Pakistan announces US-Iran peace deal, immediate ceasefire on all fronts including Lebanon, with signing set for Friday in Switzerland

A diplomatic breakthrough

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took to social media on 14 June to announce that the United States and Iran had concluded a peace agreement after intensive negotiations. The deal brings an end to a conflict that has raged since late February and involved direct and proxy confrontations across the Middle East.

Following intense talks, we are pleased to announce that the Peace Agreement between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran has been REACHED. Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including those in Lebanon.

The announcement was made the same day that The Wall Street Journal reported the Trump administration was preparing an imminent statement on a deal with Iran, lending independent weight to the Pakistani premier's declaration.

Ceasefire across all fronts

The ceasefire covers all theatres of the conflict, with Sharif explicitly naming Lebanon, where Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah have exchanged fire in recent days near the southern border and in Beirut. The war, which began in late February, pitted the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic and its allies, and the truce would represent the first formal halt to hostilities.

Mediation and the path to signing

Sharif thanked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey for their mediation efforts, calling them "brothers in this endeavour". Qatar and Turkey in particular have long acted as channels between Washington and Tehran. A series of preparatory meetings will take place this week, with mediators facilitating discussions that will lay the groundwork for the technical talks and the official signing ceremony in Switzerland on Friday.

What the agreement includes

According to details emerging from the announcement, the pact will take the form of a memorandum of understanding that launches a 60-day period of additional negotiations between the two sides. Those talks will address outstanding issues, notably Iran's nuclear programme. US President Donald Trump has indicated in recent days that the agreement also provides for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical oil-shipping chokepoint that Iran has kept blocked since the start of the conflict.

Next steps

Israel, which has not participated directly in the US-Iran talks, now faces a recalibration of its own military posture in Lebanon and beyond. The international community will watch closely as the mediators guide the parties toward Friday's ceremony, while the ceasefire's durability will be tested on the ground in the hours and days ahead.