US-Iran deal eases uncertainty over the war - but there is much still to play out

Pakistan says the deal includes Lebanon, but recent ceasefires there have failed to take hold. The uncertainty partially lifted but the signing of deal is still days away BBC's Sebastian Usher on the deal announced by the US and Iran on Sunday. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Iranians drive cars and motorbikes past a billboard featuring Iran's national flag at Enqelab Square in Tehran, Iran. US-Iran deal eases uncertainty over the war - but there is much still to play out BBC's Global Affairs correspondent on the US and Iran deal A BBC correspondent wearing black glasses speaks to camera in during the night. Finally, after what have seemed like countless false starts, a deal has been agreed by the US and Iran. Both sides have predictably claimed victory. President Trump has boldly declared: "This Great Deal will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region." Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi hailed what he called his country's military achievements as he confirmed that the Memorandum of Understanding had been signed. All sides, including the mediator, Pakistan, are saying that the deal will see the lifting both of Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and The US blockade of Iranian ports, although this may not be immediate. That will go some way to relieving pressure on President Trump over the harm to the global economy caused by the former, while Iran's collapsing economy will gain some relief from the latter. The Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif - who was the first to announce the deal - has said that the agreement also calls for the "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon". That could be a tall order. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown no sign so far of being prepared to end Israel's current offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Indeed, twice in just the past week, Israeli strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut in response to Hezbollah rockets crossing into northern Israel have come close to derailing the whole process. Iran only just pulled back from responding with another missile attack on Israel in order to get the deal across the line. So it's unclear if the agreement will provide a respite to Lebanon, where two recent ceasefires have failed to take hold. But for Iran's Arab Gulf neighbours, there will be a sense of relief that at least for now there could be an end to the threat of Iranian missiles targeting them - a tactic that has raised questions about the very nature of the economic model followed by the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. As for the most essential element of any deal from the US perspective, it's unclear for now how far this agreement goes in providing guarantees and mechanisms that will prevent Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon. That was the danger that the US and Israel said they were tackling in going to war. There are indications from what Iranian state media has reported to be in the deal that such a mechanism may have been set up, but that will need to be clarified and is likely to be the subject of intense negotiation after the deal is signed. That ceremony is still several days away. With all the dramatic twists and turns that this process has taken over recent weeks, no one can be sure that the path towards that day will be straightforward. But for now, some of the uncertainty over the conflict - which for weeks had wavered between ceasefire and military confrontation - has at least been partially lifted. A composite image shows President Donald Trump on the left holding a finger up and wearing a suit, shirt and tie as he speaks to reporters. On the right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also wears a suit, shirt and tie and interlaces his fingers as he speaks during a press conference. Bowen: Trump and Netanyahu wanted to reshape the Middle East - now they risk a permacrisis A US navy airman gives an F-35 fighter a signal to take off. He is wearing a yellow jacket and a helmet and is pointing towards the runway. The jet is armed with missiles and is painted grey. The image is imposed over a satellite photo of an airbase in Iran where damaged jets are highlighted. More than 50 Iranian military bases damaged in US strikes since start of war, satellite images show Israel says it targeted the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, as Tehran warns this could derail a US-Iran deal to end the fighting. The US president's comments come as Iran says an exact date has not been decided. US officials say the deal will lead to the destruction of Iran's enriched uranium, but details are still to be worked out. The announcement of an Iran deal was a welcome birthday gift for the president – but its success or failure may hinge on the details. Thousands are expected at the mixed martial arts fight, which coincides with Trump's 80th birthday. Under the agreement, the key Strait of Hormuz waterway will be reopened, US President Donald Trump said. The plane had just taken off in the US state of Missouri, but failed to gain altitude, according to local emergency responders. At least 63 people were arrested in the disorder after the Knicks beat the Spurs to clinch the title.