'This was not easy': Trump and Iran sign interim ceasefire deal in France
Submitted by
Ayse Betul
on
Thu, 06/18/2026 - 09:24
The 14-point memorandum of understanding affirms reopening of Hormuz and a 60-day window to negotiate a permanent peace treaty involving nuclear down-blending
Videograb from the X account of French President Emmanuel Macron shows Trump and Macron during the signing of the deal with Iran in Versailles, Paris 17 June 2026 (X)
Off
US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end a war that has devastated the Middle East since late February.
The White House has confirmed the digital signing, noting that an initial phase of the agreement was signed on Sunday by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with President Trump witnessing.
Trump had previously announced that both sides had agreed on the deal on 14 June.
Trump told reporters that he had signed the memorandum at the Palace of Versailles, near Paris, where he was attending the G7 Summit ahead of a dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron shared a video on social media showing the moment Trump signed the document, in which Trump said: "This was not easy."
Both sides have 60 days, extendable by mutual consent, to negotiate a final comprehensive treaty.
Trump was blunt about the consequences of a breakdown in talks. "If it doesn't get done in 60 days, that's all right. We go back to bombing," he said. "I don't want to do that, because it's so good, but we might have to, because we're never going to let them have a nuclear weapon."
Because the document was signed digitally, there will be no physical ceremony. Negotiating teams from both sides are still expected to gather in Geneva on Friday, though Baghaei said a formal bilateral meeting had not yet been confirmed.
14-point framework
The agreement, titled the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, brings a formal framework to end a conflict that began on 28 February, when the US and Israel launched unprovoked, coordinated air strikes against Iran.
The strikes, widely denounced as illegal, killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior officials, triggering Iranian retaliatory strikes against Israel, US military bases across the region, and Gulf Arab states.
Iran also moved to block the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas passes, triggering a global fuel crisis. A fragile ceasefire has been in effect since 8 April.
'If it doesn't get done in 60 days, that's all right. We go back to bombing'
- Donald Trump
The 14-point document sets out provisions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, easing financial restrictions on Iran, and addressing Iran's nuclear programme in future technical talks.
Under the terms of the MoU, both sides declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and committed not to initiate further military operations against each other.
The US undertook to begin removing its naval blockade immediately upon signing, and to fully lift it within 30 days. Iran, in turn, committed to making arrangements for the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman for an initial 60-day period.
The MoU states that Iran has committed not to build a nuclear weapon, a commitment Tehran has maintained for 50 years, and that both sides agreed to further discuss the fate of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Iran holds an estimated 440 kg of uranium enriched to 60 percent, which could be converted to weapons-grade material with limited additional processing. Under the agreement, Iran will down-blend its existing stockpiles on-site under IAEA supervision, with the parameters of its broader nuclear programme to be negotiated during the 60-day window.
Iranian press review: Conflict revived Iran’s regional power, says anti-war analyst
Read More »
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said after the signing that Tehran would monitor US compliance "without any leniency" and would not fulfil its own commitments if Washington "evades its obligations".
He also confirmed that Iran's missile programme would not be on the table during the follow-on talks. "Iran's missiles are only for firing, not for negotiation," he said.
Baghaei added that Iran would not transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium abroad, describing on-site dilution as "an option introduced to close the door on other possibilities".
The US will also work with regional partners to develop a $300bn reconstruction fund for Iran, the details of which are to be settled during the 60-day negotiating period.
Administration officials said the agreement did not require the US "to pay a cent" to Iran, but would permit sanctions relief that would allow, for example, Gulf states to invest in Iranian infrastructure.
The deal also eases certain financial restrictions, with the US Treasury set to issue oil export waivers immediately, and frozen Iranian assets to be released on terms to be mutually agreed.
Shift on Iran's nuclear programme
Trump's remarks at the G7 summit in France also represented a significant shift on Iran's nuclear programme.
Speaking at a press conference in Evian, Trump appeared to leave open a door for Iran to retain a civilian nuclear programme. "It is a little hard, though, when you say that somebody wants it, other people have it, other, adjoining states have it," he said. "And you're not letting them have it for purposes of electricity and things like that."
Trump justifies Iran deal as a way to prevent 'economic catastrophe'
Read More »
He also dramatically walked back months of insistence that confiscating Iran's enriched uranium stockpile was a central war aim. There was "no rush" to retrieve the material, Trump said, adding that securing it was something the US wanted "psychologically" but not enough to prioritise, and that "you could make the case, 'Why do you even bother?' because it's not very valuable stuff."
The remarks stood in sharp contrast to the stated justifications for the war, and drew immediate scrutiny given that preventing Iran from accumulating weapons-grade material had been cited by both Washington and Tel Aviv as a core objective of Operation Epic Fury.
Trump also used the summit to publicly distance himself from Netanyahu, to a degree that drew attention even among allies.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Trump said Israel was "fighting Hezbollah too long" and that "too many people are being killed," adding: "You don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses and they're not all Hezbollah."
Israelis opposed to deal
Israel, which was not party to the MoU, has refused to accept its Lebanon provisions.
A senior Israeli official close to Netanyahu told Reuters on Thursday that Israel had "no intention" of withdrawing troops from southern Lebanon and was conducting "stubborn negotiations" with Washington over the matter.
Within Israel, the deal has viewed as a defeat for Netanyahu. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said that "Trump's agreement does not bind us." Opposition figure Benny Gantz called it a "strategic failure," while a Yesh Atid MP said it was "the best thing that has happened to Iran in a generation".
Trump's U-turn on Iran war has ended Israel's Middle East dream
Read More »
A poll conducted by Israel's public broadcaster Kan published on Tuesday found just 18 percent of Israelis supported the agreement, with 55 percent opposed and 70 percent saying they still feared the Iranian threat despite the months-long military campaign.
Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said any continued Israeli presence in Lebanon or military action there would be treated as a violation of the agreement, adding that Tehran considers the US and Israel to be one party to the deal, and Iran and Hezbollah the other.
Iran's army said Israel had violated the ceasefire in Lebanon 84 times since the deal was announced on Sunday.
The war on Iran has left a devastating toll across the region.
At least 3,600 deaths have been reported in Iran, including at least 1,700 civilians.
In Lebanon, more than 3,750 people have been killed by Israeli strikes since fighting resumed on 2 March, with over a million people displaced.
Iranian retaliatory strikes hit Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as Israel, Iraq and Jordan, killing dozens of civilians and damaging airports, hotels, energy infrastructure and residential buildings across the region.
Thirteen US service members were also killed in strikes on American bases.
US-Iran Tensions
News
Post Date Override
0
Update Date
Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19
Update Date Override
0