Versailles, France: United States President Donald Trump and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a deal on Wednesday to end the Middle East war.
Okay News reports that Trump put his signature to the memorandum of understanding during a candlelit dinner at the Palace of Versailles following a G7 summit. Trump told reporters as he emerged from the palace, “Just signed it.”
The agreement requires Iran to dilute its enriched uranium in return for large-scale economic relief. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, which mediated the agreement, said on the social media platform X that it “shall enter into force with immediate effect.” Sharif wrote, “As a first step, Islamic Republic of Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States of America will immediately lift the naval blockade.”
A final agreement on the nuclear program of Iran will facilitate the release of a $300 billion reconstruction fund supported by regional nations. The war launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel, prompting Iran to counterattack and shut down the Strait of Hormuz. The United States responded by blocking shipping to and from Iranian ports. The conflict resulted in the deaths of 13 United States service members.
Trump said earlier on Wednesday that he was prepared to “bomb the hell” out of Iran if they violated the agreement. United States Senator Bill Cassidy of the Republican Party said, “Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works.” Cassidy added, “Sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped. This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.”
Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on state television late Wednesday that the deal represented a failure for the United States. Ghalibaf said, “People will see it and judge.”
A two-month negotiating period now begins. Under the terms of the deal released by United States officials, Iran will dilute its enriched uranium stocks, possibly by “down-blending on site under the supervision of the IAEA“, the nuclear watchdog of the UN.
In Lebanon, the army of Israel said five soldiers were wounded on Wednesday, one of them severely, “as a result of an explosive drone impact in southern Lebanon”. The military of Israel also said its air force intercepted “several rockets” launched toward soldiers operating in south Lebanon.
