Trump And Iran Announce Ceasefire, Reopen Strait Of Hormuz After US Naval Blockade

The United States and Iran announced a ceasefire agreement Sunday, suspending a war that the Trump administration began on February 28, and Trump wrote on Truth Social that the lifting of the US naval blockade would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Vice President JD Vance told CNBC that many details remain to be finalized regarding the preliminary peace deal between the United States and Iran, while the agreement aims to extend the US-Iran ceasefire for 60 days and establish a framework for future negotiations.

Al-Jarida Oman

Trump said the Strait of Hormuz will be "completely opened" on Friday, while speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron in Evian-les-Bains, France, and he said the strait is "already partially opened."

The text of the preliminary deal has not been released, and Vance said the US would figure out the remaining issues in "technical negotiations" at the table with Iran.

A senior US official said the US is expected to publish the full text within 24-48 hours and that there will be a "significant increase in traffic in the Strait of Hormuz" starting already and ramping up over time.

Trump told reporters that sanctions relief for Iran is "really a behavioral thing" and said, "If they do what they're supposed to do, that starts taking effect," as he also said the memorandum of understanding would be released "pretty soon."

Vance said Iran has committed to destroy and dispose of their stockpile of highly enriched material, but that the process for doing so has not been outlined, adding that the US would require a long-term commitment to an inspection and verification regime.

Al-Jazeera Net

A senior US official said the US has made some concessions regarding sanctions on Iran because "the Iranians have given up [ground] in places they didn't give up in the past," while the agreement also defers talks on Tehran's nuclear program.

The New York Post reported that Vice President JD Vance said Iran could attract up to $300 billion in investments from Gulf states it targeted with drones and missiles, but only if Iran meets certain requirements and the MOU’s text is released.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) signaled skepticism, posting X that "idea of a $300 billion reconstruction fund, given who is in charge of Iran, seems to be tone deaf."

An official signing ceremony is scheduled for Friday in Geneva, with Trump saying the Strait of Hormuz was "partially open" after Tehran and Washington signed a deal aimed at ending the war in the Middle East over the weekend.

The Geneva Solutions report said the ceasefire framework is meant to kickstart a 60-day ceasefire period for actual substantive negotiations, while it also said the details of the undisclosed agreement brokered by Pakistan and Qatar remain unclear.

Ursula Von der Leyen told reporters, "The Strait of Hormuz must reopen, and freedom of navigation must be restored," and she said the preliminary agreement should open the door to greater talks and the end of Iran’s nuclear programme.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the memorandum of understanding has been signed by Trump, Vance, and Iran's Ghalibaf, and that the US anticipates the Strait of Hormuz will remain open without tolls in the long term after the signing.

The Arab Weekly said the deal appears short of many of the goals Trump outlined early in the conflict, and it described the framework as meant to extend the current ceasefire for 60 days to allow detailed talks to permanently end a war that has created an unprecedented global energy supply shock.