Trump says Iran framework deal could be signed Sunday

President Donald Trump and Iranian officials pointed toward a possible framework deal that could be signed Sunday, but the terms were still unsettled and the text could still change. On ABC News' This Week with Martha Raddatz, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Trump had “every intent” for a preliminary framework to be signed Sunday, while leaving the actual details and timing to the White House.

Trump had said Saturday that a deal could be signed Sunday, adding to a burst of conflicting signals from both sides. Iranian officials said no final decision had been made on a possible agreement, and they said changes to the text were still possible. That gap matters because a framework only reduces the risk of conflict if both governments are committed to the same language, the same sequence of steps and the same enforcement rules.

The draft under discussion would have to settle three politically charged questions. It could include Iran agreeing not to build or acquire a nuclear weapon, a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping and some form of U.S. sanctions relief or release of frozen Iranian assets. Other reports said Iran wanted oil sanctions waivers and asset release as part of the deal, underscoring how much remains to be resolved before any announcement becomes binding policy.

Pakistan and Qatar were involved as mediators, and U.S. and Pakistani leaders forecast a Sunday signing of a long-elusive framework agreement. Reporting from the region also said military activity continued even as the talks advanced, including drone interceptions and Israeli strikes, a reminder that the diplomacy was unfolding beside active security risks rather than after them.

The stakes are highest around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically vital chokepoint for global oil shipments. Any agreement that changes access there would be felt immediately in energy markets and regional security calculations. For readers trying to judge whether this is a real step back from confrontation, the decisive test is not the headline about a signing ceremony. It is whether the final text is specific, whether both governments accept the same obligations and whether the deal survives the domestic pressure that has undone past efforts before.