The US-Iran deal. What is known?

The US and Iran have agreed to a memorandum of understanding that calls for a 60-day ceasefire along the entire front, including in Lebanon, and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. The text of this document has not been published, its exact terms are not known. Sources in Iran say there are 14 points in the memorandum, but the US side has not confirmed this. The ceremony of signing the memorandum will be held on June 19 in Switzerland. After that, the parties are expected to work on a final peace deal and agree on contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, within 60 days. Israel does not consider itself a party to this agreement. Israel does not want to withdraw its army from Lebanon and warns that it will retaliate if attacked by Hezbollah.

What did the US side say?

Donald Trump announced that the US will cancel the naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports, and Iran will open the Strait of Hormuz. “Ships all over the world, start your engines. Drain the oil!’ – wrote the US president on the Truth Social social network. But from this news it is impossible to know when and under what conditions the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.

In an interview with The New York Times, Trump said that the agreement with Iran would ensure “permanent free passage” of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for helping to solve the oil crisis and not interfering in the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Trump, Iran’s uranium enrichment program will be limited to non-military purposes. However, there is still no agreement on this issue. The parties are negotiating a 20-year suspension of uranium enrichment in Iran. According to the NYT, Trump “indicated that he would agree to a 15-year term.”

What did people in Iran say?

According to the sources of Iranian state agencies, the memorandum of understanding consists of 14 points. It includes an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon, an end to the American naval blockade, the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the return of $24 billion in Iranian assets frozen abroad.

These 14 points state that the final agreement with the US will only cover uranium enrichment, the lifting of sanctions and the restoration of Iran’s economy, and that the issues of Iran’s missile program and support for the “resistance forces” (apparently referring to Iranian proxy forces such as Hezbollah in Lebanon) will be “absolutely excluded” from the negotiation agenda.

According to the statement of the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, by agreeing on the memorandum, the Islamic Republic “completed the decisive advantage over the enemy”.

What did people in Europe say?

The leaders of Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy welcomed the memorandum and declared their readiness to lift sanctions in response to concrete steps on Iran’s nuclear program. “Iran should never have nuclear weapons. We are ready to work together with the USA, Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency for this purpose,” the Europeans said in a joint statement.

What are people in Israel saying?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not comment on the Iran-US agreement. But the country’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said that according to the “clear policy being pursued” together with Netanyahu, the Israel Defense Forces will remain in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip for an indefinite period to “protect the border and Israeli residential areas from jihadist groups.” He warned that if Iran were to attack Israel because of its operations in Lebanon, Israel would “strike with all its might.” According to him, this position was conveyed to Trump.

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that the Iran-US agreement does not impose any obligations on Israel, as Israel is not a “banana republic” and does not obey the US.