By ITV News Multimedia Producer Connor Parker
The United States and Iran have reached an interim deal aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The deal is expected to be signed in Switzerland on Friday.
But while some of the main commitments are known, the exact details of the agreement have not yet been published – and numerous thorny issues have been left unresolved.
This means nobody knows if the deal will last.
It is quickly becoming controversial in the US, with some of Trump’s Republican Party already criticising it.
Meanwhile, Israel has also said it will not withdraw from land seized in Lebanon and plans to continue its campaign against Hezbollah.
This is despite Iran tying the interim deal to halting Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Both the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, striking numerous targets in Iran, with Iran responding by blocking the Strait and attacking US allies in the region. Israel invaded Lebanon weeks later.
A ceasefire was agreed on April 8, but tensions remained high with the US blockading Iran’s ports and Iran refusing to open the Strait.
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Nations across the world have been eager for the conflict to end amid fears of the impact on the global economy.
World leaders and international markets have welcomed the agreement, with all sides keen to see the Strait of Hormuz reopened. There is a huge incentive to make the deal a permanent peace.
Here is what to know about it.
A 60-day period to attempt to address Iran’s nuclear programme
The US and Israel fear Iran’s nuclear programme could lead to an atomic weapon, and it was a main reason their leaders cited for going to war.
Tehran has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful, though it has enough highly enriched uranium to build several atomic bombs, should it choose to do so.
A senior US administration official told the Associated Press on Friday that the emerging agreement would begin the process of destroying or removing Tehran’s highly enriched uranium.
That’s something disputed by Iran, which has insisted it would hold onto its stockpile.
The official said the 60 days would be used to work out technical details for removing the uranium.
The official did not say who the US envisions taking charge of removing the uranium, which is believed to be entombed under three nuclear sites battered by US strikes last year.
Russia has also offered to take the material.
The Strait of Hormuz may be reopened
The US official the Associated Press spoke to said the emerging agreement includes provisions for reopening the strait, a crucial waterway for global oil and gas transport.
Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the country wants a deal that allows Tehran to charge ships “for services rendered” when they transit the Strait.
Iran started charging vessels for passage during the war, which the US and other nations have said violates international law.
Iran has also said it will only reopen the Strait if the US ends the blockade of its ports.
The Strait has long been considered international waters, though it lies within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman.
Transit through the Strait has disrupted global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices, and made food and other basics like fertiliser more expensive well beyond the region.
When US President Donald Trump announced the deal on Sunday, he said: “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!”
What will happen to Lebanon remains unclear
The prime minister of Pakistan, who has been acting as a mediator, said after the deal had been announced that “both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”.
But Israel has seemingly rejected that.
Defence Minister Israel Katz said the country will not withdraw from land seized in Lebanon as the interim deal is pending.
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Katz said Israel plans to stay “indefinitely” in lands it holds in Lebanon, as well as Syria and the Gaza Strip.
Katz also threatened that if Iran attacks Israel, Israel will strike Iran with “great force”.
Despite a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel being in place, Israel and Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon, have been fighting nearly continuously for months.
On Sunday, hours before the US and Iran agreed on the deal, Israel launched strikes on Beirut targeting Hezbollah.
Trump criticised this after both the US and Iran warned against attacking Beirut directly while the peace talks were ongoing.
Hezbollah has repeatedly said it does not recognise deals signed by Lebanon and has vowed to continue fighting with Israel as long as they maintain a presence in Lebanon.
The US could pay Iran a lot of money
Three regional officials said the emerging deal was expected to include the phased lifting of sanctions on Iran and the release of frozen Iranian assets, which amount to tens of billions of dollars.
It has also been reported that Trump is considering paying for some of Iran’s reconstruction costs if they cooperate in removing nuclear material.
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