TEHRAN — A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on June 17, 2026, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar to end a conflict between the United States and Iran. The agreement aimed to conclude a war that started with a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran in February 2026.

On June 11, 2026, a plane carrying Qatari mediators was stranded on the tarmac in Tehran while officials engaged in intensive talks through the night to halt escalating strikes. U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened military action that day, stating the U.S. would hit Iran "VERY HARD TONIGHT" and take "total control" of its oil and gas industry. Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, spoke directly with Trump, urging him to delay further strikes due to the proximity of a deal. Trump subsequently announced the cancellation of the planned strikes.

Washington and Tehran signed an agreement to end the conflict shortly after June 11, 2026. The deal sought to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had closed at the beginning of the conflict, and to lift a U.S. blockade to allow Iran to export oil. Field Marshal Asim Munir, Pakistan's army chief, played a key role in the mediation efforts. President Trump said he was not originally in favor of the ceasefire but agreed to it, stating, "I wouldn't have really been in favor of it, but we did it as a favor to Pakistan, who are terrific people."

A truce was reached in April 2026, followed by high-level talks between U.S. and Iranian representatives in Islamabad. In mid-May 2026, both sides contacted Qatar for assistance after strikes on the Gulf country ceased. Mediators convinced Iran to include a commitment to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in the draft text in response to U.S. promises to waive sanctions on oil sales and gradually unfreeze billions in Iranian assets.

Iran maintained throughout the talks that any deal must include a Lebanon ceasefire. Language regarding this ceasefire was incorporated into the draft deal. On June 7, 2026, Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsen Naqvi was in Tehran to deliver a message for Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. That same day, Israel struck Beirut, and Iran retaliated by firing missiles at Israel. Following these events, the U.S. and Iran traded strikes.

On June 13, 2026, Trump announced that a deal would be signed the next day. Qatari mediators returned to the Iranian capital for 17 hours of intensive negotiations. Israel struck Beirut again on June 14, 2026. Mediators attempted to convince Iran that retaliating against this strike "would only play into the hands of the deal's opponents." A pledge to ensure Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity was added to the memorandum at Iran's request. The U.S. and Iran are working on a final nuclear agreement with an August 2026 deadline.