US, Iran reach peace deal, signing set for Friday, Pakistan says
Written by: Parisa Hafezi and Phil Stewart
DUBAI/WASHINGTON, June 15 (Reuters) – The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to end their war and will hold an official signing ceremony in Switzerland on Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on social media early on Monday.
“The agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform shortly after Sharif made his announcement.
The agreement was signed despite Israel’s attack on Lebanon on Sunday, which was criticized by both Iran and US President Donald Trump.
The exact terms of the deal were not immediately known. Sharif said the agreement calls for “an immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon.”
Multiple sources had previously told Reuters that the draft agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, end the US blockade of Iranian ports and extend the ceasefire, while Iran’s nuclear program would be discussed during an additional 60-day period of negotiations.
In his social media post, Trump said that the strait would be opened “free of charge” and that the US naval blockade would end.
“Earth Ships, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” Trump wrote.
Earlier Sunday, Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said in a post on
Iran’s foreign ministry announced that it held the United States responsible for the attack. Iran warned of a “strong response” and its top joint military command said it had its “finger on the trigger” and was ready to fire “into the heart of the enemy”.
In a post on the Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump said: “The attack on Beirut this morning should not have happened, especially on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Agreement with Iran.”
Israel has said it is not a party to the planned US-Iran deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disagrees with Trump over American demands that Israel halt military action in Lebanon to allow the United States to reach a deal with Iran.
The conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah flared up again in February with the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran.
A senior Iranian official had previously told Reuters that under the terms of the draft deal, the United States would agree to release $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets, while Iran would agree not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons. The official said Iran agreed to maintain the nuclear status quo, including not enriching uranium or expanding nuclear facilities until a final agreement is reached.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Kim Coghill, Timothy Heritage and Joseph Axe; Editing by Sergio Non, William Mallard, Alex Richardson, Will Dunham and Barbara Lewis)
