US and Iran Poised to Sign Framework Deal to End War, Awaiting Tehran's Final Go-Ahead
6/14/2026
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Summary
The United States and Iran are on the verge of signing a framework agreement to end their months-long war, with mediator Pakistan announcing a virtual ceremony expected within 24 hours. Iran's foreign ministry, however, has publicly pushed back on a Sunday signing, saying the deal will be finalized in the coming days.
The United States and Iran are preparing to sign a framework agreement intended to end the war that began on February 28, with a virtual signing ceremony expected as soon as Sunday pending confirmation from Tehran.
Trump Announces Sunday Signing
US President Donald Trump announced on his platform Truth Social on Saturday that a deal to end the Iran war would be signed on Sunday and that the Strait of Hormuz would be open to all immediately after signing. "Das Abkommen soll morgen unterzeichnet werden, und unmittelbar nach der Unterzeichnung ist die Straße von Hormus für alle geöffnet," Trump wrote. The post did not specify where, how, or by whom the agreement would be signed.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country is acting as mediator, confirmed on X that Washington and Tehran had agreed on the framework for a peace deal and that the final text was ready. "Wir sind einem Friedensabkommen näher als je zuvor," Sharif wrote, adding that he is "zuversichtlich, dass dieses historische Friedensabkommen eine solide Grundlage für dauerhaften Frieden bilden wird." Sharif said technical-level talks would follow the signing the following week and that an electronic signature was expected within 24 hours.
Tehran Pushes Back on Timeline
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghai contradicted the Sunday timeline, telling the state news agency IRNA that the two sides had never been closer to an agreement but that the exact timing should be awaited. "Den genauen Zeitpunkt sollte man lieber abwarten, denn aufgrund der Unbeständigkeit der Gegenseite ist Vorsicht geboten," Baghai said. He added that no travel by Iranian representatives to Geneva or Islamabad was planned in the next one to two days and denied reports of an upcoming trip by Iranian officials to either city.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry announced on X that a virtual signing ceremony was planned for the same day. According to the US news portal Axios, US officials and sources in the mediator states confirmed that the signing would take place virtually rather than at the previously discussed ceremony in Geneva. The virtual format is reportedly due to logistical reasons: Vice President JD Vance, who leads the US delegation, would otherwise not have been able to return to the United States in time before Trump departs on Monday morning for the G7 summit in the French town of Évian-les-Bains. US protocol generally keeps the president and vice president from being abroad at the same time for security reasons.
What the Framework Deal Contains
The framework agreement is intended to extend the fragile ceasefire that has been in place since early April by 60 days and to serve as the starting point for negotiations on Iran's nuclear program. A senior US official said the framework deal already includes an Iranian commitment to roll back the nuclear program, with the US insisting on dismantling the program and the destruction of highly enriched uranium, the starting material for atomic bombs. According to insiders, the planned declaration of intent provides for the US to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian funds in the billions, and suspend sanctions on Iranian oil exports.
Iran is to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in return. The future of the strait has been one of the most important points of dispute in the peace efforts. Iran had largely brought traffic in the waterway to a standstill shortly after the war began through threats and attacks on ships, disrupting global trade in oil, gas, and fertilizer. The US subsequently imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports to cut Tehran off from oil revenues. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday on Iranian state television that the current draft agreement provides for lifting the US blockade, adding that the administration of the Strait of Hormuz would "no longer be as before." Iran also announced it will charge fees for previously unspecified services in the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz Dispute
Trump also wrote that the US would go into Iran and recover the country's buried uranium stockpiles, which would then be diluted and destroyed "ob im Iran oder den in den Vereinigten Staaten" (whether in Iran or in the United States). He added that the uranium would be destroyed "egal ob im Iran oder in den USA." Trump used the term "Atomstaub" (nuclear dust) for the stocks of enriched uranium that Washington says could be used to build nuclear weapons, saying the US would take the material "tief vergraben unter den mächtigen versunkenen Granitbergen" (deeply buried under mighty sunken granite mountains) at the appropriate time. Iran has stated it wants to retain the material in diluted form, and its Foreign Ministry has described the release of frozen Iranian funds as a firm component of a planned agreement with the US.
