“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told Iran’s state-run IRIB TV that issues to be discussed in a 60-day period of negotiations include the ending of sanctions, Tehran’s nuclear programme, mechanisms for Iran’s reconstruction and establishing a mechanism to monitor all parties’ commitment.
He said all this will hinge on Washington’s fulfilment of its preliminary commitments, and Tehran will verify the United States’ compliance before the official signing of the peace memorandum of understanding in Switzerland on Friday.
For his part, Trump said the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane for global energy supplies that Iran has effectively shut down for months, would be open “toll free” and that a US naval blockade of Iran ports would also end.
“Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” Trump wrote.
E4 nations, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, said the countries were prepared to lift sanctions on Iran in response to steps on its nuclear programme.
“Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon. We stand ready to work with the US, Iran and the IAEA to this end,” the leaders of the countries said in a joint statement.
Thousands of people have been killed, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, since US and Israeli forces first attacked Iran on February 28. Iran has struck Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases and has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, pushing up global energy prices. US forces have blocked Iranian ports in response.
Israel has said it was not party to the planned US-Iran deal.
The Iran war has become a political liability at home for Trump and his fellow Republicans in Congress, with public opinion polls showing Americans deeply frustrated by rising gas prices ahead of November’s midterm elections in which control of Congress will be decided.
The agreement was sealed despite an Israeli strike on Lebanon on Sunday that drew criticism from both Iran and Trump.
Iranian negotiator Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf earlier said Israel’s latest attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut, which Israel said targeted Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants, showed the United States lacks “the will and ability to fulfill your commitments” in a post on X.
Iran’s foreign ministry said it held the United States responsible for the attack. Iran warned of a “strong response”, and its top joint military command said the “finger (is) on the trigger” ready to fire at the “enemy’s heart”.
In a post earlier on Sunday, Trump said: “This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has differed with Trump over American demands that Israel curb its military action in Lebanon to allow the United States to reach a deal with Iran.
Fox News quoted an unidentified diplomat involved in the talks as saying the Israeli strikes complicated efforts to finalise the US-Iran deal, and calling them an attempt to sabotage those efforts.
Israel did not respond to the assertion. Israel has said it will retain freedom of operations in Lebanon, while Iran has made a full ceasefire there an important component of its demands.
A senior Iranian official earlier told Reuters that, under the terms of the draft deal, the United States would agree to release US$25 billion of frozen Iranian assets, while Iran would agree not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons. The official said Iran agreed to maintain the nuclear status quo, including no uranium enrichment or expanding nuclear facilities, until a final deal is reached.
A US official, speaking before the deal was announced, said the agreement would ultimately lead to the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program, with its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to be destroyed and removed. A senior Iranian official said the draft deal would allow Iran, which denies seeking a nuclear bomb, to dilute its enriched uranium inside the country. (Agencies)