US President Donald Trump announced a comprehensive agreement with Iran after months of military escalation and indirect talks. The agreement provides for an immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities on all fronts, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, and the lifting of the maritime blockade on Iran. Agreements were also reached on Iran's nuclear program and other regional issues. The final text will be signed in Geneva on June 19, after which all details will be made public.
Trump immediately ordered the lifting of the maritime blockade and called the agreement an "impenetrable wall" preventing attempts by Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. Addressing global carriers, he said: "Start your engines, let the oil flow." Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed that the memorandum text has been agreed and promised to reveal the details after signing. Mediators from Qatar and Pakistan played a special role in the talks and were praised for narrowing the parties' positions.
According to Iranian leaks, the agreement includes financial provisions, including the unfreezing of assets in the amount of $12–24 billion within 60 days. At the last moment a clause guaranteeing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon was added. However, Washington officially denied these figures, calling them an information trap. A US official emphasized that any financial assistance will be provided on a "pay-for-performance" basis and only after Iran fulfills its obligations.
The announcement of the agreement was overshadowed by diplomatic incidents: the Iranian side insisted on postponing the timing of the announcement so it would not coincide with Trump's birthday, but in the end the news was released on that date Washington time. Attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut and Israeli pressure nearly derailed the talks. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the agreement a "peace treaty" and promised that the mediators would continue coordinating to implement all the points.
One of the key elements of the agreement was an immediate ceasefire between the US and Iran on all fronts, including the Lebanese direction, where escalation had been constant. Iranian sources confirmed that Tehran had considered military options for response but postponed them after guarantees of Lebanon's territorial integrity and the lifting of the blockade. Special attention was paid to the Strait of Hormuz — a strategic node for global oil trade; the agreement provides for regulating navigation jointly with Oman and other Gulf countries.
Despite the cessation of hostilities, the nuclear issue and sanctions remain subjects of technical negotiations. Trump claims that Iran agreed not to develop nuclear weapons and calls the new agreement fundamentally different from Obama's deal. Final arrangements on uranium enrichment and verification mechanisms will be worked out later. Now all eyes are on the ceremony in Geneva, which will convert the memoranda into legally binding documents. The success of the agreement depends on the parties' ability to meet their obligations: any failure in implementation or return to confrontation could destroy the fragile balance. Observers say that if the agreements hold, this could mark the beginning of a reconfiguration of regional relations after long years of confrontation.
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Why is the Strait of Hormuz considered strategically important for the global economy and what means does Iran have to block it? - The Strait of Hormuz is a key transit corridor for about 20–30% of the world's seaborne oil; up to 80% of Iranian and Arab hydrocarbon exports pass through it. Iran has means to block it, including laying naval mines, using fast boats of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, anti-ship missiles (for example, the "Noor"), and the ability to attack tankers via drones and submersible vehicles. A partial blockade can be achieved in a short time, though a full blockade would require significant military effort.
Why did Pakistan unexpectedly participate as a mediator between Iran and the US, and what role does it usually play in regional diplomacy? - Pakistan unexpectedly acted as a mediator because of its long-standing religious, cultural and economic ties with Iran (around 50 million Shiites live in Pakistan), and because it seeks to stabilize the situation to avoid regional escalation that could affect its borders. Pakistan typically plays the role of a "bridge" between the Sunni world (Saudi Arabia, the UAE) and Shiite Iran, participating in talks on Afghanistan and Kashmir, but direct mediation missions between Tehran and Washington are rare, underscoring the seriousness of the current crisis.
Which Lebanese groups and political forces is Iran connected to, and why did guarantees of Lebanon's territorial integrity become a key condition in talks with the US? - Iran is connected to Lebanon's Hezbollah (its main proxy ally), the Amal Movement (led by Nabih Berri), and the Free Patriotic Movement (founded by Michel Aoun), which form a pro-Iranian bloc. Guarantees of Lebanon's territorial integrity became a key condition because Iran, through Hezbollah, controls significant territory in southern Lebanon, and any threat to sovereignty (for example, Israeli strikes or US pressure) could weaken Iranian influence. Iran demands guarantees to preserve Hezbollah as a military and political force and to prevent the fragmentation of Lebanon along confessional lines.
Full version: من الضاحية إلى جنيف.. ماذا نعرف عن اتفاق أمريكا وإيران وكواليس اللحظات الأخيرة؟