US-Iran deal ends fighting but leaves nuclear talks ahead

More than 100 days after US and Israeli strikes began on Iran, both sides are claiming victory in a deal that ends the fighting but leaves the hardest issues for later talks.

The Memorandum of Understanding, signed separately by President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, calls for an immediate halt to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon. It also requires the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iranian shipping, and mutual respect for sovereignty.

Iran has agreed to help ensure safe passage through Hormuz, restate that it will not pursue nuclear weapons, and enter talks on its highly enriched uranium and enrichment program. The United States has pledged to begin removing the blockade, issue waivers for Iranian oil exports, release restricted Iranian assets, ease sanctions, and support a reconstruction and economic development plan for Iran worth at least $300 billion.

Iranian critics have so far stayed quiet, but Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he held a different view in principle yet allowed the deal to proceed after Pezeshkian accepted responsibility on the Supreme National Security Council. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who heads the negotiating team, said on state television that he knows how to make America understand.

The most difficult questions remain. The future of Iran's highly enriched uranium, the scale of its enrichment industry, and the rebuilding of damaged nuclear sites will be negotiated under pressure. State media and hardline figures have told their base that Iran defeated the United States and Israel, raising expectations that any compromise could be attacked as a concession.

Trump called the agreement a major win that prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and reopens global trade routes. Critics inside the Republican Party, including Senator Ted Cruz and commentator Tucker Carlson, said the United States gave too much, especially on the reconstruction fund. Vice President JD Vance said ceasefires are messy and flare-ups can be expected.

The 60-day framework now begins with both governments facing domestic pressure to show strength while the core nuclear disputes stay unresolved.