U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday (June 13, 2026) said a deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday (June 14, 2026), reopening the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, and that the U.S. would “go and get” Iran’s highly enriched uranium at a later stage even as Tehran said the talks were in their final stage but remained non-committal about any timeline for the agreement.
“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,” Mr. Trump wrote in a social media post.
West Asia war LIVE updates – June 13, 2026
Mr. Trump also said no funds would be provided to Tehran, contradicting the claims made by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that the country’s frozen assets would be released upon signing the deal. But Mr. Trump appeared to confirm the Iranian claim that the nuclear issue would be addressed at a later stage — not in the preliminary agreement.
“We will go in and get the Nuclear Dust [highly enriched uranium]… and downblend and destroy it, whether in Iran, or the United States. We look forward to working with Iran,” the U.S. President said.
He said the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, signed by the Barack Obama administration, was an “easy road to a nuclear weapon… 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”.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had said that a deal would be signed in 24 hours. “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,” Mr. Sharif said.
Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson of Iran’s Ministry Foreign Affairs, said the ‘Islamabad Memorandum’ is focussed on ending the war, which the U.S. and Israel launched on February 28, and lifting the U.S. blockade on Iran. While refusing to give a date for the signing of the deal, he urged caution, citing “hesitation” on the American side.
“We have to wait for the exact time of signing the memorandum; Although it will not happen tomorrow, the possibility of this happening in the coming days is not ruled out,” Mr. Baqaei said in a briefing in Tehran on Saturday, according to Tasnim news agency.
While final-stage negotiations are progressing, tensions flared over the Strait of Hormuz again on Friday night, with the U.S. military claiming that Iran fired drones at commercial vessels crossing the waterway.
“Iran launched multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces have downed all of them in recent hours as traffic flow through the strait continues unimpeded,” the U.S. Central Command said in a statement. “The international trade corridor remains open for transit.”
On Thursday, after two nights of tit-for-tat strikes with the U.S., Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had announced that the strait had been closed to all traffic.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi, while speaking at the state television on Friday, laid out the Iranian perspective of the agreement. He said the U.S. and Israel were equipped with advanced weapons, including nuclear capabilities, but were “prevented by Iran from achieving their objectives”. “Naturally, after such a victory, it is necessary to consolidate it through an agreement or understanding,” he added, laying the ground for the agreement.
He said last stage talks are taking place based on a 14-point memorandum of understanding. If the deal is signed, Iran’s frozen assets would be released and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports would be lifted. U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance, however, had said on Friday that no cash would be released to Iran upon the signing of the preliminary agreement. He said Tehran would get economic benefits only if it honoured its commitments in the deal.
According to Mr. Araghchi, issues such as Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions on the country would be discussed in the second phase of talks, which is expected to last around 60 days. U.S. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have repeatedly said Iran’s highly enriched uranium should be taken out of the country as part of a final agreement.
Mr. Araghchi said in the interview that Tehran’s position was that the highly enriched uranium should be “diluted [downblending] inside the Islamic Republic”.
He also added that Lebanon, which is currently being bombed by Israel, is part of the deal. “We never forgot Lebanon in this war.” According to the Foreign Minister, a definitive conclusion of the war on Lebanon must include Israel’s withdrawal from the areas it has occupied.
Published – June 13, 2026 11:06 am IST
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