Washington and Tehran have agreed to stop military operations across the Middle East under a Pakistan-brokered framework that marks the clearest diplomatic break yet in a conflict that has shaken Gulf security, disrupted energy flows and pulled Lebanon into the centre of the crisis.
The deal, announced by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and acknowledged by US President Donald Trump, commits both sides to an “immediate and permanent” end to military action on all fronts, including Lebanon. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi later confirmed that the text of the memorandum of understanding had been finalised, with a formal signing scheduled for 19 June in Switzerland.
The agreement is being treated as a breakthrough rather than a completed settlement. Its first phase is designed to stop fighting, lift the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while the hardest issues, led by Iran’s nuclear programme, are to be taken up during a 60-day negotiating window. That sequencing gives both sides a route out of the war but leaves open questions over inspections, sanctions relief, enriched uranium and Iran’s regional alliances.
Trump declared that the deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran was “complete” and said he had authorised the reopening of Hormuz and the removal of the US blockade. The shipping artery, one of the world’s most important routes for oil and gas, had been effectively closed for months, pushing up insurance costs and fears of a wider supply shock. Energy markets reacted quickly, with benchmark crude prices falling as traders priced in safer passage through the Gulf.
Tehran’s public response was more cautious. Gharibabadi said the text did not signal trust in Washington and had been drafted in an atmosphere of continued distrust. That formulation reflected pressure inside Iran from hardliners who view the deal as a concession after attacks on Iranian infrastructure, as well as concern that sanctions relief and frozen funds may depend on conditions contested during technical talks.
Lebanon remains the most sensitive regional front covered by the arrangement. Israel is not a party to the US-Iran talks, yet its confrontation with Hezbollah, Tehran’s principal ally in Lebanon, repeatedly threatened to derail the negotiations. A strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs hours before the announcement drew criticism from both Washington and Tehran and underscored the fragility of any ceasefire that depends on actors outside the room. Israel has insisted on retaining freedom of action against Hezbollah targets, while Iran has demanded that any settlement end fighting on all fronts.
Pakistan’s role has been central to the process. Islamabad hosted earlier contacts, carried messages between the sides and worked with Gulf partners, including Qatar, to narrow differences over sequencing. Sharif said mediators would convene pre-implementation meetings this week before the signing ceremony, suggesting that the immediate task is to convert political declarations into verifiable steps on the ground and at sea.
The nuclear file will determine whether the accord becomes durable or only another pause. Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 per cent remains the central concern for Western governments and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The UN watchdog’s board last week demanded that Tehran account for remaining enriched stocks and restore access for inspectors, after months in which monitors had been unable to verify key materials following attacks on nuclear sites. Tehran denies seeking a nuclear weapon but has resisted demands that it dismantle its enrichment infrastructure or ship material abroad.
European governments welcomed the opening but made clear that sanctions relief would depend on verifiable limits on Iran’s programme and restored freedom of navigation through Hormuz. Britain, France, Germany and Italy signalled readiness to support implementation if Tehran takes measurable steps.
The agreement carries political stakes for Trump, whose administration faced criticism at home over fuel prices, the blockade and the absence of a clear end state. Congressional scrutiny is likely if any nuclear arrangement follows, particularly among lawmakers who want Iran’s enrichment capacity removed rather than capped. Iranian leaders, meanwhile, must present the pact as a halt to war achieved without surrendering sovereignty over nuclear decisions.
