• The US and Iran appear close to signing the first stage of a peace deal, but both sides are offering different timelines as to when it will happen.
• US President Donald Trump and mediators from Pakistan say an agreement is scheduled to be signed on Sunday.
• But a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry says it will not be on Sunday, though he said, “The possibility that it will happen in the coming days is not ruled out.”
• Trump says the Strait of Hormuz will open immediately once a deal is signed, and insists “no money will exchange hands”. He also claims the US will eventually get Iran’s nuclear material.
• Israel continues attacks across southern Lebanon, killing at least five people in strikes on Saturday as Tehran insists any truce must extend to Lebanon.
• Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will begin on July 4 in Tehran, with his burial set for Mashhad on July 9, according to Iranian media.

Trump frames Iran-US deal as a diplomatic victory

The main way we’ve been learning about these developments in the US is through Trump’s Truth Social posts, and his post on Saturday – according to the White House – is the official policy of the United States.

So the latest that the US president has said is that this signing ceremony is set to take place on Sunday.

What we know from Pakistani officials is that it will be a virtual signing and that technical talks – once the 60-day period for working out the nuclear agreement occurs – are set to take place next week or at least be embarked upon.

What we also know from Trump’s posts is that he has really framed this as a diplomatic victory, saying that Iran will never have the ability to have a nuclear weapon and that Iran no longer wants a nuclear weapon.

The US president is also portraying himself as a leader who has achieved what other presidents have not been able to do, namely President Barack Obama, who negotiated the 2015 deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program that Trump withdrew from later.

The US president believes as a result of this memorandum of understanding and ultimately the nuclear agreement – if it is achieved – that the US will have better relations with Iran and that when the Strait of Hormuz opens, this will be a significant development – not just for the US but for the global economy.

UK lawmaker welcomes prospect of Iran-US deal

Iran, US ‘mixing provisions of MoU with their final goals’

Statements here indicate that the signing of the memorandum of understanding could happen soon, though it’s not clear whether it will be an electronic signing or a physical signing.

Over the past few days, there were reports of preparations in Switzerland for a physical signing ceremony, but there has been no talk about that anymore. The Pakistanis are now describing it as an electronic signing, while the Iranians are not even confirming that for tomorrow.

So, there is a level of ambiguity here, and not just around timing, but also the content.

President Trump is talking about the nuclear issue alongside the MoU, even though we have been told that is something that is going to be dealt with in the 60-day negotiations period.

The Iranians are also talking about levying fees in the Strait of Hormuz and the unfreezing of assets, and so on.

In short, both sides are mixing what is in the MoU with their final goals, likely because both sides are trying to sell this to the public and probably to the international parties as well. Now, we know that the MoU is just the first step, and the sticking points will be discussed in the 60 days after it has been signed.

Israel’s Smotrich renews call for attacks on Beirut

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said Hezbollah must not be allowed “to exploit” the situation to attack northern Israel, in an apparent reference to the US-Iran talks.

“For every shot fired towards our territory, 10 buildings will fall in Dahiyeh,” he said, referring to the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Trump’s ‘number one priority is Iran not having a nuclear weapon’

Tim Constantine, a writer for The Washington Times, says Trump is likely to pitch any agreement that prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon as a victory.

He told Al Jazeera that avoiding a wider war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz or calming markets are “good byproducts”. But Trump’s “number one priority is Iran not having a nuclear weapon”.

“And if he can point to where that is an absolute or is measurable and enforceable, then he can claim a victory. And I think the United States public will be willing to accept it.”

All of this hangs on getting Iran’s pledge in writing, Constantine said. “What we’re likely to see is Iran agreeing in writing that they will not pursue [or] acquire a nuclear weapon”, with no bomb “no matter what the means”.

Other details will be worked out in the 60-day window, he said, including how the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will verify Iran’s nuclear material and whether any destruction of that material happens inside Iran or elsewhere.

The analyst said he also expected a “calendar” of reciprocal steps, such as sanctions relief or unfreezing assets tied to benchmarks like IAEA access or agreed destruction timelines.

Trump says US-Iran deal to be signed tomorrow

US President Donald Trump says a deal between the United States and Iran is scheduled to be signed tomorrow. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he stated that immediately after the agreement is signed, the Strait of Hormuz will be “open to all”.

