The United States and Iran remain sharply at odds over the timing and substance of a potential agreement to end their conflict, according to multiple official statements released on Saturday. The conflicting accounts follow weeks of indirect negotiations mediated by Pakistan after an April truce, revealing deep structural rifts over nuclear concessions and regional security.
U.S. President Donald Trump asserted on social media that a comprehensive deal would be signed on Sunday, promising immediate economic and logistical shifts. “The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He has previously boasted about plans to “extract and destroy the enriched uranium buried deep within Iranian mountains” as part of the agreement.
However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei firmly denied that a signing would occur on June 14. “The possibility that it could take place in the coming days cannot be ruled out,” Baqaei said, but he accused the U.S. side of introducing “excessive demands” and “new requests” late in the process.
Diplomatic sources indicate these sticking points center on the disposal rights of Iran’s near-weapons-grade nuclear fuel and the future administrative status of the Strait of Hormuz. Furthermore, Israel maintains a strict veto over any deal that falls short of its red line: the complete dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
The diplomatic friction is mirrored by ongoing military posturing. Two days earlier, on Friday, U.S. Central Command reported that American forces had shot down multiple Iranian one-way attack drones targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. While CENTCOM insists the waterway “remains open for transit,” independent verification paints a more complex picture. Al Jazeera, citing GPS tracking data from international shipping monitors, noted that while commercial transit has not entirely ceased, vessel speeds and routing patterns indicate significant ongoing disruptions and localized blockades.
The Iranian delegation’s rigid stance is heavily influenced by internal power dynamics in Tehran following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s son, has rapidly consolidated authority within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during the transition period. Analysts suggest that the hardline negotiating posture is designed to project strength domestically ahead of the massive state funeral, which Iran announced will begin in Tehran on July 4—coinciding with U.S. Independence Day—and conclude with burial in Mashhad on July 9.
Despite the public sparring, back-channel mediators remain optimistic. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated Saturday that both nations had largely agreed on a final text and that an electronic signing ceremony was still expected within 24 hours. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud also echoed the expectation of a Sunday resolution.
Under the proposed 60-day memorandum framework, the U.S. naval blockade would be lifted and sanctions relief phased in, but the ultimate fate of Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait’s security architecture remains the most volatile variable in the Middle East.
VGMG