ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday signed as a mediator the United States-Iran peace deal to end their months-long war, ease sanctions on Tehran and open the Strait of Hormuz, following the signing of the agreement by President Donald Trump and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian.
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, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, AP reported, citing both governments.
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. The White House has planned a formal signing ceremony in Switzerland on Friday.
“Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (Islamabad MoU) as mediator,” Sharif’s office said on Thursday.
“The Islamabad MOU (memorandum of understanding) has been signed by President of USA Donald J. Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pazeshkian.”
The White House earlier on Thursday confirmed to Arab News about the signing of the deal by both US and Iran.
Trump signed a physical copy 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.
“It’s signed,” Trump said as he left the dinner at Versailles, which followed his trip to the Group of Seven summit in France.
‘THIS WAS NOT EASY’
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.
In Tehran, President Masoud 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.
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.
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.
‘IRAN TO INSTANTLY REOPEN THE STRAIT’
Sharif said the signing of the agreement at the highest level of the respective governments demonstrated the commitment of both sides to a diplomatic resolution of the conflict. Pakistan led a diplomatic push toward ending the conflict and hosted rare, direct talks between the US and Iran in April
“Islamabad MoU shall enter into force with immediate effect and as a first step, Islamic Republic of Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States of America will immediately lift the naval blockade,” he said on X.
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 THREAT
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.”
