U.S. and Iran Strike Historic Framework Deal to Halt Conflict, Reopen Strait of Hormuz
The United States and Iran have reached a landmark framework agreement to end their ongoing conflict, according to statements from officials on both sides, marking a potential turning point in the Middle East’s most severe escalation in decades.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the development on his Truth Social platform, writing that “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete.” The agreement calls for the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, according to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who served as a primary mediator in the negotiations.
The official signing ceremony is scheduled for June 19 in Switzerland, Sharif stated. Under the terms of the agreement, the Strait of Hormuz—a critical global energy shipping route that Iran has effectively blockaded for months—will reopen. Trump said he had simultaneously ordered the end of the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.
“Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” Trump wrote on social media.
Global energy markets reacted swiftly to the breakthrough. Oil prices plummeted following the announcement, with Brent crude futures falling approximately 4 percent in early trading, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropped more than 4.6 percent.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated that a 60-day ceasefire period would allow for negotiations on a more comprehensive agreement. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that, under the draft deal, the United States would release approximately $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets, while Iran would formally agree not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons.
The road to the agreement has been fraught with tension. Thousands of people have been killed since U.S. and Israeli forces first struck Iran in late February. The conflict has primarily claimed lives in Iran and Lebanon, with Iran also launching retaliatory strikes against Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases.
However, the deal’s implementation faces immediate hurdles, particularly regarding Israel. Israel, which has stated it is not a party to the planned U.S.-Iran deal, carried out an airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday. The attack drew sharp criticism from both Iran and Trump, who wrote that the strike “should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.”
While the framework mandates a cessation of hostilities, Israel has stated it will retain freedom of operations in Lebanon, whereas Iran has made a complete ceasefire there a non-negotiable demand. How the two allies reconcile this divergence during the 60-day negotiation window remains the most critical variable in the region’s fragile peace.
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