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US, Iran Reach Peace Deal to End Military Operations, Including in Lebanon

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The United States and Iran have agreed to a peace deal that includes an "immediate and permanent" end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, mediator Pakistan announced, marking the strongest signal yet that more than three months of war in the Middle East is coming to a close.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on X that a deal "has been REACHED" and that an official signing ceremony will take place on June 19 in Switzerland.

US President Donald Trump quickly confirmed the agreement in his own statement on Sunday, calling it complete and declaring, "This Great Deal will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region."

Trump also announced he was lifting restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. "I hereby fully authorise the toll-free opening of the Strait of Hormuz and, simultaneously herewith, authorise the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade," he said. "Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!"

The announcement came after a tense day in which Trump had accused Israel of jeopardizing the deal with an airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs, a strike Iran had vowed to retaliate against.

Sharif credited both nations for choosing diplomacy, while also thanking Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey for their roles in mediating the talks.

"Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon," he wrote.

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed on state television that a memorandum of understanding had been signed, framing the outcome as a military success for Tehran.

According to mediators, the agreement is expected to lead to the lifting of both Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, though officials say this may not happen immediately.

Easing those measures would relieve pressure on global oil markets and offer some breathing room to Iran's struggling economy.

Questions remain over whether Israel will halt its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, a key condition raised by Tehran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given no indication that operations there will stop, and recent strikes on Beirut nearly derailed the talks entirely.

It also remains unclear what mechanisms, if any, the deal includes to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, a central concern that drove the US and Israel into the conflict in the first place.

Any such provisions are expected to face further negotiation ahead of Friday's signing.

The war began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which responded with attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf and effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil and gas shipments.

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