The US and Iran have reached a peace deal to end their three-and-a-half-month-old war, President Trump announced Sunday evening.
The Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20% of the world’s oil, is set to reopen on Friday when a deal is signed in Switzerland, officials said.
“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”
The signing will launch a 60-day negotiating process to determine the fate of Iran’s nuclear program and the extent of sanctions relief, according to officials.
“Following intensive talks, we are pleased to announce that the Peace Deal between the United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran has been REACHED,” Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on X. “Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts.”
The agreement has not been seen publicly, but the White House on Friday described to reporters five points that are in the deal:
- Iran will destroy its highly enriched uranium
- Tehran will pledge never to obtain a nuclear weapon
- Economic relief will come after those first two steps are completed
- The Strait of Hormuz will be open immediately upon signing
- Iran must stop funding terrorist groups including Hezbollah
A senior administration official said the economic relief would be released “around physical milestones, it’s built around action and it’s built around verification.”
Pakistan will help facilitate “a series of meetings this week” in the lead-up to the formal event in Switzerland, during which the parties will “lay the foundation for the technical talks and the official signing ceremony,” the prime minister added.
Meanwhile, Qatari negotiators flew into Tehran on Sunday morning in coordination with the US to help with sealing the agreement.
“Qatari mediators have left Tehran after 17 hours of intensive negotiations. A deal has been reached, and separate preparatory meetings with each side will now take place in Qatar this week,” a diplomat briefed on developments told The Post Sunday evening.
Trump, meanwhile, is flying the French resort of Evian-les-Baines early Monday for the annual meeting of G7 leaders on the shores of Lake Geneva. It was not immediately clear whether he would attend the planned Friday signing.
The breakthrough — which was briefly put in jeopardy Sunday after Israel launched strikes on Hezbollah targets outside Beirut — caps months of diplomacy led by Pakistani officials, who emerged as the primary channel between Washington and Tehran after direct negotiations repeatedly stalled.
The deal was originally meant to include the lifting of the American naval blockade on Iranian ports in a phased approach as the Strait of Hormuz gradually reopened, a US official said Friday.
An Iranian source said that changed on Sunday as the US worked to bring Iran back to the table after Israel’s strikes nearly spoiled the deal.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told Iranian media that negotiations on the memorandum of understanding were ongoing until roughly 5 p.m. ET Sunday, with Tehran ensuring it had included all of its “last points and demands.”
“The issue of the American side’s commitments regarding ending the war, lifting the siege, and releasing assets will be verified,” he said, according to Iran’s state-run Press TV.
“Entering the 60-day negotiations is contingent on the implementation of these commitments by the United States.”
Gharibabadi further added that the text of the agreement would not be released for public consumption until after it is formally signed.
Trump expressed his fury with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the strikes in a Sunday midday call.
Trump told Fox News’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Trey Yingst that he had asked Netanyahu over the phone, “What the f— are you doing?”, adding to Axios that the Israeli PM has “no f–king judgment.”
The US and Israel began launching strikes on Iran Feb. 28, and carried on for weeks until a cease-fire was established on April 8 ahead of in-person talks in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Throughout the conflict, Iran held hostage trade through the Strait of Hormuz by attacking passing shipping vessels, shutting down the critical oil chokepoint and sending the price of oil skyrocketing. Trump responded by ordering the blockade of Iran ports and maritime traffic April 13.
While the White House maintained that diplomacy remained its preferred option, Trump had warned that attacks resulting in American casualties could trigger a return to major combat operations.
The president also repeatedly signaled that military pressure would remain in place until Tehran agreed to not just the framework memorandum, but a broader peace deal that the nations hope to achieve at the end of the 60-day period.
— Steven Nelson contributed additional reporting.
