Iran war day 107: Washington, Tehran close to signing first stage of deal

US President Donald Trump says a deal to stop the Iran-war" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="38748" data-entity-type="event">Iran war could be signed as early as Sunday, but Tehran downplays his optimism.The United States and Iran appear close to signing the first stage of a peace deal, but both sides are offering different timelines as to when it will happen.US President Donald Trump and mediators from Pakistan say an agreement is scheduled to be signed on Sunday. But Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will not be Sunday – and an exact date has yet to be set.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iranians divided on peace prospects after US-Iran say a deal is nearlist 2 of 3As Iran and US near a deal, Tehran remembers another recent bloody conflictlist 3 of 3Trump says Iran deal to be signed tomorrow, contradicting Iranian officialend of listSo, what do we know as the conflict enters its 107th day?In IranMarking the first anniversary of the 12-day war, Iran’s main negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Saturday that Iranians will stand until “final victory”. “Following the example of the heroic and oppressed martyrs of the 12-day war, we will stand to the last breath for the pride and final victory of our beloved Iran,” Ghalibaf posted on X.Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israeli aims to weaken the Iranian nation failed during Israel’s 12-day war last June. Iran’s unity forced the adversary to accept a ceasefire, he said on Saturday.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that the agreement consisted of 14 points, the first of which is the lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports. He said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) calls for an end to hostilities across all fronts, including Lebanon, and an agreement not to initiate war or use force.War diplomacyTrump wrote on Truth Social that after a framework deal is signed, the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil supplies that Iran has blocked, would immediately be “open to all”. “The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL,” a post on Trump’s official Truth Social platform read on Saturday.