Interim deal to end Iran war inked

The United States and Iran have signed an interim agreement aimed at ending months of devastating conflict, but US President Donald Trump warned that Washington could swiftly resume military action if Tehran failed to honour its commitments under the deal.

The 14-point memorandum, signed digitally by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, extends an existing ceasefire for a further 60 days and provides a framework for negotiations on a permanent settlement between the two longtime adversaries.

Speaking at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France on Wednesday, Trump coupled optimism about the agreement with stark warnings against any Iranian violations.

“We’re going to bomb the hell out of them if they violate the agreement,” Trump told reporters. “I don’t want them to. I want them to honor the agreement.”

He added that if Tehran failed to comply, “we’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head.”

Despite the threat, Trump said he hoped the agreement would pave the way for lasting stability in the Middle East and help reduce global energy prices.

The accord includes an immediate cessation of hostilities, the restoration of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of US sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets and the establishment of a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran.

Iran also reaffirmed its longstanding pledge not to develop nuclear weapons and agreed to the supervised down-blending of its stockpile of enriched uranium under the oversight of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Iranian officials hailed the agreement as a diplomatic victory.

“Everything we sought to achieve through military action, we obtained several times over through negotiation; it was not even comparable,” Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf told state television.

The agreement marks the most significant formal understanding between Washington and Tehran since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979.

Meanwhile, Trump publicly thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for maintaining what he described as a neutral stance during the conflict.

“I want to thank China, President Xi. He stayed neutral, totally neutral, and I appreciate it,” Trump said. “And I want to thank Vladimir Putin. He was very neutral. They could have made it much more difficult for us.”

The remarks contrasted sharply with Trump’s criticism of several U.S. allies, whom he accused of failing to contribute sufficiently to military operations and efforts to secure shipping routes in the Gulf.

Trump suggested Beijing had exercised restraint by not providing significant military support to Tehran during the conflict.

“They could have sent in an oil ship with six destroyers alongside of it. They didn’t do that,” he said. “President Xi helped me. He tried to help, and I think he probably helped get it solved.”

China’s embassy in Washington responded by saying Beijing’s position had remained consistent and that it had worked “tirelessly for the end of fighting and peace”.