Iran says signing of Islamabad memorandum will not take place on Sunday

The exact timing of the signing ⁠of the Islamabad ⁠memorandum will not be on Sunday, ⁠Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, according to state media on Saturday.

Baghaei said the ⁠possibility of ⁠signing the Islamabad memorandum in the coming days could not be ruled out, ⁠but added that caution was needed regarding any comment on the signing date ⁠due ‌to ‌the hesitation ⁠of ‌the other side.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the Islamabad MoU focuses on ending the war, while the nuclear issue will not be discussed at this stage.

"We will have to wait and see about the exact time of signing the memorandum; although it will not be tomorrow, the possibility of this happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out," Baghaei added in statements carried by Tasnim News Agency.

He said Iran must be "cautious," citing what he called Washington's "hesitation" in making comments about the process.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said early Saturday that Iran and the US are "closer to a peace deal than ever before," with the deal expected to be finalized within the next 24 hours.

"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," Sharif said in a post on the US social media company X.

The Pakistan-mediated negotiations have focused on ending hostilities between Iran and the United States, reopening the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic and reaching consensus on Iran's nuclear program.

Iranian officials have repeatedly said a large portion of the text has already been agreed upon, while accusing Washington of slowing progress through shifting positions and contradictory statements.

The region has remained on edge since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in late February, triggering Iranian retaliation against Israel and other regional countries hosting US assets, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's key energy chokepoints