US Central Command said the US-Iran deal ended the naval blockade, confirming on X that the move was made “in accordance with the President's direction.” The command added that some US vessels would stay “in the general area,” which is diplomatic language for: not gone, just no longer formally blocking the door.
Soon after, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei gave his first public response to the agreement. He said he had approved it despite having a “different view,” though he did not explain what that meant. According to his statement, he allowed the deal to proceed after President Masoud Pezeshkian assured him he would “protect the rights of the Iranian nation.”
What Khamenei said about Trump and future talks
Khamenei framed the agreement as something the US pursued under pressure. He said President Donald Trump had, “out of desperation, used all kinds of leverage” to bring the deal about.
He also said there would be in-person negotiations between Tehran and Washington, but added that this “will not mean acceptance of the enemy's position.” In other words, talks are acceptable. Conceding is apparently not part of the branding package.
This was Khamenei’s first response to the agreement. he has not appeared publicly since taking office in March, after the killing of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the 28 February US-Israeli strikes on Iran that triggered the regional war.
Trump did not directly answer Khamenei’s remarks. On Truth Social, he said he expected a ceasefire to take effect “on all fronts,” including between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. He also said he expected countries in the Middle East to “maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations” to proceed.
What is in the 14-point agreement
the deal centers on 14 core points The central provisions include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a commitment that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon, and a $300bn fund for Iran’s “reconstruction and economic development.”
The US is not required to contribute to that fund, a detail that may not calm critics but is still fairly important.
The deal also requires both sides to work toward a final agreement within a “maximum” of 60 days. That deadline can be extended if both sides agree.
Vice-President JD Vance said at a White House briefing that the agreement had already come into effect, started the 60-day clock for further talks. He said he would likely travel to Switzerland for “technical negotiations,” though he did not confirm exactly when.
Vance added that officials were still trying to work out when he would leave Iran A White House spokesperson later said Vance would not be departing that night.
Why the Switzerland signing was cancelled
A formal signing ceremony had been scheduled for Friday in Switzerland. Mediator Pakistan told the BBC the event was cancelled because the deal had already been signed remotely.
US and Iranian representatives are still expected to meet in Switzerland for further talks. The White House said the US was ready to begin technical talks as soon as possible.
The remote signing matters because it means the clock has already started. According to Vance, the Memorandum of Understanding, or MoU, is now active and the technical phase has begun.
Both sides now have to deal with the harder mechanics of the agreement, including Iran’s nuclear obligations and regional commitments. The public language is tidy. The implementation will almost certainly be less elegant.
Republicans and Israeli officials push back
Trump’s decision to end the war with Iran has drawn criticism in the US, including from some Republicans unhappy with the terms of the agreement. The reconstruction fund has become one of the main targets.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy called the deal the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades.”
“Iran's nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works,” Cassidy said.
Vance defended the agreement on Thursday. He said Iran would not receive money or sanctions relief unless it meets the obligations laid out in the deal. According to Vance, the MoU requires Iran to destroy its stockpile of enriched uranium and show that it will not fund proxy groups in the region.
He also criticized members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet who attacked the agreement. Vance said they should “wake up and smell the reality.”
“If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world,” he told reporters.
Vance names Ben Gvir and Smotrich
In an interview with The New York Times published Thursday, Vance specifically named Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich as critics of the deal.
“I guess my response to them would be - what is your exact proposal?” Vance said. “You're a country of nine million people. You can't just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have.”
Netanyahu was more careful. On Thursday, he stressed the importance of Israel’s close relationship with the US, saying Washington had stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Israel during the war with Iran.
Still, the regional picture remains unstable. Israel and Hezbollah have both carried out strikes since the US-Iran agreement was announced. Strikes reported in Lebanon on Thursday killed three people.
Israel says its conflict with Hezbollah is separate from its war with Iran. Hezbollah has also rejected the terms of the US-Iran agreement.
Vance told reporters that Israel would have to respect the peace process with Iran, which he said was good for Israel. He also said attacks in Beirut that kill civilians are “not acceptable.”
