US and Iranian officials have said they have agreed on a peace framework to end their war, halt the US blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, reports RTE.
His post came shortly after Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has served as a mediator, announced that a deal had been struck.
The pact will be officially signed on Friday in Switzerland, Mr Sharif wrote, reports RTE.
The precise terms were not immediately disclosed.
Mr Sharif said in a post on X that the agreement called for “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” reports RTE.
Lebanon has been a sticking point in negotiations, with Israel and Hezbollah continuing to ignore calls from Mr Trump and others to halt their attacks on each other in recent weeks.
Mr Trump said the Strait of Hormuz — a major shipping lane for global energy supplies that Iran has effectively closed for months — would reopen on Friday, and that he had ordered an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports, a development that could lead to lower energy prices once oil shipments resume, reports RTE.
“Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!,” Mr Trump wrote.
Oil prices fell on the news, with Brent crude futures dropping 4% in early trading and US West Texas Intermediate sliding more than 4.6%, reports RTE.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said a more expansive agreement would be negotiated during a 60-day ceasefire period, including sanctions relief.
The fate of Iran’s nuclear programme will also be addressed in those later talks, sources previously said, reports RTE.
Thousands of people have been killed, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, since US and Israeli forces first attacked Iran on 28 February.
Iran has struck Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases and has effectively blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, driving up global energy prices, while US forces have blockaded Iranian ports in response, reports RTE.
There was no immediate reaction to the announcement from Israel, which has said it was not party to the planned US-Iran deal.
The war has become a political liability for Mr Trump and fellow Republicans in Congress, with polls showing Americans deeply frustrated by rising fuel prices ahead of November’s midterm elections, reports RTE.
But Mr Trump has also faced pressure from within his own party to ensure Iran’s nuclear programme is completely shut down.
A senior Iranian official said that under the terms of the draft deal, the US would agree to release $25 billion of frozen Iranian assets, while Iran would agree not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons, reports RTE.
The official said Iran agreed to maintain the nuclear status quo — including no uranium enrichment or expansion of nuclear facilities — until a final deal is reached.
A US official, speaking before the deal was announced, said the agreement would ultimately lead to the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear programme, with its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to be destroyed and removed, reports RTE.
A senior Iranian official said the draft deal would allow Iran, which denies seeking a nuclear weapon, to dilute its enriched uranium inside the country.
Qatari negotiators flew to Tehran the previous morning as part of efforts to finalise the agreement, a source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters, reports RTE.
At pro-government rallies across Iran on Saturday night, residents and news agencies reported that hardliners opposed to the framework loudly voiced their dissatisfaction.
A resident in the northeastern city of Mashhad told Reuters that some protesters chanted “Death to the compromiser,” in an apparent reference to Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, reports RTE.
The agreement was sealed despite an Israeli strike on Lebanon the previous day that drew criticism from both Iran and Mr Trump.
Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Israel’s latest attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut — which Israel said targeted Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants — showed the United States lacked “the will and ability to fulfil your commitments,” in a post on X, reports RTE.
Iran’s foreign ministry said it held the US responsible for the attack.
Iran warned of a “strong response,” and its top joint military command said the “finger (is) on the trigger” ready to fire at the “enemy’s heart,” reports RTE.
In a post the previous day, Mr Trump said: “This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has differed with Mr Trump over American demands that Israel curb its military action in Lebanon to allow the US to reach a deal with Iran, reports RTE.
Israel has said it will retain freedom of operations in Lebanon, while Iran has made a full ceasefire there a key component of its demands.
Mr Trump updated Mr Netanyahu on progress toward a peace deal during a phone call the previous day, Israel’s N12 reported, citing a senior official, reports RTE.
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