The new agreement does not resolve the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, which Trump has said he wants destroyed or removed. Iranian officials, who have long denied seeking nuclear weapons, say they have given up little by agreeing to resume diplomatic discussions with US officials.
While the agreement would ease Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, it largely restores the pre-war status quo. Shipping companies have indicated that traffic will resume only when safety is assured.
Iran has suggested that it will retain control of the strait together with Oman. The United States said the strait would remain open toll-free for 60 days and that it would expect the same provision to be included in any final agreement.
Netanyahu says he ‘stood firm’
Fighting between Israel, a US ally, and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon remains a major sticking point.
Iran has said the deal requires a full halt to hostilities in Lebanon. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would keep its forces in southern Lebanon and retain the right to respond to Hezbollah attacks.
“Iran wanted us to withdraw from it, but I stood firm,” Netanyahu said at a news conference. He acknowledged that he and Trump had differences over the conflict, while stressing that Israel had not directly taken part in the US-Iran peace talks.
A US official said Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, which it invaded in March after Hezbollah joined the war, was not a condition of the US-Iran deal. Disagreement over whether Lebanon is covered by the agreement was also a point of contention in the April ceasefire.
Security sources said fighting in Lebanon had eased after the deal was announced, but had not stopped entirely. Lebanese state media reported that an Israeli drone struck a car in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Tebnit, killing the driver. Netanyahu said Israeli forces had killed four “militants”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Israeli attacks must stop immediately.
Privately, Israeli officials have reacted negatively to the deal. One senior Israeli official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the agreement was “terrible for Israel”, adding that this view was shared across the government.
Despite Trump’s announcement, the agreement leaves several of the most sensitive issues unresolved — including Iran’s nuclear programme, its missile capabilities, its regional alliances and the future of Israeli operations in Lebanon.
For now, the deal offers a pathway towards de-escalation and the reopening of a vital oil route, but whether it can become a lasting peace agreement remains uncertain.
Source: Reuters