About the possible Iran-US deal to end war

• Trump on Saturday described the agreement with Iran as a “wall to no nuclear weapon” and said Tehran will agree to never acquire a weapon, “whether through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement”.
• Once the first stage is signed, the Strait of Hormuz will be “open to all”, he said, adding that “when all is calm” the US will “get the Nuclear Dust” in Iran and “destroy it”.
• Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that the agreement consisted of 14 points, of which the first is the lifting of the US blockade of Iranian ports.
• He said the MoU calls for an end to hostilities across all fronts, including Lebanon, and an agreement not to initiate war or use force.
• Frozen Iranian assets will be released upon the MoU’s signing, he added.
• Araghchi said the nuclear issue will be discussed at a second stage, and that Iran’s position is that its enriched uranium should be diluted inside the country. He added that the second phase of negotiations will also focus on the removal of US sanctions.

Somaliland’s president to make first visit to Israel, media reports say

Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, widely known as Cirro, is expected to visit Israel, according to Israeli media reports.

The trip would be his first visit to the country since Israel became the first country to recognize the breakaway region of Somalia.

In a post on X, Ismail Shirwac, a Somaliland diplomat, shared an image of Somaliland and Israeli flags displayed in Tel Aviv and said the president was expected to arrive on Tuesday.

Somaliland is located on the Gulf of Aden, at the southern gateway to the Red Sea, and experts say Israel recognized the self-declared republic to secure a strategic footing in the area to counter Iran and its regional allies.

The Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen across the Gulf of Aden from Somaliland, have emerged as a particular concern after announcing a ban on Israeli-linked shipping transiting the Red Sea.

There has been no official announcement of a trip by Somaliland’s presidency or Foreign Ministry.

Lebanon fears repeat of deadly Israeli strikes as US, Iran near deal

There’s a bit of anxiety in Lebanon at the prospect of an Iran-US deal.

The last time that the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire deal, Israel said that Lebanon wasn’t part of that agreement and sought to make that extremely clear by striking more than 100 locations in Lebanon in the span of 10 minutes.

It was the deadliest day of the war so far.

More than 350 people were killed here in Lebanon, as Israel sought to send the message that Lebanon was not part of the Iran track, and that whatever deal the US and Iran came to, Israel and its activities in Lebanon were not part of that.

And the concern is that that is their stance once again, that they’re not party to this deal, that they will not be withdrawing. And we have seen that on the ground.

There have been advances in and around the city of Nabatieh. They’ve been seizing high ground around that city, and we’ve also seen the Lebanese army withdrawing from points in and around that district, specifically for tonight.

And so that is spurring a bit of concern here that there may be either an Israeli provocation or a final Israeli push to seize more territory before some kind of ceasefire is potentially imposed upon them.

Trump’s Sunday schedule makes no mention of a signing ceremony

The US president has suggested that the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran will be signed virtually.

Now, the US president’s schedule has been posted for Sunday. There is no mention of a virtual signing ceremony. However, it can be added.

Having said that, the US president, in a social media post, indicated that he believes the signing will be a major diplomatic breakthrough, and a wall, he says, to preventing Iran from ever having a nuclear weapon, something he suggests Iran is no longer even interested in.

Now, the US president has also been taking swipes at his predecessor, Barack Obama, who negotiated the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) back in 2015 to limit Iran’s nuclear programme. Then, of course, Trump pulled the US out of the deal and is now saying that this will be a better agreement when it is ultimately signed.

Republican lawmakers slam Iran as Trump says deal near

There’s been little reaction from members of Trump’s Republican Party as expectations grow of an imminent deal with Iran. Some lawmakers, however, continued to criticise Tehran, saying it should never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.

Republican Senator Ron Johnson said in a video published by the Iran International outlet that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an “existential threat” to the US. He expressed hope that Trump would succeed in preventing it, and said: “Iran’s Ayatollahs should be put on dustbin of history.”

John James, a Republican congressman, told Fox News that he is “excited” to see what comes from a potential US-Iran deal and said it was Trump’s pressure that forced Tehran to the negotiating table.

“President Trump is the president of peace, but he’s also the president of strength,” James told Fox News. “And this is exactly why Tehran is coming to the table to negotiate.”

Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska, meanwhile, shared an old video of former US President Jimmy Carter, who spoke about his hope for a lasting relationship with the Iranian government.

He wrote: “The [Iranian] regime absolutely hates us. When it comes to Iran’s regime, hope is not a strategy. They’ll only respond to power and resolve.”

