Al Jazeera

By Daniel Khalili-Tari and Zaid Sabah

    US President Donald Trump and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian have electronically signed a memorandum of understanding to end the US and Israel’s war on Iran.

    Pakistan says the “Islamabad MoU” has taken effect, and US officials say it includes Iran not developing or buying a nuclear weapon, ending the war on all fronts and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

    Israeli forces continue military operations in Lebanon despite its inclusion in the US-Iran MoU.

    Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has hailed the agreement as a “big victory” and said Lebanon’s negotiations with Israel should solely focus on “mutual security”.

26 Updates

    Negotiating teams are expected in Geneva to further the agreement on Friday.

    Watch a recap below:

US and Iran sign Memorandum of Understanding to end war

Key events in the US and Iran’s diplomatic breakthrough

By Zaid Sabah

    US and Iran agree to a two-week ceasefire on April 8, though hostilities continue in Lebanon as Israel launches devastating air strikes that kills more than 350 people.

    US and Iran hold rare direct negotiations in Pakistan on April 11, but the talks end without a breakthrough. Washing announces a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

    Lebanon and Israel hold first diplomatic talks in decade on April 14, and announce a ceasefire on April 17. But Hezbollah is not party to the talks and fighting resumes.

    Trump extends ceasefire with Iran on April 21 as indirect talks continue.

    Israel bombs Beirut on June 7, prompting Iran to fire missiles towards Israeli territory. The following day, Israel then bombs central and western Iran.

    US bombs Iran on June 9 over the downing of a helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran attacks US bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain the next day, with the tit-for-tat assaults continuing into a second day.

    Trump announces an MoU to end the war on Iran on June 14. The interim deal is signed by Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Pezeshkian, on June 17.

US senator touts Iran deal as huge win for Washington

    US Republican Senator Roger Marshall has praised the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US.

    In a post on X, Marshall described it as a “winning deal” and said it was better than the agreement negotiated under former President Barack Obama, from which Trump unilaterally withdrew the US in 2018.

    Marshall said that any final deal on Iran’s nuclear programme would be backed by a UN Security Council resolution, and that support from Arab nations for the agreement was a diplomatic win.

    The praise from the Kansas lawmaker came amid a backlash to the deal among Trump’s Republican Party, as well as in Israel.

Israel military says soldier killed in southern Lebanon

    The military says the 29-year-old soldier was killed “during combat” in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

    It said an additional three soldiers were wounded moderately in the same attack and evacuated for medical treatment. Four others were wounded lightly, it added.

Iran vows to monitor US compliance ‘without any leniency’

    As we’ve been reporting, Esmaeil Baghaei, the spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has addressed Iranian media following the signing of the MoU.

    Here’s a recap of his comments:

    Baghaei said Iran will monitor the US’s compliance “without any leniency” and will not “fulfil” its commitments if Washington “evades its obligations”.

    Iran’s nuclear programme and the lifting of US sanctions will be discussed during the 60-day period, but Tehran’s missile programme is off the table. “Iran’s missiles are only for firing, not for negotiation. Iran’s defence capabilities will not be discussed in any process with any party,” he said.

    On Lebanon, Baghaei said Iran has shown it “does not abandon its friends” and that it was the US’s responsibility to compel Israel to respect commitments to Iran.

    Baghaei said Iran would not ship its stockpile of highly enriched uranium abroad and that dilution of the material was “introduced as an option to close the door on other possibilities”.

    On the Strait of Hormuz, Baghaei said Iran will finalise a new regime to manage the waterway along with Oman and will “charge fees for services” there.

Oil prices slip again

    Oil prices have fallen in early trading, according to Reuters, after the presidents of the US and Iran signed an interim deal to end war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

    Brent crude futures was down 89 cents, or 1.12 percent, at $78.66 a barrel as of 00:05 GMT, and US West Texas Intermediate fell 98 cents, or 1.28 percent, to $75.81 a barrel.

Israeli forces assault, detain Palestinians in West Bank

    Israeli forces have continued their campaign of raids and arrests across the occupied West Bank in recent hours, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.

    Here are some of the reported incidents:

    Jerusalem: Israeli forces detained an unspecified number of workers at the Mazmoria military checkpoint, south of the city, after stopping their truck, removing them from the vehicle and taking them to an unknown location.

    Tayribe: Israeli authorities issued demolition and evacuation orders for 17 agricultural structures, citing a lack of building permits.

    Beit Imrin: A 43-year-old Palestinian man sustained bruises and required assistance from the Palestinian Red Crescent after being beaten by Israeli settlers.

    Nablus: A group of Israeli settlers targeted the Bir Quza area and attempted to assault local residents, who confronted them.

    Al-Khader: Israeli forces entered the town south of Bethlehem and established a presence in the Umm Rukba neighbourhood.

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    Trump made the comments at the G7 summit in France, where the US-Iran deal has taken centre stage.

11 Iranian ships have sailed through US naval blockade, state media says

    Iran’s Press TV reports that 11 Iranian ships have sailed through the US naval blockade since Tehran and Washington finalised the text of the MoU on Sunday.

    Citing an informed source, the outlet reported that eight vessels sailed from Iran’s territorial waters to international waters, while three entered Iranian waters.

    As we’ve been reporting, the MoU calls for the US to end its blockade and for Iran to allow toll-free transit in the Strait of Hormuz for at least 60 days.

US-Iran nuclear negotiations likely to take ‘more than 60 days’

    Kenneth Katzman, senior fellow at The Soufan Center, says the negotiations between Iran and the US on Tehran’s nuclear programme are “probably going to go [for] more than 60 days”.

    “[Former President Joe] Biden negotiated with Iran, and did not reach an accord. Mr Trump has negotiated, and did not reach an accord till now,” Katzman told Al Jazeera.

