Pakistan’s prime minister has announced that the United States and Iran have reached agreement on the terms of a deal to end their conflict, with an official signing ceremony scheduled to take place in Switzerland on Friday, 19 June.
Shehbaz Sharif said both sides had declared “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” adding: “The official signing ceremony will be on Friday 19 June in Switzerland. We would like to thank the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran for their commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict.”
Also President Donald Trump announced ‘Let the oil flow!’: Trump confirms deal with Iran
Donald Trump has now posted on Truth Social confirming the deal with Iran.
He says the Strait of Hormuz will now open and the US will lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
“Ships of the world, start your engines,” he wrote, adding “let the oil flow!”
The announcement follows days of intensifying diplomacy, with Sharif having said on Saturday that finalisation of the agreement was expected “in the next 24 hours,” with an electronic signing to follow immediately afterwards and technical-level talks scheduled for the following week, according to CNBC. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had similarly said earlier that the proposed “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” had “never been closer,” though both sides had continued to publicly dispute reported details of the agreement’s contents.
According to Arab News, Switzerland’s role in hosting the signing reflects its longstanding position as the country representing US interests in Iran, in the absence of formal diplomatic relations between Washington and Tehran. The Swiss foreign ministry confirmed on Friday that it had been in contact with both governments and had “proposed Switzerland as the venue for a possible signing, should the parties agree to it.” Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, subsequently discussed progress on the deal with his Swiss counterpart, Ignazio Cassis, with Pakistan’s foreign ministry saying the two had welcomed “the encouraging progress toward an understanding between the United States and Iran” and expressed hope that ongoing efforts would “soon contribute to peace and stability in the region.”
Under the terms reported by the Trump administration, the signing of the memorandum of understanding is expected to trigger a 60-day period of further technical negotiations between the two sides, according to Middle East Eye. A senior US official said on Friday that Washington was “80 to 85 per cent” confident of finalising an accord with Tehran in the coming days, while Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei urged caution over the exact timing, telling state media: “We will have to wait and see about the exact date of the signing of the memorandum of understanding, although it will not be tomorrow. The possibility of this happening in the coming days cannot be ruled out. However, due to the hesitation of the other side, we must be cautious in making any comments about this process.”
The proposed agreement follows months of conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, and a sustained period of Pakistan-mediated communication between Washington and Tehran aimed at resolving disputes over Iran’s nuclear programme and wider regional security concerns, including the future of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a quarter of the world’s energy supplies pass.
