Iran and US close on initial deal, Tehran says no signing on Sunday

(Reuters) - Iran said on Saturday ​it could sign the framework for a peace deal with the United States in the coming days, but dismissed a suggestion by mediator Pakistan that it would be signed ‌within the next 24 hours.

The U.S. and Iran signalled on Friday that an agreement to end three months of war was close, with a U.S. administration official saying both sides had agreed on a text and that Washington expected to sign an initial deal in the coming days.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday the two sides had agreed on a framework for a peace deal and Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing to be followed by technical-level talks next week.

Sharif suggested ​the initial deal could be signed on Sunday, but Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei was later quoted by state media as saying caution was needed when commenting on the timing.

"We will have ​to wait and see about the exact date of the signing of the memorandum of understanding, although it will not be tomorrow," Baghaei was quoted as ⁠saying.

"The possibility of this happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out. However, due to the hesitation of the other side, we must be cautious in making any comments about this process."

The two ​sides have repeatedly appeared close to an initial agreement on ending the war without signing a deal, but Sharif said on X: "We are closer to a peace deal than ever before."

U.S. President Donald Trump did not ​immediately comment but reposted Sharif's post.

The war began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Iran then fired on U.S. military targets in the Gulf and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon fired at Israel, triggering a renewal of conflict between Israel and the Iran-aligned group.

The war has killed thousands of people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, and sent global energy prices sharply higher, with Iran effectively blockading the Strait of Hormuz - a major artery for global oil supplies - and the ​U.S. blocking Iranian ports.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an airstrike on the first day of the war and later replaced as supreme leader by his son Mojtaba. Khamenei's funeral will begin ​in Tehran on July 4 and conclude with his burial in his hometown, the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, on July 9, state media reported on Saturday.