Trump Says Iran Deal Is Near, With Europe as Possible Signing Site
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The location, timing and promises: Trump’s remarks about the negotiations with Iran
Eliahu Amar, 15 minutes ago
The President of the United States said that the documents for an agreement with Iran are in their final stage and that a signature is expected within days, probably in Europe. Trump said he spoke with Netanyahu, praised Erdogan and Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir, and claimed that countries in the region support the move. Meanwhile, Iran continues to send mixed signals about the nature of the understandings it reached with Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump continued this evening, Thursday, to project confidence about the progress of negotiations with Iran and declared from the Oval Office that the sides are close to completing an agreement. “Big day. I know you’ll never be satisfied, but that’s okay. It doesn’t bother me at all. We just made a great deal for war with Iran, and we’re going to be subject to drafting the final documents,” Trump said. He later added: “We have a signature soon, and the documents are in pretty final shape. It should be done pretty quickly.”
According to the American president, the signing is expected in the coming days. “We’re supposed to wrap up in the next few days. There will probably be a signing in Europe, and that’s a great thing,” he said. In another statement, he noted that “there will probably be a signing, maybe in Europe, probably at the end of the week.”
Trump linked the developments to easing tensions in the region and claimed broad support from Middle Eastern leaders. “I spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders, the entire Middle East is happy,” he said. He added that he intends to continue talks with additional regional figures: “We’re going to talk to Turkey. President Erdogan has been great.”
Addressing the practical steps that would follow the signing, Trump said that “the Strait of Hormuz will open immediately after we sign,” and added that Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to attend the official signing ceremony. The American president also referred to the gains seen in financial markets following the developments. “The stock market went up 1,000 points. That means they like the deal. Oil went down, and it will start going down even lower than it was before,” he said.
During his remarks, Trump also praised Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir, the commander of the Pakistan Army. “I call him the general. He’s a general. He’s a great general, so great that he’s actually a field marshal, one rank above,” he said.
Trump’s remarks came shortly after he announced the cancellation of the strikes and bombings planned against Iran. According to him, the decision was made after the talks with the Islamic Republic reached the highest level of the Iranian leadership and were approved by all the parties involved. He later claimed that the agreement was “almost completely finished.”
At the same time as Trump’s comments, the New York Post reported that Iran had delivered its latest draft agreement to the United States through Qatar, and that the wording of the understandings had been completed over the past few days. According to the report, if final approval is granted by the Iranian leadership, the agreement can move to the implementation stage.
However, Tehran continues to send mixed messages. In Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, a source familiar with the details was quoted as saying that “no draft of a preliminary memorandum of understanding with the United States has been approved so far.” Tasnim also mocked Trump’s statements, saying that in recent months he has declared dozens of times that an agreement is within reach.
