The U.S. on Thursday lifted its blockade of Iran, and oil tankers began freely moving through the Strait of Hormuz after months of being unable to use the critical channel, as the tentative agreement

The president defended the agreement, but it has been criticized as a return to the prewar status quo.

The pact signed by U.S. and Iranian officials halts the fighting and tees off negotiations over key issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.

The US and Iran have been working on laying out secret proposals for implementing the 14 points that were signed this week, including details on how to address the future of Iran’s nuclear program, according to three US officials familiar with the negotiations,

The memorandum of understanding requires numerous steps by Washington including lifting sanctions and freeing billions in frozen assets, while Iran was required only to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Europe and the larger world will be watching carefully to see if talks produce a lasting agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S.-Iran agreement — the first signed by an American and an Iranian president since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution — is being hailed by its backers as the deal of the century. But for Tehran's ​adversaries across the Middle East,

President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a copy of the US-Iran agreement that aims to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war. Follow for live updates.