TEHRAN/GENEVA — The United States and Iran confirmed on Monday that they had reached a 14-point memorandum of understanding to end more than 100 days of war, with both capitals describing the agreement as the most consequential diplomatic breakthrough of the year and warning that the signing ceremony scheduled for Friday in Geneva will now dictate the trajectory of the entire Middle East.
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the deal includes an immediate and permanent end to military operations “on all fronts, including Lebanon,” where Israeli forces have been engaged in sustained bombardment since March 2. The statement added that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would be lifted “immediately and completely” and that the Strait of Hormuz, which has been under a de facto Iranian closure, would reopen to all commercial shipping.
US President Donald Trump, announcing the deal from Washington, declared on his Truth Social platform: “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all! 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. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”
Terms of the framework
Under the 14-point framework, negotiated in secrecy over the past three weeks, Iran has agreed to halt all uranium enrichment above 3.67% purity, dismantle advanced centrifuges at Natanz and Fordow under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision, and cap its ballistic missile production at levels verifiable by regional inspectors. In return, the United States will release approximately $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets, lift a wide range of secondary sanctions, and formally rescind the 2018 unilateral withdrawal designation.
The deal was mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, whose diplomats shuttled between Tehran, Washington, and Riyadh during the final 72 hours. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was the first leader to publicly confirm the breakthrough, telling reporters in Islamabad that the agreement was a “victory for diplomacy and for the people of the region.” Qatari foreign ministry officials said Doha would host follow-up technical talks on prisoner exchanges and asset-transfer logistics.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, told state media that a final agreement would be negotiated over 60 days, contingent on Iran verifying that Washington had delivered on the immediate commitments: ending hostilities, lifting the naval blockade, and releasing the frozen funds. “The Islamic Republic of Iran appreciates the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Government of Qatar,” the Iranian security council statement said.
Israel on the margins
The announcement has placed Israel in an unusually difficult diplomatic position. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had framed the campaign as a non-negotiable effort to roll back Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, was not briefed in advance on several of the framework’s central terms, according to Israeli officials quoted in domestic media. The Israel Defense Forces have so far received no orders to redeploy from southern Lebanon, where they have been conducting daily airstrikes since early March.
Speaking after the deal was announced, Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that the ceasefire could usher in a “new era” for the Middle East and credited Trump’s diplomacy with Gulf partners. “What the president has done is create the real space to transform that region,” Vance said, adding: “I think we can safely say, with confidence, that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.” The phrasing — significantly softer than Trump’s campaign-era language — suggested a recalibration of how Washington intends to publicly defend the agreement.
Opposition figures in Israel were quick to denounce the framework. Members of the Knesset’s National Unity party described it as a “strategic gift” to Tehran, while former defense minister Yoav Gallant warned that the deal “treats Israel as an obstacle rather than a partner.” Street protests were reported overnight in Tel Aviv and Haifa, with demonstrators carrying placards accusing the United States of abandonment.
Energy markets and global stakes
Brent crude futures dropped sharply in after-hours trading on Monday evening, with benchmark contracts falling more than 7% within an hour of the announcement — a move analysts attributed to the prospect of uninterrupted Gulf shipping. Insurers had effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to standard commercial cover since mid-April, driving global logistics costs to wartime highs and forcing several Asian importers to draw down strategic petroleum reserves.
The reopening of the waterway is expected to restore an estimated 17 million barrels per day of crude flow, roughly one-sixth of global supply, back into normal tanker routes. World Bank and IMF officials, who had warned in recent weeks that a prolonged closure could tip several emerging economies into recession, indicated they would revise their global growth forecasts upward once the deal is formally signed.
What happens Friday
The formal signing is scheduled to take place in Geneva on Friday, June 19, with delegations from both countries traveling to Switzerland under the auspices of the United Nations Office at Geneva. Pakistan and Qatar are expected to be represented at the ceremony as guarantor states, and a senior European Union envoy is anticipated to attend as an observer.
Both governments have stressed that the memorandum is a framework, not a final treaty, and that the most difficult issues — including the fate of Iran’s advanced centrifuges, the timing of sanctions relief, and the disposition of detained dual-national researchers — remain to be negotiated in the 60-day follow-up window. Tehran has warned that any breach of the initial commitments by Washington will result in an immediate suspension of cooperation.
For now, however, the dominant sentiment in regional capitals is one of cautious relief. After more than 100 days of war, a de facto blockade, and a global energy shock, the prospect that Friday’s signature in Geneva will silence the guns — at least for now — is being treated as the most important diplomatic outcome in the Middle East in nearly a decade.