Published on 6/18/2026
It was not expected that the protocol dinner that was prepared for US President Donald Trump at the French Palace of Versailles would turn into a symbolic moment when the memorandum of understanding that stopped the war with Iran was signed.
Journalists were invited to attend a protocol dinner celebrating the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America, in the presence of Trump, but they were surprised by the signing of the agreement that put an end, albeit temporarily, to the war with Iran, as Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Paris, Hafez Mrebih, said.
The signing of the agreement during the war was not expected, but it was greatly welcomed by France and internationally because it put an end, even if it was temporary, to the war, according to Mribeh, who said that Paris sees the agreement as important and must be built upon to prevent the war from renewing.
France and Europe in general attach great importance to this agreement in putting an end to energy prices in the near term, after the significant rise they witnessed during the last four months due to the war.
Electronic signature
Late yesterday evening, Wednesday, it was announced that the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran had been signed and entered into force in preparation for the negotiations that the Swiss government announced would begin tomorrow, Friday, in Geneva.
French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday, Wednesday, that the leaders of the Group of Seven agreed to support the agreement signed by the United States and Iran, and to finance alternative ways and paths to transport energy away from the Strait of Hormuz.
Macron added, in a press conference following the end of the G7 summit held in Evian, France, that the agreement “is very good, because it puts an end to the state of instability that all peoples have experienced.”
Electronic copies of the agreement were signed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his American counterpart, who Axios said signed during a dinner with the French president at the Palace of Versailles.
