Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
| Photo Credit:
Hamad I Mohammed
The finalisation of a deal between the US and Iran is expected within the next 24 hours, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday in a post on X.Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal “immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week,” Sharif added.President Donald Trump has vowed numerous times that an agreement to end the war that began in February is near, only for progress to remain elusive. The primary US objectives are to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic and curb Iran’s nuclear program. Iran, meanwhile, insists on retaining a degree of control over the waterway and gaining immediate access to its frozen funds, while negotiations over the Islamic Republic’s uranium enrichment would take place after the interim deal is signed.A senior Trump administration official said Friday there was an 80 per cent or 85 per cent chance Washington and Tehran would sign the pact soon. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi echoed those expectations in a speech carried by state television on Friday, adding that the signing could take place in the coming days.The US expects the deal will ensure Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapons program but would let it maintain a civilian nuclear energy program, the senior American official said. It would also ensure enriched nuclear material is removed from the country and end both sides’ blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. If all terms are met, the US would ease sanctions on Iran and allow it to reintegrate into the global economy, according to the official.Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran was still reviewing the draft. The terms of the accord still need to be approved by Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to a European official familiar with the matter.More stories like this are available on bloomberg.comPublished on June 13, 2026
