Pakistan-brokered agreement launches fresh nuclear talks and reopens the Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump and Iran's president signed a deal Wednesday meant to end the Middle East war, with Tehran agreeing to dilute its enriched uranium in return for large-scale economic relief.
Trump put his signature to the memorandum of understanding during a candlelit dinner at the Palace of Versailles following a G7 summit, as host French President Emmanuel Macron and other guests applauded, a video posted by a Trump aide showed.
"Just signed it," Trump told reporters as he emerged from the palace.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, quoted by the state news agency IRNA, said the document "was finalized with the signatures of the presidents."
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, which mediated the agreement, said on X that it "shall enter into force with immediate effect."
The deal aims to draw a line under the war launched February 28 by the United States and Israel, prompting Iran to counterattack with missile and drone salvos across the region - and effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for the world economy. The US responded by blocking shipping to and from Iranian ports.
"As a first step, Islamic Republic of Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States of America will immediately lift the naval blockade," Sharif wrote.
Under the text, Washington also commits to immediately waive oil sanctions crippling Iran's economy.
And once a final agreement is reached on the Islamic republic's nuclear program, the United States will also facilitate the release of a $300 billion reconstruction fund supported by regional nations, the deal says.
The agreement had earlier been slated for signatures by Iran's chief negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and US Vice President JD Vance. Iran said an in-person ceremony was no longer needed.
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Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced that Iran will “instantly” reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all maritime traffic once a US‑Iran peace framework is signed, and that the United States will “immediately” lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports in exchange.
The statement comes as Washington and Tehran prepare to sign what they call a “peace deal” on Friday, June 19, ending hostilities "on all fronts" — including in Lebanon — and terminating the US naval blockade against Iran.
US President Donald Trump says the Iran accord will be signed "shortly", "maybe" Thursday (June 18) or Friday (June 19), but no venue has been determined for the signing ceremony, the president noted.
"The deal we reached with Iran on Sunday will be signed shortly, tomorrow (Thursday), maybe the next day (Friday)," Trump said at the G7 summit.
Previous announcements stated that it would be signed on Friday in Switzerland with Vice President JD Vance representing the United States.
"We are going to most likely sign a deal," he added.
Trump told reporters at the final G7 press conference that he was prepared to "bomb the hell" out of Iran if they violated the agreement. "If they are not behaving, they will be hit again," he said.
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President Donald Trump confirmed that Washington "did send a copy" of the US-Iran accord to Israel. The remark came in response to reports suggesting that the Israeli government had been blindsided by the emerging agreement between Washington and Tehran.
"We did send a copy," Trump said, rejecting suggestions that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been kept in the dark about the negotiations. The comment came as Trump expressed confidence that the agreement could be signed within days, while acknowledging that negotiations could still fall apart at the last minute.
Israel has long viewed Iran's nuclear programme as an existential security threat and has repeatedly warned against any agreement that allows Tehran to retain significant nuclear capabilities or receive sanctions relief.
Reports that Israel had not been consulted fuelled speculation of growing friction between Washington and Jerusalem. Trump's statement was intended to reassure both Israeli leaders and domestic critics that the US had coordinated with its closest Middle East ally.