00:00U.S. President Donald Trump and mediator Pakistan said on Saturday an initial deal to end the war in the
00:06Middle East would be signed on Sunday.
00:09Iran denied the signing would take place so soon.
00:12Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said the two sides had agreed on a framework for a peace deal
00:18and that Islamabad was preparing for an electronic signing on Sunday to be followed by technical-level talks next week.
00:25Trump said on social media that after it was signed, the Strait of Hormuz would be open to all.
00:31Sources on all sides confirmed the proposed Memorandum of Understanding calls for the opening of the waterway which one-fifth
00:38of the world's oil and gas traverses.
00:41In return for opening the strait, sources told Reuters the U.S. would begin releasing billions of dollars in frozen
00:47Iranian assets and waive sanctions on its oil exports.
00:52Negotiations over Iran's nuclear program would take place afterward.
00:57A U.S. official said the agreement would ultimately lead to the dismantling of Iran's nuclear program,
01:03with its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to be destroyed and removed.
01:08But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi said that Iran, which sources said has not accepted the dismantling of its nuclear
01:15program,
01:16wanted to retain the uranium in diluted form.
01:18Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would not be party to the agreement.
01:24Arachi said the agreement would end the war in Lebanon, implying an Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas.
01:31Israel's defense minister said it would not withdraw.
01:34A senior Israeli official said Israel expects to retain its freedom to act against threats.
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