The White House said Trump signed a memorandum of understanding on ending the war in Iran while at Versailles, though cameras weren’t present for that.
Many historic treaties have been signed at Versailles over the centuries, ending wars or territorial disputes. The most infamous was that sealed in 1919 officially ending World War I — whose harsh terms imposed on Germany are blamed by some historians for laying the groundwork for World War II.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan had written on X that there would still be a formal signing ceremony after both sides already signed a memorandum of agreement.
Sharif briefly removed the post a short time later, however. Then, he reposted most of the same text but removed a reference to Saturday’s ceremony.
That could cast doubt on whether the ceremony will happen.
Trump said he signed the agreement at the Palace of Versailles and US officials had been planning for a meeting on Saturday in Switzerland — but with Trump having now signed the document it wasn’t clear if that would still be necessary.
GOP senator calls Iran deal worst foreign policy blunder in decades'
“Reagan is rolling over in his grave,” said Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana in a post, referring to the former president.
“Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works and will undoubtedly leverage it in the future,” the Republican said.
“Before the war, the strait was open, Iran was being crushed by sanctions, and 13 service members were still alive,” Cassidy said. “Now, 13 Americans are dead, families have paid billions at the pump, sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped.”
Cassidy, who lost his primary reelection bid after Trump endorsed his challenger, has been among the rare Republicans willing to criticise the president.
“This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades,” he posted.
Cruz says Trump is getting 'bad advice' on Iran
The Texas Republican, a leading hawk on Iran, heavily criticised the draft of the memorandum of agreement between the US and Tehran shortly after it was released to journalists.
“Giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea,” Cruz told reporters. “I think the president, unfortunately, is receiving bad advice.”
Cruz was also critical of how the agreement addresses the issue of tolls through the Strait of Hormuz. The US draft secures toll-free passage through the vital waterway for 60 days, but it doesn’t preclude fees in the future.
“Setting up Iran to be in charge of the Strait of Hormuz in perpetuity and to charge tolls is not in America’s interest,” Cruz said. “In my view, the Ayatollah should not reap a single penny from the free transit of the seas.”
Energy experts say deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz is welcomed, given low oil reserves
The tentative deal for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and sell its oil without restrictions will help ease supply shortages in the short term, energy experts said.
“The oil market welcomes more supply from Iran or anywhere else right now,” said Jim Krane, energy research fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute. “Stocks are running low.”
But in the long term, there’s the chance that too much oil will come to market, Krane said, adding, “reopening the strait has come alongside investment in more oil production elsewhere, especially in the US and Latin America".
The global supply glut of crude oil that existed pre-war could return in 2027 if the peace deal holds, according to research firm Clearview Energy Partners. A report released by the International Energy Agency on Wednesday estimates a global shortfall of 0.9 million barrels of oil and petroleum products per day for 2026, which is more optimistic than other recent estimates, according to Clearview.
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