TEHRAN (AFP) -- United States President Donald Trump said that a deal with Iran to end the war in the Middle East could be signed Sunday, but Iranian media reported that Tehran has not made a final decision on signing the agreement.
The "finalization" of this agreement is expected "within the next 24 hours," Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday on X, adding that it will be signed electronically, without going into further detail or specifying what this would involve.
He said "technical level talks" are expected to follow next week.
A Pakistani foreign ministry statement also said the signing was planned for Sunday.
Iran's Fars news agency said on Sunday, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has not yet taken or announced its final decision concerning the memorandum of understanding proposed during negotiations," citing "a well-informed source close to the Iranian negotiating team."
The prospective agreement has faced opposition from hardline Iranian figures, who argue that it does not serve Iran's interests and would deprive Tehran of leverage over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, there were fresh skirmishes in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded since early in the war, throwing global markets into turmoil.
"The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL," a post on Trump's official Truth Social platform read on Saturday.
Since an 8 April truce paused the worst of the fighting, Trump has repeatedly insisted a deal was imminent, only for the wrangling to drag on.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei had said earlier on Saturday that the date of the signing was yet to be determined, but "it will not be tomorrow."
However, he added: "The possibility of this happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out."
The warring parties have nonetheless released conflicting information about the contents of the deal, as each seeks to show it emerged from the war with the upper hand.
A Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran on Sunday, Iranian media and a diplomat said, as part of the mediation process to end the war.
Iran's ISNA news agency reported an adviser to Qatar's foreign minister had been dispatched to the Islamic republic.
Another Iranian news agency Tasnim said the purpose of the visit was to "go over the latest developments regarding the diplomatic process."
A diplomat with knowledge of the situation told Agence France-Presse on Sunday that "Qatari negotiators flew to Tehran this morning."
Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, the diplomat said the delegation travelled "to help facilitate the finalization of the agreement."
Hormuz drones
Tehran has insisted it will maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime trade route for oil and gas shipments from the Gulf.
Since imposing its blockade, Iran has demanded vessels obtain permission from its armed forces before transiting the waterway, and has established a new body to oversee it and collect tolls.
The US has responded with its own blockade of Iranian ports.
The US military's Central Command said earlier Saturday Iran had "launched multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait."
It added that "US forces have downed all of them in recent hours."
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in an interview with state television Friday, had said the deal on the table called for the lifting of the US naval blockade.