Washington, United States. U.S. and Iranian officials said they had agreed on a framework to end their war, halt the U.S. blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while leaving the fate of Iran’s nuclear program to further negotiations. The preliminary pact sent oil prices falling following the announcement.
Announcement and timeline
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform around 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday that “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete.” His post came shortly after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has served as a mediator, said a deal had been struck early on Monday local time.
The memorandum of understanding is scheduled to be officially signed on Friday in Switzerland.
Terms outlined by officials
The precise terms 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.”
In a statement, 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.
Lebanon and regional hostilities
Lebanon has been a sticking point in negotiations, with Israel and Hezbollah ignoring calls from Trump and others in recent weeks to stop their attacks on each other.
There was no immediate reaction to the announcement from Israel, which has said it was not party to the U.S.-Iran talks.
Further negotiations
Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said a more expansive agreement would be negotiated during a 60-day ceasefire period, including sanctions relief for Iran.
The fate of Iran’s nuclear program will also be addressed in those later talks, according to sources previously cited by Reuters.
Shipping and blockade
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. He also said he had ordered the end of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.