Trump, Pezeshkian sign deal to end Iran war, reopen Hormuz

US Vice President JD Vance will not be flying to Switzerland on Thursday to lead a new round of talks with Iran about its nuclear program, as previously announced, the White House said. 

The White House said plans for the technical talks have not been finalized, and said the US delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity.

"The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. As of now the Vice President is not departing tonight," a White House spokesperson said late Thursday. "We look forward to beginning technical talks as soon as possible."

We're in a Swiss mountain town not far from the resort where US-Iran talks are slated to begin. But in keeping with the twists and turns of this "will-they-won't they" week of diplomacy, it's now unclear exactly when negotiations might start.

US Vice President JD Vance told reporters he still plans to come to Switzerland this weekend, but added, "That could change."

It would not be the first time the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock , which has been gearing up for talks, has hosted VIP guests.

Over the decades, the mountain hideaway has welcomed rock stars, world leaders and has been the site of past peace deal negotiations. I was last there in 2024 for a summit on peace in Ukraine. But two years on, that war continues — a reminder that forging sustainable peace is no easy feat.

The question now is what kind of history might be made here in Switzerland this time round? 

Will history be made in Switzerland? Read the full dispatch here.

On the sidelines of the European Union leaders' summit in Brussels, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed Trump's signing of the agreement with Iran, as well as the ceasefire and guarantee of safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

He also stated that the German government needs to clarify its options as to how it can assist in this effort, such as providing minesweepers or military support for the agreed-upon measures.

Before any such mission could start, the German military would need a mandate or other legal basis from the Bundestag, Merz said, adding that the matter will be discussed thoroughly and patiently.

Meanwhile, Luc Frieden, Luxembourg's prime minister,  also welcomed "any deal that leads to peace." However, he added that there are still parts that need to be done. 

He stressed that the Strait of Hormuz is important to the world and requires peace and stability, which, he said,  Luxembourg is willing to help ensure.

A rare rift has emerged within the Republican Party between President Donald Trump and its more hawkish members over the Iran deal. These members argue that the agreement falls far short of the sweeping victory Trump promised.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy wrote on X that former US President Ronald Reagan would be "rolling over in his grave," calling the agreement "the worst foreign policy blunder in decades."

Roger Wicker, chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, called the memorandum "completely out of step" with Trump's goals. He also criticized sanctions relief and the unfreezing of funds "in exchange for Iran's mere agreement to negotiate for another 60 days."

Meanwhile, Republican Senator Ted Cruz also urged Trump not to "suddenly come in with massive buckets of cash to let them rebuild and become a threat to America again." 

However, some of Trump's allies urged patience. Senator Lindsey Graham said the deal opened the Strait of Hormuz, suspended hostilities, and created an opportunity to see if diplomacy could curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.

US President Donald Trump said he expects all sides to respect the agreement with Iran and cease the hostilities.

"We expect a complete ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel," Trump posted on his Truth Social account, adding Washington is "committed to peace."

According to the US leader, all countries in the Middle East should "maintain their commitment" to allowing the negotiations with Iran to "beautifully unfold."

The German military, or Bundeswehr, is preparing for a possible mine-clearing mission in the Strait of Hormuz. The German Defense Ministry announced on Thursday that the minesweeper Fulda and the tender ship Mosel, previously deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, had already passed through the Suez Canal early that morning.

MORE: Strait of Hormuz: German military prepares for possible deployment

The US Army's Central Command (Centcom) said it had lifted its blockade of maritime traffic to and from Iran.

"American forces are not impeding the transit of vessels to or from Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman," Centom posted on its official X account.

Centcom also said its ships will remain in the general area of Iran to make sure Washington's agreement with Tehran is adhered to.

US Vice President JD Vance said Israel's stance on the agreement with Iran is a "weird panic" and "freakout."

"There is this weird panic almost in the Israeli system that I've picked up on where they assume that everything that is contemplated that is good for Iran will happen - but will happen without the Iranians changing any behavior," Vance told the New York Times, calling the Israeli reaction to the agreement "a little bit odd."

"I think that it comes from a place of mistrust, and I think that America has earned the trust of that region of the world."

Responding to the criticism of the agreement by Israeli ministers, mostly far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, Vance said the critics lack alternatives.

"You're in a country of 9 million people. You can't just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have."

