US President Donald Trump announced that a framework agreement had been reached to end hostilities in the Middle East, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the US blockade of Iranian ports.
“The agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now finalised,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, announcing a deal that will open a 60-day period for the conclusion of a more detailed peace agreement between Washington and Tehran.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country acted as a mediator between the US and Iran, confirmed the peace agreement and announced a signing ceremony scheduled for 19 June in Switzerland.
Iran confirmed the agreement, with Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stating on 15 June that “a final and immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, has been announced”.
He added that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen on 19 June following the official signing of the agreement.
If a final agreement is indeed signed, it will mark the biggest step towards ending the conflict in the Middle East since hostilities began on 28 February, when the US and Israel launched air strikes against Iran.
“This major deal will bring peace and security to the entire region,” Trump wrote.
Iran’s state news agency Mehr published what it said were details of a 14-point memorandum of understanding, stating that it provides for 60 days of negotiations on nuclear issues and the complete lifting of sanctions against Tehran.
Trump emphasised that a key element of any comprehensive peace agreement would be a guarantee that Iran would not acquire nuclear weapons and that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to free navigation.
Earlier, Reuters quoted a senior Iranian official who stated that, under the terms of the draft agreement, the United States would agree to return $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets, whilst Tehran would agree not to produce or purchase nuclear weapons.
The official stated that Iran had agreed to maintain the nuclear status quo, specifically not to enrich uranium or expand nuclear facilities, until a final agreement is reached.
The Fars news agency, which is close to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that “it had been decided that maritime traffic through the Persian Gulf would be regulated by Iran in coordination with Oman”, which contradicts Trump’s previous comments.
Iran’s military command declared the peace agreement a victory for the country.
Earlier, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that the agreement would be signed electronically either by himself or by Vice-President J.D. Vance.
Vance later stated that he planned to attend the signing of the agreement in Geneva, and that Trump “might” also be able to do so.
Following the first US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran in late February, the conflict later spread across the Middle East after Tehran responded by launching drones and missiles against US allies in the Persian Gulf.
A parallel conflict erupted in Lebanon, where Israel attacked strongholds of the Hezbollah militant group, which had been firing rockets across the border into Israel. The Iran-backed Hezbollah, a militant group and political party controlling a significant part of southern Lebanon, is considered a terrorist organisation by the US, whilst the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political wing.
Israel has not yet commented on the announcement of the peace agreement. Western leaders have welcomed the agreement between the US and Iran and stated that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to free navigation, and that Tehran must never possess nuclear weapons. In particular, French President Emmanuel Macron, who will host the G7 summit on 15 June, stated that the agreement “should enable the urgent and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which an international mission established in conjunction with the United Kingdom stands ready to support”.