After the US and Iran signed a deal to end the war, the US has ended a naval blockade that was put in place to prevent ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports, the BBC reports.
US Central Command confirmed that the blockade had been lifted on the president’s orders and said some US ships would remain in the region.
Shortly afterwards, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei announced that he had signed the deal with the US despite their differing views. He allowed the deal to proceed after receiving confirmation from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that he was committed to protecting the rights of the Iranian people. Khamenei said that US President Donald Trump, driven by desperation, had used all possible leverage to force a deal. Iran’s supreme leader said that while there would be direct face-to-face talks between Tehran and Washington in the future, it did not mean accepting the enemy’s position.
This is the first time Khamenei has commented on the deal. He has not appeared in public since taking office in March after his father was killed in US and Israeli strikes.
Trump did not directly respond to Khamenei’s remarks,
but Truth Social published a post saying he expected a ceasefire on all fronts, including between Israel and the Tehran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon, and that all Middle Eastern countries would remain committed to allowing the talks to take place.
The US-Iran deal consists of a 14-point memorandum of understanding, which also includes a condition on the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, a requirement to abandon the development of nuclear weapons and a commitment to allocate 300 billion dollars for Iran’s reconstruction and economic development.
Trump’s decision to end the war with Iran has drawn criticism in the United States, including from Republicans who have been critical of the terms of the deal, particularly the funds for Iran’s reconstruction. US Vice President JD Vance defended the deal on the 18th of June, saying that Iran would receive funds and sanctions against it would be lifted only if it complied with the terms of the deal.
Vance also called out members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for criticizing the deal, stressing that if he were in Israel’s government, he would certainly not target the only strong ally left on the Israeli side.
Read also: US-Iran deal: 14 points and support for reconstruction