U.S. and Iran Near Deal as Trump Signals Signature Tomorrow, Eyes France Summit

President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social account that negotiations with Iran are in their final stages and that an agreement is expected to be signed as soon as tomorrow. He said that after the deal, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen to traffic, and addressed Iran’s highly enriched uranium by saying, "At the appropriate time we will go in and collect it. We will destroy it, in Iran or in the United States." He added, "If it does not work out, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully we will never use it again."

A separate report cited Pakistan’s foreign minister saying, in a conversation with Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, that the electronic signing of the U.S.-Iran agreement was set for tomorrow. Trump also shared a post by Pakistan’s prime minister that said the final wording would be completed within 24 hours, followed by a signing with Iran. At the same time, Trump is planning to meet in France with several Middle Eastern leaders, and a senior U.S. official said Benjamin Netanyahu will not take part.

Trump told Channel 12 on Friday that he still believed a deal could be signed over the weekend or by Monday. In that interview, he said, "The Iranians apologized for spreading false information." A senior U.S. official also said Trump told Netanyahu, "This is the deal, it is time to end this war." Israeli officials, however, fear Trump may settle for diluting Iran’s enriched uranium rather than removing it from the country. In Netanyahu’s circle, one source said, "The big fear is that Trump will do to us what Obama did." A U.S. official speaking to reporters said the sides were close and put the odds of a deal at 85%.

CNN reported that Trump stopped a planned American commando raid on Iran’s uranium stockpiles last month after receiving a high-risk briefing in Florida. According to the report, he feared heavy casualties, a chain reaction that could trigger a prolonged regional war, and damage to the global economy. CBS reported that the Pentagon is also weighing possible U.S. help in securing the enriched uranium if a deal is reached.