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Or sign-in if you have an account.U.S. President Donald Trump wants a peace deal with Iran by Sunday night, but the Islamic Republic of says the timeline is untenable. Photo by KENT NISHIMURA /AFP via Getty ImagesIran pushed back on U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion an interim peace deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would be imminent, as an Israeli strike on Lebanon posed a potential new risk to any agreement.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe Islamic Republic said nothing had been finalized regarding the deal with the U.S. and that an agreement would not be reached by Trump’s suggested deadline, Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Sunday, citing an unidentified official close to the negotiating team. As of Friday, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei hadn’t agreed to the text, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg.Adding to tensions, Israel’s military hit the Lebanese capital on Sunday, saying it was targeting Hezbollah after the Iranian-backed group fired more projectiles into northern Israel. Three people were killed and 15 injured in the southern suburbs of Beirut, state-run National News Agency reported.Columnist Jesse Kline keeps you up to date with what’s happening in Israel and the effects of antisemitism on life here in Canada. Friday mornings.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Channel Israel will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againIran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said there was “no point” in continuing talks if the U.S. lacks the “will and ability” to fulfill its commitments and stop Israel from bombing Lebanon. The Islamic Republic warned that Israeli attacks on Beirut wouldn’t go “unanswered,” according to state media.Israel’s foreign ministry responded to Ghalibaf, saying Hezbollah had attacked “completely unprovoked” and firing at its territory wouldn’t be tolerated.Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel less than a week ago in retaliation for the Jewish state striking Beirut. Iran insists any interim deal with the U.S. includes a ceasefire in Lebanon, a demand Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he won’t accept until Hezbollah is disarmed and no longer firing on Israel.An agreement is meant to see Tehran reopen the strait to commercial vessels and Washington lift a blockade of Iranian ports. The two would extend their ceasefire by around two months and go into further negotiations about curbing Iran’s nuclear program.“The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow,” Trump said on Truth Social on Saturday, “and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL.”Iranian officials have emphasized there’s been progress and say they are closer to a pact than at any point since the ceasefire started on April 8. Yet they’ve been more cautious than Trump, stating that not all the clauses of what’s likely to be a 14-point document are finalized. Traffic moves past the Iranian national flag displayed on a building at Enghelab square in Tehran on June 14, 2026. US President Donald Trump said that a deal with Iran to end the Middle East war could be signed on June 14, and that the strategic Strait of Hormuz would be “open to all” immediately after. But Iran’s Fars news agency, citing “a well-informed source close to the Iranian negotiating team”, reported that Tehran had “not yet taken or announced its final decision” on a deal. Photo by - /AFP via Getty ImagesSticking pointsA Qatari delegation of mediators arrived in Tehran on Sunday to continue exchanging messages between Iran and the U.S. regarding the MOU, according to the Iranian ISNA news agency.While Tehran is likely to reiterate it won’t build nuclear weapons, key sticking points include its demand the U.S. unfreeze tens of billions of dollars of Iranian funds held in countries such as Qatar, and Washington’s push for the Islamic Republic to agree to destroying or diluting its stockpiles of high-enriched uranium.Reuters, citing an unidentified Iranian official, reported that a draft of the MOU includes the U.S. allowing the release of $25 billion of frozen assets.Trump, under pressure from Iran hawks in the U.S., has said that Iran won’t get any money immediately upon an MOU being signed. That’s been echoed by other U.S. officials, who say the Islamic Republic will only benefit financially if it shows it’s sticking to the terms of the deal, including allowing traffic to move freely through the Hormuz Strait.Trump has added that when other components of the deal are settled, the U.S. will “go in and get the Nuclear Dust,” his term for highly enriched uranium, and would destroy it either in Iran or the U.S.The two sides have been negotiating via mediators such as Pakistan and Qatar since the truce kicked in. Tensions have remained high and the ceasefire looked close to collapsing this week, with Iran and Israel exchanging fire. The U.S. then blamed Iran for downing an Apache helicopter, which led to clashes between them on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.Trump said he would hit more military targets on Thursday, before changing plans with his announcement that an agreement with Iran was imminent. An image grab from a video released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on June 11, 2026 shows what the military says are strikes targeting “Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communications systems and air defense sites.” Photo by HANDOUT /US Central Command (CENTCOM)/AFPHis switch in stance came after Iran privately threatened to end negotiations and escalate its response to any further U.S. strikes, one diplomat familiar with the matter said.Trump has vacillated dozens of times in recent weeks between saying a deal is near and threatening to return to all-out war against Iran.He started the conflict in late February when he opted to bomb Iran alongside Israel, saying it was necessary to stop the Islamic Republic from building a nuclear weapon. He and Netanyahu also signalled they wanted regime change, ending the Islamic Republic that came to life with Iran’s revolution in 1979.Although Iran has been battered and several top officials have been killed — including Supreme Leader Khamenei’s predecessor and father, Ali — its forces have caused chaos across the region. They’ve fired thousands of missiles and drones at Israel and U.S. allies such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.Iran also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz by hitting some ships, sending energy prices soaring. While oil has dropped since late April, with traders anticipating a deal rather than a return to full-blown warfare, it’s still up more than 40 per cent this year at around US$85 a barrel.And time may be running out to keep prices below $100. The U.S. and other nations have drawn down emergency petroleum stockpiles at a record rate to help cap prices. Oil executives have warned those buffers are reaching critical lows.The jump in fuel costs has pushed up inflation globally, including in the U.S., hurting Trump and his Republican Party ahead of midterm elections in November.At the same time, Trump is keen to present any deal as a win and is under pressure from Iran hawks such as Senator Lindsey Graham not to unfreeze any of Tehran’s funds. Many of them have called on him to resume strikes and “finish the job.”— With assistance from Dan Williams, Sherif Tarek and Eltaf Najafizada. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.