Islamabad MoU nears finalisation as US, Iran clash on signing date

• Shehbaz hopes deal will pave way for lasting peace, says Pakistan preparing for ‘electronic signing’
• Trump claims signing scheduled for today; threatens Iran; official says Washington to take part in de-mining
• Iran states deal close but rules out signing today; negotiators not going to Islamabad, Geneva soon

ISLAMABAD: In what appears to be a historic milestone for Middle East peace, Islamabad is preparing for an electronic signing by the US and Iran on a framework for a peace deal, to be followed by technical-level talks next week, albeit with varying dates for the remote signing as Trump insisted that it would be inked on Sunday while Iranian authorities denied it would be as early.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a post on X on Saturday, announced that the agreement was expected to be “finalised in the next 24 hours”. The deal was “closer…than ever before”, he wrote, hoping that the deal would lay a “strong foundation for lasting peace”.

Shortly afterwards, US President Donald Trump reposted PM Shehbaz’s tweet, while Iran ruled out the ‘Islamabad MoU’ would be signed on Sunday.

However, both warring parties have declared it would be signed within a day or two.

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump insisted that the deal was “scheduled to get signed” on Sunday, which would open the Hormuz. According to the US president, no money will exchange hands and that “at the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the nuclear dust … and downblend and destroy it, whether in Iran, or the United States”.

“We look forward to working with Iran and the entire Middle East, long into the future. 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!” he added.

Iran ruled out signing the deal on Sunday, but said it was close. The exact timing of the signing of the Islamabad memorandum will not be on Sunday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.

Mr Baghaei added that the possibility of signing the memorandum in the coming days cannot be ruled out, but added that caution was needed regarding any comment on the signing date due to the hesitation of the other side. “We must wait for the exact time of the signing,” he added. The Iranian spokesperson also said that they would not be travelling to Geneva or Islamabad – the possible venues — in the “next day or two” to sign an agreement.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that the country’s 12-day war against Israel last year “proved that, beyond any taste or perspective, whenever our dear Iran is at stake, we are one nation, one clenched fist, and one beating heart”.

De-mining of Hormuz

Reuters quoted a senior US official saying that the US would participate in the de-mining of the Strait of Hormuz once the accord was sealed. Iranian parliament speaker Bagher Ghalibaf stressed that “enforceable commitments” must accompany any possible understanding between Tehran and Washington, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. As both sides gave final touches to a peace agreement, violence in the Strait of Hormuz continued.

The US forces shot down multiple Iranian one-way attack drones heading toward the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported. Centcom later confirmed the action and said the waterway was open for transit.

According to Iranian news agencies, explosions were heard along the strait in Iran’s Sirik port and Qeshm Island, which local officials attributed to shots fired by Iranian forces to warn vessels attempting to cross the waterway without permission from the IRGC navy. A day earlier, Mr Araghchi said Iran would not impose tolls on Hormuz but would collect service fees, saying that this would be discussed.

A tanker had been struck by an unknown projectile in its port bow off the coast of Oman, Reuters reports citing the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre. UKMTO says the incident occurred on Friday, six nautical miles east of Oman. The crew are reported safe and there is no reported environmental impact, while the tanker continues to its next port of call.

On Saturday, PM Shehbaz received a call from Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who has paid tribute to the premier and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for playing an instrumental role in steering the diplomatic efforts, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“The prime minister expressed his deep appreciation for Qatar’s strong and steadfast support for Pakistan’s peace efforts throughout the Gulf crisis and stated that a peace deal was ready for signatures by the relevant parties very shortly,” it said.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, also welcomed the final stage of negotiations between the US and Iran, according to a Foreign Office statement. “They welcomed the US-Iran negotiations in their final stage, with the electronic signing ceremony scheduled for tomorrow, and expressed the hope that this important development will contribute to lasting peace and stability in the region,” the FO said.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2026 ...