--- description: Trump announced the U.S. would end its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as part of the deal. title: U.S. and Iran Sign Agreement to Stop Fighting, Reopen Strait image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4f253d6db89151a/6a2eb685c02aad19ab0920fe/AP26165505126375.jpg?branch=production ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [World](/tag/time-section-world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Trump and Iranian Official Sign Agreement to Stop Fighting, Reopen Strait of Hormuz by [Richard Hall](/author/richard-hall/), [Nik Popli](/author/nik-popli/) and [Connor Greene](/author/connor-greene/) Updated: Jun 15, 2026 10:49 PM CUTPublished: Jun 14, 2026 6:48 PM CUT  Members of the Lebanese Army Intelligence stand guard in front of an apartment that was struck in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, on June 14, 2026. Members of the Lebanese Army Intelligence stand guard in front of an apartment that was struck in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, on June 14, 2026.Bilal Hussein—Associated Press by [Richard Hall](/author/richard-hall/), [Nik Popli](/author/nik-popli/) and [Connor Greene](/author/connor-greene/) Updated: Jun 15, 2026 10:49 PM CUTPublished: Jun 14, 2026 6:48 PM CUT [President Donald Trump ](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/donald-trump/ "undefined")and [Iran’s](https://time.com/tag/iran/ "undefined") lead negotiator digitally signed a preliminary agreement to end the war between the United States and Iran, Administration officials said Monday, setting the stage for a formal ceremony in Switzerland later this week that could [reopen the Strait of Hormuz](https://time.com/article/2026/05/04/strait-hormuz-ships-guide-escort-ceasefire-us-iran-trump/ "undefined") after months of [disruption](https://time.com/article/2026/05/13/trump-economy-financial-concerns-us-pentagon-iran-war-cost/ "undefined") to global trade. But even as both sides celebrated what they portrayed as a breakthrough, significant questions remained unanswered. The specific terms of the memorandum of understanding have not yet been made public, and officials indicated that some of the most contentious disputes—including the future of Iran's nuclear program and broader regional security arrangements—would be deferred to subsequent negotiations. Senior U.S. officials told reporters on a briefing call Monday that Trump, Vice President [J.D. Vance](https://time.com/article/2026/06/03/trump-vance-rubio-2028-presidential-election/ "undefined") and [Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf](https://time.com/article/2026/03/24/iran-war-mohammed-baqer-qalibaf-leader-biography-tehran-mayor-speaker/ "undefined"), Iran's parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator in the talks, had signed the agreement virtually on Sunday. A formal signing ceremony is expected to take place Friday, June 19 in Geneva. Trump suggested he would not attend, saying Vance would likely represent the United States. Oil and crop prices fell in the wake of the deal’s announcement. The U.K., France, Germany and Italy [said](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/uk-france-germany-italy-ready-lift-iran-sanctions-after-us-iran-deal-2026-06-14/ "undefined") Sunday that they are prepared to lift sanctions on Iran. **Read more:**[ _Israeli Troops to Stay in Southern Lebanon Despite Ceasefire, Netanyahu Says_](https://time.com/article/2026/04/16/israel-lebanon-ceasefire-trump/ "undefined") “I’m very happy to say the deal’s already signed,” Trump said Monday from France, where he is attending the Group of Seven Summit. “A lot of great things are going to happen to the Middle East right now, and very importantly, the oil is plummeting down, and the stock market is shooting up like a rocket today.” “Hopefully it's going to be a good relationship, and we're going to get along, and if we don't, we go back to where we started, but I don't think it's going to be necessary,” he added. Iran's deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed the agreement on state television and said Iran would begin implementing it after a formal signing later this week. The agreement appeared to mark a major step toward ending more than three months of fighting that [killed thousands](https://time.com/article/2026/04/21/iran-war-civilians-killed/ "undefined"), destabilized the Middle East, and rattled energy markets around the world. Trump said the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran militarized at the start of the war, spiking global energy prices, was already beginning to reopen and would be "completely open" by Friday without tolls. "They're doing a little hunting for a couple of mines that they've already found, but ... ships are starting to go out now," he said. "On Friday, it'll be completely open." Yet on the background call with reporters, U.S. officials offered a more complicated picture of the timeline. One senior official said traffic through the vital shipping corridor would increase gradually and that normal conditions were still weeks away. “We probably won't return to normal in two weeks, but we will see a significant increase in strait traffic," the official said. Another senior official on the same call said the Strait would be fully open by Friday. Many details of the framework, including surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, were not immediately available. Some Democratic lawmakers said they couldn’t properly evaluate the deal until they saw the text of the memorandum of understanding. Democrats have [repeatedly tried to rein in](https://time.com/article/2026/06/04/trump-iran-war-powers-resolution-house-republicans/ "undefined") Trump’s war powers on Iran. The senior officials said the memorandum would be made public within the next 24 to 48 hours, but Trump later suggested that the full text might not emerge until after the ceremony in Switzerland. "I think pretty soon… I would say sometime after Friday," Trump said when asked when the agreement would be released. "I mean, I want it to be released because it's a very powerful document." The deal’s announcement came hours after an [Israeli strike on Beirut, Lebanon,](https://time.com/article/2026/03/16/lebanon-israel-hezbollah-displaced/ "undefined") threatened to derail talks as they reached the final stage. Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people/2026/benjamin-netanyahu/ "undefined") and Defense Minister [Israel Katz](https://time.com/article/2026/06/04/hezbollah-rejects-israel-lebanon-ceasefire-agreement-strikes/ "undefined") said in a statement that Israel’s strikes came in response to “continued Hezbollah attacks on Israel’s territory, including a terror drone strike this morning.” They added: "Israel will not tolerate firing into its territory." “Ceasefires like this are inherently a little dirty. We’ve seen that in Lebanon, where you know there’s a significant reduction in the amount of fire coming from Hezbollah to Israel, and consequently coming from Israel into Lebanon, but it’s not zero,” a senior U.S. official said on background, implying that the fire traded would not derail the deal between the U.S. and Iran. Trump issued rare[ criticism](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116749002714205339 "undefined") of U.S. ally Israel, saying the attack "should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran." The Israeli army [said](https://x.com/IDF/status/2066115184003834347 "undefined") it targeted a "Hezbollah command center" in Beirut after it launched "aerial targets" toward Israel. On Monday, Netanyahu stated that Israeli forces would remain in Lebanon following the U.S.-Iran agreement, while other members of his government called for a continuation of their country's parallel war. Iran had insisted that an eventual deal with the U.S. to end the war would include a halt to Israel’s bombing campaign against Hezbollah and occupation of southern Lebanon. Israel’s refusal to accept such a measure has reportedly[ caused a rift](https://www.axios.com/2026/06/01/trump-netanyahu-israel-lebanon-call "undefined") between Netanyahu and Trump, culminating in an expletive-laden call between the two leaders earlier this month over Trump’s objections to strikes on Beirut. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi cautioned Monday that Iran remained deeply skeptical of U.S. intentions, even while acknowledging that a signing ceremony would likely take place this week. "We have a history of broken promises, non-implementation and agreements being torn up," Araghchi said after a meeting with members of Iran's parliamentary Economic Commission. "We are planning both the negotiation process and the implementation of any agreement on the basis of distrust, past breaches of commitments and previous experiences." Araghchi said any agreement "may create economic opportunities" for Iran but warned against allowing the country's economy to become dependent on negotiations with the U.S. Trump claimed in a [Truth Social post Saturday](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116743808155352167 "undefined") that his agreement would prevent Iran from attaining a nuclear weapon. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Sunday that "\[b\]oth sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon." He added that "technical talks" would follow. ## Why Lebanon matters to an eventual peace deal Iran’s demand that Lebanon be included in an eventual peace agreement has been one of the major sticking points in reaching a deal with the U.S. to end the war. Trump has continually pressed Netanyahu to resist launching large-scale attacks in Lebanon while he tries to negotiate with Iran, but the Israeli prime minister has largely rebuffed those efforts. The tensions between the two close allies reached a crescendo earlier this month when Trump pressured Netanyahu to call off an attack on Beirut. According to[ Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/06/01/trump-netanyahu-israel-lebanon-call "undefined"), Trump called Netanyahu “crazy” on a phone call and accused him of reacting disproportionately to Hezbollah attacks. Intense fighting broke out in Lebanon since March 2, when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel to support its ally Iran in the face of a U.S.-Israeli surprise attack. Despite a monthslong bombing campaign in Beirut and across the country, the occupation of much of southern Lebanon, and the widespread destruction of Lebanese villages along the border between the two countries, the Israeli army has been unable to deal a fatal blow to Hezbollah, a Shia militant group and political party that is allied with Iran. Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,700 people in Lebanon, including 132 health workers and 247 children, according to[ Lebanon’s Health Ministry](https://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/ar/news/546389/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B5%D9%8A%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86--3711-%D8%B4%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A7-%D9%88-11483-%D8%AC%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AD%D8%A7-2 "undefined"). Around 1 million Lebanese people have been displaced by the war, and[ Human Rights Watch](https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/11/israeli-displacement-and-killings-of-civilians-in-lebanon-rage-on "undefined") said Israel has committed “numerous violations of the laws of war in Lebanon with total impunity, including apparently deliberate or indiscriminate attacks on journalists, civilians, medics, financial institutions, reconstruction-related facilities, and peacekeepers, in addition to the widespread and unlawful use of white phosphorus in populated areas.” Israel says 24 of its soldiers and four civilians have been killed over the same period. And Human Rights Watch has also[ accused Hezbollah](https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/03/07/israel/lebanon-hezbollah-attacks-endangered-civilians "undefined") of failing to take adequate measures to protect civilians. ## What is in the proposed peace