‘Let the oil flow’: Trump says Iran, US have reached peace deal – The Age
Updated ,first published
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London: US President Donald Trump has outlined a ceasefire with Iran that promises to halt the war in the Middle East after more than three months of devastating conflict and damage to the world economy, ending the hostilities “on all fronts” including Lebanon.
Trump confirmed the outcome after a key negotiator in the talks, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, formally announced the agreement at the end of a day of clashes in Lebanon that almost derailed the deal.
“Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” Sharif said in a statement, saying the signing ceremony would be held this Friday in Switzerland.
Trump confirmed the deal with a statement on social media declaring the Strait of Hormuz would be open.
“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!” he said on social media early on Sunday evening in Washington (about 7.30am on Monday, AEST).
“I hereby fully authorise the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorise the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”
Iran confirmed the agreement but said the negotiations on the detail would only start when the US had acted on a pledge to release frozen Iranian assets, highlighting an argument to come over the terms of the pact.
“The text of the memorandum of understanding will be published shortly, and the public will be able to see Iran’s achievements and commitments,” said Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Ghribabadi. “Our commitments are not comparable to our gains.”
The details remain the subject of conjecture because Iran said the final agreement would be negotiated over the next 60 days, amid a debate in Israel about whether Trump had given too much away to the Iranian regime.
Iran said the ceasefire would begin from Friday when the documents were signed. The timing raises the risk of another outbreak of fighting in Lebanon that could jeopardise the outcome, given the possibility of further Hezbollah attacks on Israel and the Iranian regime’s insistence that Israel should not respond by targeting Beirut.
Trump is due to fly to France on Monday for a G7 summit of world leaders hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Evian, on the shores of Lake Geneva. The three-day summit is likely to be dominated by talks on the Middle East ahead of the signing ceremony on the Iran deal on Friday.
The news came after a tense day of clashes in Lebanon and high-stakes diplomacy to try to salvage the deal, with Trump calling on all sides to “stand down” from the latest fighting to seal a pact that would bring peace to the region.
Trump berated Israel for launching airstrikes on Lebanon on Sunday that threatened to wreck the potential deal.
The Israeli government, in turn, blamed Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon for launching rockets at civilian targets in northern Israel and breaching a ceasefire, leading to strikes on Beirut in response.
In a sign of Trump’s anger over the strikes, he told news site Axios that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “no f—ing judgment” and had put the negotiations at risk, but he expressed confidence a deal would be done.
“Why did Bibi have to do a f—ing attack? I was so pissed off,” Trump told Axios, using the nickname for the Israeli leader.
Trump told Fox News he had called Netanyahu to tell him not to make any further strikes against Hezbollah, asking him: “What the f— are you doing?”
Trump also said he would ask Iran not to respond with missile strikes on Israel.
With Iranian leaders warning of a “strong response” to the strikes on Beirut, the Israeli government assembled a cabinet meeting on Sunday night (Monday AEST) to consider its next steps.
“Israel will not tolerate fire directed at its territory,” said Netanyahu in a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz.
The Hezbollah rocket attack came on Sunday morning (Beirut time) and cast doubt on the peace talks when Trump was preparing for a birthday celebration at the White House with a UFC cage fight.
The Israeli Defence Forces struck the southern Beirut district of Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold, hours after the rocket fire. The Lebanese national news agency, NNA, said at least three people were killed and another 14 were wounded.
The Lebanese national news agency reported other Israeli airstrikes on targets outside the capital on Sunday, including areas around the southern city of Nabatiyeh.
Israel launched strikes on targets in Lebanon after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli communities on March 2, in a fateful decision to side with Iran. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health says 3783 people have been killed and 11,699 wounded in fighting since the war began.
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