NPR
Trump says deal to end Iran war will be signed Sunday, as Iran disagrees on timing
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Special Series Middle East conflict Conflict in the Middle East has been escalating. These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them.
Middle East conflict U.S.
"We are confident that this historic peace deal will form a strong foundation for lasting peace," Sharif said in his post.
On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X: "The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer."
Trump also said on Saturday that the deal would result in the elimination of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile that could be used in a nuclear weapon, a main sticking point in negotiations. But the exact details of the agreement are not yet clear.
A senior U.S. official, who briefed journalists on condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House, said Trump planned to meet on the G7 sidelines with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and United Arab Emirates to discuss efforts to wind down the war.
G7 members Britain and France have expressed interest in assisting with demining once the conflict is paused. It was not clear how many mines are in the strait that Iran has effectively controlled since shortly after the war began, virtually shutting down oil and natural gas shipments from the Persian Gulf. The U.S. has blockaded Iranian ports in response.
"The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly," Trump wrote on social media Thursday.
NPR's Carrie Kahn contributed to this story.
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− By
Emma Bowman
,
Franco Ordoñez
Residents swim and play in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz while cargo ships and commercial vessels lie anchored in the distance off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
+ By
Emma Bowman
,
Franco Ordoñez
,
Michael Levitt
Residents swim and play in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz while cargo ships and commercial vessels lie anchored in the distance off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
− Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP hide caption
Progress on a deal to end the Iran war appeared to mount on Saturday, with mediator Pakistan and the U.S.
+ Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP hide caption
President Trump condemned a deadly strike carried out by Israel in Lebanon Sunday morning, further complicating negotiations for a deal to end the war between the U.S.
− saying an agreement could be reached as soon as Sunday — although, Iran cast doubt on that timing.
+ and Iran.
− President Trump, who has asserted many times throughout the war that the countries are on the verge of an agreement, said Saturday morning on Truth Social that a deal was "scheduled to get signed" Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz — a key global oil and gas transport route — would open soon after.
+ Politics The U.S.-led war in Iran will dominate Trump's G7 trip to France "This morning's attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran," Trump wrote in a post on the social media platform Truth Social."There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel. This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace — Let's not blow it!"
The strike left 3 dead and 15 wounded in Dahiyeh – a suburb of Beirut and stronghold of the Iran-backed Lebanese militia group, Hezbollah – according to the National News Agency, Lebanon's government-run news outlet. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was responding to drone attacks launched by Hezbollah into northern Israel on Sunday, in which no casualties were reported.
+ Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf condemned the strike.
"[Israel's] incursion into Dahiyeh has once again shown that America either lacks the will to fulfill its commitments or the ability to do so," he wrote in a post on X. "If you lack the will and ability to fulfill your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible."
Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the negotiations, which are being held in Islamabad and mediated by Pakistan, are still moving forward.
− and Iran peace deal within reach, Pakistan's prime minister says Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, however, said he didn't think a finalized pact would happen so soon.
+ and Iran peace deal within reach, Pakistan's prime minister says "We are on track.
− Baghaei told Iranian state media Saturday: "It will not be tomorrow." But, he added: "The possibility of this happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out."
Pakistan also signaled progress.
"We are closer to a peace deal than ever before," Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in an early morning post on X.
+ It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when," he told CBS's Margaret Brennan in an interview Sunday.
− A finalized peace deal was "likely expected in the next 24 hours," he said.
+ "I think those talks will continue, and if Iran wants this to hold, they need to- they need to pull back Hezbollah, no doubt."
In recent days, progress on a deal to end the war in Iran appeared to be mounting, even as Iran cast doubts on the timing. But Sunday's strike on Lebanon appeared to further obstruct hopes that a deal would be signed imminently.
− Sharif said both sides would sign the deal electronically, once finalized, followed by technical-level talks next week.
+ President Trump has asserted many times throughout the war that the countries are on the verge of an agreement, and that the Strait of Hormuz — a key global oil and gas transport route — would open soon after.
+ Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that both sides would sign the deal electronically, once finalized, followed by technical-level talks..
+ Pakistan has been a key mediator in talks to end the war.
− "At the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the Nuclear Dust, buried deep under the powerful sunken granite mountains, thanks to our beautiful B-2 Bombers and their brilliant pilots, and downblend and destroy it, whether in Iran, or the United States," he wrote on social media.
Trump followed with a vague threat: "Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly.
+ "At the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the Nuclear Dust, buried deep under the powerful sunken granite mountains, thanks to our beautiful B-2 Bombers and their brilliant pilots, and downblend and destroy it, whether in Iran, or the United States," he wrote on social media.Trump followed with a vague threat: "Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly.
− If it doesn't, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again!"
It's the latest example of Trump flip-flopping between promising peace and ramping up threats against Iran.
+ If it doesn't, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again!"
Trump has demonstrated continual flip-flopping between promising peace and ramping up threats against Iran.
− On Thursday, the president said he had called off planned strikes on Iran due to "the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved," Trump said on Truth Social.
The Group of Seven summit starts on Monday, where Trump is expected to discuss demining the Strait of Hormuz.
+ On Thursday, the president said in a post on social media that he had called off planned strikes on Iran due to "the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved."
The Group of Seven summit starts on Monday, where Trump is expected to discuss demining the Strait of Hormuz.
− A tenuous ceasefire has been in place since April 7.
+ The NPR Politics Podcast What to make of Trump's mixed-messages on the Iran war A tenuous ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has been in place since April 7.