Trump says deal with Iran 'very close'

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump claimed on Sunday a US-Iran deal is "very close," urging all parties to stand down.

"We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down," Trump wrote on his Truth Social.

"This morning's attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran," said Trump, claiming the attack as "very small and meaningless" during which "nobody was hurt, injured, or killed" and "should not disrupt this important process."

"There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel," he said.

Also on Sunday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the United States and Iran were still on track to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Sunday, which would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the US blockade on Iranian ports.

"From all I know, we are on track. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when," Hegseth told CBS News.

"If the blockade comes off, then you pull back and you allow shipping to flow, just like Iran needs to allow shipping to go through the straits," Hegseth said. "But we can snap that blockade back at any point."

Iran has not yet made and announced its final decision on the proposed MoU with the United States and is still reviewing it, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported on Sunday.