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Deal signed, talks wobble
President Donald Trump said the preliminary US-Iran agreement is “very popular,” citing a Quantus Insights poll showing 56% of respondents approved of the deal, including 43% who strongly approved, and 13% who somewhat approved.
“Trump shared an image of a Quantus Insights survey”
Trump’s post on Truth Social said the agreement would stop hostilities, reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and begin 60 days of talks on Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions, while Vice-President JD Vance told CBN News the Iran MoU lets Washington “dial up and dial down” relief depending on Tehran’s conduct.
In parallel, Switzerland said planned talks between the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan were postponed, adding that “Switzerland remains ready to facilitate these talks,” as the White House said Vice President JD Vance was no longer traveling to Switzerland because the plans for technical talks had not been finalized.
The BBC reported that US Central Command confirmed the end of the blockade on X “in accordance with the President's direction,” and that Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he had approved the deal despite having a “different view.”
Israel, Lebanon, and threats
As the US-Iran process faced disruption, Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told Al Jazeera that Tehran is “ready to move forward step by step” if the other side shows the same seriousness, and he said the United States must ensure Israel complies with the MoU.
Khatibzadeh also said Iran seeks “peace on all fronts, including Gaza,” and he argued that Lebanon was included in the MoU because of its direct connection to the conflict.
The Guardian said talks due to take place in Switzerland were cancelled after Hezbollah killed four Israeli soldiers and Israel carried out retaliatory airstrikes in south Lebanon and the Bekaa valley that killed at least 18 people, while Lebanon’s ministry of health reported 33 wounded.
In Israel, national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for escalation in Lebanon, saying, “All of Lebanon must burn,” as the French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot told Israel to stop its strikes and said the US must exert pressure to respect the ceasefire deal.
What’s at stake next
The BBC said the US-Iran deal centres around 14 core points, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a requirement that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon, and it said the agreement binds both sides to achieving a final deal in a “maximum” of 60 days.
“maximum of 60 days”
The BBC also reported that the official signing ceremony had been set to take place in Switzerland on Friday but was cancelled because the deal had already been signed remotely, while US and Iranian representatives were still expected to meet in Switzerland for further talks.
In the same reporting, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy described the agreement as the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades,” while Vance defended the MoU by saying Iran will not receive money or sanctions relief unless it meets obligations set out in the agreement.
CNN said the signed Wednesday was to reopen the Strait of Hormuz immediately and initiate broader direct negotiations between the US and Iran, but it also reported that Switzerland announced the planned talks were postponed and that Israel’s military announced new strikes Friday against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, threatening the nascent agreement.
