JERUSALEM, Israel – With great fanfare, President Trump, on his 80th birthday, announced that a memorandum of agreement with Iran had been reached in Islamabad, Pakistan.
On Truth Social, Trump posted that he had authorized the end of a U.S. naval blockade against Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Congratulations to all!” he wrote. “Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”
The agreement was confirmed by officials there that “both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” adding that mediators will this week facilitate meetings to “lay the foundation for the technical talks.” A signing is expected in Switzerland on Friday.
Reaction was slow in coming from Iran, although state TV displayed a banner boasting, “US was forced to sign an agreement to end the war.”
***Sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you receive the latest updates from a Christian perspective.***
Israel, which was not a party to the agreement, has been slow to react as well officially. Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated President Trump on his birthday. However, U.S. media reports indicated that Trump was furious with the prime minister for attacking a terrorist stronghold in Beirut over the weekend, despite continued Hezbollah rocket and drone launches against Israeli troops and residents of northern Israel.
One Israeli opposition party is blaming Netanyahu for what its leader described as a terrible deal. The leader of the Israeli Democrats Party, Yair Golan, was quoted in The Times of Israel as saying, “Tremendous military achievements won through the courage of our pilots and the blood of our fighters were erased, while Netanyahu stood aside – weak, ill, isolated, and lacking influence.”
Israelis won’t be comforted, either, by comments from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who has frequently been hostile toward Israel. He praised the deal, saying, “I warmly congratulate the United States and Iran for having reached a peace deal that provides for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as well as a framework for further negotiations.”
One U.S. supporter of Israel, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), welcomed the opening of the Strait, but he added a caveat, according to a report by JNS News, stating, “I will be watching closely the ensuing negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program and other matters.”
Graham added, “I am somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming. Under our law, any nuclear deal with Iran will be sent to Congress for review and a vote.”
An Israeli source told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that Israel will not withdraw from its security zone in southern Lebanon, despite Pakistani claims that Lebanon was included in the memorandum of agreement ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.
President Trump leaves for the French Alps on Monday to take part in the G7 Summit.