A ‘lot of questions, a lot of ambiguity’ about Iran-US deal

Given that there’s already a document on paper, ready to be signed, it’s somewhat strange that no one seems to know what’s actually in it.

Not only is the content unclear, but the two sides are also describing different elements of the agreement in different ways.

The Iranian side has been ambiguous in its language. Today, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Iran will charge for services provided in the Strait of Hormuz, something Iran has long demanded and says is included in the memorandum of understanding. But the Americans say the Strait must be reopened immediately, without mentioning any such conditions.

The spokesperson also said the release of Iran’s frozen funds is “an integral part of the agreement”. But it’s unclear what agreement he is talking about. Is it the MoU itself or the later agreement that is still to be negotiated?

Similarly, he said the presence of foreign military bases in the region must end. But is that something that is in this MoU? We really don’t know.

So there is a lot of questions and a lot of ambiguity until the last minute.

‘A surrender document’: Democrats criticise Trump over planned Iran deal

Democratic lawmakers have expressed scepticism with Trump’s expected peace deal with Iran.

“The President says the war is over. I hope that he is right,” Adam Schiff, senator for California, said on X. “But we have heard this before. Along with a raft of broken promises. “

“He has started new wars, but hasn’t reduced costs. And that has deeply harmed the American people,” he added.

Congressman Seth Moulton, meanwhile, described the potential deal as “basically a surrender document”.

“This is a terrible deal!” Moulton told MS Now. “It’s basically a surrender document from Donald Trump to the supreme leader of Iran. I mean, $100bn of taxpayer money already put into this war, 14 Americans dead, and we get a deal that just reopens a strait that was already open before he started this stupid war. How is that a win?”

About Iran’s frozen foreign assets

• As part of negotiations on a possible MoU to end the war, Iran has been pushing for the US to unfreeze its assets and lift years of widespread sanctions.
• Those measures have been imposed since 1979, when Iranian protesters seized the US embassy in Tehran. Washington has since put more sanctions on Tehran for its support of armed groups and its nuclear program.
• Tehran wants to regain access to funds held in major global banks across several countries, including China, Iraq and Luxembourg. Those funds are estimated to be worth more than $100bn and are mostly from oil sales affected by the sanctions.
• Mohsen Rezaei, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said on Friday that Trump has agreed to unfreeze $24bn in Iranian assets, but JD Vance, the US vice president, said such an unfreezing would only happen if Iran met certain obligations under the agreement.
• The Reuters news agency, citing multiple sources, reported that the UAE has already agreed to release up to $10bn of Iran’s frozen assets and that more than $3bn had already been delivered. Abu Dhabi has denied the account.
   

Israeli media reacts to anticipated US-Iran deal, citing fears of Tehran’s growing influence

Reports of an imminent deal between Iran and the US have prompted an early backlash in Israeli media, with some reporters and columnists expressing dismay at an agreement they fear will further empower Tehran.

Writing in Maariv, Israeli columnist Ben Caspit argued that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won key battles but lost the broader struggle with Iran.

“The only event whose power outweighs the military victories we achieved in recent years over Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran is the political defeat we suffered against them immediately afterward,” Caspit wrote.

Another Maariv columnist, Avi Ashkenazi, lamented Israel’s inability to shape the agreement that has been anticipated in recent days. “Israel was unable to influence the content of the agreement due to the failure of the political echelon,” he wrote.

Ynet similarly reported that Israeli officials were concerned by their lack of influence over the outcome of the talks. A senior Israeli official told the outlet that the situation is troubling Israel, describing the impending deal as a “bad agreement”.

In Haaretz, columnist Zvi Bar’el argued that Iran arrived at the negotiating table from a position of strength, “equipped with strategic levers of pressure that affected the regional and global economy”, forcing the US to improvise rather than pursue a coherent broader strategy. Iran, he contends, has moved beyond merely seeking survival and is once again asserting itself as a regional power.

Israel’s president thanks Trump for ‘confronting Iran’s empire of evil’ in birthday message

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has posted a message wishing a happy 80th birthday to his US counterpart and thanking him for his support for Israel.

“The people of Israel are grateful for your leadership in confronting Iran’s empire of evil and for your steadfast commitment to the security of Israel,” Herzog told Trump in a post on X.

He said Trump’s “remarkable journey to the White House represents the breadth of the American dream”, adding: “We will never forget your tireless efforts in securing the release of our beloved hostages. May you lead the Middle East and the world toward peace and security and continue to strengthen the unique US-Israel partnership.”

