Demonstrators wave Iranian flags in a small group gathering at the Islamic Revolution square in Tehran, Iran. (Photo: AP)
US and Iranian officials said they had reached an agreement to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Tehran’s nuclear programme to further negotiations. While still a framework, the deal marked the biggest breakthrough towards resolving the conflict that has killed thousands and upended energy markets since it began with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform at around 5:30 pm in Washington on Sunday. His post came shortly after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has served as a mediator, announced a deal had been struck early on Monday local time. The memorandum of understanding is scheduled to be officially signed on Friday in Switzerland.
Ahead of Friday’s signing ceremony, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency has published what it describes as the draft contents of a 14-point memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. Neither government has officially confirmed these details, and the points should be read as the Iranian state media’s account pending verification.
What’s in the 14-point memorandum
Iranian state media is reporting what it says are the draft details of a 14-point memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran.
The US and its allies are delivering reconstruction plans for Iran worth at least $300bn
Ending sanctions on Iranian oil and energy products
Reiteration of Iran’s commitment not to produce nuclear weapons
US commitment not to increase its forces in the region and not impose new sanctions
Mehr also reported that “final negotiations will not begin before half of Iran’s frozen funds are released, Iran’s oil sanctions are suspended, and the naval blockade is lifted”.
It also said the final agreement would be approved by a UN Security Council resolution. According to Mehr, the draft includes a permanent ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon, along with a US commitment not to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs.
The terms reportedly require Washington to lift its naval blockade and allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen both within 30 days, with the strait’s reopening to happen “under Iranian arrangements.” The document is also said to call for a US troop withdrawal from Iran, a pledge from Washington not to increase its regional military presence or impose new sanctions, and an end to sanctions on Iranian oil and energy exports.
However, none of these specifics has been independently verified or confirmed by US or Iranian officials.
From Atoms for Peace to an uneasy truce: Iran and the US's nuclear standoff
After nearly four months of war and six decades of on-off tension, Washington and Tehran say they've reached an interim deal to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz — though a Friday signing in Switzerland is still unconfirmed, and what the agreement actually contains remains disputed.
Breaking · June 15, 2026
Six decades of tension, one fragile opening
The US and Iran have reached an interim deal aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. A signing is planned for Friday in Switzerland — but previous announcements have fallen through before, and what the deal actually contains remained in dispute as of Monday.
60 yrs
Of on-off Iran-US nuclear tension, dating back to 1967
1/5
Of all oil traded globally passes through the Strait of Hormuz
What's actually in the deal?
US and Iranian accounts of the agreement's scope still differ, even as a Friday signing is being planned in Switzerland.
Will Hormuz fully reopen?
The strait — the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf carrying a fifth of all traded oil — has been a recurring flashpoint and bargaining chip.
Can it actually hold?
Earlier ceasefire and deal announcements in this standoff have fallen apart before signing — this would not be the first attempt.
The road to today
Dec 28, 2025
The Iranian rial collapses to a record low of 1.42 million to the dollar, sparking protests in Tehran's markets.
28 Feb 2026 — war begins
Israel and the US launch a war on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the conflict's first moments.
April 7, 2026
A fragile ceasefire is announced, with Israel left out of the talks and negotiations set to continue.
Now — June 15, 2026
The US and Iran reach an interim agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz and extend the shaky ceasefire.
1967 – 2009
From "Atoms for Peace" to a secret programme exposed
Iran's nuclear story began as a US-backed civilian programme — then went underground after the 1979 revolution, only to resurface as a global flashpoint two decades later.
1967
Iran takes possession of the Tehran Research Reactor, supplied by the US under the "Atoms for Peace" programme.
1979
The Islamic Revolution. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi flees as Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Tehran. Students seize the US Embassy, beginning the 444-day hostage crisis. Iran's nuclear programme goes fallow under international pressure.
Aug 2002
Western intelligence and an Iranian opposition group reveal Iran's secret Natanz uranium enrichment facility.
2003
Britain, France and Germany (the "E3") open nuclear talks with Iran; by October, Iran suspends enrichment under international pressure.
Feb 2006
Iran restarts enrichment after the election of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The E3 walk out of stalled negotiations.
June 2009
A disputed presidential election sees Ahmadinejad re-elected amid fraud allegations, sparking the Green Movement protests and a violent crackdown.
Oct 2009
Under President Obama, the US and Iran quietly open a back-channel for messages via the Sultanate of Oman.
2012 – 2018
The JCPOA: built in secret, broken in three years
Years of quiet back-channel diplomacy produced the most significant nuclear agreement of the era — before a change of US administration unwound it.
July 2012
US and Iranian officials hold secret face-to-face talks in Oman — the diplomatic groundwork for what comes next.
July 2015
The JCPOA is signed. World powers and Iran announce a long-term, comprehensive nuclear agreement limiting Tehran's uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief.
May 8, 2018
Trump withdraws the US from the deal, calling it the "worst deal ever" and promising tougher terms on missiles and militias — talks that never happen in his first term.
“Worst deal ever.”
— President Donald Trump, on the 2015 nuclear agreement, May 2018
2019 – 2024
From sabotage to open strikes
With the nuclear deal gone, the standoff played out through sabotage, assassinations, proxy wars and — for the first time — direct missile exchanges between Iran and Israel.
May 2019
Iran announces it will start backing away from the 2015 accord. A series of regional attacks on land and at sea, blamed on Tehran, follow.
Jan 2020
A US drone strike kills Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. Iran retaliates with a missile barrage on US-Iraqi bases, injuring over 100 American troops with traumatic brain injuries. Amid the tension, Iran's Revolutionary Guard mistakenly shoots down a Ukrainian passenger plane, killing all 176 aboard.
July 2020
A mysterious explosion destroys a centrifuge production plant at Natanz; Iran blames Israel.
April 2021
Vienna talks to revive the nuclear deal stall. A second attack hits Natanz, again likely by Israel. Iran begins enriching uranium to 60% — its highest-ever purity, and a technical step from weapons-grade.
2022
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine begins; Moscow comes to rely heavily on Iranian bomb-carrying drones and missiles.
Oct 7, 2023
Hamas attacks Israel from Gaza, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Iran, which arms Hamas, offers support — regional tensions spike sharply.
Nov 2023
Iran-backed Houthi rebels seize the ship Galaxy Leader, beginning months of Red Sea shipping attacks the US Navy calls its most intense combat since World War II.
April 14, 2024
Iran's first-ever direct attack on Israel — over 300 missiles and drones, mostly intercepted by Israel and a US-led coalition. Days later, a suspected Israeli strike hits an Isfahan air-defence site.
Jul – Oct 2024
A wave of assassinations: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Tehran (July), Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah killed in Lebanon (Sept), Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed in Gaza (Oct).
Oct 26, 2024
Iran launches a second direct attack on Israel (Oct 1); most missiles are shot down. Later, Israel openly strikes Iran for the first time, hitting air-defence and missile-programme sites.
2025
Five rounds of talks, then 12 days of war
A renewed push for a deal under Trump's second term unravelled into the most direct US-Iran military confrontation in decades — followed by a fast diplomatic scramble and reimposed UN sanctions.
Jan – March 2025
Trump is inaugurated for his second term (Jan 20). Khamenei dismisses proposed talks as "not intelligent, wise or honorable" (Feb 7). Trump says he's sent Khamenei a letter seeking a new deal (March 7), then launches intense strikes on Yemen's Houthis (March 15).
April – May 2025
Five rounds of US-Iran talks — Oman (Apr 12), Rome (Apr 19), Oman again with expert-level talks for the first time (Apr 26), Oman (May 11) and Rome (May 23), with Oman calling progress "some but not conclusive."
June 9-13, 2025
Iran signals it won't accept a US proposal. The IAEA finds Iran in noncompliance; Iran announces a third enrichment facility. Israel launches its war on Iran, striking nuclear, military and government sites over 12 days.
June 22-24, 2025
The US strikes three Iranian nuclear sites. Iran responds by hitting a US base in Qatar, causing limited damage. Trump announces a ceasefire on June 24.
Jul – Sept 2025
Iranian and European diplomats meet in Istanbul (Jul 25). The E3 warn of "snapback" UN sanctions by Aug 31 absent a solution, then trigger the process (Aug 28). Iran-IAEA reach a partial inspections deal (Sept 9), but the UN reimposes snapback sanctions on Sept 28 after Russia and China's bid to stop it fails.
Dec 2025 – June 2026
Protests, a second war, and a fragile opening
Economic collapse and mass protests inside Iran preceded a second, far more devastating war — one that killed the Supreme Leader and reshaped Iran's leadership, before grinding toward today's uneasy interim deal.
Dec 28, 2025
The rial plunges to a record 1.42 million to the dollar, sparking protests in two major Tehran markets amid soaring food prices.
Jan 3-8, 2026
Khamenei says "rioters must be put in their place." Following a call from Iran's exiled crown prince, nationwide protests erupt; the government blocks the internet and international calls, and a crackdown kills thousands and detains tens of thousands.
Jan 13-26, 2026
Trump calls off planned meetings, promising "help is on its way." The carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group arrive in the Middle East.
Feb 3-26, 2026
A US fighter jet downs an Iranian drone near the Lincoln; Iranian boats confront a US-flagged ship in Hormuz. Indirect talks follow in Oman and Geneva even as the US masses its largest Mideast warplane fleet in decades. Iran briefly closes the Strait of Hormuz.
Feb 28, 2026 — war begins
Israel and the US launch war on Iran, killing Khamenei in the conflict's first moments. On March 9, Iran names his son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as the new supreme leader.
April 7-11, 2026
A fragile ceasefire is announced (Israel excluded from talks); a day later Israel bombards Beirut, killing over 300 in a 10-minute attack. US Vice President JD Vance leads a delegation to Islamabad for 21 hours of direct talks with Iran — the highest-level since 1979 — which end without a deal.
May 31, 2026
Israel's ground invasion of Lebanon reaches its deepest point in over a quarter century.
June 15, 2026 — Now
The US and Iran reach an initial agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz and further extend the ceasefire — with a signing planned for Friday in Switzerland.
Tags
Iran nuclear programmeJCPOAStrait of HormuzKhameneiIran-Israel warSnapback sanctions
Outside the state media account, the clearest details come directly from social media posts by Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and US President Donald Trump.
Both leaders have confirmed a halt to fighting on all fronts notably including Israeli operations in Lebanon, which had been a major sticking point since Israel had pushed to keep Lebanon out of any US-Iran agreement.
Sharif confirmed the signing ceremony is set for June 19 in Switzerland, with technical talks scheduled this week ahead of it. He also thanked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye for their roles in brokering the deal.
Following intensive talks, we are pleased to announce that the Peace Deal between the United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran has been REACHED. Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in…
Trump said shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz should resume without any tolls or payments imposed on vessels, and confirmed the US has agreed to lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports.
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Demonstrators wave Iranian flags in a small group gathering at the Islamic Revolution square in Tehran, Iran. (Photo: AP) 
