Iran says no signing ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, but officials maintain that an agreement could still be finalized in the coming days as negotiations continue.
ISLAMABAD: Hopes for the signing of the much-anticipated Islamabad memorandum encountered a fresh setback after Iran announced that no formal signing ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts and optimism surrounding the negotiations.
Speaking on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said there was currently no confirmation regarding a Sunday signing. He emphasized that while the possibility of concluding the agreement in the coming days remains open, any definitive timeline will depend on progress made by all parties involved in the talks.
Baghaei urged caution when discussing potential dates, noting that uncertainty remains due to unresolved issues and the absence of a final consensus on scheduling. His remarks suggest that negotiations are still active, even though expectations had grown earlier this week that the memorandum was close to completion.
The development comes only hours after Shehbaz Sharif expressed confidence that a breakthrough was near. The Pakistani prime minister stated that the parties were closer to a peace agreement than at any previous stage of negotiations and suggested that finalization could occur within the next 24 hours.
According to Sharif, the agreement is expected to be electronically signed immediately after completion, followed by technical-level discussions next week to address implementation details. He also thanked the United States, Iran, and regional partners for their continued support and mediation efforts throughout the process.
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