Middle East crisis live: Trump says Iran deal will be signed today but Tehran casts doubt on timing

Donald Trump stated on Saturday that the United States was poised to sign a new agreement with Iran that day, asserting the deal would prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping. He also indicated that the US would maintain "the ultimate alternative" if negotiations failed. However, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, advised caution, stating that while the signing might occur in the coming days, it would not be on Sunday. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Saturday that Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing within 24 hours, followed by technical talks the subsequent week, and declared, "We are closer to a peace deal than ever before." Despite these pronouncements, pro-government rallies persisted across Iran for over 100 nights, with some demonstrators expressing opposition to an agreement with the US. A resident in Mashhad told Reuters that some protesters chanted "Death to the compromiser," seemingly targeting the foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi. Separately, Downing Street confirmed that Trump discussed efforts to resolve the Iran conflict in a call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday.