US lifts naval blockade as Iran’s supreme leader says Trump made deal ‘out of desperation’

The USA lifted the naval blockade it imposed on Iran after the two countries Signed an agreement to end the war in the Middle East.

US Central Command confirmed that the blockade on the X had been lifted “as directed by the President” and said some US ships would remain in the “general area”.

Shortly afterwards, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he approved the agreement with the US without elaborating, despite having a “different view”. He said he allowed it to continue after Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian gave him assurances that he would “protect the rights of the Iranian nation.”

Khamenei said President Trump “used all kinds of pressure out of desperation” to achieve the deal.

The religious leader said that “face-to-face negotiations” could be held in the future between Tehran and Washington, but that this “will not mean acceptance of the enemy’s position.”

This is the first time Khamenei has responded to the agreement. He has not been seen in public since taking office in March after his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on February 28 in US-Israeli attacks on Iran that sparked a regional war.

Trump did not directly respond to Khamenei’s statement, but shared on Truth Social that he expects a ceasefire to go into effect “on all fronts,” including between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, and that he expects countries in the Middle East to “remain committed to allowing our negotiations to take place.”

At the heart of the US-Iran deal 14 basic pointsThese include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a requirement that Iran never acquire nuclear weapons and a commitment to fund $300bn (£227bn) for the country’s “reconstruction and economic development”, although the US is not required to contribute.

It also binds both parties to reach a final agreement within “no more than” 60 days, which may be extended by mutual consent.

The official signing ceremony was planned to be held in Switzerland on Friday. However, mediator Pakistan told the BBC that the agreement was canceled because it was signed remotely. US and Iranian representatives are expected to meet in Switzerland for future talks.

Speaking to reporters at a White House briefing, US Vice President J.D. Vance said the agreement had entered into force, triggering a continuation of 60 days of negotiations, and that he would likely travel to Switzerland for “technical negotiations.”

He did not confirm when, adding that Iran was “not an easy country to get out of” and that they were “trying to figure out exactly when that was going to happen”.

Trump’s decision to end the war with Iran has drawn criticism from some in the United States, including Republicans who are uncomfortable with the terms of the deal, especially the provision of reconstruction funds for Iran.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy called the agreement “the worst foreign policy mistake in years.”

“Iran’s nuclear ambitions have not been restrained, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works,” he said.

Vance defended the deal on Thursday, saying there would be no money or sanctions relief unless Iran fulfills obligations outlined in the agreement.

He said the agreement, known as the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), required Iran to destroy its stockpile of enriched uranium and demonstrate that it would not finance proxy groups in the region.

Vance also condemned members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet for criticizing the Iran deal, saying they should “wake up and smell the truth.”

“If I were in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not attack my only remaining strong ally anywhere in the world,” the vice president told reporters.

In an interview also published in the New York Times on Thursday, Vance named Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich as critics of the deal.

He said: “I think my answer to them would be: What exactly is your proposal? You’re a country of nine million people. You can’t just kill your way to solving every national security problem you face.”

Netanyahu stressed on Thursday the importance of maintaining Israel’s close ties with the United States, saying Washington stood “shoulder to shoulder” with the country during the war with Iran.

But both Israel and Hezbollah have launched attacks on each other since the US-Iran deal was announced, including attacks that killed three people in Lebanon on Thursday.

Israel argues that its conflict with Hezbollah is different from its war with Iran. Hezbollah also rejected the terms of the agreement between Iran and the United States.

Vance told reporters that Israel should respect the peace process with Iran and that this was good for them, and that the attacks that killed civilians in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, were “unacceptable”.