Peace deal with Iran to be signed on Friday

The United States and Iran will sign a peace deal on Friday, US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday.

"The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete," Trump said in an announcement on Truth Social. "Congratulations to all!" 

"Many presidents have tried to make Peace with Iran, and all have failed before me. The Leaders of the Region have, for the first time, found a President who can help them achieve real Peace," Trump posted.

"With the opening of the Strait upon the signing of the Deal on Friday, for purposes of mine removal, oil will flow on both ends again for the Region, and the World!" he said.

Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, which has been acting as a mediator, announced on X that a deal had been reached between the two parties.

"Following intensive talks, we are pleased to announce that the Peace Deal between the United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran has been REACHED. Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon," Sharif posted.

The signing ceremony will be on Friday in Switzerland, he said.

"With the agreement now in place, mediators will facilitate a series of meetings this week. These pre-implementation discussions will lay the foundation for the technical talks and the official signing ceremony," Sharif said.

Iran Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed an immediate and permanent end to the war, telling Iranian state TV that military operations on various fronts, including Lebanon, will cease, Reuters reported. He also said that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would be lifted.

Details of the agreement have yet to be released.

Trump had posted earlier that a peace deal with Iran would be signed on Sunday — his 80th birthday.

However, Iran said on Sunday that no agreement would be reached by Trump's deadline, the country's Fars News Agency reported.

The proposed agreement would apparently see the Strait of Hormuz reopened to commercial traffic, and the US blockade of Iranian ports lifted. It was expected that the current ceasefire would be extended by another 60 days.

However, two ongoing sticking points have been a US demand that Iran surrender its stockpile of enriched uranium, while Iran has demanded the US unfreeze assets worth tens of billions of dollars.

In an interview with the New York Times, Trump said that the agreement means the Strait of Hormuz would be "permanently toll free".

Trump told the Times that if Iran failed to reach a final nuclear agreement with the US he would restart military attacks, or make the US "the guardian of the Middle East" in return for a fifth of the region's revenue.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a joint statement with France, Germany and Italy, said the deal must be "implemented rapidly and comprehensively".

"This is a moment of opportunity to restore regional stability and stabilize the global economy," Starmer said.

French President Emmanuel Macron posted online that leaders at this week's G7 meeting will discuss the long-term reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

"The aim will be to see the consequences of this agreement, support for Lebanon, the lasting reopening of Hormuz and of course the concluding of an accord on nuclear and ballistic activities in Iran," Macron said on Instagram.

Tom Watkins, deputy chief of staff to former Michigan governor James Blanchard, told China Daily: "If it is to believed, and if it holds, it is good news for the people of Lebanon, Iran and for people of the world. With multiple false starts, even the most optimistic observer is waiting anxiously for its implementation."

"Many innocent people in the Middle East, including women and children, have been killed and wounded because of this war," Watkins said.

This Trump administration war of choice has been costly for the US in loss of life, treasury and reputation, and many observers believe it leaves the US no more secure than before it started, he said.

As in all "deals", the devil will be in the details that will dribble out, he added.

Contact writers at suqiang@chinadaily.com.cn