A person familiar with negotiations between the United States and Iran reported that a provisional agreement between the countries could be signed as early as next Sunday (14).
Three sources told CNN that the signing ceremony is expected to take place in Geneva, Switzerland.
US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday (11) a “grand agreement” that could resolve the war with Iran, suggesting it would be finalized in the coming days.
Trump said he anticipated a signing ceremony for the document soon, possibly in Europe, with Vice President JD Vance in attendance.
Two sources with knowledge of the diplomatic negotiations said the signing ceremony will be held in Geneva – not far from where Trump and an American delegation will attend next week’s G7 summit in France.
One of these sources said the signing ceremony will mark the beginning of the “second phase” of diplomatic negotiations, as officials work on implementing the memorandum of understanding.
Several sources said the memorandum is being called the “Islamabad Declaration” in recognition of the key mediation role played by Pakistan.
What does Iran say?
Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that after several rounds of revisions, an interim agreement with the United States “has effectively reached its final phase” based on Iran’s 14-point proposal.
Find out what Iranian media outlets, including IRNA and the semi-official Mehr news agency, are saying about the draft interim agreement:
- The document addresses the end of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon. The US would pledge to “compel Israel” to end hostilities in Beirut if the deal is signed
- Regarding the nuclear issue, Iran will not make new commitments immediately and will participate in nuclear negotiations only during the 60-day period following the signing of the document, “within the framework of its fundamental principles”, including its right to uranium enrichment
- Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media outlets emphasized that Tehran would not commit to ceding management of the strait nor to “restoring conditions” to their pre-war status.
- The memo only discusses “the normalization of maritime traffic” in the waterway and the end of the American blockade of Iranian ports. The US would have no role in the management of the strait, which would be coordinated only regionally with coastal nations
- Regarding Iran’s frozen assets, the deal would require the release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian funds – half of which must be made available immediately upon signing.
- The IRNA news agency reported that the draft document states that Iran “obtained specific assurances from third parties” regarding the final payment
- On war reparations, the Mehr agency said the document includes a reconstruction plan for Iran totaling at least $300 billion. The IRNA agency reported that the specific implementation mechanism will be negotiated during the 60 days
- Regarding the ballistic missile program of Iran and its allies, Mehr said there was a “definite removal” of these topics
- Meanwhile, Tasnim news agency, close to the Revolutionary Guards, stated that the text “still needs to be reviewed and finalized by the competent institutions in Iran.”
Points of the agreement
During the afternoon of Thursday (11), in a publication on the Truth Social network, Trump stated that he had canceled attacks and bombings that were scheduled to take place during the night.
According to him, the decision was taken after negotiations with Iran reached “the highest level of Iranian leadership” and after approval of the “final points” of a possible agreement.
Later, at an event in the Oval Office, Trump again defended that the parties are very close to an understanding. “The documents are practically finalized, so we’ll see,” he said.
The American president also reported that the agreement provides for Iran’s commitment to abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons and that, in exchange, the United States would immediately end the naval blockade imposed on Iran’s ports.
Furthermore, Trump stated that he believes that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei approved the understanding.
Later, during a virtual rally in support of Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, he stated that the United States had “ended the war” with Iran.
“I don’t know if you heard, but we ended the war with Iran today […] They agreed never to have a nuclear weapon, something we insisted on; that was the main objective. That represented 95% of the issue”, declared the American president.
