Iran, US announce deal on ending war, reopening Hormuz
Deputy FM: Peace agreement to be signed on Friday
Iran and the United States announced a peace agreement on Monday after a marathon of negotiations mediated by Pakistan, with the Iranian president saying that the deal will be signed on Friday.
Details of the agreement were not immediately released, but it appeared that it would not be implemented until it is signed, which mediator Pakistan and Iran said would happen in Geneva.
Until then, shipping will likely remain restricted in the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed by Iran following the US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic on February 28.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that the agreement will be signed on Friday.
Announcing the agreement in a post on social media on the early hours of Monday, Trump said the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping route for global oil and gas supplies that Iran has effectively shut down for months, would open on Friday, and that he had ordered the end of the US blockade of Iranian ports.
"The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!"
His post came shortly after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has served as a mediator, announced a deal had been struck.
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."
The secretariat of Iran's Supreme National Security Council said war and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, would end permanently starting on Monday night.
Shortly after the announcement of the agreement, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi in a televised interview gave some details of the framework which paves the way for 60-day negotiations over a final agreement covering Iran's nuclear program and relief of longstanding sanctions against it.
Gharibabadi declared that starting Monday night, the US naval blockade against Iran will be terminated, along with “the immediate and permanent end of the war and military operations on various fronts, including Lebanon.”
He also outlined the two‑stage process following Friday’s signing. First, a verification period will begin immediately.
“On Friday, we will have an official signing, and the heads of the two delegations will hold talks to determine the future arrangements of the negotiations. Until then, the US side’s commitments regarding ending the war, lifting the blockade, and releasing assets will be verified. Entering the 60‑day negotiations is conditional on the implementation of these US commitments.”
During the 60‑day negotiation period, he said, several issues will be discussed, including ending sanctions against Iran.
He said the nuclear issue will also be discussed, along with a mechanism for the reconstruction and economic development of Iran following the war.
A diplomat told AFP on Monday that the US and Iran are to hold indirect meetings in Doha ahead of the formal signing of the agreement.