U.S. lifts blockade of Iranian ports after Trump, Pezeshkian sign peace accord

INTERNATIONAL – ASIA

19 JUNE 2026

• The U.S. lifted a blockade of Iranian ports imposed during the West Asia war after President Donald Trump signed a deal to end the conflict, as uncertainty surrounded planned talks in Switzerland aiming to take the accord further.
• Mr. Trump and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a deal meant to end the war, with Tehran agreeing to dilute its enriched uranium in return for large-scale economic relief.
• The signing of the deal set in motion a 60-day period for talks on wider issues between the two sides.
• Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan mediated the agreement
• The two sides have had no diplomatic relations following the 1979 Islamic revolution
• The U.S. forces lifted their parallel naval blockade of Iranian ports that had prevented ships from sailing to or from the Islamic republic, the U.S. military said, noting that its warships “will remain in the general area”.