New Delhi: After over two months of negotiations, the US and Iran agreed on a peace deal to end the West Asia war. The leaders of the two nations would sign the agreement in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday. Pakistan, which played the mediator, announced the deal first on Sunday.
Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, posted on X that “following intensive talks, we are pleased to announce that the peace deal between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran has been REACHED.” “Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” Sharif posted, adding that the official signing ceremony would be on Friday in Switzerland.
“With the agreement now in place, mediators will facilitate a series of meetings this week. These pre-implementation discussions will lay the foundation for the technical talks and the official signing ceremony,” the Pakistan prime minister added. The US vice-president, JD Vance, is expected to attend the agreement signing in Geneva, with Trump likely to witness or sign the historical deal himself.
Let the oil flow: Trump
Soon after Sharif’s post, The US president, Donald Trump, confirmed Pakistan’s claim that the US and Iran have reached a deal. “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” he posted on Truth Social. “I hereby fully authorize the toll-free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade,” he said, adding, “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”
Trump also posted that he had succeeded where others had failed. “This Great Deal will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region,” he wrote in another post on Truth Social. “Many presidents have tried to make Peace with Iran, and all have failed before me. The Leaders of the Region have, for the first time, found a President who can help them achieve real Peace. With the opening of the Strait upon the signing of the Deal on Friday, for purposes of mine removal, oil will flow on both ends again for the Region, and the World! [Sic.]”
Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed in a phone call on state TV that the deal with the US would be officially signed in Switzerland on Friday. “An immediate and permanent end to the war and military operations on different fronts, including Lebanon, will be announced tonight,” he said, adding that the US naval blockade against Iran will also be lifted tonight.
Ex-Trump aide calls for withdrawing support for Israel
Joe Kent, a former head of the US National Counterterrorism Center, who quit the Trump administration over the Iran war, welcomed the peace agreement, but called for stopping all US assistance to Israel. “We can strengthen our chances of this deal holding by cutting all military/intel assistance to Israel; they took every opportunity to tank this deal & will likely do so again unless we take action,” Kent said on X. “We should also quietly get our troops out of the bases in the Gulf that can be reached by Iran. This ensures Iranian hardliners can’t strike us, to drag us back into the fight. Take away every factor that we can control that could force us back into the war on Israel’s or Iran’s terms. Set all conditions that we can control in our favour,” Kent said.
Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s far-right leader, who is also the national security minister, slammed the US-Iran peace deal that included Lebanon. “Trump’s agreement does not bind us … It does not safeguard our security,” Ben Gvir said on his Telegram channel, seen as Tel Aviv’s first reaction to the peace deal announcement.
The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu or his office has not yet reacted to the development. However, the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, said, in a statement on Monday, that his nation would not withdraw from territories it seized in Lebanon, and that Tel Aviv will retaliate if Tehran attacked it for what happens inside Lebanon.
G7 to discuss developments
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, who is hosting the G7 leaders in Evian on Tuesday and Wednesday, said the group would discuss the long-term reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as part of the US-Iran deal. “The aim will be to see the consequences of this agreement, support for Lebanon, the lasting reopening of Hormuz, and of course the concluding of an accord on nuclear and ballistic activities in Iran,” Macron said in a video on Instagram.
Meanwhile, the prime minister, Narendra Modi, is currently in France to attend the G7 summit as a guest at the invitation of Macron and welcomed the US-Iran agreement from there. “I welcome the understanding reached between the United States and Iran on ending the conflict in West Asia, which has caused serious economic disruption across the world and led to loss of life in many countries. India hopes that the implementation of this understanding will help restore peace and stability in the region and ensure the freedom of navigation and commerce,” Modi posted on X, adding, “We look forward to deliberations on the remaining issues reaching a sustainable final agreement.”
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, joined the world leaders, to welcome the deal. “This represents a critical step towards the peaceful settlement of the conflict,” he said. Soon after the US-Iran peace deal was announced, the world heaved a sigh of relief, as oil markets rebounded on Monday in response.