Trump says deal with Iran close while Isreal continues strikes on Lebanon

U.S. President Donald Trump says a deal is close to being signed that will see the end of the war in Iran.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif added, “The deal will likely be expected in the next 24 hours, with technical-level talks beginning next week if the deal is signed this weekend.”

It must be said that it is unlikely the deal will be signed by tomorrow.

Iran is expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that commits it to doing away with its nuclear sites and not enriching uranium over the next 15 to 20 years.

President Trump has made it clear that under no circumstances must Iran be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.

But while negotiations have been taking place feverishly, U.S. forces have downed a number of Iranian attack drones over the Strait of Hormuz.

“U.S. forces have downed all of them in recent hours as traffic flow through the Strait continues unimpeded. The international trade corridor remains open for transit,” said U.S. Central Command.

President Trump has said Iran will pay a heavy price if it attacks ships in the Strait of Hormuz and impedes international trade.

A stumbling block to a deal being consummated is Israel’s air strikes on the south of Lebanon and its demand that people there vacate the area.

Iran wants Israel to stop its attacks on Hezbollah and to lift the U.S. blockade imposed on Iran. The way Iran sees it, Lebanon is a vital part of any peace deal. Israel maintains that Hezbollah poses a threat to its safety and that it has a stronghold over Lebanon and must therefore be eradicated.

The war which President Trump said would be over in two weeks back in February has dragged on for over 100 days.

The U.S. is demanding that Iran immediately stop funding proxy groups in the region, thus having to withdraw its support for both Hamas and Hezbollah.

President Trump has said that if  Iran doesn’t sign a deal quickly, the U.S. will seize control of Iran’s oil facility on Kharg Island and continue airstrikes across the country.

“They’ve taken a pounding as very few people could take, and they want to make the deal a lot more than I do. They’d better get their act together and fast. We are going to get a good outcome, one way or the other,”  said President Trump.