• Shehbaz hopes deal will pave way for lasting peace, says Pakistan preparing for ‘electronic signing’ • Trump claims signing scheduled for today; threatens Iran; official says Washington to take part in de-mining • Iran states deal close but rules out signing today; negotiators not going to Islamabad, Geneva soon ISLAMABAD: In what appears to be a historic milestone for Middle East peace, Islamabad is preparing for an electronic signing by the US and Iran on a framework for a peace deal, to be followed by technical-level talks next week, albeit with varying dates for the remote signing as Trump insisted that it would be inked on Sunday while Iranian authorities denied it would be as early. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a post on X on Saturday, announced that the agreement was expected to be “finalised in the next 24 hours”. The deal was “closer…than ever before”, he wrote, hoping that the deal would lay a “strong foundation for lasting peace”.