Britain's International Development Minister Jenny Chapman said Israelshould withdraw fromLebanon's south to allow local families to return home.

"Israel should withdraw from southern Lebanon, absolutely," she told Reuters during a visit to a Lebanese school where families sought shelter, adding that the displacement of people causes "huge disruption." 

"That is why we want to get the conditions right so that people can return home and be secure, be safe and be confident they can stay in their homes for a long time."

More than one million people were displaced by the Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, a region where Iran-backed Islamist militia Hezbollah has been launching drones and rockets towards Israel's north.

Three people were killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, the country's state news agency said.

The strikes came despite the US-Iran agreement over the end of the war between the two countries, with fighting supposedly being halted on all fronts, including Lebanon.

The Israeli military published a map of the southern Lebanese regions in which its soldiers are stationed, saying they remain deployed there to "remove threats and strengthen the defense of Israel's northern residents."

Islamist militia Hezbollah, backed by Iran, drew Lebanon into the war in March by shooting in Israel's direction to avenge the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with the hostilities between the two sides continuing since then.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has described the interim ceasefire agreement just signed with the US as "historic."  

"This is a historic document and a message from a powerful Iran: peace will be achieved in the shadow of mutual respect," he wrote on X.

Pezeshkian also shared a scan of the full document.

His praise of the deal contrasts with the view of some hardliners in Iran that leaders should have held out longer to attain even better conditions for the country.

China and Russia, both strategic partners of Tehran, have welcomed the signing of a framework deal on ending the Iran war.  

The signing of the memorandum of understanding was of "positive significance for easing tensions and consolidating the ceasefire momentumm," a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

He said China would continue to play a constructive role in ending the conflict.

Russia's Foreign Ministry also said it welcomed the ceasefire agreement.

It called on both sides to comply with the agreement to avoid "a new and dangerous escalation of tensions in the region, including in Lebanon."

"We hope that the establishment of peace will contribute to reestablishing confidence in the relations between states on both sides of the Persian Gulf and that the resumption of navigation ... through the Strait of Hormuz ... will help reduce volatility on world markets," it added.

The US will resume its military action against Iran and reimpose its blockade on Iranian ports if Tehran does not comply with its just-signed agreement with Washington, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday.

"The president has pointed out that we ‌will be prepared ‌to recommence if ​underneath the timeline of these talks, Iran does not ​do what it says it's going to ⁠do," ​Hegseth said in ​Brussels after meeting NATO defense ​ministers.

"If Iran ‌doesn't comply, then we're more ​than ⁠able to reimpose an ironclad blockade," he added.

US President Donald Trump has said that if the final deal reached with Iran during the 60-day ceasefire agreed with Tehran does not please him, the US will resume bombing.

"It’s a memorandum of understanding, and if I don’t like it, we’ll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs on their heads. I don’t like it if they don’t behave. We’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head," the president said on Wednesday at the G7 summit in France.

International Energy Agency (IEA) head Fatih Birol has called for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened ‌without conditions following the signing of the interim deal between the US and Iran.

The strait must be reopened "without conditions" so that all parties "believe it is safe," Birol ⁠said on Thursday at an event in Istanbul, Turkey.

"We will now see the details of ​the agreement and the negotiation process, and what happens next."

However, the waterway — a global chokepoint for oil, gas and fertilizer transport — could potentially be closed again, he said.

"The vase is ​broken," he said. "Now ‌all actors know that the Strait of Hormuz was closed once and it can be ​shut down ⁠again."

Birol ⁠said ⁠several countries were reviewing their energy policies in view of this fact.

According to the IEA, the closure of the strait by Iran amid the war triggered by February 28 attacks on it by the US and Israel blocked more than 14 million barrels per day (bpd) of Middle East oil output.

US President Donald Trump has defended the interim deal with Iran on Thursday after he signed it overnight.

"These fools, who think I haven’t been tough enough on Iran, when the stock market just hit A RECORD HIGH, and oil prices are 'tumbling' down, are either jealous, bad people, or stupid," the president said on his Truth Social platform.

It comes after some conservative commentators and even members of Trump's own Republican ranks spoke out against the deal, particularly in comparison to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal secured by former president Barack Obama.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, said: "I think the president, unfortunately, is receiving bad advice."

Another Republican senator, Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, described it as the "worst foreign policy blunder in decades."

"Iran's nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works," Cassidy said.