U.S. President Donald Trump said a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war with Iran is set to be signed June 14. The two sides are expected to opt for electronic signatures via a video conference. With this, the U.S.-Iran war, which broke out on Feb. 28 and lasted more than three months, is expected to take its first concrete step toward an end after 107 days.
Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social that "the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal) that Barack Hussein Obama struck with Iran was an easy, beautiful, smooth path to nuclear weapons," disparaging the agreement, and claimed that "Iran would have obtained nuclear weapons six years ago (under that deal)." He stressed that "my deal with Iran is the exact opposite" and "It's a nuclear weapons barrier!"
"In fact, Iran no longer wants nuclear weapons and will not possess nuclear weapons through purchase, development, or any form of procurement," Trump said, adding that "the deal is set to be signed tomorrow."
Earlier, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Friday on X (formerly Twitter) that he expected "the United States and Iran to sign a peace agreement within 24 hours." According to the Iranian anti-government outlet Iran International, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi also said that day that "Pakistan will preside over the peace agreement signing ceremony between the United States and Iran via a video conference on June 14."
Trump emphasized that "as soon as the signing is complete, the Strait of Hormuz will be open to all nations," and that "our relationship with Iran is much different and better than the relationships forged by previous administrations."
He wrote that "unlike the hundreds of billions of dollars the Obama administration paid Iran, including about $1.7 billion in cash, no money will change hands this time," adding that "when the appropriate time comes and everything is stabilized, through our great B-2 bombers and excellent pilots, we will find nuclear material buried deep in powerful granite mountains and dilute and destroy it, whether in Iran or the United States." This suggests the two sides will hold 60 days of nuclear negotiations and that the United States and Iran will jointly dilute and destroy highly enriched uranium.
Trump said "we look forward to cooperating with Iran as well as the entire Middle East" and "we hope this process proceeds quickly, easily, and smoothly." He added that "if not, we have the ultimate alternative," and "we hope never to use it again." It was a threat that the United States could launch another powerful attack if Iran does not cooperate in the future nuclear negotiation process.
Foreign media reported that the signing ceremony will take the form of a video conference and that the two sides are expected to sign electronically. The U.S. online outlet Axios reported that the United States and Iran, along with mediators Pakistan and Qatar, are expected to hold a video conference on June 14 to electronically sign an MOU extending the truce by 60 days, opening the Strait of Hormuz, and launching negotiations on Iran's nuclear program.
Initially there were reports that Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf could meet in Geneva, Switzerland, to sign, but the outlet reported that the plan shifted to an online format due to circumstances within the United States. With Trump scheduled to depart June 15 to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France held June 15-17, if Vance were to go to Geneva, he might not be able to return before Trump's departure. The explanation is that when the president is outside the United States, the vice president, who is second in command of state affairs, must remain in the country.
The fact that consultations could fall apart the longer the signing is delayed is also analyzed as a reason behind the decision to quickly sign electronically. CNN, citing multiple sources, reported that "over the past day, a plan to conclude the MOU via video conference took shape to avoid variables that could derail the negotiations at the last minute."
However, in Iran there were remarks that the signing ceremony would not be held on June 14. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters regarding the timing of the MOU signing that "it is not tomorrow, but the possibility of signing within a few days cannot be ruled out." These remarks were made before Trump's Truth Social message, raising the possibility that the situation changed in the interim.
Regarding the existing claim to impose fees on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, spokesman Baghaei also suggested there was no change in position, saying that "Iran and Oman should be able to cooperate to take necessary measures to manage passage and ensure safety."
