President Donald Trump said an initial U.S.-Iran agreement would lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and extend a ceasefire, while Vice President JD Vance said Washington holds diplomatic, economic and military leverage as negotiators work through unresolved nuclear and security terms.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump said the United States had reached an initial agreement with Iran that would extend a fragile ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin a 60-day negotiating period over Tehran’s nuclear program, even as major disputes remained unresolved and Israel warned it would continue holding territory it seized in Lebanon.
Trump told The New York Times on Sunday that he would resume military attacks on Tehran if Iran failed to reach a final nuclear accord with the United States. He also said that, in the alternative, the United States could become “the guardian of the Middle East” in exchange for 20% of the region’s revenues.
Trump said the agreement he reached with Iran would ultimately ensure that the Strait of Hormuz is “permanently toll free.” He also argued that he had saved Israel from nuclear obliteration despite objections from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The negotiations, led over three months by special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner, centered in part on Iran’s uranium enrichment program. Iranian officials repeatedly said they would not surrender what they described as their right to enrich uranium under international agreements.
Trump said discussions were continuing over a possible suspension of Iran’s enrichment activities for as long as 20 years, though he suggested that a 15-year pause might be acceptable. He said any future enrichment would be permanently restricted to low levels that could not be used for military purposes.
The United States and Iran reached the preliminary agreement early Monday, setting up a possible reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an extension of the ceasefire. The full terms were not immediately released. Iran indicated that implementation would not begin until the agreement is signed, which mediator Pakistan said would take place Friday in Switzerland.
The memorandum of understanding quickly faced complications. Israel’s ongoing operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon nearly derailed the negotiations after Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs Sunday. Israel joined the United States in launching the war on Feb. 28.
In Israel’s first official response after the agreement was announced, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would not withdraw from land it seized in Lebanon while the interim agreement remains pending. Katz said Israel plans to remain “indefinitely” in areas it controls in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.
Iran has tied the interim agreement on the war to a halt in Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Katz warned that if Iran attacks Israel in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Israel will hit Iran with “great force.”
Over the past two and a half years, Israel has taken control of areas in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria totaling 386 square miles, an area slightly smaller than New York City.
The U.S.-Iran agreement gives negotiators 60 days to address Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and the future of its atomic program. Similar issues took years to resolve in the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. Trump withdrew the United States from that agreement during his first term, a move that set the stage for escalating tensions that later led to war.
Trump celebrated the new agreement on social media as he marked his 80th birthday Sunday with a UFC cage match fight at the White House.
“Congratulations to all!” Trump wrote.
He added, “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,” referring to the blockade imposed after Iran tightened its grip on the crucial waterway.
Trump later said the strait would not reopen until Friday’s signing.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed the agreement on state television, but said Iran would not begin implementing the deal until it is signed Friday. He said the agreement followed talks with Qatar, which also served as a mediator.
International reaction was largely supportive but cautious. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China “hopes the U.S. and Iran will sign the initial memorandum of understanding as scheduled.” He said Beijing hopes safe and free passage through the Strait of Hormuz is restored as soon as possible.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot welcomed the agreement “that should bring an end to hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon.” He said that “all parties to the conflict must respect this agreement.”
Barrot said “for far too long” the war in Iran had driven fuel and fertilizer prices painfully high. He said the ceasefire could allow countries including France and the United Kingdom to send ships to help protect freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the 27-nation bloc would support continued negotiations over unresolved issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
“Fingers crossed that they will be also initialized on Friday, because everybody needs the Strait of Hormuz to be open and actually this war to stop,” Kallas said ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.
Some European officials expressed skepticism about whether the agreement would hold. Luxembourg’s Xavier Bettel said, “It’s a long time till Friday.”
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer also welcomed the breakthrough and said it was critical for all parties in the region to use the opportunity to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We will now work closely with our partners to support this agreement and to ensure that it turns into a durable, lasting peace,’’ Starmer said.
Pakistan was the first country to announce the agreement. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said “both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.” He said mediators would facilitate meetings this week to “lay the foundation for the technical talks.”
Two senior Pakistani officials said earlier Sunday that broader negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program and other outstanding issues would continue for 60 days. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. They said the timeline could be extended if the parties do not reach a resolution within that period.
Iranian state television cited the secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council as saying the war on all fronts “will end immediately and permanently beginning tonight” and that the U.S. blockade “will be terminated immediately and in full.”
Qatari mediators later left Tehran after 17 hours of negotiations, according to an official briefed on the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions. Separate preparatory meetings with each side are expected to take place in Doha this week, the official said.
It remained unclear who would sign the agreement for Iran on Friday. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that the White House was still determining who would attend the signing.
“I certainly plan to be there, but it’s possible the president himself could be there,” Vance said.
Vance said Monday that many details of the announced U.S.-Iran peace framework still need to be finalized, but he expressed confidence that the Trump administration enters the next phase of negotiations with a strong hand. Appearing on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Vance described the preliminary agreement as a major win for Washington because it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz while creating a path toward ending Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions.
“I think it’s a great day for the American people,” Vance said. “We have the leverage. We have the diplomatic, economic, and military leverage.”
The agreement, expected to be formally signed Friday in Geneva, would extend the ceasefire for 60 days while negotiators address sanctions relief, inspections, enriched uranium stockpiles and long-term security guarantees.
Vance said the administration’s goal is to make sure Iran permanently abandons any effort to develop nuclear weapons in exchange for renewed access to the global economy.
“We say to the Iranians, you are welcome to have access to an unsanctioned economy,” Vance said. “But only if you honor the commitments that you make in this agreement.”
Vance said the administration believes Iran’s nuclear program has already been severely weakened.
“We have affirmatively and comprehensively destroyed their nuclear program,” Vance said.
He said Tehran now has to decide whether to pursue economic prosperity or continue nuclear ambitions that, according to the administration, it no longer has the capacity to fulfill.
Still, Vance acknowledged that negotiators must settle major unresolved matters, including how Iran would dispose of its highly enriched uranium and what inspection and verification systems would be required before sanctions are lifted. He also said the long-term rules governing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz remain under discussion.
“There are a lot of very important details to figure out,” Vance said. “A lot of these details are going to be figured out during those 60-day talks.”
Vance said direct communication between senior U.S. and Iranian officials has reached levels not seen in decades, giving the administration what it views as an opening to reshape relations.
Republican concern over the preliminary deal surfaced soon after the announcement. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who described Vance as “the architect of the deal,” said Iran’s public understanding of the agreement appeared to differ from the claims made by American negotiators.
“I am somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming,” Graham wrote online.
For now, the Trump administration is presenting the agreement as a combination of military strength, economic pressure and diplomacy. The White House says the approach can preserve American interests, reopen a waterway critical to global energy markets and create a lasting framework to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
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