Trump Hails Iran Deal on His 80th Birthday, But Tehran Questions Timing

U.S. President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said they expect to sign a deal on Sunday to end the fighting between the United States and Iran. Trump wrote on social media on Saturday that the agreement was expected to be signed that day, which is also his 80th birthday, while Sharif said both sides had agreed on a peace framework and that Islamabad was preparing to sign it electronically, followed by technical talks in the coming days.

Tehran, however, cast doubt on that timetable. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei had warned before Trump’s post not to focus on a signing date, saying, “It will not be tomorrow,” though it could happen “in the coming days.” Iranian sources told Fars that Tehran would not sign anything with Washington on Sunday because it coincides with Trump’s birthday, fearing he would use it for public relations. Iranian political sources told Al Arabiya that the deal was still incomplete and there was no final draft, making a signature impossible for now.

Some Iranians said Trump’s insistence on a Sunday signing appeared aimed at turning the event into a personal and media victory. Iranian negotiators, those sources said, would not allow the talks to be reduced to what they called a “political show” or a protocol-driven spectacle.

Trump also said on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global oil shipping lane that Iran has closed, would “open to everyone” immediately after the agreement is signed. A U.S. official told reporters that the Iranian side would open the strait, calling it a “precondition.” He added that the strait could reopen without transit fees, that the U.S. would lift its blockade at the same time, and that mine removal would be part of the next step, possibly with a role for the G7. The overall memorandum of understanding, reached after months of Pakistani efforts, remains unclear amid conflicting U.S. and Iranian statements and Israeli dissatisfaction.