• PM says deal to be signed in Switzerland, both sides declared permanent end to military operations on all fronts
• Trump says ‘deal with Iran now complete’, sees toll-free opening of Hormuz with removal of naval blockade
• Iran yet to confirm agreement • US president railed against Israel for hurting peace efforts earlier, asked all sides to ‘stand down’
• Prezehkian says ‘talks’ choice of supreme council amid hardliners’ protests

ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: In a significant announcement here in the early hours of Monday morning, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has declared that the peace deal between the United States and Iran has been reached, with an official signing ceremony scheduled for June 19.

Both sides have declared ‘immediate and permanent’ end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, PM Shehbaz posted on X, just minutes before Trump, in a post on Social Truth, said, “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”.

However, there was no official word from Tehran till 2.45am though Iran’s Fars news agency, citing an informed source, earlier said Iran had not yet made a final decision on the framework agreement, with reviews of its political, legal and technical aspects still under way.

The the Wall Street Journal earlier quoted Trump as saying the deal would “either be signed electronically by himself or Vice President J.D. Vance”.

The announcements followed the rare rebuke by Trump against Israel for failing to respect ceasefire in Lebanon and thus placing the peace deal in jeopardy.

Sharing details of the signing ceremony and main points of the deal, PM Shehbaz in a post on X stated, “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.

“The official signing ceremony will be on Friday, 19 June in Switzerland. We would like to thank the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran for their commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict. We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to our brothers in this mediation effort, the great leadership of State of Qatar, for their support in reaching this agreement. I would also especially thank the visionary leadership of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Republic of Türkiye for their immense contributions in this regard.

“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.”

Earlier on Sunday, US President Donald Trump blamed Israel for derailing an imminent peace deal with unnecessary air strikes, which made Iran question the possibility of continuing the dialogue with Washington.

At least three people were killed after two Israeli jets bombed the Lebanese capital and southern suburbs in multiple strikes, which President Trump said should not have disrupted the negotiations going on with Iran. He has insisted that the deal would be signed on Sunday, but Iran maintained that it was reviewing the agreement and did not provide a timeframe for signing. But this was before Israel attacked Beirut.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the Beirut attack should not have happened “particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran”. “Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and should not disrupt this important process.”

“We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down. There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel,” he said, asking all sides not to blow the “beginning of a long and beautiful peace”.

‘US lacks will’

Iran did not seem impressed with the sharp rebuke of Israel by the US president, with its lead negotiator Bagher Ghalibaf saying that Israel’s attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut showed the US lacked the will or ability to fulfil its commitments. “If you lack the will and ability to fulfil your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible,” he wrote on X.

However, Sardar Asadi, an official at the Central Headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya, warned Israel’s air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburb would be met with retaliation, Al Jazeera reported. “Without a doubt, these crimes will not go unanswered,” Mr Asadi said, according to the Iranian Mizan news agency.

The US-Israeli war on Iran, launched on February 28, has stoked conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Israel has said it is not a party to the planned US-Iran deal that includes peace in Lebanon.

Dar engagements

The Foreign Office on Sunday said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday night separately spoke with the Turkish and Egyptian counterparts to discuss regional developments and the US-Iran talks. In his call with Egypt’s Badr Abdelatty, both expressed hope that “these positive developments would contribute to lasting peace, security, and stability across the region”. His conversation with Turkiye’s Hakan Fidan also revolved around the US-Iran talks and regional stability.

‘Nearly over the line’

According to an official involved in the talks, mediators were optimistic the deal was “nearly over the line”. Trump also told Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Sunday that a deal was near, a Kremlin aide said.

The US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, also said Trump remained determined to finalise an agreement with Iran on Sunday, despite what he described as difficult negotiations. Speaking on ABC’s This Week, he said, without providing evidence, that Iranian negotiators struggled to receive clear guidance from the supreme leader and are “not always on the same page” internally.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, said that the country’s highest security authority supported the “path of dialogue”, after hardliners criticised Tehran’s negotiating team in talks with the United States, AFP reported. “The Supreme National Security Council has concluded that the path of dialogue should be pursued,” President Pezeshkian said in a meeting with media executives. He added that the council was in charge of “decisions regarding war and negotiations”.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that, under the terms of the draft deal, the US would agree to release $25 billion of frozen Iranian assets, while Tehran would agree not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons. The final draft also covers a range of issues from Tehran’s nuclear work to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and US waivers on oil sanctions, with a final deal to be discussed in the 60 days following agreement by the two sides.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2026