Iran-US war latest: Tehran yet to make final decision on Trump’s peace deal despite claim it would be signed today – UK Times

US and Pakistani leaders forecast a Sunday signing of a long-elusive framework agreement to end months of fighting between the United States and Iran, but Tehran cast doubt over the timing and ⁠hardline protesters in Iran voiced opposition.

President Donald Trump posted that the deal with Iran was scheduled to be signed on Sunday, his 80th birthday. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing, to be followed by technical-level talks in the coming week.

But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, speaking before Trump’s post, was quoted by state media as saying on Saturday it would “not be tomorrow” but could happen “in the coming days.”

Iran’s Fars news agency citing an informed source said on Sunday that Tehran has not yet taken a final decision on the framework ⁠agreement, with reviews of its political, legal and technical aspects still ongoing at expert and ​decision-making levels.

At pro-government rallies held across Iran on Saturday night, residents and news agencies reported that hardliners opposed to the framework agreement loudly voiced their dissatisfaction.

A resident in the northeastern city of Mashhad told Reuters that some protesters chanted: “Death to the compromiser,” in an apparent reference to Araqchi. “Compromiser, resign, resign.”

Draft terms of the agreement described to Reuters by multiple sources indicate the U.S. would begin ‌releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets and waive sanctions on its oil exports, in return for Iran opening the strait.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson ​Esmaeil Baghaei said the release of the frozen assets was an integral part of the agreement and that Tehran would have to charge for ‌services in the strait, Fars news agency reported.

Qatari negotiators flew to Tehran on Sunday ⁠morning as part of effort to ⁠finalize ​an agreement ⁠to end US-Iran war, ⁠a source ​with ⁠knowledge of ‌the situation told Reuters.

US and ‌Pakistani leaders forecast ‌a Sunday signing ⁠of a framework agreement to end the more than three-month-long war, but Tehran cast ‌doubt ​over the ‌timing ⁠as hardline ⁠protesters in Iran voiced ‌opposition.

Sirens sounded in Jordan, state ⁠TV reported ​early ⁠on Sunday, before ⁠the Public ​Security ⁠Directorate said a ‌technical malfunction was to ‌blame and ‌a fault in one ⁠of the sirens was being repaired.

The directorate said technical teams were ‌able to ​fix ‌the malfunction immediately.

Violence showed little sign of easing in Lebanon on Saturday, even as diplomats worked towards a potential agreement between the US and Iran that Tehran says should also bring an end to fighting on other regional fronts.

Israeli operations across southern Lebanon killed at least three people, including the mayor of the town of Al-Rihan, according to Lebanese media. Heavy bombardment and air strikes were reported across multiple areas, while Hezbollah said it had launched a series of attacks against Israeli troops and military positions.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported strikes in and around Tyre, Jezzine and Nabatiyeh, as well as attacks on several villages in the south. One raid reportedly hit a church. The Israeli military also issued evacuation warnings for residents in four locations, drawing renewed concerns over displacement in the conflict zone.

Israel said its forces had targeted more than 70 Hezbollah-linked sites in southern Lebanon over the previous 24 hours. Hezbollah, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for nearly 20 attacks on Israeli positions between Friday and Saturday.

The continued fighting comes despite signals from Tehran that any understanding reached with Washington should include Lebanon. Iranian ns.

Israel has shown no indication it is prepared to halt military operations.

Defence minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would remain in areas under their control and continue acting against what he described as security threats.

According to Lebanese health authorities, Israeli military action since March has killed more than 3,700 people and wounded over 11,600 others. Israel says 30 soldiers and 24 civilians have been killed during the same period.

Questions remain over when a proposed US–Iran memorandum of understanding could be formally signed, with no signing ceremony listed on US president Donald Trump’s public schedule for Sunday.

Trump has indicated that the agreement could be concluded electronically and has repeatedly portrayed the deal as a major diplomatic achievement. In a social media post, he argued the framework would effectively prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, while suggesting Tehran was no longer seeking one.

