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Deal, signing, and Hormuz
US President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would be "completely open" from Friday after Washington and Tehran announced a deal to end the Middle East war, with the US and mediator Pakistan saying the agreement was to be signed on Friday in Switzerland.
“The United States and Iran appear close to signing the first stage of a peace deal, but both sides are offering different timelines as to when it will happen”
The New Indian Express reported that a senior US administration official said Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had already electronically signed the deal, while Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said it put an "immediate end" to the war and that Tehran would seek a "final agreement" within two months.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran still holds "deep mistrust" of the US and that the framework was "merely a step towards reducing tensions," and he added that the US must ensure Israel commits to stopping the war in Lebanon under the deal.
The New Indian Express also said Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war in early March when Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader, prompting Israeli strikes and a ground invasion.
In parallel, Al Jazeera described the conflict as entering its 107th day, with US President Donald Trump and mediators from Pakistan saying an agreement was scheduled to be signed on Sunday while Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would not be Sunday and that an exact date had yet to be set.
Voices split on meaning
Labour and diplomatic reactions diverged as Iran framed the deal as an end to war while others questioned its durability, with Esmaeil Baqaei telling reporters that Tehran still holds "deep mistrust" of the US and that the framework was "merely a step towards reducing tensions."
The New Indian Express reported that Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would remain in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza indefinitely, while Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed hope the deal would put a "definitive end" to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
Hezbollah expressed its "profound gratitude" to Iran for insisting Lebanon be included, and the New Indian Express said Lebanese state media reported the first deadly strike since the deal's announcement, saying the Israeli attack in the south killed one person.
In Tehran, English teacher Arya, 38, told The New Indian Express that the "agreement was nothing but a loss for the people of Iran," adding that "We have only lost time."
Al Jazeera, meanwhile, quoted US and Iranian officials offering different timelines, with Trump posting on Truth Social that the Hormuz Strait would be "OPEN TO ALL" immediately after the memorandum of understanding was signed, while Iran's spokesman said the signing date was yet to be determined and "it will not be tomorrow."
What’s at stake next
The deal’s next steps and unresolved conditions centered on shipping access, sanctions, and nuclear negotiations, with The New Indian Express saying Baqaei said Washington had "committed" to releasing Iran's frozen funds abroad and compensating it for damages during the war.
The New Indian Express also said Tehran would seek ratification from the UN Security Council after it negotiates a final agreement covering its nuclear programme with the US, and it noted that the details may prove contentious as the US presses its effort to end Tehran's nuclear ambitions and deal with its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
In the same reporting, the US expected Iran will not charge tolls on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, while Baqaei said Iran would charge maritime service fees, and Iraq welcomed the planned reopening of the strait.
Al Jazeera described the MoU as consisting of 14 points, with Abbas Araghchi saying the first was the lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports and that the MoU calls for an end to hostilities across all fronts including Lebanon.
As the diplomatic process moved toward Switzerland, Al Jazeera also reported that the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran had "launched multiple one-way attack drones" in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, adding that "US forces have downed all of them in recent hours."
