Trump's Claim on Peace Deal Timing Denied by Iran

US President Donald Trump stated that a long-awaited deal to end the war in the Middle East was scheduled to be signed on Sunday. However, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has denied Trump’s claim. Trump assessed that the signing of the agreement would pave the way for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping lane that is a vital artery for global energy trade. “The deal is scheduled to be signed tomorrow, and as soon as it is signed, the Strait of Hormuz will be OPEN TO ALL,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. Trump’s statement drew international attention given the strait’s importance for global oil and gas distribution. The reopening of the shipping lane is considered capable of helping to ease geopolitical tensions while maintaining the stability of global energy supplies. However, Trump’s claim appears not to be fully aligned with Iran’s stance. Iran’s Foreign Ministry previously indicated that the agreement would not be signed on Sunday. In Tehran, the Iranian government stated that most issues in the negotiations have reached a common ground. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the process is currently in the final stage of internal review. “At present, an understanding has been reached on most issues, and we are in the final stage of internal review,” Baghaei said on state television on Saturday. According to him, several relevant institutions in Iran are still conducting discussions to determine the country’s final position on the draft that has been prepared. Baghaei also declined to confirm various reports circulating about the contents of the agreement, citing that details will only be announced after the finalisation process is complete. The IRGC criticised Trump’s “extraordinary persistence” in signing the agreement today, describing the signing schedule as “a test for Iran’s negotiating team”. The IRGC said Trump’s announcement was made “despite Iranian negotiators explicitly stating that the memorandum has not been finalised and that signing on Sunday will definitely not happen.” In a post on Telegram, the group suggested Trump intended to schedule the signing to coincide with his birthday on 14 June. “Some observers believe his persistence may be driven by a desire to use the occasion symbolically and turn it into a personal publicity event,” the statement read. A Qatari delegation and a diplomat arrived in Tehran today as part of the mediation process to end the war between Iran and the United States. An advisor to Qatar’s foreign minister was dispatched to Iran, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency. Another Iranian news agency, Tasnim, said the purpose of the visit was to “review the latest developments related to the diplomatic process”. A diplomat familiar with the situation told AFP that “Qatari negotiators flew to Tehran this morning” to help facilitate the finalisation of the agreement. Meanwhile, Pakistan, which is leading mediation to end the months-long Middle East war, and the US have indicated that a deal to end the fighting would be signed on Sunday. However, Iran has cast doubt on that timing, with Iranian media reporting that a final decision on the framework has not yet been made.