The anticipated agreement has also become part of Trump’s broader political messaging. The US president has contrasted the emerging framework with the 2015 nuclear accord negotiated under former president Barack Obama, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Trump withdrew the United States from that deal during his first term and has argued that the new arrangement would deliver stronger guarantees if finalised.

While the White House schedule does not currently include a virtual signing event, officials could still add one at short notice if negotiations are completed.

Public anger over the deaths of three Indian seafarers in a US military strike appears to be spilling onto the streets, with videos circulating on social media purportedly showing auto-rickshaw drivers removing posters featuring US President Donald Trump and the American flag.

The posters were reportedly part of the US Embassy’s “Freedom 250” campaign marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. According to posts accompanying the videos, drivers who had earlier been paid to display the advertisements were taking them down in protest over the deaths of the sailors.

The backlash comes days after three Indian crew members were killed when US forces struck the tanker MT Settebello off the coast of Oman as part of Washington’s enforcement of a blockade targeting Iran-linked shipping. The incident prompted India to lodge a strong diplomatic protest with the United States and demand an end to attacks on commercial vessels carrying Indian nationals.

It came as Marco Rubio told India “violations of US blockade and illicit transport of Iranian oil will not be tolerated” after Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar raised the killings in a phone call with him.

Details emerging from negotiations suggest the proposed US–Iran framework agreement would initially focus on restoring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz before tackling the more contentious issue of Tehran’s nuclear programme.

According to sources familiar with the talks, the memorandum of understanding would require Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies, while the United States would lift its naval blockade. A US official said the two steps would occur simultaneously, followed by efforts to clear mines from the waterway, potentially with support from G7 countries.

“Iran is going to open up the Strait of Hormuz, that’s a requirement. It could be open with no tolls. As they do that, we will lift our ‌blockade,” a US official told reporters.

“It’s going to happen in conjunction, and part of the next step, the phase after that, is going to ​be the demining of the straits,” the official said, indicating countries in the Group of Seven major powers could have a role in this.

The draft terms also reportedly include the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets and waivers on sanctions affecting Iran’s oil exports in exchange for Tehran reopening the strait.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the release of frozen assets was an essential part of any agreement. Iran’s Fars news agency also quoted him as saying Tehran would continue to charge for services in the Strait of Hormuz and that foreign military bases in the region should be removed, although no further details were provided.

The agreement would then open a 60-day window for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme. A US official said Washington ultimately wants Iran’s nuclear programme dismantled, with its stockpile of highly enriched uranium destroyed and removed from the country.

The outlines of the proposed deal were discussed on Saturday in a call between US president Donald Trump and British prime minister Keir Starmer, according to Downing Street.

Opposition to the proposed US–Iran framework agreement was on display across Iran on Saturday, with hardliners staging rallies in Tehran and other cities to denounce any compromise with Washington.

Videos circulating on social media and Iranian news websites appeared to show demonstrators gathered outside Iran’s foreign ministry and in public squares in Tehran, chanting slogans against foreign minister Abbas Araqchi, including: “Araqchi, have some shame, let go of America.”

At pro-government rallies across the country, hardline protesters also voiced anger at the tentative deal. In the northeastern city of Mashhad, one resident told Reuters that some demonstrators chanted “Death to the compromiser” and called on Araqchi to resign.

The unrest comes as fighting continues despite diplomatic efforts. The US military said it intercepted multiple Iranian attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, while Israel announced strikes on more than 70 Hezbollah-linked targets in Lebanon over the previous 24 hours.

The ​exact timing of the signing of ⁠the Islamabad memorandum will not be on Sunday, Iran’s ⁠foreign ministry ​spokesperson ⁠Esmaeil Baghaei said, according ⁠to state media ​on ⁠Saturday.

Baghaei said ‌the possibility of signing the ‌Islamabad memorandum in the ‌coming days could not ⁠be ruled out, but added that caution was needed regarding any comment on the ‌signing date due ​to the ‌hesitation of ⁠the other ⁠side.