deal? Little is definitively known about the framework of the agreement, and each side has accused the other of dishonesty in public statements about its terms. Iranian state-linked news agency Mehr [reported](https://en.mehrnews.com/news/245332/Final-decision-on-MoU-btw-Iran-US-under-discussion-in-Iran "undefined") on Sunday that the agreement includes the suspension of U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil and the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets. But senior U.S. officials said Monday that the Administration would only release frozen funds if Iran complies with the agreement. One official said the U.S. is also “prepared to release sanctions” against Iran and would “do some small gestures of that in the beginning if they make some small gestures to us that show that they’re willing to meet their commitments as well.” Trump claimed in his Truth Social post on Saturday that Iran had agreed not to seek a nuclear weapon, and that despite Iran’s demand for reparations for war damages, no money would change hands. He also said that the deal would lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and implied that the U.S. would acquire and destroy Iran’s highly enriched uranium. “At the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the Nuclear Dust, buried deep under the powerful sunken granite mountains, thanks to our beautiful B-2 Bombers and their brilliant pilots, and downblend and destroy it, whether in Iran, or the United States,” he wrote. But at least one senior U.S. official said that reopening the Strait to full traffic would take time—likely weeks, and the future of Iran’s enriched uranium has not been fully resolved. The U.S. and Israel justified the launch of the war by claiming it was necessary to destroy Iran’s missile program and end its support for militant proxy groups across the Middle East. Those aims do not appear to have been achieved. ## How Israel is responding to the U.S.-Iran agreement Netanyahu said at a news conference Monday that "with an agreement, without an agreement," Israel would continue fighting to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. "As long as I am the prime minister of Israel, it will not happen." Netanyahu also ruled out Israel withdrawing its forces from Lebanon, despite Iran’s push for it to do so. “Iran wanted us to withdraw from there, but that did not happen,” the Israeli leader said. “Do you know why it didn’t happen, among other reasons? Because I stood very, very firm.” He stated that Israeli forces would remain in Lebanon, as well as Gaza and Syria, “for as long as necessary.”Far-right members of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, meanwhile, vocally criticized the agreement and pushed for the continuation of the country’s war in Lebanon. “Trump's agreement does not bind us. Israel is not subject to the United States, and we are an independent and sovereign nation!” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a [post](https://x.com/itamarbengvir/status/2066392115027050781 "undefined") on social media on Monday,” adding that “we must not compromise on anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah.” Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday that the agreement was “bad for Israel and for the entire free world. Period.” Former Israeli officials tell TIME that the deal has not been well received in the country. “The common assumption here in Israel is that this agreement is very bad,” says Michael Milshtein, a retired colonel and former IDF advisor. Milshtein and Sima Shine, who has served in multiple intelligence roles in Israel, tell TIME that their biggest concerns with the agreement center around Iran’s nuclear arsenal and Lebanon. Shine contends that deferring negotiations over the future of Iran’s nuclear program, as American officials indicated would occur, “brings the U.S. to the negotiating table on the nuclear issue with less tools to pressure the Iranians” and places it at “a point of inferiority” going into future talks. She also describes Israel and Lebanon’s lack of inclusion in the negotiations over the agreement as a “huge mistake on the side of the Americans” and a “huge blow for the government in Lebanon, as well as for the Israeli government,” arguing that it leaves the future of fighting in Lebanon uncertain. “There is no clear announcement that the war in Lebanon will end immediately after the agreement will be signed,” Milshtein says. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/14/iran-peace-talks-israeli-strikes-beirut-trump/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/14/iran-peace-talks-israeli-strikes-beirut-trump/"},"headline":"Trump and Iranian Official Sign Agreement to Stop Fighting, Reopen Strait of Hormuz","datePublished":"2026-06-14T18:48:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-15T22:49:41.000Z","description":"Trump says the U.S. will end its naval blockade as part of the deal, but many questions remain","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/14/iran-peace-talks-israeli-strikes-beirut-trump/","keywords":["World","Iran"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4f253d6db89151a/6a2eb685c02aad19ab0920fe/AP26165505126375.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Richard Hall","jobTitle":"Editor","url":"https://time.com/author/richard-hall/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Nik Popli","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/nik-popli/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Connor Greene","jobTitle":"Editorial Fellow","url":"https://time.com/author/connor-greene/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta4f253d6db89151a/6a2eb685c02aad19ab0920fe/AP26165505126375.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"AP26165505126375.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Bilal Hussein—Associated Press","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/06/14/iran-peace-talks-israeli-strikes-beirut-trump/","name":"Trump and Iranian Official Sign Agreement to Stop Fighting, Reopen Strait of Hormuz"}}]}] ```