6 Key Points From Trump’s Preliminary Deal To End The Iran War

Donald Trump has signed an initial deal to end his war against Iran within the next 60 days – but just what did the countries agree to?

The US president signed the “memorandum of understanding” in France’s Palace of Versailles last night, while his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian signed electronically.

Both vowed to reach a final agreement over the next two months.

It comes after growing pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil shipping lane, which Iran closed in retaliation to US–Israel strikes back in February.

A US official has since revealed that the 14-point memorandum contains a set of stunning concessions from America, despite the White House’s attempts to paint it as a “major win” for the US.

That includes $300 billion paid in reparations to Iran and a suggestion Tehran could charge vessels for using the Strait of Hormuz in the future.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the official signing ceremony scheduled to take place in Switzerland on Friday.

This includes an immediate termination of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, while the final deal will confirm a permanent end to the war.

The US and Iran have also accused one another of meddling in the other’s domestic affairs since the conflict began.

Trump called for Iranian protesters to overthrow the Islamic Republic regime earlier this year and Iranian agents have been accused of attempts to assassinate the US leader.

Israel’s ongoing action against Hezbollah – the Iranian-backed militia in Lebanon – and occupation of the “security zone” in the south of the country has been a major sticking point in the attempts to end the Iran war.

While the US is keen for an off-ramp for the conflict, Israel has signalled it does not believe it needs to abide by any US-Iran deal to protect Lebanon.

However, the memorandum will push Trump to actively discourage Israel’s offensive in Lebanon or risk compromising his Iran deal.

The US will remove its naval blockade against Iran within 30 days of signing the memorandum so Iran can resume exports and imports – helping its struggling economy.

But that means Trump has sacrificed a key card in negotiations.

America also promised to remove its forces from the “proximity” of the country within 30 days of signing the final deal.

The US even vowed to terminate all types of sanctions against Iran, including the export of oil, in exchange for nuclear commitments.

Iran has discovered just how effective its control over the Strait of Hormuz can be on the global economy – and how lucrative.

While it never imposed fees on ships or tankers passing through the shipping lane before the war with the US and Israel, Iran is suggesting it may start slapping charges on vessels in two months’ time.

That’s a blow to the US, considering the White House was keen to return commerce to prewar conditions.

It looks like Trump is paying for the damage the US and Israel imposed on Iran’s infrastructure through its aggressive strike action.

However, the inclusion of “regional partners” suggests America’s Persian Gulf allies might have to cough up instead.

Still, Trump has often mocked Barack Obama for paying Iran $1.7 billion to secure his own 2015 nuclear deal – an agreement Trump exited, calling it “horrible” and “one-sided”.

The US is also granting Iran access to its frozen assets (worth at least $24 billion) upon the “implementation of the MOU”.

The money can go to “any ultimate beneficiary” – including the Iranian military.

The US and Iran have agreed to resolve the nuclear issue, the central reason for Trump’s February strikes on Tehran, though the memorandum was loose on details.

Iran has promised to maintain the “status quo” of its nuclear programme, which is currently in ruins, until a final agreement is reached.

It said it would not to “procure or develop nuclear weapons” – the same vow Iran made in 1970 and a key pillar of its 2015 nuclear deal with Obama.

Iran also pledged to dilute its enriched nuclear material to below the level required to make a nuclear bomb.

However, it stops short of offering to surrender its stockpile.

That’s a US climbdown compared to 2015, when 97% of Iran’s stockpiled was sent to Russia.

It’s unclear if Iran will keep the nuclear material or if it will have to close its major facilities.

Trump has also insisted that Iran will agree to a “new, far stronger” inspection regime but that is not part of the memorandum.

Trump admitted at the G7 summit in France that he needed to sign the Iran deal to avoid “economic catastrophe” after almost four months of war.

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz immediately hit a fifth of global oil supplies, meaning prices went up around the world.

Trump has faced plenty of international pressure to end the war so the international economy can get back on a steady footing.

He claimed his European allies “love this deal” after he had used the G7 summit to discuss the details of the deal “with the closest friends and allies, the heads of countries”.

Trump’s interference in Iran has proven to be deeply unpopular with American voters – YouGov found 64% disapprove of it – but some Republicans are not happy with the memorandum, either.

Senator Bill Cassidy called it the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades”, writing on X: “Reagan is rolling over in his grave.”

The president appeared to respond by claiming he no longer wants to be friends with those who dislike his deal, calling them: “Stupid and bad people.”

Trump has already cast some doubt over whether this initial deal will hold, particularly when it comes to Iran’s nuclear programme.

At his press conference on Wednesday, he told reporters: “It’s a memorandum of understanding.

“If it doesn’t get done in 60 days, that’s all right, we go back to bombing.”

The entire war has also put the US-Israel relationship on unsteady footing.

Trump claims the US still has an “amazing partnership” with its ally in the Middle East, but said he had urged Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to adopt a “softer touch” when it comes to his military activities in Lebanon.

“I love them as a partner. They were terrific but they could do a much better job with Hezbollah. On that, I don’t think they’re doing well,” he said.

Iranian leaders have also framed the deal as a victory, but hardline voices within the regime fear any deal with the US looks like appeasement amid their own economic pressure.

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