Trump Predicts Iran Truce Sunday, Strait of Hormuz to Reopen; Iran Expresses Caution

President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that a truce with Iran was scheduled for signing on Sunday, immediately followed by the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. This declaration, however, was met with immediate contradiction from Iran.

Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, told local media that the signing would not happen as soon as Trump suggested. While not ruling out an agreement in the coming days, Baghaei urged caution regarding specific dates. Earlier, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had indicated an agreement was imminent, with an electronic signature expected within 24 hours.

Trump's announcement came via a post on his social media platform, Truth, where he also criticized the 2015 nuclear deal brokered under former President Barack Obama. He described the previous pact as an easy path for Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Trump had previously retweeted Sharif's message, indicating his engagement with the mediation efforts.

Despite the conflicting statements, a senior U.S. official, speaking anonymously to reporters, conveyed increased confidence in a deal being reached within days, raising the probability from 75% to 80-85%. This official also revealed that Trump plans to meet with leaders from Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates during his upcoming trip to France for the G-7 summit to discuss ending the conflict. Discussions would also cover potential allied collaborations for clearing naval mines placed by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global hydrocarbon trade, which has been effectively blocked since the conflict began and further restricted by Trump's order on April 7.