Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has played a mediatory role in contacts between Iran and the United States, said in a message posted on his X account on Saturday that Pakistan was making preparations for the electronic signing of the agreement immediately after its expected finalization and thanked both Iran and the US for maintaining engagement throughout the negotiations.
“We are closer to a peace deal than ever before. With finalization 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,” the Pakistani prime minister said.
“We would like to thank United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran for their ongoing commitment during the negotiations, and we extend our sincere appreciation to our brothers in the region for their support. We are confident that this historic peace deal will form a strong foundation for lasting peace,” he added.
The remarks came after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Tehran and Washington could announce an initial understanding in the coming days, while emphasizing that the process had not yet been finalized. He described diplomacy as a means of consolidating Iran’s strategic gains following the latest round of American-Israeli aggression and said discussions were focused on a 14-point memorandum of understanding that remains under review.
The proposed framework consists of two stages, beginning with an initial memorandum of understanding and followed by negotiations toward a possible final agreement. He said issues including sanctions removal, the nuclear file and enrichment-related matters, economic reconstruction, and other sensitive topics would be addressed during a second phase expected to continue for around 60 days, Iran’s top diplomat emphasized.
The Iranian foreign minister also underscored the importance of enforceable guarantees, citing previous experiences of non-compliance by adversaries and stressing that mechanisms must be established to prevent future breaches. He added that Iran’s diplomatic and defense institutions operate in coordination to protect national interests and maintained that any eventual arrangement must be based on mutual respect for sovereignty and the end of pressure-based approaches.
MNA
