U.S. and Iran Sign 14‑Point Protocol to Halt Hostilities

Overview

• The United States and Iran signed a 14‑point protocol that took effect immediately when President Trump signed at Versailles and President Massoud Pezeshkian signed remotely late Wednesday.
• The text requires an immediate cessation of hostilities, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the suspension of the U.S. naval blockade while Tehran agrees to dilute highly enriched uranium under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision.
• The protocol starts a time‑bound 60‑day round of technical talks to finalize how sanctions, frozen assets and Iran’s nuclear stockpiles will be handled, with meetings due to begin in Switzerland.
• Maritime monitors reported Iranian supertankers crossing the former blockade and global oil prices eased after an earlier spike, showing the pact’s early economic and shipping effects.
• Implementation is fragile: regional clashes and political criticism in the United States and the region continue, the agreement is a provisional memorandum rather than a binding treaty, and key verification and enforcement details must be settled in the coming talks.