USA x Iran: Find out why the interim agreement must be signed virtually

Plans for the virtual signing of the interim agreement were finalized on the last day to consolidate the agreement quickly and avoid last-minute surprises, officials familiar with the matter said.

Although President Donald Trump said last week that he expected the signing to take place in person in Europe, with Vice President JD Vance present representing the US, those plans did not materialize.

This is partly due to scheduling complications.

The president and vice president do not travel abroad simultaneously for security and continuity reasons, and Trump is scheduled to travel to the G7 summit in France in the early hours of Monday (115).

Getting Vance from a signing event in Europe in time for Trump's departure would be difficult.

Instead, an electronic signature was offered to finalize the interim agreement. The fear among some of the mediators is that the longer it takes for it to be signed, the greater the likelihood that something will jeopardize progress or that one or both parties will renege on the agreement, according to a person familiar with the matter.

To date, Washington and Tehran have presented somewhat conflicting versions of the content of the agreement, including the financial assistance that Iran will receive.

Whether these disagreements are mere differences in public communication or reflect something deeper that could lead to the collapse of the agreement remains unclear.

Signature impasse
The IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran) denied this Saturday (13) that an interim agreement with the United States would be signed on Sunday (14) and criticized the "unusual insistence" of American President Donald Trump to sign the agreement on that day.

The American president and Pakistan, mediator of the conflict, said earlier on Saturday that the provisional agreement would be signed on Sunday.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the two sides had agreed on a framework for a peace deal and that Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signature on Sunday, followed by technical talks next week.

Earlier on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the signing of the agreement "will not happen tomorrow."

"The possibility of this happening in the next few days is not ruled out," Baghaei said, according to the Tasnim agency. "However, due to the instability of the other party, we must be cautious with any statements regarding this process."

"This is not a final agreement between Iran and the United States, but rather a memorandum that outlines the main points of disagreement and clarifies that the war will end," the Iranian spokesman added.

An American official who spoke to reporters later declined to comment on the timeline but said: "It's a great deal and a very strong deal."

It is not the first time that the two sides appear to be close to an initial agreement to end the war, which began on February 28 with joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran, but Sharif wrote on the social network X: "We are closer to a peace agreement than ever before."

The war has drastically raised global energy prices and killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, where the conflict has reignited the dispute between Israel and the Tehran-aligned Hezbollah militant group.

What is included in the agreement?
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday (12) that although changes to the agreement are still possible, the interim agreement demonstrates that his country has emerged stronger from the conflict.

Hours after those statements, American forces shot down several Iranian one-way attack drones heading toward the Strait of Hormuz, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said drones posed a threat to commercial traffic. US Central Command later confirmed the action and said the strait, a key access route for global oil, was open.

Iran has kept the strait under blockade for months, and the US Navy blocks Iranian ports to reduce its oil exports.

The proposed interim agreement provides for the reopening of the strait and the lifting of the American naval blockade, sources on all sides involved in the negotiations said. Negotiations over Iran's nuclear program - Trump's stated justification for starting the war - would take place later.

"Iran will open the Strait of Hormuz, that is a requirement. It can be opened without a toll. As soon as that happens, we will lift our blockade," said the American official who spoke this Saturday (13).

"This will happen together, and part of the next step, the next phase, will be the demining of the strait," said the official, indicating that G7 (Group of Seven) countries could have a role in this.

Trump says agreement to end the war with Iran will be signed on Sunday (14) | CNN BULLETIN

Source: CNN