In a shift described as the most prominent in US-Iranian relations in years, it was announced that a peace agreement had been reached between the United States and Iran after months of military confrontations and secret and public negotiations, opening the door to a new phase of regional calm and the rearrangement of political and security balances in the Middle East.
The announcement came on Sunday evening, after Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif confirmed the success of the mediation in which regional and international parties participated, while US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s approval of the agreement, coinciding with Tehran’s announcement of concluding a memorandum of understanding that paves the way for stopping the war and moving to final negotiations.
According to information circulating from American and Iranian sources, the agreement stipulates an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and the lifting of the naval blockade imposed on Iran, in addition to reopening the Strait of Hormuz to international navigation, in preparation for launching a 60-day negotiating process to address the outstanding issues between the two parties.
The roots of the crisis go back to last February 28, when a military confrontation broke out between the two sides, before a temporary truce that entered into force on April 8 succeeded in containing the escalation and opening indirect channels of communication under the auspices of regional and international mediators. During the following weeks, meetings and consultations intensified, reaching an initial understanding that was later transformed into an official framework for stopping the war.
The Iranian Mehr Agency revealed that the memorandum of understanding consists of 14 items, and includes lifting the US naval blockade, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, suspending sanctions related to Iranian oil and petrochemical exports, in addition to releasing about $24 billion in frozen Iranian funds as part of confidence-building measures.
The agency explained that the final negotiations will fully address the Iranian nuclear issue and the mechanisms for lifting sanctions, while the current document excludes the Iranian ballistic missile program and relations with regional allies from the framework of direct negotiations.
The draft also includes, according to Iranian leaks, a plan for the reconstruction of Iran worth no less than $300 billion, in addition to providing international cover for the agreement through an upcoming resolution from the UN Security Council after the completion of the signing and implementation stages.
However, the last hours before the announcement of the agreement witnessed dramatic developments that almost unraveled everything that had been achieved during months of negotiation.
According to American sources reported by CNN, the Israeli raid that targeted the southern suburb of Beirut raised serious fears within the American administration about the collapse of the understanding and the return of the military confrontation to point zero.
The sources indicated that Washington intensified its contacts with Qatari and Iranian officials in an attempt to prevent any broad military response, after American estimates indicated that Iran was considering carrying out major attacks against Israel.
The Iranian “Fars” agency revealed that the attack on the southern suburb pushed the negotiations to the brink of complete collapse, and that Iran was preparing for a broad military response on several fronts, before Trump’s personal intervention and the provision of what the agency described as “new concessions” restored momentum to the negotiations and removed the last obstacles.
According to the agency, the last-minute amendments included immediately lifting the naval blockade instead of implementing it within 30 days, in addition to including a clause stipulating an immediate cessation of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and emphasizing respect for the sovereignty and unity of the Lebanese territories.
On the other hand, sources confirmed to Al Arabiya that the agreement imposes mutual obligations on both parties, as the United States is committed to stopping military operations, gradually lifting sanctions, and lifting restrictions imposed on Iranian oil exports, while Tehran pledges not to produce or possess nuclear weapons, and to negotiate within 60 days the mechanism for dismantling the highly enriched uranium stockpile.
Despite the positive atmosphere that accompanied the announcement, Trump stressed that the current agreement does not represent the final settlement, warning that the failure of negotiations related to the nuclear program will bring the option of military action back to the forefront.
The international community is awaiting the official signing ceremony scheduled in Switzerland on June 19, amid hopes that the agreement will mark the beginning of a new phase of regional stability, while its actual successes remain linked to the ability of the two parties to implement the pledges and overcome the more complex issues during the upcoming negotiations.
