Washington (United States) (AFP) – The United States and Iran agreed to a peace deal and an “immediate and permanent” end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, mediator Pakistan announced, signaling the apparent end to more than three months of war in the Middle East. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif posted on X that a peace deal “has been REACHED,” and an official signing ceremony will be held on June 19 in Switzerland.
“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” US President Donald Trump swiftly confirmed in his statement on Sunday, as he marked his 80th birthday. “I hereby fully authorize the toll-free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”
Soon after, Iran stated that the newly announced agreement with the United States put an “immediate end” to the countries’ war. “A permanent and immediate end to the war has been declared on all fronts, including Lebanon,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in televised comments. Just hours earlier, Tehran had vowed to retaliate against an Israeli strike on Iranian ally Hezbollah in the suburbs of Beirut, which had threatened to push back the agreement. However, later in the day, Pakistan’s Sharif made the announcement that a deal had been struck, thanking the US and Iran “for finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict.”
“Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” Sharif wrote, adding thanks to leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey for their support in the mediation effort.
It was a rollercoaster Sunday, with Trump in the morning angrily blaming Israel for delaying the signing with the airstrike on Beirut, which he said had postponed the agreement. In an expletive-laden phone interview with US news outlet Axios, Trump expressed his anger towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, “I was so pissed off. I let him know.” The last time Israel struck the Beirut suburbs, it triggered one of the strongest jolts yet to a ceasefire that has largely held since April, with Iran retaliating with a missile barrage and Israel responding with strikes.
Tehran has long demanded that any agreement to halt the war must include the parallel conflict in Lebanon, where Israel has been pursuing a campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah. The war began in late February, with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which retaliated with attacks on Israel and US allies in the region, virtually blocking ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz—a vital route for global oil and natural gas supplies. The US retaliated to that by blockading ship traffic to Iranian ports. Trump said Sunday that the strait would open after the ceremony in Switzerland.
The blockade of the strait has had a worldwide economic impact, from inflated gas prices that have fueled inflation in the US and many other countries to congested supply chains for goods like fertilizers, which are key to food production in areas far beyond the Middle East. “What we’re going to be able to do is drive down the cost of energy, not just now but for the long term, and create a real engine of prosperity in the Middle East,” US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News after the agreement was announced. He mentioned his plans to attend the signing of the peace deal, which was slated to take place in Geneva, and noted that it was possible Trump could also be present.
“I certainly plan to be there, but it’s possible the president himself could be there,” Vance said.
The content of the agreement, which follows weeks of fraught negotiations, remains unclear. The warring parties have released conflicting information about the contents of the deal, as each seeks to show it emerged from the war with the upper hand. Tehran has insisted it will maintain control over the vital Strait of Hormuz, but the US has repeatedly stated this would be unacceptable.
Another key sticking point in the talks has been the fate of Iran’s nuclear program, particularly its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is believed to have been buried by US strikes last year. Trump has justified the war as necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons—a goal Iran has long denied—and had previously stated that the US would remove and destroy the uranium. On Saturday, Trump said, “When all is calm, we will go in and get the Nuclear Dust… and downblend and destroy it, whether in Iran or the United States.”
© 2024 AFP