    “These negotiations on nuclear issues are very detailed, very exhaustive, and it’s probably going to take more time than just 60 days.”

    Katzman said several issues will need to be hashed out by technical experts.

    “Certainly the US focus is going to be the nuclear commitments. That is how Mr Trump justified the conflict. He has said the MoU accomplishes the US objectives of making sure Iran has no pathway to a nuclear weapon. And the US negotiators are going to try to put that in writing, in terms that can be understood by technical experts who know about how to make a nuclear weapon,” he said.

    “So we’re talking about suspending uranium enrichment, we’re talking about stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, other enriched uranium verification inspections,” he added.

What does the 14-point MoU entail

    Iran and the US declared “the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon” and committed not to initiate war or military operations against each other.

    Upon signing, the US “will begin lifting its naval blockade” and fully end the embargo, and “during this period, the traffic of vessels will be in proportion to the numbers of pre-war traffic being restored” by Iran.

    Upon signing, Iran will make arrangements “for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa”.

    The US “undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least USD 300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development” of Iran.

Conflict in Lebanon ‘far from over’ despite US-Iran MoU

By Zeina Khodr

Reporting from Tyre, Lebanon

    So much has been destroyed in months of Israeli air strikes across southern Lebanon.

    There’s still a lot of uncertainty, even though people have started to return to their towns and villages to try to pick up the pieces of their lives.

    Israel is not happy with the fact that a Lebanon ceasefire has been included in an Iran-US memorandum of understanding. In fact, Israeli attacks continue in some areas in southern Lebanon, especially in the Nabatieh area.

    Security sources are telling us that they believe the Israeli army wants to take more ground and to occupy more territory; territory that it was not able to take during weeks of fighting, strategic high grounds, like the Ali Tahar Hills.

    Israeli strikes also killed four people on Tuesday, so people are concerned about whether Israel will adhere to the ceasefire this time around. It’s not the first time a ceasefire has been declared in Lebanon.

    There’s also the question of Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon, where dozens of villages are no-go areas – civilians cannot return to them, tens of thousands of them – and Israel has really destroyed much of those villages, levelled them to the ground.

    While there are efforts to freeze this conflict in one way or another, it is far from over.

Ghalibaf says Iran engaging with US from position of ‘strength’

    Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, says Tehran is engaging diplomatically with the US from a position of strength.

    In an interview with Iran’s Press TV, Ghalibaf, who also serves as speaker of parliament, said that Iran’s “battlefield victory” had provided the backdrop to the talks.

    “The difference between the current negotiations and previous periods is that today, this banner of battlefield victory, which both enemies and friends have acknowledged, serves as the backing for negotiations,” Ghalibaf said.

    He added that it was important for Iran’s military gains to be translated into a lasting settlement that serves the country’s interests.

    “Every war that ends in victory, if it does not ultimately lead to a legal and political document, and those victories are not recorded, will bring no benefit.”

    Israeli air strikes have continued in southern Lebanon, despite a new agreement between the US and Iran to end the war on all fronts.

Anger in Israel after US-Iran MoU delivers none of its war goals

By Nour Odeh

Reporting from Ramallah, occupied West Bank

    There is anger in Israel, which crosses all the political and ideological divides, about the memorandum of understanding.

    Nothing in this memorandum is what Israel was willing to live with, what Israel was seeking out of this war that it convinced the United States to wage on Iran.

    The memorandum of understanding doesn’t include the dismantling of the capacity of Iran to enrich uranium or produce ballistic missiles. It doesn’t conclusively address Iran’s relationship with its allied groups in the region, and most importantly, it does not collapse the Iranian government, which is something that Netanyahu had promised the Israeli public would be an outcome of this war.

    Right now, the Israeli prime minister has to balance between not upsetting Trump, who is increasingly frustrated with him, and also appeasing his partners and Israeli public opinion that refuses any talk of withdrawing from Lebanon, any talk of ending the war in Lebanon.

    For now, there is chatter about a possible compromise, where Israel might scale back the presence of its occupying forces in southern Lebanon, but certainly nothing about a complete withdrawal, and nothing about ending all activities.

    That balancing act will be extremely difficult in the coming days and weeks for Israel.

Versailles adds another chapter to its treaty legacy

    As we’ve been reporting, Trump signed the MoU with Iran at a dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles in Paris.

    Many historic treaties have been signed at the palace.

    The most famous was the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I and was signed on June 28, 1919, between the Allied nations and Germany.

Signing by presidents of US, Iran gives MoU ‘greater validity’

Reporting from Tehran, Iran

    It’s a turning point and a decisive moment between the United States and Iran to end the conflict in the region.

    It came after months of war, of intensive diplomatic activity, and a long period of uncertainty that affected every part of daily life here in Tehran and the region. And now, we have this official signing between the United States President Donald Trump and the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian.

    The agreement ends the war in Iran and also on all other fronts in the region, especially Lebanon – the occupied Lebanese front. It reopens the Strait of Hormuz and ends the US’s naval blockade, which will stabilise the region.

    The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, in the last couple of hours, said that the signing came from the highest authorities between both countries because it carries greater validity and, if there’s any violation in the coming days, a higher cost.

France’s Macron posts video of Trump signing MoU

    French President Emmanuel Macron has published a video of Trump signing the MoU at the Palace of Versailles in Paris.

    “President Trump signed tonight at Versailles the agreement between Iran and the United States,” he wrote on X.

    “This agreement paves the way for lasting peace and allows the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. It is an important step in the right direction for our compatriots that will soon enable a decrease in energy prices.”

Iranian agency publishes images of Pezeshkian signing MoU

    The official IRNA news agency has published pictures of the Iranian president signing the interim agreement with the US and holding up pages with his and Trump’s signatures.