US and Iran Declare Deal to End War as Trump Carries It to the G7

A page-and-a-half deal to halt a 100-day war

President Donald Trump and Iran have declared an agreement to end more than three months of war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with a formal signing set for Friday in Switzerland.npr The memorandum of understanding, brokered mainly by Pakistan, begins with the simultaneous lifting of Iran's closure of the strait and the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, followed by 60 days of negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program and sanctions relief.apnews Vice President JD Vance described the text as only about a page and a half long and "a very general document," leaving most contested issues for the talks that follow.apnews

The war began on Feb. 28, when Israel and the United States launched a joint assault on Iran that left thousands dead across the region, triggered a global energy crisis and pushed U.S. inflation up to 4% ahead of the midterm elections.apnews Iran's shutdown of the strait, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil passes, proved its most potent weapon before the dueling blockades were agreed to be lifted.apnews

Hormuz reopens but the hardest questions are deferred

Arriving at the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, Trump declared the deal "all signed" and said the strait would be "completely open" from Friday and toll-free, brushing aside a proposed U.K.-France naval mission to escort ships.theguardian The announcement sent oil prices lower and stock markets higher, and Trump said he would now turn to ending the wars in Ukraine and Lebanon.apnews +1

The nuclear question, the stated reason for the war, remains unresolved. Trump told The New York Times that Iran would be permitted low-level enrichment, a softening from his earlier demands to dismantle the program entirely.npr U.S. officials said sanctions relief and the release of billions in frozen assets would be tied to Iranian compliance, and that as of Monday "$0 of unfrozen assets" had been released.theguardian

Israel and Lebanon threaten to unravel the truce

The most immediate danger is Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu distanced himself from the agreement, calling it "[Trump's] decision" and insisting "we have our own interests," while vowing not to withdraw from territory Israel seized in southern Lebanon.theguardian Defense Minister Israel Katz said troops would stay there indefinitely.apnews

Hezbollah praised the deal but said it remained committed to resisting Israel "until full withdrawal is achieved."apnews A new Israeli drone strike killed one person in southern Lebanon, the second death since the ceasefire, and Iran warned that the entire arrangement hinges on its application to Lebanon.theguardian