Iran yet to announce its final decision on MoU

The bottom line in Iran is that the path to a deal is closer than ever, but the final decision on signing the agreement has not been announced yet by Iranian officials.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Iranians were reviewing the draft text of the memorandum of understanding.

He also gave a glance about what is inside. He said it has two phases. The first phase focuses on ending the war and leaves the most critical issues, which are the nuclear file and details about sanctions, for the second period lasting 60 days. He said there are supporters and there are opponents within the Supreme National Security Council. But at the same time, he said a collective decision will be made, finally.

Araghchi suggested that this MoU could be signed remotely. And he said the focus is ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon. He said Lebanon will not be left [out]. And he spoke about the Strait of Hormuz, the [lifting of the US’s] naval blockade, and also the new situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the new management there.

So, this [deal] could be expected today or in the coming days, as he said in his latest comments.

Israeli security cabinet to meet this evening

Israel could not stop the progress on these talks about a potential [Iran-US] deal, but it maintains wanting to delink the two fronts – the one with Iran and the one with Lebanon.

Certain military analysts seem to portray a fear that Israel would have to provide concessions when it comes to its attacks and assaults on Lebanon as part of that deal.

Just in the past night, the Israeli army has hit 70 targets inside Lebanon, bringing the total to 400 over the past week. The belief is that they are trying to get away with as much as possible before they no longer can.

The Israeli security cabinet is expected to meet later tonight to discuss the ramifications and details of the potential signing of the memorandum of understanding. But the government will have to face very tough questions, particularly when it comes to the war in Iran.

This is something we’ve heard from the head of the Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid. And it will form part of the electoral debate before the elections, where every party is trying to score points.

The government will have to face people in northern Israel who believe it has failed them. Just this morning, according to Israeli media, people in the north say they’ve had to go to shelters 16 times in the past night.

Iran’s Pezeshkian says 12-day war is a symbol of national solidarity

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has hailed the “unity and resilience” of the Iranian people in a message marking the first anniversary of the 12-day war launched by Israel last year.

In the message, cited by the official IRNA news agency, Pezeshkian described the conflict as a “symbol of national solidarity” and paid tribute to those who died during it. He said the Israeli government had miscalculated by assuming that attacks on senior military figures and strategic facilities would weaken the Iranian nation and destabilise the country.

He added that the “resistance” shown by the Iranian people, together with the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the readiness of the armed forces, prevented Israel from achieving its goals and ultimately forced it to accept a ceasefire.

The war began on June 13 last year, when Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, assassinating senior military leaders, nuclear scientists, politicians and civilians. The US then joined in, with strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. The conflict ended on June 24.

Iran takes cautious approach to talks with US

Abbas Aslani, senior research fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies, says Iran’s negotiating team has been shaped by past experience into taking a more cautious approach in its dealings with the US.

That’s because the US has attacked Iran twice since last year during past negotiations, he said, referring to the 2025 12-day war and the war that began in February.

He said the domestic situation in Iran also plays a role.

“This comes in the aftermath of the assassinations of senior leadership and a war, which has complicated communication and means more time is needed than would normally be the case,” he said.

“Iran wants to ensure that any agreement reached will be genuinely useful, which is why a range of entities and organisations are weighing in on the negotiations. Approval is required from these bodies collectively rather than resting with a single individual, and that institutional process is part of why progress is slow,” he added.

IRGC official says Iran’s military ready to respond to any threat

Yadollah Javani, the political deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), says Iran’s military, its diplomats and public are working “together toward a common goal of protecting the rights and interests of the Iranian people”.

He said Iran’s armed forces were ready to respond to any threat with “eyes open and hands on the trigger”, according to the IRNA news agency.

Qatari negotiators fly to Iran in push to finalize deal to end war

A Qatari delegation has traveled to Tehran to push for final approval of a deal to end the war on Iran launched by the US and Israel, an unnamed source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The mission comes as Washington and Islamabad signaled a framework agreement could be signed as soon as today, bringing an end to nearly four months of hostilities and economic turmoil.

But Iranian officials have cast doubt on the timeline, and hardliners inside Iran have voiced opposition to the terms being discussed.

Qatari delegation in Tehran amid final push to seal deal

There is very little information, but a Qatari delegation has headed to Tehran, according to reports.

Iranian media are saying an adviser directly to the foreign minister and prime minister of Qatar is heading this delegation.