Trump noted that the signing would fall on his 80th birthday, framing a breakthrough as a symbolically important success. The deal was given an 80 to 85 percent probability of being signed soon by an unnamed US government official quoted in American media on Friday. Trump's post also warned that the US retained a military option: "Hoffentlich wird dieser Prozess schnell, einfach und reibungslos verlaufen. Falls nicht, haben wir die ultimative Alternative, die hoffentlich nie wieder zum Einsatz kommen wird!"
A senior US official said funds could subsequently be released, but only if Iran first provides unspecified counter-performance, and that sanctions relief would also be conceivable with corresponding cooperation. The same official said Iran is to be prohibited from financing terrorist groups going forward, including Palestinian organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthi militia in Yemen. Iran has over the years supported each of these groups.
The Lebanon Front
The agreement is also intended to address the broader regional front. According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, the agreement primarily aims to end hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia. Iran has demanded that Israel end its offensive against Hezbollah as part of any deal with the US. The framework deal is intended to provide for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for international trade.
Despite a ceasefire in effect in Lebanon since April 17, Israel and Hezbollah have continued daily attacks on each other. At the beginning of June, Israel and Lebanon agreed in a new push to implement the ceasefire, but Hezbollah rejected this. Hezbollah is demanding, among other things, a complete withdrawal of Israeli ground troops from Lebanon. The Israeli army called on people in 29 locations in southern Lebanon to seek safety due to planned attacks, and separately Israel ordered the evacuation of 20 locations in southern Lebanon. Two drones allegedly launched by Hezbollah struck in northern Israel, with no injuries reported. Israel is not directly involved in the US-Iran negotiations, but has adhered to the ceasefire agreed between the US and its arch-enemy; Trump indicated that Israel would also adhere to future agreements between Washington and Tehran. Israel strictly opposes linking the Hezbollah and Iranian fronts in the negotiations.
Even as the deal neared, the military backdrop remained tense. The US military reported multiple Iranian drone attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday morning. According to US information, Iran attacked commercial ships passing through the strait with drones despite peace efforts, and a tanker off the coast of Oman was hit by a projectile of unknown origin later that day. The incident occurred six nautical miles (approximately eleven kilometers) east of the country, according to the British maritime authority UKMTO. The crew of the tanker was unharmed and the tanker continued its journey to port. US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated on X that US forces had shot down all the drones in recent hours while ship traffic through the strait continued unimpeded.
Political Backlash in Iran
Mediation efforts are continuing on multiple tracks. Negotiators from Qatar have traveled to Tehran to help broker a deal, according to Reuters. The USA wants to discuss further steps regarding Iran at the upcoming G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, where boats with Palestinian flags are protesting.
Inside Iran, the deal faces political headwinds. Hardliners in Iran are rejecting the war-ending agreement, demanding not to give up the leverage of the Strait of Hormuz and accusing Iranian negotiators of making too many concessions. On Saturday, dozens of people demonstrated against a peace agreement with the US in the city of Mashhad. Demonstrators chanted slogans against Araghchi in front of an Iranian Foreign Ministry office in Mashhad. In a video distributed by the Iranian news agency Fars, women in black chadors chanted "Tod dem ehrlosen Araghtschi." Iran's Foreign Ministry also demands an end to foreign military presence in the region as part of any deal.
A planned state funeral adds another layer of complexity. The funeral of Iranian head of state Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war, is planned for July 9 in his birthplace Mashhad in northeastern Iran, next to the mausoleum of Reza, the eighth Shia Imam. According to state news agency Irna, millions of people in Tehran on July 4 and 5, and in the Shia pilgrimage city of Qom on July 6, are to bid farewell to the Ayatollah.
Questions & Answers
Who is mediating the US-Iran framework agreement?
Pakistan is acting as the principal mediator, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announcing the framework on X and coordinating the planned virtual signing. Qatar has also sent negotiators to Tehran, according to Reuters.
What is the main dispute over the Strait of Hormuz?
Iran largely shut the waterway to shipping after the war began on February 28, and the US responded with a naval blockade of Iranian ports. The framework deal is meant to reopen the strait, but Iran has announced it will charge fees for services there, and Araghchi said its administration would "no longer be as before."
What happens in the 60 days after the framework is signed?
The ceasefire is to be extended by 60 days, during which the Iranian nuclear program and other relevant topics are to be negotiated, and technical-level talks between the parties are planned for the following week, according to Sharif.
US-Iran Framework Deal: Signing Awaited June 14 | allfacts360
