The deal was expected to open the Strait of Hormuz, lift the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports and pave the way for further talks. It did not address Iran’s nuclear program. Share full articleImageTehran last week.Credit...Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google Latest PinnedUpdated June 15, 2026, 3:58 a.m. ETYan ZhuangFarnaz Fassihi and Adam Rasgon Here’s the latest.The United States and Iran reached an agreement on Sunday that paved the way for further talks to ultimately end a monthslong war that has killed thousands of people, roiled the Middle East and rattled the global economy. The announcement led to relief in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East. It also sent oil prices tumbling, in part because the deal is expected to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the world’s energy supplies. But critical issues — including the fate of Iran’s nuclear program, the linchpin of the U.S.-Israeli attacks that started the war — have been pushed back to a later round of negotiations. And the economic shock waves of a war that has crippled supply chains and sent inflation soaring will keep rippling through the global economy for months. The text of the agreement, which is scheduled to be signed by leaders from the two countries on Friday in Geneva, was not immediately released. American and Iranian officials previously said that the deal would include a 60-day cease-fire to give the two sides more time to discuss Iran’s nuclear program — which neither side has shown much willingness to compromise on — and the lifting of U.S. sanctions on Tehran. President Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that the deal would reopen the strait, and that he had authorized “the immediate removal of the United States naval blockade” on Iranian ports. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that the agreement, which it described as a “memorandum of understanding,” called for an immediate end to military operations on all fronts. That includes Lebanon, where Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah are fighting. Peace in Lebanon will depend on both the United States being able to compel Israel to wind down its military campaign, and Iran’s cooperation in restraining Hezbollah. Israel was not a party to the negotiations. Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said in a statement on Monday morning that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed the withdrawal of the country’s military from Lebanon. “If Iran attacks Israel due to events in Lebanon, we will strike it with full force,” he said. The U.S.-Iran agreement had appeared at risk early Sunday after Israel bombed the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in retaliation for rocket fire from Hezbollah. A last-minute flurry of negotiations, led by Qatar, eased the tensions, and the final agreement appeared to come together late in the night in Tehran. Europe meetings: The deal will be a major topic of discussion this week at the Group of 7 meeting in France, which Mr. Trump will attend, and at a meeting of European foreign ministers in Luxembourg. Lawmakers react: Democrats and Republicans largely stuck to party lines in their reactions to the deal. But Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, voiced skepticism about the extent to which it would curb Iran’s nuclear capabilities, adding that he was “somewhat concerned” that Iran’s view of the agreement seemed different to that of the U.S. negotiating team. The deal will be a major topic of discussion at the Group of 7 meeting in Évian-les-Bains, France, which Trump will attend on Monday, and at a meeting of European foreign ministers in Luxembourg. While Europe is less dependent on energy moving through the Strait of Hormuz than Asia, the blockade has sharply raised global energy prices, as well as the cost for fertilizer, aluminum and other key products. Europeans are also eager to show Trump, who has complained bitterly about their unwillingness to enter the war and force open the strait, that they are prepared to do their part to keep it open. The head of the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, said on Monday that he welcomed the peace agreement, but that it would take time to ensure that the necessary security guarantees were in place to evacuate the thousands of seafarers stranded in the Persian Gulf. “This signals a crucial return to peace, dialogue, multilateralism and diplomacy, and in particular, an important step toward restoring safety in this vital maritime corridor for seafarers and ships, as well as safeguarding the fundamental principle of freedom of navigation,” said Arsenio Dominguez, the secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization. Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, said on social media early Monday that the country was not bound by the U.S.-Iran agreement, which he said did not ensure Israel’s security. He called on Israel not to withdraw from any captured territory or compromise on anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon. Israel was not party to the negotiations, and its war with Hezbollah is one of the thorniest outstanding issues for the peace agreement. Farnaz Fassihi has covered Iran for three decades living and traveling throughout the country. She was a war correspondent based in the Middle East for 15 years. Many Iranians express relief over the agreement.ImageDemonstrators in Tehran on Sunday.Credit...Vahid Salemi/Associated PressMany Iranians expressed relief and disbelief on Sunday after learning that their country had reached an agreement with the United States that could ultimately end the war. The Iranian public has been in limbo for months as sporadic fighting across the Middle East threatened a shaky cease-fire that the two sides agreed on in April. On Sunday, ordinary people finally received some definitive news: A deal had been reached to halt the fighting. In interviews and on social media chat groups, Iranians expressed a range of emotions over the agreement to end a war that killed thousands across the region and brought enormous loss with no gain for millions of others. “So what was the point of this war? What did it bring us exactly?” Roshanak, a resident of Tehran, said by telephone. She agreed to be identified only by her first name for fear of retribution. Sara, a 54-year-old from Tehran who also requested partial anonymity, said in a text message that she had a hard time believing the news because she had heard a deal was close so many times — only to result in more bombs. For Iranian opposition groups and some members of the diaspora who had hoped the war would topple the Islamic Republic, the agreement was both a let down and a reality check. Behnam Amini, a monarchist political activist in Washington who has supported the war against Iran, sharply criticized Mr. Trump in a social media post. He said the president had shown a willingness to “whitewash the blood of thousands of Iranians” to benefit himself and his allies and family members. In Iran, a minority within the hard-line political faction — those who ideologically favor destruction of Israel and war with the U.S. by any means — unleashed fury at Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Gen. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the lead negotiator and speaker of parliament. At rallies in Tehran and other cities over the weekend, crowds of hard-liners chanted, “death to Araghchi,” and “death to anyone who compromises, be it a minister or a general,” targeting both men. On state television, which is controlled by hard-liners, the coverage was solidly against the deal and presented the 14-point agreement as Iran surrendering to Mr. Trump. President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran has denounced such attacks and called for unity. In an attempt to quiet the critics, he said on Sunday that no major decision was made without close consultation and approval of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. “Today, our biggest challenge is the attempts by those try to divide our society, an issue that our enemies are closely watching,” Mr. Pezeshkian said, Iranian state media reported. “You can’t voice your personal views as demands by the larger public.” World leaders welcome news that the Strait of Hormuz could soon reopen.Prime Ministers Keir Starmer and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani welcomed the peace agreement between the U.S. and IranPool photo by Oli Scarff; Getty ImagesWorld leaders welcomed an announcement from President Trump on Sunday that a deal had been reached to end the conflict with Iran and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil and gas where stalled ship traffic has pressured the global economy. Details of the agreement have not been made public, allowing both sides to keep spinning their version of the initial deal, which Iran called a memorandum of understanding. But Mr. Trump said in two social media posts that it would lead to the “immediate” lifting of the United States naval blockade on Iranian ports and that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen on Friday, when the initial agreement is expected to be finalized, suggesting that the interim days would be used to remove mines from the waterway. “Ships of the World, start your engines,” Mr. Trump wrote in a post. Then there will be at least 60 days of negotiations on how to implement the agreement, including the future status of the strait and the ways in which Iran’s nuclear program will be limited. Statements from relieved leaders around the globe soon followed his announcement.
Original Source: NYTimes
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