Pakistan says US and Iran agreed wording for war-ending deal
Pakistan's prime minister says Washington and Tehran have agreed the wording of an initial deal to end the Iran war, but the substance remains fragile. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said nuclear terms would be worked out in the 60 days after signing, while a senior U.S. administration official said the process should start removing or destroying Iran's highly enriched uranium. The proposed package also turns on the Strait of Hormuz: the same U.S. official said the emerging agreement includes provisions to reopen the waterway, while Araghchi said Iran wants compensation for transit services. U.S. Central Command said it intercepted Iranian attack drones targeting commercial ships late Friday, underlining the risk that military events can still outrun diplomacy. For Europe and Belgium, the immediate issue is energy, inflation and maritime security rather than direct Belgian involvement.
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The Iran Conflict: Nuclear, Regional and Diplomatic
The decades-long confrontation between Iran and its adversaries — the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and proxies across the region — covering the nuclear file, sanctions, the JCPOA collapse, the post-October 2023 escalation, and current diplomatic openings.
About this story
Shehbaz Sharif (Pakistan's prime minister since 2024) is presenting Islamabad as the main mediator between Washington and Tehran. Abbas Araghchi (Iran's foreign minister and former nuclear negotiator) is Iran's public face in the talks. Donald Trump (U.S. president, returned to office in 2025) is tying a deal to reopening energy flows. The Strait of Hormuz (narrow waterway between Iran and Oman) is the main export route from the Persian Gulf to open seas. Hezbollah (Iran-backed Lebanese armed movement and political party) matters because Tehran wants Lebanon included. Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel's prime minister) says Israel is outside the talks. Israel Katz (Israel's defence minister) has warned Israel may still act independently. The International Atomic Energy Agency (UN nuclear watchdog, founded in 1957) is the body normally expected to verify nuclear restrictions. CSIS research by Anthony H. Cordesman treats Hormuz as a recurring escalation chokepoint.
How to read this story
The history
The current diplomacy sits on a long record of failed or fragile Iran bargains. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action limited Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief, but the first Trump administration withdrew the United States in 2018. The Strait of Hormuz has repeatedly been a crisis point: CSIS research by Anthony H. Cordesman argued in 2007 that Gulf incidents can escalate faster than leaders intend, and Iran also threatened closure during the 2011-2012 sanctions dispute. The 2026 war made that abstract risk concrete by linking nuclear demands, maritime passage and regional proxy conflicts in one negotiation.
The geopolitics
Hormuz gives Iran leverage because a narrow maritime passage can affect global prices faster than most battlefield moves. The U.S. wants nuclear concessions and open shipping; Iran wants sanctions relief, assets and recognition of its role around the strait; Israel wants freedom to act against Iranian capabilities. That triangle makes a narrow ceasefire easier than a durable settlement.
Why now
The story is timely because Pakistan's prime minister said on June 12 that wording had been agreed, after renewed exchanges of fire involving Iran, the United States and Israel and after U.S. Central Command said drones targeted commercial ships near Hormuz.
What to watch
Watch for a signed text, confirmation from Washington and Tehran, the announced 60-day nuclear negotiating clock, ship-tracking evidence of Hormuz reopening, and any Israeli or Hezbollah action that tests whether Lebanon is truly covered by the deal.
Local impact
The most local Belgian effect is likely in fuel-sensitive sectors around the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Brussels Airport and road haulage firms serving Belgian industry. Those businesses do not need direct Gulf exposure to feel higher bunker fuel, jet fuel, diesel or insurance costs when global energy and shipping markets price in Hormuz risk.
International angle
The deal is an international-security story with a European economic tail. It links U.S.-Iran diplomacy, Israel's freedom of action, Hezbollah's role in Lebanon, Gulf shipping and the global energy market. For the EU, the issue is whether de-escalation lowers energy pressure while preserving credible nuclear verification and sanctions discipline.
What this means for you
Belgian readers should not expect an immediate price reset from a draft text. Fuel, gas and freight costs are more likely to respond to visible shipping recovery, credible nuclear sequencing and fewer military incidents. Businesses with energy or transport exposure may still need to budget for volatility until the agreement is signed and implemented.
What happens next
Pakistan's prime minister says mediators are working toward finalisation, and regional officials expect approval in Washington and Tehran before any signing. If an initial text is signed, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said nuclear terms would move into a 60-day technical phase. The largest practical tests will be Hormuz transit, sanctions sequencing and whether fighting in Lebanon is included or left unresolved.
Potential consequences
If the draft becomes a signed and implemented agreement, oil and gas risk premiums could ease and European inflation pressure could soften. If it collapses, the opposite risk is not just renewed U.S.-Iran strikes but a return to maritime disruption, higher insurance costs and tighter energy markets. A weak text could also leave Israel, Hezbollah and Gulf states acting around the deal rather than inside it.
Opposing perspectives
- U.S. administration
The U.S. administration's strongest case is that any agreement must translate battlefield pressure into verifiable nuclear and maritime concessions. A senior U.S. administration official said the emerging package should start the removal or destruction of Iran's highly enriched uranium, and the same U.S. official said reopening Hormuz is part of the deal.
- Iranian government
Iran's strongest argument is that a war-ending text cannot be reduced to U.S. nuclear demands. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said nuclear details should be settled after an initial agreement and that Iran wants payment for services linked to Hormuz transit, framing the waterway as a sovereignty and compensation issue.
- Israeli government
Israel's strongest frame is that a U.S.-Iran text does not bind Israel if Tehran's missile programme, nuclear capacity or allied armed groups remain threats. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel could still act independently, and Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is not a party to the talks.
Timeline
- 2015-07-14·Iran and major powers finalised the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in Vienna.
- 2018-05-08·The first Trump administration withdrew the United States from the JCPOA.
- 2026-02-28·The U.S.-Israel war against Iran began, according to the reports consulted.
- 2026-04-07·A fragile ceasefire took hold, according to the reports consulted.
- 2026-06-12·Pakistan's prime minister said the United States and Iran had agreed wording for an initial deal.
- 2026-06-13·Mediators and officials described the agreement as close but not yet a final settlement.
Glossary
- Strait of Hormuz
- A narrow maritime passage between Iran and Oman linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and global shipping lanes.
- Highly enriched uranium
- Uranium enriched to a concentration that can be closer to weapons use than ordinary civilian reactor fuel, depending on level and quantity.
- IAEA
- The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN-linked nuclear watchdog that monitors declared nuclear material and facilities.
- Sanctions relief
- The easing, suspension or removal of economic restrictions imposed on a state, company or person.
- JCPOA
- The 2015 Iran nuclear agreement between Iran and major powers, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.