Iran desk
Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding
A 14-point framework between the United States and Iran, signed on 17 June 2026, to stop the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and leave nuclear and sanctions questions for a 60-day final deal. It did not hold.
- Signed
- 17 June 2026
- Parties
- United States, Iran
- Mediator
- Pakistan
- Trump: “over”
- 8 July 2026
The instrument
The 14 points
Text of the memorandum as published after the 17 June signing. A framework, not the final deal.
01
End of military operations, including Lebanon
The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America and their allies in the current war are signing this MoU to declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and other provisions of this paragraph.
02
Sovereignty and non-interference
The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America undertake to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs.
03
A final deal within 60 days
The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America commit to negotiating and achieving the final deal in a maximum of 60 days, extendable with mutual consent.
04
Removal of the naval blockade
Immediately upon the signing of this MoU, the United States of America will begin the removal of its naval blockade and any disturbances or impediments against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days. During this period, the traffic of vessels will be in proportion to the numbers of pre-war traffic being restored by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America further undertakes to remove its forces from the proximity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final deal.
05
Toll-free Hormuz passage for 60 days
Upon the signing of this MoU, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge, for 60 days only, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa. The traffic of commercial vessels will immediately start, and, considering the need for removing the technical and military obstacles and demining by the Islamic Republic of Iran, will be instated within 30 days. The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz in discussion with other Persian Gulf littoral states, in line with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.
06
A $300 billion reconstruction plan
The United States of America undertakes, with regional partners, to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The mechanism for the implementation of this plan will be finalized as part of a final deal within 60 days. All required licenses, waivers and permissions needed for the relevant financial transactions will be granted by the United States of America.
07
Sanctions termination, deferred to the final deal
The United States of America undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including United Nations Security Council resolutions, IAEA Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions, primary and secondary, on an agreed schedule as part of the final deal. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America acknowledge the critical importance of the sanctions-termination issue above mentioned, and expressed their intentions to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.
08
No nuclear weapons; enriched material
The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America have agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpiled enriched material pursuant to a mechanism that will be mutually agreed, in accordance with the schedule mentioned in paragraph 7, with the minimum methodology to be down-blending on site under the supervision of the IAEA. The two parties also agreed to discuss enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear needs, based on a satisfactory framework being agreed in the final deal. The final deal will confirm the provisions of this paragraph. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America acknowledge the critical importance of the nuclear issues above mentioned. They express their intention to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.
09
Status quo until a final deal
Pending the final deal, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America agree to maintain the status quo. The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program, and the United States of America will not impose any new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces in the region.
10
Immediate oil-export waivers
The United States of America undertakes that, immediately upon the signing of this MoU and until the termination of sanctions, the US Department of the Treasury will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and derivatives, and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurance, transportation, and so on.
11
Release of frozen Iranian assets
The United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the implementation of this MoU. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America will mutually agree on the procedures related to the release of these funds during negotiations. Such funds, whether retained in the original account or transferred, shall be made fully usable for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America undertakes to issue all necessary licenses and authorizations accordingly.
12
An executive monitoring mechanism
The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America agree that an executive mechanism will be established to monitor the successful implementation of this MoU and the future compliance of the final deal.
13
What talks may cover, and when
After signing this MoU, and subject to the beginning of the implementation of paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11 of this MoU and the continuing implementation of these measures, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America will start negotiations regarding the final deal exclusively on the other paragraphs.
14
A binding Security Council resolution
The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UN Security Council resolution.
Source: published text of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. Also on Wikipedia and Wikisource.
How it was signed
Who signed it, and what led there
The parties are the United States and Iran. Pakistan mediated and countersigned. A Swiss ceremony set for 19 June was pulled forward: the three leaders signed remotely on 17 June, each in a different capital.
Signatory
Donald Trump
President of the United States
Palace of Versailles, France
Signed during dinner with French president Emmanuel Macron after the G7 summit. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood with him.
Signatory
Masoud Pezeshkian
President of Iran
Tehran
Signed the same day in Tehran. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei later issued a written endorsement, with reservations.
Signatory
Shehbaz Sharif
Prime minister of Pakistan
Islamabad
Signed as mediator and endorser. Pakistan is not a party. The memorandum takes its name from the April talks he hosted.
Who negotiated it
- United States
- JD Vance, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner
- Iran
- Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Abbas Araghchi
- Pakistan
- Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Asim Munir, Ishaq Dar
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt also facilitated. Israel was not in the room and later said it was not bound by paragraph 1’s Lebanon ceasefire.
11–12 April 2026
The Islamabad talks fail
A US team led by Vice President JD Vance, with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met an Iranian team led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif, Asim Munir and Ishaq Dar mediated. The sides talked for about 21 hours and could not close the Strait of Hormuz or the nuclear file. No memorandum was issued.
13 April 2026
Washington blockades Iranian ports
After the talks collapsed, President Trump announced a naval blockade intercepting ships entering or leaving Iranian ports. That blockade is what paragraph 4 of the later memorandum undertakes to lift.
