UK, France, Germany, Italy and Japan greet US-Iran peace deal, call for Hormuz reopening
Western leaders praised the U.S.–Iran agreement that ends hostilities and urged the swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while indicating readiness to lift sanctions if Iran curbs its nuclear program.
World leaders welcomed a U.S.–Iran agreement that is expected to end the Middle East conflict and trigger a signing ceremony in Switzerland on Friday. The deal, reached after more than three months of intermittent negotiations, includes a draft memorandum that would lift U.S. oil sanctions on Iran and require Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days.
In a joint statement, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy described the accord as an opportunity to restore regional stability and stabilize the global economy. They said they are prepared to lift relevant sanctions in response to "clear and verifiable steps" by Iran on its nuclear programme and called for the "urgent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz with unconditional and unrestricted freedom of navigation."
"Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon. We stand ready to work with the US, Iran and the IAEA to this end," the statement added.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the deal a "hugely important step forward in ending the war" and stressed that the strait must remain "fully and permanently open." Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the agreement is "a major step toward resolution of the situation" and expressed hope that navigation in the strait would be ensured and a final nuclear settlement reached quickly.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he would authorize the immediate removal of the U.S. naval blockade. The agreement is expected to be discussed further at the Group of Seven summit in France, where Trump will meet leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union.
The United Nations secretary-general and officials from Qatar and Australia also praised the deal, noting its potential to ease energy-price pressures and support economic recovery. Oil prices fell sharply after the announcement, with Brent crude down about 4 % and WTI off 4.8 %.
"We were very much hoping that this sort of event would come as soon as possible," Christian Noyer, honorary governor of the Bank of France, told CNBC, adding that a finalized peace deal could relieve inflationary pressures and give central banks more policy flexibility.
