Overview
- President Donald Trump and Iranian officials announced a memorandum of understanding that declares an immediate halt to fighting and ties the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade to staged implementation steps.
- The deal calls for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and mine clearance to restore toll-free shipping, but Trump and Tehran say full reopening will follow pre-implementation work and a formal signing planned for Friday in Geneva.
- The framework defers the hardest issues to a 60-day technical process on nuclear verification, enriched-uranium disposition and sanctions, and it envisions a partial release of roughly $24–25 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
- Pakistan and Qatar led months of shuttle diplomacy that narrowed differences, yet the agreement remains fragile because Israel is not a party and has continued strikes in Lebanon while hardliners and protesters in Iran oppose the talks.
- The memorandum builds on a war that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28 and has killed thousands, disrupted oil markets and left key verification and security mechanisms—such as IAEA involvement and maritime coordination—still to be negotiated.