US-Iran Peace Deal Still Hanging in the Balance

United States 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) 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 importance of the Strait of Hormuz 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 appeared not to be fully aligned with Iran’s stance. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously indicated that the agreement would not be signed on Sunday. Trump’s claim was immediately denied by Iran’s armed forces, the IRGC. The IRGC criticised Trump’s “extraordinary persistence” in signing the agreement, 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 the signing on Sunday will definitely not happen.” Meanwhile, in a post on Telegram, the group suggested that 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. Separately, a Qatari delegation and a diplomat arrived in Tehran as part of the mediation process to end the war between Iran and the United States. An adviser to Qatar’s foreign minister was dispatched to Iran, as reported by Iran’s ISNA news agency. Another Iranian news agency, Tasnim, said the purpose of the visit was to “review the latest developments regarding the diplomatic process”. A diplomat familiar with the situation said the “Qatari negotiators flew to Tehran this morning” to help facilitate the finalisation of the agreement.