EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL – IN UNDER 7 MINUTES

Donald Trump agreed to an 11th-hour ceasefire deal with Iran last night after issuing an apocalyptic threat that left the world holding its breath.

Trump warned that an “entire civilisation would die” in Iran if it did not open the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping way through which around 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas transits, by 1am UK time.

The Pope, the UN and mediator Pakistan were among those urging the White House to step back from the brink.

Just over an hour before the deadline, Trump announced he had reached an agreement with Tehran. But the deal raises as many questions as it answers: what does it entail? Will it hold? And what happens next?

What we know of the deal

Announcing the agreement last night, Trump said that Iran had sent a 10-point peace proposal, which he said resolved “almost all of the various points of past contention” between the countries.

Trump said the plan would be finalised and confirmed during a two-week ceasefire, during which the US and Iran would pause attacks while Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz.

The deal appears to have been primarily brokered by Pakistan, whose Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, appealed for both sides to hold their attacks for a fortnight.

The 10 points have not yet been confirmed, but Iranian state media said they included a guarantee that Iran and its allies would not be attacked again, continued Iranian control over the Strait, withdrawal of US troops from the Middle East, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and the lifting of all sanctions. It also reportedly requires a UN Security Council resolution to make any deal binding.

However, in the Persian-language version Iran released, it also included the phrase “acceptance of enrichment” for its nuclear programme. That point was missing in the English versions shared by Iranian diplomats to journalists.

While Tehran would lift its effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, where it has been attacking some ships in retaliation, it would also impose a fee of around $2m (£1.5m) per tanker, with the funds to be shared with Oman – the other country along the Strait – and used to reconstruct infrastructure destroyed by American and Israeli attacks. This would be instead of direct compensation for the strikes, reports said.

What does the US want?

The US’s war aims have been far from clear, ranging from regime change to the dismantling of Tehran’s nuclear programme, with conflicting narratives between Trump and his Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, on the American approach to the war.

In the short term, Trump’s priority appears to be to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He demanded Iran allow free passage through the waterway or face “hell”, as global oil prices spiked. The agreement is likely to include firm guarantees of safe passage through the Strait for commercial vessels.

Trump has also repeatedly said that Iran cannot be able to develop a nuclear weapon, and any peace agreement is likely to include reference to this. Trump said the initial US attacks were launched to prevent a nuclear threat, and came after a breakdown in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Iran has been expanding its nuclear capabilities in recent years, which it claims are for civilian purposes. Most analysts and Western leaders dispute this. In 2024, the UK assessed that Iran was enriching uranium to 60 per cent – significantly beyond the 3.67 per cent permitted under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal which Trump pulled out of in 2018, and far beyond enrichment levels considered necessary for civilian purposes.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also criticised Iran’s “general lack of co-operation” over its nuclear programme.

Trump has also said he wants regime change in Iran, even claiming he has already brought it about – although there is no evidence that Tehran’s leadership has substantially changed hands. Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is the son of the previous leader killed by the US and Israel.

And it is unclear yet how far Iran will bow to the US demands for change.

What does Iran want?

Iran has suffered extensive damage in the war. Almost 3,600 people, including at least 1,665 civilians, have been killed, according to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

It will want to end US and Israeli attacks and be allowed to rebuild its infrastructure. The regime will also want time to reassert its control after repeated leadership changes and damage to military assets.

But long term, its aims still appear fundamentally at odds with the US.

It is unlikely to abandon hopes of developing a nuclear weapon, with some analysts believing American attacks could encourage the regime to double down on the programme. The Persian version of the ceasefire deal including reference to continued nuclear activity indicates Iran has not given up these ambitions.

It may also not be willing to cede control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s de-facto blockade has been its key leverage over the US in this war, and it will always be able to threaten to resume attacks.

What does Israel want?

It is not yet clear how involved Israel was in negotiations over the deal. Israel has its own war aims which may not fully align with Trump’s.

Israel has said it supports the decision to pause strikes for two weeks, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, and backs American efforts to ensure Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile or “terror” threat. Israel agreed that Tehran must immediately open the Strait of Hormuz and stop attacks on the US, Israel and Gulf allies of the West.

But there is confusion over Lebanon, where Israeli attacks have killedaround 1,500 people and displaced 1.2 million others, according to Lebanese authorities. Netanyahu’s office said the ceasefire does not include Lebanon, but the tweet from Pakistan’s prime minister said the agreed ceasefire covered “everywhere including Lebanon”.

What is the impact on oil and gas?

Energy prices have increased in recent months as gas sites, oil infrastructure and shipping have been bombed.

After news of a ceasefire, the price of oil and gas dropped significantly. European gas prices have fallen 20 per cent since the ceasefire was announced.

This will spell relief for consumers worried about prices at the pumps. But with no guarantee that the ceasefire will hold, oil and gas prices are unlikely to stabilise for long.

What happens next?

With both sides confirming late Tuesday night that they had agreed to a deal, the ceasefire is due to proceed for the next two weeks and are expected to meet in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Friday for talks.

The number of ships allowed through the Strait of Hormuz should rise – but only once shipping companies are confident in safe passage, which may take time.

Behind the scenes, negotiators will use the window to confirm details of the plan which they hope will lead to lasting peace in Iran.

But if either side is unhappy with the course of the negotiations, there is little preventing them from resuming attacks once again.

2026-04-08T10:00:58Z