Official Announcement of Iran-US Peace Memorandum of Understanding by Shahbaz Sharif; Trump Orders Immediate Lifting of Naval Blockade

Shahbaz Sharif: Immediate and permanent end to war on all fronts, including Lebanon
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif informed the world of a major diplomatic development in a statement published on his X-page this morning, Monday (June 15). Announcing the finalization of the peace memorandum of understanding between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, he said:
“After intensive talks, we are pleased to announce that a peace memorandum of understanding has been reached between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Both sides have announced an immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
The Pakistani Prime Minister, referring to the timing of the next steps of this understanding, added: “The official signing ceremony of this memorandum of understanding will be held on Friday, June 19 (June 19) in Switzerland.”
He continued his statement by thanking all parties involved in this diplomatic process, saying: “We would like to thank the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran for their commitment to finding a diplomatic solution to this dispute. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to our brothers in this mediation effort, the High Leadership of the Government of Qatar, for their support in reaching this understanding. I would also like to thank in particular the visionary leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Turkey for their valuable and extensive contributions in this regard.”
In the final part of his statement, the Pakistani Prime Minister outlined the horizon for this diplomatic process, saying: “Now that this Memorandum of Understanding has been reached, the mediators will facilitate a series of meetings this week. These preliminary pre-implementation discussions will pave the way for technical negotiations as well as the formal signing ceremony of the understanding.”

Trump: Understanding with Iran is finalized; congratulations to everyone! / Order to immediately lift the naval blockade
Minutes after the Pakistani Prime Minister's statement, US President Donald Trump also confirmed the finalization of this historic understanding by posting a message on social media. He wrote in his short but meaningful message:
"The understanding with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now finalized. Congratulations to everyone!"
Trump then, referring to one of the most important and tangible achievements of this understanding - the breaking of the naval blockade imposed by the US Navy against Iran - announced: "I hereby declare the full, free and open opening of the Strait of Hormuz and, at the same time, issue an order to immediately lift the naval blockade by the United States Navy."
The US President continued his message, in a tone that showed acceptance of the new realities of the region and the failure of the maximum pressure policy, addressing global shipping: "Ships of the world, start your engines. Let the oil flow!"
But what attracted the most attention in Trump’s message was a significant and humiliating amendment to the White House, which shows that Tehran is seriously pursuing its red lines even in the last minutes. Tasnim correspondent’s investigations show that the US President had initially written in his initial message on social networks that from this moment, both the naval blockade of Iran will end and the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened. However, a few minutes later, with the direct emphasis and pressure of the Islamic Republic of Iran, he was forced to amend his previous statement and emphasized that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will take place “after Friday” (the day of the official signing of the Memorandum of Understanding). It is noteworthy that Trump did not mention any suspension or delay in the lifting of the naval blockade in his amended message; meaning that the lifting of the naval blockade will be implemented immediately and without waiting for the ceremony on Friday, but the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is subject to the official signing of the Memorandum of Understanding.
This forced amendment was a public display of the new balance of power in the region. The US, which until yesterday spoke of threats, sanctions and blockade, is now forced to correct its messages under diplomatic and military pressure from Iran. This means that Tehran has managed not only the content of the understanding, but also the public narrative of the other side in these negotiations, and has not allowed it to trivialize Iran's achievements by exaggerating or distorting them.

Trump's frank admission: Israel almost ruined the understanding
At the same time as announcing this understanding, Donald Trump revealed new and thought-provoking details behind the scenes of this diplomatic process in an interview with Fox News, which show the depth of the differences between the White House and Tel Aviv. He admitted that he had asked the Islamic Republic of Iran to refrain from any retaliatory action in response to the Israeli attack on Beirut, but in the end it was Israel itself that almost ruined the entire diplomatic process with its military adventurism.

Trump stressed that the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington was supposed to be signed on Sunday morning, but an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs disrupted the process and delayed the finalization of the agreement. This admission clearly shows how much the Zionist regime fears the path to peace and prefers to keep the region in a state of permanent war.

"He's a very difficult person"; Trump's anger at Netanyahu
The American newspaper The New York Times, in an exclusive report based on a 28-minute conversation with Trump, cited a fiery quote from the US president about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In this interview, Trump said in an unprecedented tone about Washington's strategic ally:
"He's a very difficult person, and frankly, he should thank us for this understanding, because if Iran had nuclear weapons, Israel wouldn't last even two hours."
These unprecedented statements by the US President not only express the White House's deep anger at Netanyahu's adventures on the eve of signing the understanding, but also implicitly acknowledge the strategic deterrence of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In these sentences, Trump has unwittingly accepted Iran's power as an undeniable reality.

