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Deal to end war
The United States and Iran reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, with U.S. President Donald Trump ordering the stop of the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and saying the signing would be Friday in Switzerland.
“The Hezbollah commander, Ali Musa Daqduq, was killed in an airstrike”
Trump confirmed the deal on social media, writing, “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” while Iranian state TV showed a banner asserting: “US was forced to sign an agreement to end the war.”
The agreement was described as offering relief to the global economy more than three months since fighting began, and the AP said full details were not immediately available.
Pakistan, named as a key mediator, said mediators this week will facilitate meetings to “lay the foundation for the technical talks,” after declaring “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
The AP also linked the deal to the war’s stated targets, noting that when the war began on Feb. 28 with strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Tehran still had a missile program, support for armed proxies like Hezbollah, and a stockpile of highly enriched uranium for its nuclear program.
Signing logistics and warnings
CNN reported that the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran is expected to kick off 60 more days of negotiation on ending the war, while Tehran had not immediately confirmed the agreement.
CNN also said Vice President JD Vance told Fox News he “certainly plan[s] to be there,” even as Trump’s attendance was described as possible and the U.S. Secret Service generally discourages simultaneous appearances by the president and vice president.
The Guardian reported that Iran’s highest national security body warned a response was “imminent” after Israeli strikes on Beirut, and it said Iran’s foreign ministry held the US directly responsible for Israel’s ceasefire breaches in Lebanon.
In the same reporting, Trump criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Truth Social and told Axios, “Why did Bibi [Netanyahu] have to do a fucking attack?” as negotiations neared an end.
NPR said Trump condemned the Beirut strike and warned it could threaten the deal, writing, “This morning's attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran,” while also citing the strike’s toll in Dahiyeh as 3 dead and 15 wounded.
What’s at stake next
The AP said the deal came with major unresolved stakes, including the Strait of Hormuz’s role in significant shipments of oil, natural gas and related products like fertilizer, and it warned that the waterway’s effective closure “rocked the global economy.”
“Deal is reached to end Iran war and Trump orders stop to US naval blockade Deal is reached to end Iran war and Trump orders stop to US naval blockade ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, offering relief to the global economy more than three months since fighting began”
The AP also framed the nuclear question as central, stating that Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In parallel, the Guardian reported that Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, wrote on X that “zero hour has arrived,” adding that “the launchers are preparing,” after Israel’s Beirut strike.
Fox News reported that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the official signing ceremony will take place June 19 in Switzerland, and it quoted Sharif saying “Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
CBS News said Trump told the public that “all sides should stand down” after Israel strikes Lebanon as U.S.-Iran peace talks continued, while also reporting that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened once a memorandum of understanding was signed.
