WASHINGTON/TEHRAN: Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian welcomed on Thursday what he called a “historic” deal with the United States to end their war and pave the way for negotiations toward a final settlement.
“This is a historic document and a message from a powerful Iran: peace will be achieved in the shadow of mutual respect,” Pezeshkian said, in a social media post showing an image of the document, which carried his signature as well as US President Donald Trump and their mediator, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Trump signed the agreement with Iran in Versailles, France on Wednesday that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and waives US-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, according to details released by both countries.
In Tehran, Pezeshkian signed the deal on behalf of Iran, according to the state-run IRNA news agency, which posted an image of him holding up the deal with his signature and Trump’s.
The initial deal to end the war takes “immediate effect” after leaders from both countries signed it, Sharif, who helped mediate the agreement, said online.
The Pakistani leader signed the agreement on Thursday as mediator.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed the importance of dialogue with Gulf Arab states to address misunderstandings and strengthen regional ties during a phone call with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Thursday, according to his Telegram account.
Araghchi also expressed hope that the peace accord with the US would help restore peace and stability in the region.
Switzerland says talks planned for Friday between Iran and US
Initial talks between the United States and Iran are planned at the Buergenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland on Friday.
In a statement, the Swiss foreign ministry said that as things stand, the plan is still for the US and Iran, and mediators Pakistan and Qatar, to meet tomorrow at Buergenstock for initial negotiations about implementing the agreement.
The ministry’s statement removed an earlier reference to “other involved countries” being at the meeting. It added that no further information is currently available regarding the schedule and details of this meeting.
The agreement calls for a permanent end to hostilities and starts a 60-day negotiating clock to reach a final deal on the future of Iran’s nuclear program, though Trump left the door open to resume attacks. It appears to offer Iran several benefits up front while extracting little in return.
The deal has been shrouded in secrecy and confusion for days. US officials refused to disclose the terms even after saying Trump and Vice President JD Vance digitally signed it over the weekend.
Trump signed a physical copy Wednesday while dining with French President Emmanuel Macron at Versailles, the palace where many historic agreements have been signed over the centuries, ending wars or territorial disputes.
The White House had planned a signing ceremony on Friday in Switzerland, but its fate is now uncertain, with conflicting information from the US, Iran and Pakistan.
“It’s signed,” Trump said as he left the dinner at Versailles, which followed his trip to the Group of Seven summit in France.
In a video posted online by a White House aide, Trump was seen seated at a table next to Macron signing a paper copy of the agreement. Trump then handed the document and pen to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as people in the room applauded.
“This was not easy,” Trump said right before he signed it, according to a video posted to social media by Macron.
READ THE FULL TEXT
US-Iran memorandum of understanding released by US
Text of the agreement still has not been formally released by the Americans. US officials dictated draft language to journalists after days of secrecy, speaking on condition of anonymity. Iranian state media has released text that largely tracked what the US put out.
Sharif said the "Islamabad MoU" would enter into full force immedietley, opening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the US Naval blockade and beginning negotiations towards a final deal.
"The signing of this agreement at the highest level of the respective governments demonstrates the commitment of both sides to a diplomatic resolution of the conflict," he said in a post on X.
US President Donald Trump signs the MoU. (X: @Scavino47 via Reuters TV)
The deal will stop the fighting and start more negotiations
Much of the agreement would restore the status quo before the war, including ending hostilities, restarting talks between the US and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial passage for the world’s oil and natural gas whose closure created a historic energy crisis.
The agreement opens the strait without tolls for two months, but does not preclude fees in the future, according to the drafts from both countries.
In return, the US will move to waive, but not eliminate, some wide-ranging sanctions against Iran.
The deal also affirms a commitment to Lebanon’s territorial integrity in the face of Israel’s invasion against the Hezbollah militant group. That is one of the most delicate parts of the agreement because Israel has maintained it will continue to defend itself and to occupy vast swaths of Lebanon. Iran has said Israel must withdraw under the deal, a condition Israel has already rejected.
The US and Israel went to war Feb. 28 in part to prevent Iran from ever getting a nuclear weapon. Trump has cited various goals for the war, including at times vowing it would end Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and its support for Hezbollah and other proxy groups. He also suggested it could lead to toppling the Iranian government.
The interim deal falls short of all those goals, but Trump hailed it as “very strong.”
He also opened the door to abandoning it: “It’s a memorandum of understanding, and if I don’t like it, we’ll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs.”
Opinion
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The US agreement to immediately allow Iran to sell its oil freely and the offer to eventually lift all sanctions are major concessions that go beyond the terms of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Trump withdrew America from that Obama-era pact in his first term, declaring it the “worst deal ever.”
Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, though it is the only country to enrich uranium to 60 percent purity without a weapons program, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The interim deal calls for the IAEA to monitor the “downblending” of that uranium in Iran, without elaborating.
The accord likely will draw intense opposition in Washington, and it appears to be a major setback for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has come under criticism at home from the media, his opponents and even some allies as details emerge.
Under the Obama-era nuclear agreement with Iran that Trump pulled out of, Iran also agreed to restrictions on its nuclear program and promised never to build an atomic weapon in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
Major concessions have been offered to Iran
Some concessions to Iran — including the full lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen assets — would happen gradually and be linked to progress in the nuclear talks, according to Pakistani officials. They outlined some of the deal’s major points on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
But in the meantime, the US will issue waivers to sanctions that allow Iran to sell oil freely.
The Islamic Republic’s oil export revenues in 2024 were more than $46 billion. Its main buyer of oil, China, is believed to have bought at below-market prices because of its willingness to ignore the sanctions.
Granting oil waivers at the start of the 60-day talks strips the US of a major point of leverage. Only at the conclusion of the overall deal in 2015 were sanctions on Iran’s oil lifted.
The interim deal also opens the door to ending all sanctions Iran faces from the US and at the UN — including those over Tehran’s weapons programs and human rights abuses — though it says the schedule for that will be worked out later. Still, that far surpasses the 2015 deal, which only lifted some sanctions in exchange for Iran drastically reducing its enrichment and stockpile of uranium.
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The accord would also provide Iran with at least $300 billion to rebuild — an extraordinary figure and another major benefit for Iran. The money also appears dependent on the progress of further negotiations.
Vance has said Gulf Arab nations would invest that amount. But Gulf countries would likely be reluctant to help Iran after Iranian attacks in the war destroyed oil facilities and other sites in their territory.
Trump reiterated Wednesday that the US would not contribute and said it was up to other countries if they wanted to invest.
The pact would provide relief to the global economy
The initial deal provides a major win for the global economy — the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf through which a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas once passed before the war began. Since then, Iranian attacks on shipping and the threat to vessels effectively shut the strait.
The strait’s closure drove up energy prices around the world and made many basics, including food, more expensive. Iran let through some vessels that paid tolls, something never done before in the strait, which has long been considered an international waterway. The US later provided military support to get other tankers out, but traffic was nowhere near levels before the war.
The deal also says the US will lift a blockade imposed on Iranian ports and that the strait will return to its prewar traffic levels in 30 days, while acknowledging Iranian mines may need to be destroyed.
US will restart military action, reimpose blockade if Iran does not fulfill commitments, Hegseth says
On Thursday US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that the US will restart military action and reimpose a blockade if Iran does not fulfill its commitments under the agreement.
“The president has pointed out that we will be prepared to recommence if underneath the timeline of these talks, Iran does not do what it says it’s going to do,” Hegseth said in Brussels after meeting NATO defense ministers.
“If Iran doesn’t comply, then we’re more than able to reimpose an ironclad blockade.”
— with AFP, AP and Reuters
