US President Donald Trump signed a deal with Iran on Wednesday that would see Tehran dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and suspend US-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely, a major concession from Washington, details show. published by both countries.
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The initial agreement to end the war comes into “immediate effect” after being signed by the leaders of the two countries, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate the agreement, said on social media.
The agreement provides for a permanent end to hostilities and triggers a 60-day countdown to reach a final agreement on the future of Iran’s nuclear program, even though Trump has left the door open to a resumption of strikes. It also appears to offer Iran several immediate benefits while demanding little in return.
The deal is shrouded in secrecy and confusion for several days. US officials refused to release the terms, even after assurances that Trump and Vice President JD Vance had digitally signed it over the weekend.
Trump signed a hard copy Wednesday during a dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron at Versailles, the palace where many historic agreements ending wars or territorial disputes were reached over the centuries.
The White House had planned a signing ceremony for Friday in Switzerland, but its fate is now uncertain, with conflicting information coming from the United States, Iran and Pakistan.
“It’s signed,” Trump said as he left the dinner in Versailles, which followed his trip to the G7 summit in France.
In a video posted online by a White House aide, Trump is seen sitting at a table next to Macron, signing a paper copy of the agreement. Trump then handed the document and pen to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to the applause of those present.
“It was not easy,” Trump declared just before signing, according to a video published on social networks by Macron.
In Tehran, President Massoud Pezeshkian, with an impassive face, signed the agreement on behalf of Iran, according to the official IRNA agency, which published a photo showing him brandishing the document bearing his signature and that of Trump.
The contents of the agreement have not been made public by US officials, but some leaks to US media appear to show that the White House accepted important concessions to reach an agreement, despite hitherto very harsh rhetoric towards the Islamic Republic.
Much of the deal would restore the pre-war status quoincluding the end of hostilities, the resumption of discussions between the United States and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage for global oil and natural gas, the closure of which caused a historic global energy crisis.
The agreement provides for the reopening of the strait without toll for two months, allowing the resumption of a fifth of global oil and gas deliveries, but does not exclude the introduction of fees later, according to the draft agreements of the two countries.
In return, the United States undertakes to suspend, but not to lift, certain extensive sanctions targeting Iran.
The agreement also reaffirms the attachment to the territorial integrity of Lebanon in the face of the Israeli invasion and the continuation of aggressions by the Hebrew state, which says it is targeting Hezbollah positions despite a fragile truce in progress.
This is one of the most delicate parts of the agreement, with Israel asserting that it will continue to “defend itself” and occupy large swathes of Lebanese territory. Iran has repeatedly demanded Israeli withdrawal as part of the deal, a condition already rejected by Tel Aviv.
The United States and Israel went to war on February 28, in part to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Trump has advanced various goals for this war, at times promising that it would end Iran’s nuclear and missile programs as well as Tehran’s support for Hezbollah and other allied armed groups in the region. He also suggested that it could lead to the overthrow of the Iranian government.
The interim deal falls far short of achieving all of these goals, but Trump hailed it as “very strong.”
The Republican president presents this agreement as a gesture of goodwill from the White House to negotiate a long-term agreement in good faith, while reserving the possibility of abandoning it if necessary.
“It’s a memorandum of understanding and, if I don’t like it, we’ll start shooting at them again, dropping bombs,” said a defiant Trump in Paris.
