MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin called US counterpart Donald Trump on Sunday and discussed the wars in Ukraine and Iran and an upcoming visit of Washington’s envoys to Russia, the Kremlin said.
“The conversation focused on the situation surrounding the memorandum of understanding being drafted between the United States and Iran. Donald Trump said an agreement is close,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
“Donald Trump hopes the results of the difficult, but ultimately successful, negotiations could be announced today,” Ushakov said.
Ushakov also said that “it has been agreed that US presidential special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are currently closely involved in Iranian affairs, will return to Russia soon”.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday said the country’s highest security authority supports the “path of dialogue”.
“The Supreme National Security Council has concluded that the path of dialogue should be pursued,” Pezeshkian said in a meeting with media executives, according to the presidency’s website.
He added that the council was in charge of “decisions regarding war and negotiations”.
On Saturday, Trump said in a social media post that a deal with Iran was expected to be signed on Sunday, adding that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened to all maritime traffic immediately after the agreement takes effect.
He added that the proposed agreement with Iran would ensure that Tehran would never acquire a nuclear weapon, describing the deal as “a wall to no nuclear weapon.”
“The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL. Our relationship with Iran is a much different and better one than previous Administrations have had,” he said.
The US President also said relations between Washington and Tehran were now “much different and better” than under previous administrations.
He stressed that, unlike the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated during former President Barack Obama’s tenure, the proposed deal would not involve any financial payments to Iran.
“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,” he said.
“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,” he said.
Electronic signing ceremony of US-Iran peace deal
Pakistan on Saturday said that an electronic signing ceremony for the proposed Iran-US peace deal is scheduled for June 14.
The announcement came as Islamabad continued diplomatic efforts to permanently end the conflict between the US and Iran, with officials expressing optimism that the agreement was nearing completion.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office, in a statement, said that during a conversation between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the two sides welcomed the US–Iran negotiations in their final stage.
They expressed the hope that this important development will contribute to lasting peace and stability in the region.
Meanwhile, President Trump also shared Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s X post, saying a final text of the Iran-US MoU had been reached and that Pakistan was preparing for an electronic signing expected within 24 hours.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan is closer than ever to securing a peace agreement between the US and Iran, adding that the deal is expected to be finalised within the next 24 hours and signed electronically before technical-level talks begin next week.
In a post on X, the prime minister said Pakistan is preparing for the remote signing of the agreement immediately after the final text is completed.
“We are closer to a peace deal than ever before. With finalisation likely expected in the next 24 hours, Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical-level talks next week,” Sharif wrote.
He thanked the United States and Iran for their continued engagement in the negotiations and also acknowledged the support of regional countries backing the diplomatic process.
