Iran and US announce peace deal – Trump lifts blockade of strait of Hormuz

Iran and the US have confirmed they have agreed a peace deal. US President Donald Trump has said the strait of Hormuz will be reopened and has ordered a lifting of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports. The deal is expected to be signed in Switzerland on Friday.

Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete… I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade,” he says. “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed on state TV that a deal with the US has been finalised and the official signing will take place in Switzerland on Friday. “An immediate and permanent end to the war and military operations on different fronts including Lebanon will be announced tonight,” he said, stating that the US naval blockade against Iran would be lifted immediately.

Pakistan first announced that the US and Iran have reached peace deal to end military operations. Pakistan has played a key role as an intermediary between the two sides in peace talks.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that both sides had declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.

However the Israeli military operations has been continuing against Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. Iran has said that an end to that offensive is a condition for any deal, raising question about the sustainability of the agreement.

Details of what the agreement says regarding other key issues in dispute are not yet clear. One such issues is future control of the strait of Hormuz, the key shipping lane through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passes. Another contentious issue is the future of Iran’s nuclear programme, including the enrichment of uranium. Iran has insisted that the programme will continue, while the US had demanded that it is completely abandoned.