Pakistan's prime minister, a key mediator in U.S.-Iran talks to end the war, said Saturday that a peace deal was closer 'than ever before,' and could be finalized 'in the next 24 hours.'
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.
Progress on a deal to end the Iran war appeared to mount on Saturday, with mediator Pakistan and the U.S. saying an agreement could be reached as soon as Sunday — although, Iran cast doubt on that timing. President Trump, who has asserted many times throughout the war that the countries are on the verge of an agreement, said Saturday morningthat 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.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, however, said he didn't think a finalized pact would happen so soon. 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. " "We are closer to a peace deal than ever before," Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in an early morningSharif said both sides would sign the deal electronically, once finalized, followed by technical-level talks next week. "We are confident that this historic peace deal will form a strong foundation for lasting peace," Sharif said in his post.
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.
"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. 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.
A senior U.S. official, who briefed journalists on condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House, said Trump planned to meet G7 members Britain and France have expressed interest in assisting with demining once the conflict is paused. It was not clear how many 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. Franco Ordoñez is a White House Correspondent for NPR's Washington Desk. Before he came to NPR in 2019, Ordoñez covered the White House for McClatchy. He has also written about diplomatic affairs, foreign policy and immigration, and has been a correspondent in Cuba, Colombia, Mexico and Haiti.
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