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The United States, Iran and their mediator Pakistan each announced on Sunday that Washington and Tehran had reached an agreement intended to end the conflict between them that has lasted more than 100 days.
Writing on social media on Sunday, US President Donald Trump stated: “This Great Deal will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region.”
Representatives for the warring countries said they would formally sign a document in Switzerland on Friday that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council described as a “memorandum of understanding”.
Although the deal does not mark a final agreement, it is expected to open a pathway for negotiations on some of the most contentious issues between the two sides, including Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions imposed on the country.
Still, Tehran has attached preconditions to potential future talks, while Trump has warned about the possibility of renewed military strikes.


What the two sides say about the deal
The full terms of the preliminary peace deal have yet to be officially released, but both the US and Iran have offered their own accounts of its content.
According to the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, “the war and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, will end immediately and permanently” starting on Monday midnight, an assertion echoed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Trump wrote on social media on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen “upon the signing of the Deal on Friday, for purposes of mine removal”.
This followed his post saying that, under the agreement, he would “fully authorize the toll-free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade”.
Tehran also said the coming memorandum of understanding would include a provision that “the naval blockade against Iran will end immediately and completely”.
Yet, Iran’s semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen “with Iranian arrangements” within 30 days under the new agreement.
The report said the “14-point Iran-US draft” memorandum included an American commitment to withdraw its forces from areas surrounding Iran; the suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil, petrochemical products and derivatives; the restoration of full access to Tehran’s financial resources; and a requirement for Washington and its allies to present reconstruction plans for Iran worth at least US$300 billion.
The agreement would pave the way for “60 days of negotiations to reach a final agreement”, the Iranian agency also reported.
It added that Iran would receive US$24 billion in previously blocked funds during the 60-day negotiating period, with half of the amount to be made available before talks begin.
“The final negotiations will not begin before half of Iran’s frozen funds are released, Iran’s oil sanctions are suspended and the maritime blockade is lifted,” the report added.

What has been said about Iran’s nuclear programme
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, said the termination of all sanctions on Iran – including both primary and secondary sanctions, as well as the lifting of resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors – would be among the issues to be negotiated during the potential 60-day period, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported on Sunday.
Gharibabadi also said the text of the memorandum would be published following its official signing on Friday.
In an interview with The New York Times on Sunday, Trump said Iran would be permanently restricted to low-level uranium enrichment that “could never be used by the military”.
He also said that if Iran failed to reach a final nuclear agreement with the US, he would resume military strikes against Tehran or make Washington “the guardian of the Middle East” in exchange for 20 per cent of the region’s revenues.
Speaking with Fox News on Sunday, US Vice-President J.D. Vance said the agreement would ensure that Iran “will never have a nuclear weapon” and would prevent it from procuring or attempting to acquire one.
According to Mehr, Iran has reiterated in the agreement its commitment not to develop nuclear weapons under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
What could come next
Vance said he “certainly” plans to be in Geneva for the signing ceremony on Friday, adding that “it’s possible the President [Trump] himself could be there”.
“We’re still figuring out the logistics on who’s gonna attend that signing ceremony,” the US vice-president told Fox News.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament and its chief negotiator, and the country’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, are reportedly travelling to Geneva to sign the agreement.
Vance, Ghalibaf and Araghchi all took part in face-to-face talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad in April.

Trump is scheduled to travel to France from Monday to Wednesday to attend the Group of Seven summit in France, which could provide an opportunity for the White House leader to discuss the deal with several of Washington’s closest allies.
The US president also had a nearly one-hour call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday, during which the agreement with Iran was discussed.
How others have reacted to the deal
Leaders from multiple countries – including Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Qatar and Turkey – have welcomed the preliminary peace deal between the US and Iran.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described it as a “critical step” towards ending the conflict.
In a joint statement published on Monday, Paris, London, Berlin and Rome said they “are prepared to lift relevant sanctions in response to clear, verifiable steps by Iran on its nuclear programme”.
“Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon,” it added.
Still, the agreement could raise concerns in Israel.
According to Israeli news website Ynet Global, citing an unnamed Israeli official on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Trump that Israel did not consider itself bound by the Lebanon clause in the emerging agreement with Iran, making clear that Israel would not accept any arrangement that limits its freedom to act against Hezbollah, the Islamist militant and political group based in Lebanon.
Israel on Sunday carried out strikes on targets in a southern suburb of Beirut, the Lebanese capital.
In the interview with The New York Times, Trump said he had saved Israel from nuclear obliteration, criticising Netanyahu for launching attacks that the US leader said nearly derailed the agreement with Iran.


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A man stops at a newsstand in Islamabad, Pakistan on Sunday, ahead of the expected US-Iran peace deal signing. Photo: Reuters

US President Donald Trump (left) and US Vice-President J.D. Vance (centre), pictured with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, in Arlington, Virginia, on May 25. Photo: AP

A woman waves an Iranian flag as she chants slogans opposing US-Iran talks, in Tehran on Sunday. Photo: AP

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The conflict ground shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to a standstill. Photo: AP

Iranians walk past a hoarding featuring Iran’s national flag at Enqelab Square in Tehran, Iran on Sunday. Photo: AFP

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Vessels sit in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman, on Sunday. Hundreds of vessels remain stranded in the strategic waterway. Photo: Reuters

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People run as cars burn during an Israeli strike in Sidon, Lebanon, on Wednesday. Photo: AP

People walk next to a mock-up of an Iranian missile in Tehran on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

A person stands in shallow water as cargo and commercial vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Photo: ISNA via AP

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The USS Michael Murphy launching Tomahawk cruise missiles from an unknown location. Photo: CENTCOM via Reuters

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A plume of smoke rises in Karaj, Iran. Photo: Social media via Reuters

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Iranians attend a rally in Tehran after Iran’s attack on Israel on Sunday. Photo: EPA

An Israeli security officer works next to projectile debris following a missile attack from Iran. Photo: Reuters

President Donald Trump with NBC’s Kristen Welker before he walked out of the interview. Photo: TNS

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Memorandum of understanding expected to open pathway for talks on most contentious issues, including nuclear programme and sanctions


Memorandum of understanding expected to open pathway for talks on most contentious issues, including nuclear programme and sanctions.


The US-Iran deal has bought time, but what remains to be achieved?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Memorandum of understanding expected to open pathway for talks on most contentious issues, including nuclear programme and sanctions

Memorandum of understanding expected to open pathway for talks on most contentious issues, including nuclear programme and sanctions