11–14 June 2026
Mediators close the remaining gaps
Qatari mediators in Tehran, coordinated with Washington, narrowed differences on frozen assets, Hormuz, and how Iran’s nuclear program would be handled during a 60-day ceasefire. On 12 June Pakistan said a final text had been agreed. On 14 June both capitals announced a deal to end the war and reopen the strait. Trump said he had authorized an end to the blockade, and added that if he did not like the agreement the United States would “go right back to dropping bombs.”
17 June 2026
Heads of government sign
A ceremony at Switzerland’s Bürgenstock had been planned for 19 June. Both sides moved it forward. Trump, Pezeshkian and Sharif signed remotely the same day, in Versailles, Tehran and Islamabad. The text is a 14-point framework, not a final peace treaty. Nuclear disposition, full sanctions termination, missiles and Iran’s non-state allies were left for the 60-day talks.
18–22 June 2026
The first implementation steps
CENTCOM said it had lifted the naval blockade of Iranian ports. Pakistan said Tehran would reopen Hormuz at once. On 22 June the Treasury issued a 60-day general license for Iranian oil sales, the waiver required by paragraph 10.
After the signature
Violations
The memorandum began to fray within 48 hours, first in Lebanon, then in the Strait of Hormuz. Each entry below names the clause at issue and links the reporting.
- 01IsraelHezbollah
Fighting continues in Lebanon
Paragraph 1 binds the United States, Iran and their allies to stop military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and to ensure Lebanon’s territorial integrity. Israel, which is not a signatory and said it was not bound, kept striking southern Lebanon. Hezbollah struck Israeli forces. Lebanese authorities reported at least 47 people killed in Israeli attacks since midnight, and Israel reported four soldiers killed. A US- and Qatar-brokered Israel–Hezbollah truce was announced the same day; strikes continued after it.
Clauses§1
- 02Iran
Iran declares the Strait of Hormuz closed
Three days after signing, Iran’s armed forces said they were closing Hormuz, citing Israeli strikes in Lebanon and what Tehran called a US breach of paragraph 1. The IRGC navy warned ships not to approach. Paragraph 5 requires Iran to use its best efforts for safe, toll-free commercial passage for 60 days. CENTCOM denied a closure and said merchant ships were still transiting.
- 03United States
Trump threatens to strike Iran again
Paragraph 1 requires both sides to refrain from the threat or use of force. As negotiators met and Lebanon fighting continued, President Trump wrote that Iran must stop its proxies in Lebanon or the United States would “hit Iran very hard again.” Iran had already pulled back from the first technical round in Switzerland over the Lebanon fighting.
Clauses§1
- 04IranUnited States
A cargo ship is hit, and the US strikes Iran
A drone struck the Singapore-registered cargo ship Ever Lovely near Oman. President Trump called it an Iranian violation of the ceasefire. CENTCOM then struck Iranian missile and drone storage and coastal radar sites, and said the attack on commercial shipping “clearly violated the ceasefire.” Iran answered that paragraph 5 leaves passage arrangements to Tehran, and that the ship had used an unauthorized route. Iranian state media also reported that three tankers turned back after an IRGC warning for crossing “without authorisation.”
- 05IranUnited States
A second night of US strikes
The Panama-flagged tanker Kiku, carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude, was hit by a one-way attack drone in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM said Iran had been given a chance to honor the ceasefire after the Ever Lovely strike and “elected not to,” then launched a second night of strikes on Iranian military surveillance, communications, air defense, drone storage and minelayers.
- 06IranUnited States
Iran fires on US sites in Kuwait and Bahrain
The IRGC said it launched ballistic missiles and drones at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the US Fifth Fleet headquarters at Port Salman in Bahrain, after US strikes on Sirik, Bandar-e Lengeh, Qeshm and other sites near Hormuz. Both the ship attacks and the strikes on each other’s forces cut against paragraph 1.
Clauses§1
- 07IranUnited States
Tankers are hit, the oil waiver is revoked, and both sides strike
Missiles and projectiles hit commercial ships in Hormuz, including Qatar’s LNG tanker Al Rekayyat and a Saudi-flagged tanker. Qatar accused Iran of violating international law. Washington revoked the Treasury license that had authorized Iranian oil sales — the waiver paragraph 10 requires until sanctions end — and CENTCOM struck more than 80 Iranian targets, including air defenses, coastal radar and IRGC boats. Iran called the restored oil sanctions and the southern strikes a breach of the memorandum. The IRGC said it then targeted US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, and Iran said it shot down a US MQ-9.
- 08Iran
Satellite imagery of work at nuclear sites
Paragraph 9 requires Iran to maintain the status quo of its nuclear program pending a final deal. CNN, with the Institute for Science and International Security, published imagery from 22 June and 7 July showing repair and reinforcement at Taleghan 2 inside the Parchin complex, including work around bomb-penetration holes, plus vehicle traffic at the underground Pickaxe Mountain site. The imagery is evidence of activity during the memorandum, not a declared Iranian admission.
How the memorandum ended
8 July 2026
After the Hormuz ship attacks and US strikes on southern Iran, President Trump said the memorandum was “over.” He left the door open for negotiators to keep talking, and said he was pessimistic about the result.
18 July 2026
Deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran was suspending commitments under the memorandum, citing US breaches.
17 August 2026
The 60-day deadline in paragraph 3 for a final deal passed with no comprehensive settlement.