Trump Says Strait Of Hormuz Reopens Friday As US And Iran Meet In Geneva

President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz will fully reopen to shipping traffic by Friday, the day senior U.S. and Iranian officials plan to meet in Geneva for a ceremony to mark an end to the four-month war and kick off weeks of negotiations about Iran’s nuclear program.

“Trump may release US-Iran deal before Friday, Vance says Donald Trump may decide to release a preliminary deal to end the war with Iran before Friday, US Vice-President JD Vance says, after the US president said the agreement had already been signed”

BBC

US Vice-President JD Vance said the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the US and Iran was "about a page and a half" and "a very general" document, and he described the Strait of Hormuz as set to re-open on Friday.

BBC

Vance also said Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi confirmed a new round of negotiations on reaching a final peace deal with the US would begin in Switzerland the same day.

The BBC reported that US officials said the MOU had been signed electronically by Trump, Vance and Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, while technical talks on Iran’s nuclear programme were expected to begin this week.

The New York Magazine framed the pending memorandum of understanding as still "literally sketchy" because the interim agreement had not been physically signed and the contents had not been made public.

CNN reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were among the “most pessimistic” about whether the Iranians would honor their commitments on the nuclear program, even if they agreed to negotiate.

One administration official told CNN that the team’s internal consensus was, "We want to get this thing over with," and the official said they decided to press for a general agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and outline a broad framework on dismantling Iran’s nuclear program.

CNN

CNN also quoted a White House official saying, "This MOU meets all of the redlines that the administration has long articulated by ensuring that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon".

The BBC reported that Vance told NBC News that nuclear inspectors would "absolutely" be allowed back into Iran as part of the deal, and that the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United States would help Iran destroy the highly enriched stockpile.

In parallel, the New York Magazine said the nuclear program did not appear to be part of the agreement "at least at this stage in the negotiations," describing the issue as having been "punt" by both sides.

The BBC said the deal would extend a ceasefire for another 60 days, during which the sides would negotiate details of a final agreement, and it reported that any sanctions relief or release of assets would depend on Iran meeting commitments under the deal.

“Trump: War with Iran is a 'real option' and easing sanctions on it is contingent on its behavior”

Masrawy

The New York Magazine said the agreement was a tentative, short-term step to slowly back away from the hot war, adding that nothing would take effect or would until the agreement was actually physically signed on Friday.

The BBC reported that Vance said "Most importantly, they're going to have a verifiable commitment to not building a nuclear weapon," and it said technical talks on Iran’s nuclear programme were expected to begin this week.

CNN described the administration’s approach as aligning on ending the war because "Donald Trump wanted to end the war, and felt like he had enough to end the war," while the White House said the MOU and a final agreement would ensure the short- and long-term safety and security of the United States.

The New York Magazine also warned that the Strait of Hormuz had not been reopened yet, noting that Trump initially said it was and then said it was "partially" reopened, while the magazine said it was "not" and that supposed changes were expected to start on Friday.