Donald Trump has said a deal between the US and Iran to end the conflict is “scheduled to get signed tomorrow” but warned he still holds “the ultimate alternative” should the process fail.
The 47th US President promised that immediately following the signing, the Strait of Hormuz will reopen.
Mr Trump continued to say he hoped the process “will work out quickly, easily and smoothly”, but issued one of his strongest warnings yet in the event it fails.
Despite his insistence the signing will go ahead tomorrow, earlier today a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry said the deal will not be signed tomorrow.
"We will have to wait and see about the exact date of the signing of the memorandum of understanding, although it will not be tomorrow," state media quoted spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
Writing on Truth Social the President wrote: “Barack Hussein Obama’s Deal with Iran, the JCPOA, was an easy, beautiful, smooth road to a Nuclear Weapon, which Iran would have had six years ago, and would have used long before now.
“My Agreement with Iran is the exact opposite, A WALL TO NO NUCLEAR WEAPON! In fact, they no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement.
“The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL.
Donald Trump has said a deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed tomorrow
|REUTERS
“Our relationship with Iran is a much different and better one than previous Administrations have had. Unlike Obama’s Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in payments to them, including 1.7 Billion Dollars in green, cold cash, no money will exchange hands.
“At the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the Nuclear Dust, buried deep under the powerful sunken granite mountains, thanks to our beautiful B-2 Bombers and their brilliant pilots, and downblend and destroy it, whether in Iran, or the United States.
“We look forward to working with Iran, and the entire Middle East, long into the future.
“Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly.
“If it doesn’t, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again! Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!”
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Dozens of vessels waiting to transit the Strait of Hormuz which Donald Trump has vowed will reopen once the deal is signed
|REUTERS
Around the same time as Mr Trump’s statement was released, a Downing Street spokesman confirmed Sir Keir Starmer had called the US President earlier this afternoon.
The spokesman said: “The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, this afternoon.
“The Prime Minister expressed his support for President Trump’s efforts to bring the conflict with Iran to an end, welcoming the progress made and underlining the importance of ensuring any deal delivers a durable and lasting peace.
“The Prime Minister reiterated that the UK stands ready to support the implementation of any peace agreement and to work with international partners to ensure its success.
Mr Trump continued to say he hoped the process 'will work out quickly, easily and smoothly'
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“Both leaders agreed that freedom of navigation must be restored to ease the economic impacts felt globally.
“They agreed to stay in close contact and looked forward to speaking at next week’s G7 summit.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two sides had agreed on a framework for a peace deal and Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing on Sunday, to be followed by technical-level talks next week.
Iran has for months effectively blockaded the strait, with the US Navy in response blocking Iranian ports to reduce its oil exports.
The proposed memorandum of understanding calls for reopening the strait and lifting the US naval blockade, sources on all sides of the talks said. Negotiations over Iran's nuclear program - Mr Trump's stated rationale for starting the war - would take place afterwards.