More than two months after negotiations began, and amid intermittent exchanges of fire, U.S. President Donald Trump says a signing ceremony for a framework agreement with Iran is expected to take place Sunday.
The agreement would not formally end the conflict but would instead establish another 60-day ceasefire period during which the sides would negotiate a final accord on Iran's nuclear program and other issues.
Tehran has not yet confirmed that the agreement will be signed Sunday. However, Pakistan, which has acted as a mediator, announced that the signing would take place "digitally," meaning both sides would sign remotely without a face-to-face ceremony.
The emerging agreement has sparked concern in Israel, where officials fear it may fail to eliminate the threats posed by Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and could also restrict Israel's freedom of action against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Trump said Saturday that the signing ceremony would be held Sunday, although Iran has only said that a signing could take place sometime in the coming days.
According to Pakistan, technical-level talks between the sides are expected to begin this week following the digital signing ceremony.
Trump, who is also set to celebrate his 80th birthday Sunday with UFC fights on the White House lawn, is scheduled to depart Monday for the Group of Seven summit in France. Discussions there are expected to include implementation of the agreement and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
According to reports, Trump is also expected to meet on the sidelines of the summit with leaders from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and other Middle Eastern countries. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not been invited.
CNN reported Saturday that the original plan called for a more formal signing ceremony, similar to other historic diplomatic events. Trump said Thursday that Vice President JD Vance would attend the ceremony somewhere in Europe, reportedly in Geneva.
But people familiar with the matter told CNN that the plans changed because, under U.S. continuity-of-government protocols, the president and vice president do not travel abroad together. Since Trump is leaving for France on Monday, Vance's trip would have had to wait until Trump returned.
According to the report, some mediators feared that any delay could increase the risk of a last-minute collapse in the talks or a decision by either side to back away from the understandings already reached. The plans were therefore revised in recent days in favor of an online ceremony.
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