Most likely, what they’re talking about is how to push through what many are seeing as a final moment, a critical moment in this deal.

Multiple media reports are saying that the US and Iran have not been closer to a deal than they are now.

They were there last week, as well – there was a delegation that went in when a flurry of attacks during an up tick that targeted Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan. Qatar then flew in, no doubt to discuss how to continue to push for mediation.

Israel’s Ben-Gvir urges Netanyahu to respond to Hezbollah attacks

The far-right Israeli national security minister has reiterated calls for Israeli attacks on the Lebanese group in a statement on X.

Itamar Ben-Gvir said a missile should be fired for every drone sent from Lebanon and for “fire” to be used for every violation committed by Hezbollah, adding it must “tremble” for every drone it sends into Israel.

He also called for the killing of “a thousand” Hezbollah fighters for “every hair on the head of” an Israeli soldier harmed.

Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer made a similar call in a post on X, saying Israel should strike Beirut’s southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold, and Israel’s northern neighborhoods should not be Hezbollah targets.

Israel’s Smotrich calls for attack on south Beirut after drone attacks

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for attacks on Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Beirut after two drones crashed into Israel’s northern territory.

“The fire toward the northern communities is a test of the Dahiyeh equation that the prime minister announced,” Smotrich said.

“I call on him to implement it with determination and force and bring down additional buildings in Dahiyeh today. We are in critical days of shaping the region for many years to come. We promised security to the residents of the north, and we must deliver,” Israel National News quoted him as saying.

Israel issues displacement threats for 29 towns in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military has issued forced displacement orders for residents of more than two dozen towns and villages in southern Lebanon.

Israeli attack warnings covered 29 locations in southern Lebanon, 25 in Nabatieh district and four in Sidon district. People in the communities were told to flee north of the Zahrani River immediately.

In back-to-back statements posted on X, an Israeli military spokesperson said the towns included Jbaa, Houmin al-Tahta, Ansar and Kfar Sir.

Mass displacement threats in south Lebanon signal Israeli advance

These displacement orders cover 29 towns and villages, so very wide-ranging. Most are in the district of Nabatieh, but there are a couple further south of that as well, and that gives some indication, some forecasting, of where Israeli military activity might be concentrated over the course of the day.

Once again, the focus is on that southern city of Nabatieh. It used to be a large, thriving city. It’s now home to one of the only hospitals still functioning in the south, and it has been pounded by Israeli air attacks over the last couple of weeks, leading to widespread destruction.

There have been further attacks on Nabatieh and the surrounding towns and villages over the course of the morning, alongside increasing Israeli ground activity there.

The Lebanese army withdrew from a village near Nabatieh, Kfar Tibnit, where it held a position for some time, and that’s stoked some concern here in Lebanon, because the pattern over the last couple of months – in fact over the last couple of years – is when the Lebanese army withdraws, it signals an Israeli troop advance.

Iran says limited cyber attack disrupts services at four banks

A cyber attack has hit four key Iranian banks, though no customer data was compromised, the country’s banking coordination council says.

The attack targeted shared communications infrastructure used by Bank Melli, Bank Tejarat, Bank Saderat, and the Export Development Bank of Iran, prompting technical teams to implement protective measures and temporarily affecting some banking services.

The council said no unauthorized access to customer information occurred and no data was deleted, adding recovery efforts are under way to restore normal operations.

No final decision made on peace deal with US: Fars news agency

The semi-official agency, citing an informed source, says Tehran has not yet taken a final decision on the framework agreement to end the US-Israel war on Iran.

A review of the memorandum of understanding’s political, legal, and technical aspects is still ongoing at expert and decision-making levels, it said.

US and Pakistani leaders forecast a Sunday signing of a long-elusive preliminary agreement to end months of fighting, but Tehran cast doubt over the timing.

President Donald Trump posted on Saturday that the deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday, his 80th birthday.

Foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkey hold call on US-Iran peace talks

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has talked by phone with his counterpart from Turkey, Hakan Fidan.

In a social media post, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the diplomats “exchanged views on the evolving regional situation and welcomed the encouraging progress towards an understanding between the United States and Iran”.

Pakistan has been the main mediator for talks between Washington and Tehran on a possible deal to end the war while Turkiye is among countries in the Middle East that Trump says are being regularly consulted.

Tehran won’t easily give up leverage over Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s threat to control the Strait of Hormuz functions as a bargaining chip akin to its nuclear program, says Wolfgang Pusztai, former defence attache in the Austrian government.

