In what would be a significant development, the United States and Iran have electronically signed an MoU to end the Middle East war. US President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf signed the agreement electronically. The formal signing ceremony will take place in Geneva on Friday.
The US officials said the contends of the MoU would be made public within two days. With the agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened immediately and the US blockade on Iran will be lifted soon.
While speaking on the sidelines of the G7 Summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said the deal was "all signed". Vance will attend the Geneva ceremony on Friday.
“The deal’s all signed and the Strait is already partially open. They are doing a little hunting for a couple of mines that they’ve already found. But it’s essentially that ships are starting to go out. Now on Friday, it’ll be completely open," he said. He said the text of the deal will be released sometime after the formal signing.
"We probably won’t return to normal in two weeks, but we will see a significant increase in strait traffic," a senior US official said.
However, an Israeli drone reportedly him a vehicle in south Lebanon hours after the agreement was reached. This has raised concerns as Iran warned that any lasting agreement must also include Lebanon.
With a deal with Iran secured, Trump said his focus is now on secure peace between Ukraine and Russia, while also seeking to bring closure to fighting in Lebanon. "We had a very good conversation yesterday with President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy and President [Vladimir] Putin, and I think maybe we can do something there. I really do. I think they're both open to it," he said.
