Middle East countries on Monday welcomed the announcement of a US-Iran peace deal as the two enemies prepared for a signing ceremony later this week.
Oil prices eased after the US and Iran took their biggest step yet towards ending the four-month conflict, even as both countries hinted at unresolved issues.
Pakistan, which has acted as a go-between in peace talks, said a signing ceremony would take place in Switzerland on Friday. US Vice President JD Vance said the deal had already been “signed digitally” and could lead to sanctions being lifted if Iran complies.
No full text has yet been published. Iran said peace in Lebanon was an “inseparable” part of the deal – while Israel announced its intention to keep control of an occupied buffer zone.
In the Strait of Hormuz, one of the central issues in the peace talks, US President Donald Trump said ships, some of them carrying oil, “are starting to move” after he ordered the end of a US naval blockade. But an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman suggested Iran could still charge tolls in future.
After arriving in France for a G7 summit, Mr Trump said the strait would be fully open by Friday. The shipping blockade has raised energy prices worldwide since the war began in late February.
Gulf reaction
The UAE affirmed the importance of dialogue, diplomacy and adherence to international law to ensure regional stability, after the US and Iran announced the agreement.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised the importance of full compliance with the provisions of the framework. It also called for the protection of maritime routes and freedom of international navigation, including the uninterrupted flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, said the UAE has emerged from this phase stronger, more resilient and more confident.
“It worked diplomatically and credibly to avoid war, protected its sovereignty firmly and effectively, and established its position as a model of development, stability and prosperity in the region,” he said on X.
Other Gulf countries also welcomed the agreement. Saudi Arabia stressed the importance of restoring security and freedom of navigation in the strait to prewar conditions.
Kuwait said it hoped the deal would pave the way for broader efforts to resolve outstanding problems. Egypt's Foreign Ministry said the agreement was a highly significant development that could help restore security and stability.
Hormuz hope
The peace deal offers a lifeline to more than 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf, waiting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict has claimed the lives of at least 14 seafarers, with at least 17 merchant vessels damaged by aerial attacks.
Ben Bailey, director of programme and manager of the Mission to Seafarers in the UAE, said the peace deal and reopening of the strait had brought huge relief to the shipping industry. “From a welfare perspective, the impact on seafarers in the middle of this crisis has been significant,” he told The National.
Details also remain elusive on how Iran's nuclear programme – one of the major US and Israeli grievances that resulted in the war – will be addressed. The 14-point deal is expected to set a timetable for further talks.
Mr Vance says the deal with Iran is “performance-based” and that Tehran will be welcomed into the global economy if it hits vital benchmarks.
“If we see the Iranians … taking action to eliminate their stockpile of enriched material, then yes, sanctions relief will follow. If we see the Iranians taking action to allow the kind of verification regime that we need to see to know that they’re not going to build a nuclear weapon, yes, sanctions relief will follow,” he told ABC’s Good Morning America.”
There were mixed messages from Iran’s leadership. Supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei declared “definitive victory” for Iran in a written message. Brig Gen Esmail Qaani of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the loyalist military force seen as close to Mr Khamenei, similarly spoke of victory.
Others warned there were still unresolved issues. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the deal was “merely an initial step towards reducing tensions”. President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, said the deal would be an honourable one for Iran “if all the provisions of the memorandum of understanding are implemented properly”.
He revealed that about 90 per cent of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council had voted in favour of the peace process, suggesting some internal dissent.
Mr Pezeshkian is widely seen as having been sidelined on military and security matters and has devoted much of his time to the home front, telling Iranians to save energy for the war effort.
