The United States and Iran appear to be getting closer to an agreement to end their war, with US President Donald Trump and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif – whose government is actively facilitating talks between Washington and Tehran – indicating that a peace deal is almost finalized and could be signed soon.Read this also deal or No deal? US-Iran’s conflicting accounts on peace terms put the world at riskHowever, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that an understanding has “never been so close”, officials in Tehran remained cautious, saying several key issues remained unresolved and dismissing reports that a formal signing ceremony had already been scheduled.Here’s what we know about the ‘peace deal’ between the United States and IranDeal will be signed on Sunday: Donald TrumpTrump said Saturday that an agreement with Iran to end the conflict would be signed on Sunday and that the strategically important Strait of Hormuz would be reopened to international shipping immediately afterward.“The deal is set to be signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Strait of Hormuz is open to all,” he wrote on Truth Social, describing what would be a major diplomatic breakthrough after months of tension and negotiations.The US President also compared the proposed agreement to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was negotiated under former President Barack Obama.Trump posted, “Barack Hussein Obama’s deal with Iran, the JCPOA, was an easy, beautiful, easy path to a nuclear weapon that Iran would have had six years ago, and used long before now. My deal with Iran is the exact opposite, a wall without a nuclear weapon! In fact, they no longer want a nuclear weapon, nor will they have a nuclear weapon through purchase, development or any other form of procurement.”However, Trump has repeatedly predicted that a deal was imminent. Including his latest comments, he has now claimed on 39 separate occasions that a deal was close to being signed.US-Iran agreement within 24 hours: Shehbaz SharifTrump’s comments came soon after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that a peace deal was “likely” to be finalized within the next 24 hours.“We are closer to a peace agreement than ever before. With it expected to be finalized in the next 24 hours, Pakistan is preparing for immediate electronic signing of the peace agreement, followed by technical level talks next week. We are confident that this historic peace agreement will lay a strong foundation for lasting peace,” Sharif wrote on Twitter.Pakistan’s Foreign Office also released details of the conversation between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.According to the statement, Prince Faisal appreciated Islamabad’s “consistent and sustained efforts” to promote mediation and dialogue throughout the talks.The latest optimism contrasts with the outcome of the initial round of talks held in Islamabad on April 12-13, which ended without any breakthrough.Iran remains alertMeanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai rejected reports that an agreement would be signed on Sunday.“We will have to wait and see about the right time for the signing; although it will not happen tomorrow,” IRNA news agency quoted Baghai as saying.He said that although the signing was not expected on Sunday, “the possibility of it happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out.”Baghai also rejected reports that Iranian negotiators were preparing to travel to Geneva or Islamabad for a signing ceremony, denying claims that Tehran’s negotiating team planned to visit either city in the “next day or two”, while earlier Pakistani statements had suggested the agreement could be finalized within 24 hours.Iran agreed not to develop nuclear weapons?According to a senior Trump administration official, the proposed agreement would require Iran to permanently abandon the development or acquisition of nuclear weapons, eliminate its stockpile of enriched nuclear material and dismantle the infrastructure that enables weapons production.Any sanctions relief will be phased in only after Iranian compliance has been confirmed under strict verification and inspection, with a 60-day technical negotiation period envisaged to finalize implementation details.The official further said that the deal would still allow Tehran to maintain a civilian nuclear energy program, provided it could not be used as a path to developing nuclear weapons.(With ANI inputs)