Shafaqna Pakistan: US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States and Iran had electronically signed an agreement aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East, although key issues—including developments in Lebanon and future negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme—remain to be addressed.
Speaking after arriving in France for the G7 summit, Trump told reporters that “the deal’s all signed,” signalling that both sides had formally endorsed the framework agreement.
The announcement followed intensive diplomatic efforts involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Qatar, and other regional stakeholders, which helped facilitate dialogue between Tehran and Washington amid ongoing regional tensions.
A formal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is expected to be signed in Geneva on Friday by US Vice President JD Vance. Trump said he may or may not attend the ceremony, noting that Vance was specifically scheduled to participate in the signing event.
In addition, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are also expected to be at the signing, US officials said.
VP Vance said Iran’s foreign minister and parliament speaker will represent Iran at the signing in Switzerland on Friday and many details of the deal are still to be sorted out.
The agreement would reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz and extend a ceasefire for 60 days, allowing negotiators to tackle difficult issues like the future of Iran’s nuclear programme.
The deal is the most significant step yet to resolve the conflict, which has killed at least 7,000 people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, and upended global energy markets. But much about the agreement remains unknown.
Trump, who had earlier said the blockaded Strait of Hormuz would be open on Friday, said on Monday that ships had already begun transiting it. However, the US military told shippers it had not yet lifted its blockade of Iranian ports.
On Monday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf — who was also part of Tehran’s negotiating team — congratulated his compatriots over the signing of the deal, saying: “Iran has taken a great stride toward final victory”.
While the text of the deal has not yet been released, VP Vance told CNBC he expected it to become public sometime this week.
“You know that there are a lot of very important details to figure out that we’re actually going to sit at the table [for technical negotiations] and discuss together and figure out a path forward,” he said.
The deal reportedly provides for a 60-day cessation of hostilities during which the two sides will negotiate a permanent settlement, including disputes over the country’s enriched uranium stockpile.
According to Al Jazeera, the secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said on Monday that the deal with the US includes the immediate suspension of hostilities on all fronts.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said more negotiations are expected to follow Friday’s signing ceremony in Switzerland.
Speaking after a meeting with members of the Iranian parliament’s Economic Commission, Araghchi cautioned that negotiators are moving ahead amid a backdrop of distrust.
Source: Dawn News
