The United States and Iran have agreed to end their conflict, with the Strait of Hormuz set to reopen under the terms of the framework deal.
The United States and Iran have agreed to a deal to end their conflict, with US President Donald Trump announcing that the Strait of Hormuz oil shipping channel would reopen upon the signing of the initial agreement in Switzerland on Friday.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country mediated the negotiations, announced the deal on Sunday, stating that both sides had declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts. Trump said he had ordered the immediate removal of a US naval blockade of Iranian ports. The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and natural gas travels, has been effectively closed since the conflict began on February 28, driving up fuel prices worldwide.
The deal will extend a ceasefire agreed on April 8 for another 60 days, during which both sides will work out the details of a final agreement. Key issues under negotiation include Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme and sanctions relief. US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that Iran never possessing a nuclear weapon was built into the agreement and that the US would be able to verify compliance. Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed the end of military operations on Iranian state television. In a joint statement, the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy said Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon and expressed readiness to lift relevant sanctions in response to clear and verifiable steps by Iran on its nuclear programme. Israeli politicians, however, pushed back on the deal, with Defence Minister Israel Katz opposing a withdrawal from Lebanese territory occupied by Israel and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir stating that the agreement did not bind Israel.
Source: BBC
