Middle East crisis live: Trump says Iran deal will be signed today but Tehran casts doubt on timing

Deal could see Strait of Hormuz immediately ‘open to all’, but Trump says US retains the ‘ultimate alternative’ if talks fail Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East. Peace talks between the US and Iran grind on with Donald Trump on Saturday saying the US is set to sign a new agreement with Iran today , and claiming the deal would prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, while reopening the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said on Saturday Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing within 24 hours to be followed by technical-level talks next week. “We are closer to a peace deal than ever before,” Sharif wrote on social media. But an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, counselled caution. “We will have to wait and see about the exact date of the signing of the memorandum of understanding, although it will not be tomorrow,” Baghaei was quoted as saying. “The possibility of this happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out.” Pro-government night-time rallies continue across Iran , and have now been held for more than 100 nights, with some people protesting an agreement with the US. A resident in the north-eastern city of Mashhad told Reuters in Dubai that some protesters chanted: “Death to the compromiser,” in an apparent reference to the foreign minister Abbas Araqchi. Meanwhile, Trump discussed the efforts to end the Iran conflict in a call with the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, Downing Street said on Saturday. Continue reading...