softens provisions regarding Iran's nuclear activities, and that none of Israel's key concerns have been addressed, according to CMG.

(With input from Xinhua)