Washington, United States. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States and Iran could sign a peace deal as soon as this weekend, an agreement he said would reopen shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported that Tehran is likely to approve the agreement, though no formal response has been issued.
Trump outlines possible timeline
Trump told reporters at the White House that the United States had made what he described as a major settlement in the war with Iran.
“We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran,” Trump said.
He added that the Strait of Hormuz would officially reopen once the agreement is signed and said that could happen soon, possibly over the weekend in Europe. Trump also said Vice President JD Vance could sign on behalf of the United States.
Conflict and diplomatic efforts
If finalized, the agreement would mark a significant diplomatic breakthrough in efforts to end the three-month war, which has killed thousands of people and pushed global energy prices sharply higher.
Trump’s announcement followed his decision to call off planned military strikes on Iran, citing progress in talks. Since mid-March, he has repeatedly said that an agreement to end the war is close.
Outstanding issues remain
The two sides have exchanged strikes throughout the week, putting pressure on a ceasefire announced in April.
Earlier on Thursday, Iranian and Western sources said efforts to reach an interim agreement to end hostilities had intensified. Three Iranian sources said a political understanding had been reached, but that some issues still required detailed discussion, including a mechanism to release tens of billions of dollars in Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks.