Editor’s note: This is a developing story.
The U.S. and Iran reached a peace agreement that will take effect on Friday, the two sides said Sunday. The prime minister of Pakistan, which has mediated talks, also confirmed a “Peace Deal” has been reached.
The deal is expected to stabilize the ceasefire and kick off 60 days of further negotiations on thorny issues including Iran’s nuclear program.
President Donald Trump announced the diplomatic breakthrough in the early evening. “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” Trump wrote on social media. “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.”
Vice President J.D. Vance told Fox News that he might attend the scheduled signing ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday, but that the White House was “still figuring out the logistics” and that “it’s possible the president himself could be there.”
Details of the agreement remain unclear, but some early reporting suggests that it is more favorable to Iran than the Trump administration has indicated it would be, with reported concessions including the unfreezing by the U.S. of billions of dollars in Iranian frozen funds.
Negotiations on a peace deal had seemed imperiled Sunday morning when Israel struck Beirut. The Islamic Republic of Iran has insisted that the ongoing ceasefire to the Iran War should cover the entire regional war, including the Lebanese front, and analysts say Israel escalates in Lebanon to hamper U.S. diplomacy with Iran.
Trump appeared to react harshly to Israel’s strike. “This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran,” Trump wrote.
The Pakistani prime minister, in his post announcing a peace deal had been reached, said, “Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.” Whether the deal is indeed signed on Friday may depend on whether Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon and refrains from attacking other parts of the country.
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