Pakistan PM Sharif Says US-Iran Deal Expected in 24 Hours; Tehran Pushes Back
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday that the US-Iran peace deal is expected to be signed within 24 hours, with “finalisation likely expected in” the next day. Tehran pushed back; Iran is readying a funeral for the late Supreme Leader. Axios reported the deal text: the Strait of Hormuz reopens immediately, the US naval blockade lifts, Iran sells oil freely under sanctions waivers and nuclear-programme talks begin. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the memorandum is “never closer”. The Sunday Asia open is the binding pivot.
Pakistan’s mediator role has been the structural Iranian channel into Washington since the early-summer phase of the war began. Sharif’s 24-hour framing is the most specific timeline the framework deal has had since the Wednesday Trump “progress” phone call with Netanyahu. The Axios text confirms the structural shape the IRNA seven-principle disclosure outlined Friday: Hormuz reopens, sanctions relief, nuclear talks, missile capabilities excluded. The Iranian pushback — readying Khamenei’s funeral — introduces a domestic political constraint that may delay the formal signing. The deal-text disclosure pattern indicates Tehran has lost control of the framework media narrative; the Saudi side reportedly cannot authenticate which version of the text it has actually approved.