US-Iran deal to open Strait of Hormuz faces immediate challenges

Administration

US-Iran deal to open Strait of Hormuz faces immediate challenges

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by Max Rego and Ian Swanson - 06/15/26 6:45 AM ET

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by Max Rego and Ian Swanson - 06/15/26 6:45 AM ET

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The Trump administration on Sunday reached a preliminary deal with Iran that it said would open the Strait of Hormuz, promising relief to an energy crisis that had resulted in higher costs at the pump in the United States and around the world.

The deal could end the on-again, off-again war with Iran, which has also led to shelling in multiple Gulf states as well as Israel and Lebanon, but pushes the issue that triggered the conflict — Iran’s nuclear program — to further negotiations over the next 60 days.

President Trump announced the deal on his 80th birthday, just before he hosted a card of UFC fights from the White House lawn. He characterized the agreement as a final deal of sorts that resulted in his opening of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s supply of oil flows.

“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”

The U.S. had imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports for months in retaliation for Tehran essentially closing the strait.

Global oil prices fell on news of the deal, while stock futures jumped, given the potentially good news for the economy.

Iran said the deal would result in an end to fighting in all parts of the war, including the battle between Israel and the Iran-backed militia group Hezbollah in Lebanon. That fight had been a sticking point in the talks and had led to friction between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump told Axios that Netanyahu has “no f—ing judgment” with regards to ending the war after Israel fired on the Beirut suburbs against Hezbollah on Sunday, putting the tentative framework deal with Iran at risk.

He told Axios the attack on Beirut had “pissed me off very much.”

Frictions were clear between Israel and the U.S. in statements released about the deal, suggesting that could still be a challenge to maintaining a peace.

Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz in a Monday statement described the deal between Iran and the U.S. as one that was negotiated “out of a view of American interests.”

He did say it included the “shared interest with Israel” to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear principles. “We expect him to uphold this principle and additional principles in the realm of missiles and terrorist proxies,” Katz wrote.

Katz also said his country would not withdraw from security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.

“The IDF will continue to defend our borders and our citizens from the peak of Mount Hermon, the mountains of Lebanon, the areas of our land in the Samaria region, and most of the territory of Gaza—against the threats posed by jihadist forces and organizations, as a central lesson from the events of October 7,” Katz wrote.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has mediated talks between Washington and Tehran, wrote Sunday on the social platform X that an official signing ceremony will take place on Friday in Switzerland. Trump has previously said Vice President Vance could represent the U.S. in Switzerland.

Sharif said that under the deal, both sides “have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” referring to Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Trump was on his way to a G7 meeting in France and left the White House after the UFC card on Sunday. There were reports he had wanted the deal with Iran to be concluded before the important summit.

Trump was under enormous pressure to reach a deal to end the war with Iran given this year’s midterm elections, in which the House and Senate majorities for Republicans are at stake. The rising fuel prices have done political damage to the president on the broad issue of affordability, which is seen as the key issue this fall.

Polls also consistently showed the Iran war was unpopular with voters, creating openings for Democrats to launch political attacks on Trump and the GOP.

Trump in a Sunday interview with The New York Times argued the war had reshaped the Middle East and left the United States in a much stronger position. The Times said Trump acknowledged that when the war began, he had suggested it could result in Iran’s people overthrowing their leaders, something that did not happen. The new Iranian supreme leader is the son of the previous l