US lifts naval blockade as Iran's supreme leader approves war-ending deal despite reservations

The United States has lifted its naval blockade of Iran after the two countries signed an agreement to end the war in the Middle East, triggering a 60-day period of further negotiations.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the end of the blockade in a post on X, stating that the move was made in accordance with the President's direction. It added that American forces were no longer impeding the transit of vessels to or from Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

The blockade had been imposed on 13 April 2026, when CENTCOM began targeting all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports along the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. The measure followed the collapse of high-level talks in Islamabad, the first direct US-Iran engagement in more than a decade, and pushed oil prices above US$100 per barrel.

CENTCOM said some US naval vessels would remain in the general area to ensure that all aspects of the agreement with Iran were adhered to.

Soon afterwards, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said he had approved the deal with the United States despite holding a different view, without elaborating further.

He said he had allowed the agreement to proceed after assurances from Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian that he would protect the rights of the Iranian nation and the resistance front.

In a written statement shared by state media, Khamenei added that should the American side act with greed, Iran would not accept the agreement.

This marks the first time Khamenei has responded publicly to the agreement. He has not appeared in public since taking office in March, following the killing of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the US-Israeli strikes on Iran of 28 February that sparked the regional war.

Khamenei said that while in-person negotiations between Tehran and Washington would take place in future, this would not mean acceptance of the enemy's position.

US President Donald Trump did not directly respond to Khamenei's statement. However, he posted on Truth Social that he expected a complete ceasefire to take effect on all fronts, including between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Trump added that he encouraged everyone in the Middle East region to maintain their commitment to allowing the negotiations to unfold.

The agreement, known as the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), centres on 14 core points. These include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a requirement that Iran should never possess a nuclear weapon, and a commitment to a US$300bn fund for the reconstruction and economic development of the country. The United States is not required to contribute to this fund.

The agreement binds both sides to achieving a final deal within a maximum of 60 days, a period which could be extended with mutual consent.

An official signing ceremony had been set to take place in Switzerland on Friday. However, mediator Pakistan said the ceremony had been cancelled because the deal had already been signed remotely. US and Iranian representatives are still expected to meet in Switzerland for further talks.

Speaking at a White House briefing, US Vice-President JD Vance said the deal had come into effect, triggering the 60-day period of further talks. He said he would likely travel to Switzerland for technical negotiations, though he did not confirm a date.

Vance said that Iran was not an easy country to get out of, and that officials were trying to determine exactly when the travel would take place.

Trump's decision to end the war with Iran has drawn criticism from some figures in the United States, including Republicans dismayed by the terms of the deal, particularly the provision of a reconstruction fund for Iran.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana described the agreement as the worst foreign policy blunder in decades. He said that Iran's nuclear ambitions had not been curbed, and that Tehran had learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works.

Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was worried that the MoU negotiated away US military successes.

Vance defended the deal, saying that Iran would not receive money or sanctions relief unless it met the obligations set out in the agreement. He said the MoU required Iran to destroy its stockpile of enriched uranium and demonstrate that it would not fund proxy groups in the region.

Vance also criticised members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet for their criticism of the deal, saying they should wake up and smell the reality.

He added that if he were in the Israeli cabinet, he might not attack the only powerful ally remaining to the country. In an interview with the New York Times, Vance named Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as critics of the deal.

For his part, Netanyahu stressed the importance of maintaining Israel's close ties with the United States, saying Washington had stood shoulder to shoulder with the country during the war with Iran.

Despite the agreement, both Israel and Hezbollah have carried out strikes against each other since it was announced. Strikes reported in Lebanon on Thursday killed three people.

Israel argues that its conflict against Hezbollah is separate from its war on Iran. Hezbollah has also rejected the terms of the deal between Iran and the United States.

Vance said that Israel would have to respect the peace process with Iran, which he said was beneficial for them. He stated that attacks in the Lebanese capital Beirut that kill civilians were not acceptable.