US-Iran peace deal set for Sunday signing, Hormuz Strait to reopen: Trump
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday, 14 June that a peace deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday, and that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen to all shipping immediately after the agreement is formalised. The announcement, made via his Truth Social platform, marks a potentially historic turn in decades of fraught US-Iran relations — though Tehran has already pushed back on the timeline.
What Trump Announced
In his post, Trump wrote: “The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL.” He claimed that Iran “no longer wants a Nuclear Weapon” and indicated that the United States would work with Iran to remove enriched uranium at an “appropriate time.”
Trump also sought to contrast the proposed agreement with the Obama-era nuclear accord, stressing that no financial transfers would be involved. “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,” he wrote. He added that nuclear material remaining in Iran would eventually be removed and destroyed.
Iran Disputes the Timeline
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei reportedly denied that any memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries would be signed on Sunday, citing what he described as “the other side’s hesitation.”
Baqaei stressed that any potential MoU “would merely serve as a framework for continuing talks” and should not be regarded as “a final agreement.” He added, according to Iranian state media, that discussions on the nuclear issue are expected to continue over a 60-day period. The conflicting signals from Washington and Tehran leave the status of Sunday’s reported signing in significant doubt.
Why the Strait of Hormuz Matters
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical energy transit chokepoints, carrying a substantial share of internationally traded crude oil and liquefied natural gas. Any disruption to shipping through the strait has an outsized impact on global energy prices.
India, one of the world’s largest importers of crude oil, closely monitors developments in the Gulf region given their direct bearing on energy security and shipping costs. A reopening of the strait, if confirmed, would be a significant positive for Indian import economics.
The Broader Context
Trump’s announcement comes against a backdrop of prolonged tensions between Washington and Tehran, including sanctions, proxy conflicts, and repeated failures to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The President warned that “we have the ultimate alternative” unless the process moves forward “quickly, easily and smoothly,” signalling that the diplomatic window remains conditional.
Notably, this is the first time a sitting US president has publicly named a specific date for a formal agreement with Iran. Whether Sunday’s reported signing materialises — given Tehran’s denial — will be closely watched by energy markets, Gulf nations, and nuclear non-proliferation watchdogs alike.