The United States and Iran have reached a deal to end their war, US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted on Sunday (Jun 14).
"The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform around 5.30pm local time in Washington on Sunday, shortly after Sharif announced the agreement early on Monday local time in Pakistan, which has served as a mediator.
The precise terms of the deal were not immediately known. Sharif said in a post on X that the pact called for "the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon".
Trump said the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane for global energy supplies that Iran has effectively shut down for months, would be open "toll free" and that a US naval blockade of Iran ports would also end.
"Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!" Trump wrote.
The deal will be officially signed on Friday in Switzerland, Sharif wrote.
Multiple sources previously told Reuters that the draft deal would reopen the strait, end the US naval blockade and extend a ceasefire, while leaving Iran's nuclear program to be addressed during a 60-day period of additional talks.
Thousands of people have been killed, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, since US and Israeli forces first attacked Iran on Feb 28.
Iran has struck Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases and has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, pushing up global energy prices. US forces have blocked Iranian ports in response.
Israel has said it was not a party to the planned US-Iran deal.
The Iran war has become a political liability at home for Trump and his fellow Republicans in Congress, with public opinion polls showing Americans deeply frustrated by rising gas prices ahead of November's midterm elections in which control of Congress will be decided.
ISRAELI ATTACK
The agreement was sealed despite an Israeli strike on Lebanon on Sunday that drew criticism from both Iran and Trump.
Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf earlier said Israel's latest attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut, which Israel said targeted Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants, showed the US lacks "the will and ability to fulfill your commitments" in a post on X.
Iran's foreign ministry said it held the US responsible for the attack. Iran warned of a "strong response", and its top joint military command said the "finger (is) on the trigger" ready to fire at the "enemy's heart".
In a post earlier on Sunday, Trump said: "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."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has differed with Trump over American demands that Israel curb its military action in Lebanon to allow the US to reach a deal with Iran.
Fox News quoted an unidentified diplomat involved in the talks as saying the Israeli strikes complicated efforts to finalise the US-Iran deal, and calling them an attempt to sabotage those efforts.
Israel did not respond to the assertion. Israel has said it will retain freedom of operation in Lebanon, while Iran has made a full ceasefire there an important component of its demands.
Trump updated Netanyahu on the progress toward a peace deal during a phone call on Sunday, Israel's N12 reported, citing a senior official.
DEAL TERMS
A senior Iranian official earlier told Reuters that, under the terms of the draft deal, the US would agree to release US$25 billion of frozen Iranian assets, while Iran would agree not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons. The official said Iran agreed to maintain the nuclear status quo, including no uranium enrichment or expanding nuclear facilities, until a final deal is reached.
A US official, speaking before the deal was announced, said the agreement would ultimately lead to the dismantling of Iran's nuclear program, with its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to be destroyed and removed. A senior Iranian official said the draft deal would allow Iran, which denies seeking a nuclear bomb, to dilute its enriched uranium inside the country.
Qatari negotiators flew to Tehran on Sunday morning as part of efforts to finalise the agreement, a source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.
At pro-government rallies across Iran on Saturday night, residents and news agencies reported that hardliners opposed to the framework agreement loudly voiced their dissatisfaction.
A resident in the northeastern city of Mashhad told Reuters that some protesters chanted "Death to the compromiser", in an apparent reference to Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
Source: Reuters
– Agencies
