Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on X that the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, mediated by Pakistan, takes effect immediately. As a first move, Iran will immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the US will lift the naval blockade, he wrote. This is the latest update a day after The Zioneer reported the deal was signed electronically.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed in a post on his official X account early Thursday morning that the 'Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding' between the United States and Iran 'will take effect immediately.' He specified that 'as a first step, Iran will immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States will remove the naval blockade.' The announcement comes hours after a night of rapid developments, during which The Zioneer reported at 17:14 Jerusalem on Wednesday that the MOU had been signed electronically by President Trump and Iranian President Pezeshkian, with a formal ceremony slated for June 19 in Switzerland.
This confirmation by Sharif marks the third authoritative statement on the deal's status in less than 12 hours. At 17:14 Jerusalem on Wednesday, The Zioneer first reported that the MOU had been signed electronically, initially citing unconfirmed Axios reports. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei then formally confirmed the signing at 17:14 Jerusalem on Wednesday. Sharif's statement now elevates the confirmation to the head-of-government level, removing earlier ambiguity about whether the deal was binding — earlier Wednesday, a US official had been cited as saying either side could still withdraw. The Strait of Hormuz reopening, a key trigger clause, is now presented by Sharif as the first concrete implementation step.
As The Zioneer previously reported, Pakistan's mediation role has been central to the US-Iran de-escalation process, with Sharif emerging as a key interlocutor. Background reporting from June 12 indicated President Trump had confirmed an imminent 60-day ceasefire and Strait of Hormuz reopening as part of the 'Islamabad Agreement' framework.
The key operational question that remains open is how Iran will execute the physical reopening of the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global oil chokepoint — and whether the United States will issue a separate official confirmation of lifting its naval blockade. The formal signing ceremony in Switzerland on June 19 may provide further verification.
6 developments
- StrongIranian source: Strait of Hormuz reopening to begin Friday after MoU signing
- StrongTrump: US and Iran close to 60-day ceasefire deal, Strait of Hormuz to reopen
- StrongTrump says Strait of Hormuz to reopen as early as Saturday or Monday
- ConfirmedU.S. and Iran reportedly near agreement on nuclear freeze, sanctions relief, and Strait of Hormuz reopening
Source and signal
- Internal intake