US lifts naval blockade as Iran's supreme leader says Trump made deal 'out of desperation'

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. US lifts naval blockade after Iran deal signed20 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleISNA/WANA/ReutersVicky WongThe US has dropped its naval blockade of Iran after the two countries signed a deal to end the war in the Middle East - despite Iran's supreme leader saying he had a different view and that Donald Trump signed the deal "out of desperation". US Central Command confirmed the lifting of the blockade on X "in accordance with the President's direction", and US enforcement of the blockade has ceased. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he initially disagreed with the deal, but allowed it to go ahead after assurances from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

The deal sets out an immediate halt to military operations on all fronts and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, among other things. US Vice-President JD Vance defended the deal, saying that Iran will not receive money or sanctions relief unless it meets obligations set out in the agreement. The memorandum of understanding - the MoU - does not give Iran any benefits until the country proves it will "comply fully and change their behaviour", including following through on a commitment in the MoU to destroy its stockpile of enriched uranium, and showing it will not fund proxy groups in the region.

The Details

Speaking to reporters at a White House briefing on Thursday, Vance said the deal had come into effect, triggering a 60-day period of further negotiations, and that he would likely head to Switzerland for "technical negotiations". But he did not state when he would go, adding that Iran was "not an easy country" and that they were trying to figure out exactly when that was going to happen". The official signing ceremony for the MoU was set to take place in Switzerland on Friday.

However, mediator Pakistan told the that the ceremony was cancelled because the deal had already been signed remotely. US and Iranian representatives are still expected to meet in Switzerland for further talks. In a written statement published on Iranian media, a message from Khamenei said officials working on the deal came to this stage "out of sincere concern and goodwill", and that Trump "out of desperation, used all kinds of leverage to bring this about".

EPAIran's supreme leader publicly responded to the US-Iran deal for the first time after it was signedWithout elaborating, he said he held a "different view", and said that while there will be "in-person negotiations in the future" between Tehran and Washington, he stressed that this "will not mean acceptance of the enemy's position". This is the first time the supreme leader has responded to the agreement. Khamanei has not been seen in public since he took office in March following the killing of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February that sparked the regional war.

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