Iran, US reach initial agreement to end Middle East war

Authorities have confirmed that a tentative US-Iran memorandum of understanding was struck to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend a ceasefire reached in April, but it leaves the fate of Tehran's nuclear programme to further negotiations.

Iran says implementation would not begin until its signing which key mediator Pakistan says is set for June 19th.

US President Donald Trump declares on social media that a preliminary pact to halt the Middle East war "is now complete" while the precise terms aren't immediately available.

"Congratulations to all!" Trump says in a post, adding he has authorised the "toll free opening" of the Hormuz strait, simultaneously with the immediate removal of the US naval blockade on the major shipping route for global oil and gas supplies.

AP reporter Will Weissert says, "He (Trump) is declaring 'let the oil flow' and he says that the United States will end the blockade of that country. Iran has a little bit of a different take. They say that they forced the United States into this agreement but, this is the deal that President Trump has been sort of promising for several weeks now. It covers the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and it essentially is a memorandum of understanding that gives each side 60 more days to continue negotiating."

Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, tells state TV Monday that the agreement followed talks with Qatar, another mediator, and contends the lifting and termination of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports will "naturally take effect" from Friday after the formal signing of the memorandum in Geneva, Switzerland. US Vice President J.D. Vance reportedly says he's planning to attend the ceremony and that President Trump might be there as well.

Iranian media, citing Gharibabadi, says Tehran's entry into the 60-day period of negotiations on its nuclear programme and the removal of sanctions is to be subject to Washington's fulfillment of its preliminary commitments.

This as Trump claims that the deal ensures Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons. The US president noted in recent interviews should Iran failed to reach a final nuclear accord, he would restart military operations against the Islamic Republic or make the US "the guardian of the Middle East" in exchange for 20 percent of the region's revenues.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, emphasises the country's top security body backs the path of dialogue and warns any domestic division over the breakthrough agreement could weaken their negotiating position.