Trump's major retreat on the nuclear issue; from "zero enrichment" to "low levels"
One of the most important aspects of this diplomatic transformation, which was discussed in the New York Times report, is Donald Trump's apparent retreat from his previous tough and maximalist positions on the Iranian nuclear issue. The US President, who had previously emphasized the need for "the destruction of all nuclear facilities" and "zero enrichment" in Iran, has now admitted in an interview with this American newspaper that Iran "will be allowed to enrich at low levels."
Although the text of the finalized memorandum of understanding does not yet contain a specific agreement on the details of Iran's nuclear program, and this has been postponed to the upcoming 60-day negotiations, Trump's statement is considered a major and public retreat from the White House's initial overtures.
The New York Times noted in its analysis that Trump acknowledged in this interview that negotiations on the future of uranium enrichment in Iran are still ongoing. He claimed that Washington wants a 20-year suspension of enrichment, although he also raised the possibility of accepting a 15-year suspension - a claim that, rather than indicating US seriousness, reflects the continuous and step-by-step adjustment of Washington's demands in the face of Tehran's firm and unchanging positions.
At the end of its report, the American newspaper alluded to Washington’s history of non-compliance, writing: “The 2015 nuclear deal also included similar restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program, but after the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018, Tehran increased its enrichment level.”
Trump’s statement about “low-level enrichment” in no way means accepting the rules imposed by Iran. Tehran has repeatedly emphasized at the highest levels that it will secure its nuclear rights based on international law and bilateral understandings, and that the back-and-forth of American officials’ positions will not affect the principled positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, this apparent retreat from its initial positions is an undeniable sign of the success of Iran’s strategy of active resistance against the enemy’s excesses.

New York Times: Iran Cancels Planned Attack on Israel
The New York Times also reported that the Islamic Republic of Iran has canceled a planned and large-scale attack on Israel. Given the announcement of the Iranian armed forces’ resolute readiness to respond to Israeli aggression in the hours before the agreement was finalized, it shows that Tehran has decided to stop retaliatory military action from a position of strength and in exchange for strategic concessions, not out of weakness or external pressure.
This is precisely the “coercive diplomacy” in which a credible threat to use military force forces the other side to retreat and make concessions.

Qatar: We welcome this understanding
Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose country played a key role in brokering this understanding along with Pakistan, also welcomed this diplomatic achievement by issuing an official statement. He said:
“We welcome the understanding reached on the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran. We express our gratitude to our brothers in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, as well as to all regional and international parties who played a role in creating favorable conditions for reaching this understanding.”
The Qatari Prime Minister expressed hope for the continuation of this diplomatic process and added: “We hope that all parties will participate in the upcoming negotiations in a positive and constructive spirit; a spirit that will help consolidate this progress and build on it.”
At the end of his statement, he emphasized Doha’s continued support for the peace process and said: “We reiterate that the Government of Qatar will remain a steadfast supporter of these efforts and all initiatives that aim to strengthen security and stability at the regional and international levels, through dialogue and peaceful solutions.”

Based on this understanding, negotiations to reach a final agreement have been postponed until after the other party’s commitments have been implemented and verified. In other words, this Memorandum of Understanding is a roadmap that outlines the path, but the realization of each step is subject to the full implementation of the previous step by the United States.

Verification; Tehran’s Precondition for Next Steps
The New York Times has also pointed out another key point in its report that should not be overlooked: the full text of the memorandum of understanding has not yet been published, and some of Trump’s claims relate to issues that have either not yet been agreed upon or have been postponed to future negotiations.
This fact indicates the complexity and multi-layered nature of this memorandum of understanding, and makes the Islamic Republic of Iran’s emphasis on verifying America’s commitments before entering into 60-day negotiations more justified than ever. Learning from the bitter experience of the JCPOA and the Trump administration’s unilateral withdrawal from it in 2018, Tehran has this time designed a mechanism in which trust in the enemy has given way to step-by-step verification and reciprocal implementation. This memorandum of understanding is not a document of trust; it is a roadmap based on distrust, in which each step is accompanied by objective guarantees.

Conclusion
The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding should be considered a turning point in the history of regional and international relations. In this complex and risky process, the Islamic Republic of Iran, by intelligently combining active diplomacy and military deterrence, succeeded in forcing the United States to accept its strategic demands. From the immediate and permanent end to the war on all fronts and the lifting of the naval blockade to Washington’s retreat from its stubborn nuclear stance and even the forced modification of Trump’s message in the face of Tehran’s pressure, all of this is evidence that Iran is not a passive actor, but a decisive and unavoidable power in the new regional order.
This Memorandum of Understanding is not a final agreement, but rather a framework for the next steps; a framework in which Iran, from a position of power, will follow the path of verifying the other party’s commitments and will only move on to the next stages if they are fully implemented. Now, all eyes are on Friday in Switzerland, where this major diplomatic victory is set to enter its implementation phase with the official signing by both sides. But the big lesson of this breathtaking marathon is clear for all regional and international players: The Islamic Republic of Iran negotiates from a position of strength, signs understandings from a position of strength, and will monitor the implementation of the other party's commitments from a position of strength.