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U.S. and Iran Electronically Sign Framework to Pause Hostilities

The pact aims to halt fighting, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and trigger a 60‑day technical phase to resolve nuclear verification, sanctions relief and frozen assets.

Overview

  • Senior U.S. officials say President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf electronically signed the memorandum on Tuesday, with a formal in‑person ceremony set for June 19 in Switzerland.
  • The agreement is designed to stop military actions across multiple fronts and to allow reopening of the Strait of Hormuz after the United States lifts its naval blockade.
  • A 60‑day technical phase will follow to negotiate the details of Iran’s nuclear verification, performance‑based sanctions relief and the mechanics of releasing frozen assets, with IAEA verification expected to be involved.
  • Pakistan and Qatar led shuttle diplomacy that bridged the talks and helped produce the staged framework, which negotiators say intentionally defers the hardest technical issues to the follow‑on period.
  • Implementation faces immediate political and security risks, including objections from Israel, possible hardline pushback inside Iran and the threat of renewed naval incidents that could derail the fragile follow‑on negotiations.