The U.S. and Iran agreed to a peace deal that brings the two countries one step closer to ending the more than 100 days of war. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the deal Sunday — his country served as a mediator for talks — and President Donald Trump confirmed the U.S.’ acceptance of the deal to The Wall Street Journal.
In a post on X, Sharif said the U.S. and Iran would participate in meetings with mediators throughout the week. Both countries will sign the deal Friday in Switzerland, he said. Trump previously said the two nations would sign the deal electronically, according to The Journal.
The deal has been widely described as a “memorandum of understanding” instead of a ceasefire. Trump called it a “major step” towards ending fighting on a call with The Journal.
It provides a framework to reopen the Strait of Hormuz immediately, and Iran would also need to agree not to obtain nuclear weapons. The agreement allows for 60 days of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program and frozen foreign assets.
“We’ll get the nuclear dust later on when we’re ready to go in and do it. I’d say over the next month or two, there’s no rush,” Trump told The Journal.
Not included in the deal is a mandatory regime change.
While Trump seemed confident both parties would come to a deal Sunday, the plan was put in jeopardy in the morning after Israel launched airstrikes into Beirut, Lebanon, against Hezbollah targets. Israel said the strikes were retaliatory after Hezbollah struck Northern Israel the day before. Later in the afternoon, Iran threatened to fire back at Israel on behalf of its proxy, Lebanon.
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