The United States and Iran agreed to a peace pact and a “immediate and permanent” halt to military operations on all fronts including Lebanon, mediator Pakistan said, the strongest evidence yet that more than three months of war in the Middle East is coming to an end.
In a post on X, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that a peace pact “has been REACHED” and that an official signing ceremony will take place on June 19 in Switzerland, AFP reports.
Yesterday he celebrated his 80th birthday, and US President Donald Trump quickly verified with his own statement: “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete.”
“Herewith I do completely sanction the toll-free opening of the Strait of Hormuz and, at the same time herewith, do authorise the immediate withdrawal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, begin your engines. “Let it flow, boys!”
Iran did not immediately confirm the attack, which came just after Iran vowed to react following a raid by Israel on Iranian ally Hezbollah in the outskirts of Beirut, threatening to push back an accord.
Yesterday it refused to give any precise timetable for a peace deal.
But later in the day, Pakistan’s Sharif announced an agreement had been reached, thanking the US and Iran “for finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict.”
“Both sides have announced immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon,” Sharif said, thanking the presidents of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey for their help in the mediation effort.
Yesterday was a rollercoaster, with Trump in the morning angrily accusing Israel for delaying its signing with the airstrike on Beirut which he alleged had delayed the accord.
The previous time Israel struck the Beirut suburbs it triggered one of the largest tremors yet to a ceasefire that has mainly lasted since April, with Iran dispatching a retaliatory missile bombardment and Israel replying with attacks.
Tehran has long insisted that any deal to end the war must include the parallel battle in Lebanon, where Israel has been waging a campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The war erupted in late February with US-Israeli raids on Iran, which replied with attacks on Israel and US allies in the area and by effectively shutting ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for world oil and natural gas supplies. The US responded by closing off ship travel to Iranian ports.
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