Overview
- The United States and Iran signed a 14-point Islamabad memorandum of understanding, which Presidents Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian completed Wednesday, to halt active hostilities and restart talks.
- The deal prompted the U.S. to lift its naval blockade and Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with toll-free commercial passage set for an initial 60-day period.
- The MOU affirms Iran will not seek nuclear weapons and calls for on-site down‑blending of enriched uranium under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision while leaving detailed custody and verification procedures to the 60-day talks.
- The framework offers phased sanctions relief, access to frozen funds and a proposed $300 billion reconstruction plan but leaves the United States refusing to directly fund rebuilding and keeps sequencing and release conditions unresolved.
- Political backlash from Israeli leaders and U.S. critics, continuing Israeli strikes in Lebanon, and leaks or compliance disputes pose the main immediate risks to the truce and to whether the technical phase produces a final, verifiable deal.