US and Iran agree to 60-day ceasefire, reopen Strait of Hormuz
10 reported2 unconfirmed
The United States and Iran reached a deal Sunday to halt more than three months of war, according to a single-source report from the Christian Science Monitor. The agreement, a memorandum of understanding, establishes a 60-day ceasefire across the Middle East, reopens the Strait of Hormuz, ends dueling blockades of the waterway, and releases billions in frozen Iranian funds. A signing ceremony is expected on Friday, June 19, after which the two sides will engage in technical discussions over Iran’s nuclear program and U.S. sanctions, Pakistani mediators said. The deal was nearly upended earlier in the day when Israel conducted missile strikes on what it claimed was a Hezbollah command center in Beirut, prompting Iran to vow a military response. President Donald Trump issued a statement calling the attack “should not have happened” and urged all sides to “stand down,” leading to a flurry of diplomatic activity by Qatar, Pakistan, and Egypt. The final agreement includes a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel’s offensive has displaced 1.4 million people, one-fifth of the country’s population. The deal does little to resolve root grievances between Washington and Tehran, and the war has cost tens of billions of dollars and thousands of lives.
What’s reported
The United States and Iran reached a deal Sunday to halt more than three months of war.
The agreement is a memorandum of understanding establishing a 60-day ceasefire across the Middle East.
It reopens the Strait of Hormuz, ends dueling blockades, and releases billions in frozen Iranian funds.
A signing ceremony is expected on Friday, June 19.
The U.S. and Iran will then engage in technical discussions over Iran’s nuclear program and U.S. sanctions, according to Pakistani mediators.
The deal was nearly upended when Israel conducted missile strikes on what it claimed was a Hezbollah command center in Beirut.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed the agreement to Iranian state TV early Monday.
President Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”
The final agreement includes a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel’s offensive has displaced 1.4 million people.
The war has cost tens of billions of dollars and thousands of lives.
Open questions
The specific terms of the technical discussions on Iran’s nuclear program and U.S. sanctions remain unspecified.
Whether the ceasefire will hold given the earlier Israeli strikes and Iran’s vow of a military response is unclear.
Key figures
President Donald Trump (U.S.)
Kazem Gharibabadi (Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister)
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf (Iran’s top negotiator and parliament speaker)
Yair Lapid (Israeli opposition leader)
Sources: csmonitor.com
