Trump signs interim Iran cease-fire pact as 60-day talks begin in Switzerland

President Donald Trump signed an interim agreement on Wednesday that ends active combat between the United States and Iran and calls for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The 14-point, two-page pact was signed at the Palace of Versailles and will be followed by a 60-day negotiation session in the Swiss Alps to hammer out a "final" U.S.–Iran deal.

White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said the agreement "will strengthen American security for many years to come." The text, which has not been fully released, includes provisions for the cessation of fighting in Lebanon, the unfreezing of Iranian assets, and a mechanism for the dilution of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile. U.S. Central Command announced that the naval blockade of Iranian ports had been lifted in accordance with the president’s directive.

Iranian officials hailed the deal as a diplomatic success, while critics in the United States argued that the terms favor Tehran. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the agreement "gave away the store," and several Republican senators described it as a major foreign-policy misstep. Vice President JD Vance, leading the U.S. negotiating team, said the final deal should ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open, curb Iran’s regional financing, and prevent a renewed nuclear weapons program.

The interim pact does not address Iran’s ballistic-missile program, a point Trump previously noted as a shortfall of the 2015 nuclear accord. He remarked that, given other regional powers possess missiles, Iran’s capability was "a little bit unfair not to have some." The comment was echoed by state-controlled Iranian media as evidence of Tehran’s negotiating leverage.

Analysts noted that many substantive issues have been deferred to the upcoming talks, describing the interim agreement as a cease-fire extension that provides space for further negotiations. The United States has indicated it will work with regional partners on a reconstruction fund for Iran, though officials have denied direct U.S. financial contributions.