According to the mediating state Pakistan, the framework agreement between the USA and Iran comes into force with “immediate effect”. Tehran will “immediately reopen” the Strait of Hormuz and the US will immediately lift the naval blockade of Iranian ports, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on X on Thursday night. US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Massoud Peseschkian had previously signed the agreement.
Shortly after the start of the war, Iran largely brought traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for global trade in oil, gas and fertilizer, to a standstill through threats and attacks on ships. The United States later imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports to cut off Tehran’s oil revenues. Global energy prices shot up with the start of the war.
According to the US statement, the framework agreement now states that the US Treasury Department will grant exemptions for the export of Iranian crude oil immediately after it is signed. The sanctions against Iran should only be completely lifted once a final agreement has been reached. The US promises to release Iranian assets frozen abroad. The question of implementation is also part of the ongoing negotiations.
A final agreement between the US and Iran is expected to be reached within 60 days. The period can be extended if both sides agree. However, it is by no means certain whether there will ultimately be a solution to the dispute over the controversial Iranian nuclear program.
Trump signs at Versailles
Trump signed the framework agreement in Versailles, France, where he was received by French head of state Emmanuel Macron at the conclusion of the G7 summit on Wednesday evening in the palace. There was applause from those present and Macron shook Trump’s hand. “Great job,” praised the French head of state.
Switzerland: Meeting is now planned for Friday
Meanwhile, the Iranian news agency Irna published photos showing President Peseschkian holding a paper signed by himself and Trump into the camera. On Thursday morning, Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif also signed the agreement as a mediator, as he shared in a video on X.
There was originally talk of a signing ceremony in Switzerland on Friday. The Swiss Foreign Ministry said in the morning that as of today, a meeting of representatives of the USA, Iran and the mediators Pakistan and Qatar is still planned for Friday. According to the new information, this will involve initial negotiations to implement the framework agreement that the sides have already signed, said a spokesman for the German Press Agency.
But the situation is extremely dynamic. Plans could also change at any time, he added. As of now, the meeting was planned at the Bürgenstock Resort near Lucerne, which is in Qatari hands.
What else the agreement provides
After weeks of negotiations, the USA and Iran agreed on the framework agreement on Sunday.
In the 14-point agreement, both sides also agreed to an “immediate and permanent end to the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” according to a senior US government official. But questions remain: Will Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Lebanon comply? What happens if the fighting between both parties continues? In any case, a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, which Iran has also demanded, is not in the text of the agreement.
A possible Iranian toll for shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is also explosive. There will be no charge for the duration of the 60-day in-depth negotiations. According to the framework agreement, Iran should first negotiate what happens next with Oman. The US has repeatedly described a toll in the Strait of Hormuz as unacceptable.
There are still central questions regarding the controversial Iranian nuclear program that will be clarified as part of the in-depth negotiations. According to a US official, the framework agreement already stipulates as a minimum measure that the highly enriched uranium should be diluted on site and under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Trump’s Chief of Staff: Challenging next 60 days
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles acknowledged on Platform X that the “next 60 days will present challenges.” Trump threatened Iran again on Wednesday. “If they don’t behave, we will go straight back to throwing bombs right on their heads,” he said on the sidelines of the G7 summit on Lake Geneva. He had already made similar threats in recent weeks.
Ex-US diplomat calls Iran deal “strategic fiasco”
A senior former US State Department official described the framework agreement as a “strategic fiasco of epic proportions”. The agreement with Iran means “a break with almost fifty years of bipartisan US policy towards Iran,” Joel Rubin told the Israeli TV station i24news. Rubin served under former Democratic President Barack Obama.
Rubin warned of a scenario in which “hundreds of billions of dollars could now be handed over to Tehran without any restrictions.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had in the past urged Trump to take a tougher line towards Tehran. In 2018, he encouraged the highly controversial decision to withdraw from the international nuclear deal with Iran. Looking back, Israeli security experts also classify this step as a strategic mistake.
At the end of February, the USA and Israel attacked
On February 28th, the USA and Israel began the war against Iran. Iran responded with attacks on Israel and Gulf states with US military bases. A ceasefire has been in effect since the beginning of April. The US war goal was to stop Iran from developing atomic bombs.
