Trump: Peace deal with Iran could be reached this week

US President Donald Trump has said that a peace deal with Iran could be signed within the next two to three days. “We are at the final stages of what would be a very, very good deal that would not allow (Iran) to have nuclear weapons in any form. And that strait (Hormuz) will be reopening very soon. It’s going to be opened as soon as the signing — which could take place in two or three days,” Trump told reporters. When asked to clarify his statement, Trump confirmed he meant “two or three days”, not weeks. “We have a good chance to get it done. Frankly, we should be able to do it in an hour if we wanted to. I think we’re very close to a very good, strong, and important deal,” the president added. On 28 February, the US and Israel launched joint strikes on multiple targets inside Iran, including in Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties. Iran retaliated by attacking Israeli territory and US military facilities in the Middle East. Washington and Tehran announced a ceasefire on 7 April. However, follow-up talks held in Islamabad concluded without producing a breakthrough. Negotiations between Iran and the US are currently ongoing. The latest efforts are focused on finalising a draft memorandum of understanding as the framework for an agreement. At the same time, both sides still occasionally carry out limited, separate attacks.