US President Donald Trump said the still-negotiated framework agreement between the US and Iran to end the war in the Middle East could be finalised “next week”, ABC News reported yesterday, Monday.
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According to the network, the Republican saidto a reporter by phone that a memorandum of understanding to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend the cease-fire could be signed “over the next week.”
“I need to secure a few more points,” Mr. Trump, according to ABC News, clarifying that he has not yet given the go-ahead for that.
There has been no public confirmation from Iran that a deal is imminent. Mr. Trump has announced ambitious timelines in the past that have not been verified.
The two sides are negotiating a framework agreement that includes a ceasefire extension to be implemented from 8April. However, despite the truce, the parties have repeatedly engaged in exchanges of fire in recent weeks.
The war in the Middle East, which erupted with the attack by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28 28, has claimed thousands of lives, mostly in the Islamic Republic and Lebanon, and has shaken the global economy, driving up oil prices, mainly because the Iranian side has closed de facto the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime artery for international hydrocarbon trade.