“This is also something like the nuclear bomb for Iran. This is a tool they can use to pressure the United States, a tool they can use to pressure other states in the region and, of course, indirectly also Israel. They do not want to give it up,” Pusztai said.

“Even if they say right now, ‘Yes, we’ll open the strait up for everyone without taking any payment from ships passing through,’ it does not necessarily mean they will stick with this in the future,” he added.

“As we’ve seen in this conflict on all three sides – American, Iranian, and Israeli – if someone says something, this doesn’t necessarily mean that’s how it will be tomorrow.”

Israel will accept ceasefire with Hezbollah but it’s unlikely to endure

Israel is likely to agree on a ceasefire with Hezbollah if it forms part of a wider US-Iran peace agreement; however, a truce is unlikely to last, a defense analyst says.

“Israel is certainly lobbying very hard on the Iran nuclear program, preferably also for something like regime change, but they can certainly forget about that,” Wolfgang Pusztai said..

“They are only ready to fully accept an agreement if it also leads to an end of Iran’s support for its proxies in the vicinity of Israel, namely Hezbollah and Hamas. And they certainly also want to see a termination of Iran’s nuclear program. I wouldn’t bet that Iran is going to accept that.”

Israel and Hezbollah will need to accept a ceasefire as part of an agreement between Iran and the United States, “but I wouldn’t bet that this will be a lasting ceasefire”, said Pusztai.

Qatari team in Iran shows back-and-forth diplomacy under way

The mood in the Iranian capital is this deal with the US is close but the final decision has yet to be made.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Islamabad memorandum of understanding has never been closer. For more than 24 hours, it’s been under review by the relevant authorities, which is the Supreme National Council.

It hasn’t given any fixed timetable for signing. It could happen remotely in the coming days.

There is an important development with a Qatari delegation flying to Iran, the second time in less than a week. That suggests an exchange of messages between both sides and the diplomatic path are very much still alive in the Iranian capital.

Frozen assets ‘oxygen’ for Iran’s economy

Wolfgang Pusztai about the efforts to secure a US-Iran deal and the role of the frozen Iranian funds in any agreement:

“The frozen assets are a critical question for Iran. Iran needs this – it’s something like oxygen for the economy,” said Pusztai, a former defense attaché in the Austrian government.

Describing Iran’s economy as “ground down”, he said Iran needs the funds to stabilize its currency and rebuild infrastructure.

Pusztai also pointed to internal Iranian divisions over the broader agreement, citing reports of protests in Tehran against it.

“Some hardliners in Iran are even against unconditionally opening up the Strait of Hormuz,” he said, noting that Iran’s leadership is “not as centralized as it was before” and may still be weighing whether the deal would be accepted and supported at the highest levels.

“And this is the reason for the delay,” he argued.

Israeli army attacks southern Beirut after Hezbollah drone fire

The Israeli military says its target in the attack on Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh was Hezbollah “infrastructure”, according to a statement on Telegram.

A joint statement by Prime ⁠Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, ⁠and Defense Minister Israel Katz, said the ⁠attack was ⁠in ⁠response to Hezbollah’s firing into Israeli territory.

It came hours after the Lebanese armed group launched several drones into northern Israel with no casualties reported.

Israel has consistently breached the ceasefire agreed in April, with troops invading and occupying southern Lebanon, as well as deadly air strikes on a daily basis.

“infrastructure”

Describing the mentioned target as "Hezbollah infrastructure" is an Israeli standard protocol to avoid, in this case, to say that it was a apartment building, without providing evidence that the building is "Hezbollah".

We have seen this kind of claims numerous times, and for the first time when the Israelis in 2024 began to destroy hospitals in Gaza, where they claimed that hospitals were used by Hamas as command center. The siege the al-Shifa Hospital in al-Rimal, Gaza City, is the most known example.

Netanyahu and Katz say Israel ‘will not tolerate fire directed at its territory’

Israel’s prime minister and defense minister have confirmed the strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The military “has just struck Hezbollah terror targets” in Dahiyeh in response to Hezbollah “firing at Israeli territory”, they said in a statement.

“Israel will not tolerate fire directed at its territory,” the statement said.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported a strike hit Ghobeiry while an AFP news agency correspondent reported hearing explosions from the southern suburbs.

The comments come minutes after the Israeli military announced it had attacked an alleged Hezbollah site in Dahiyeh after reported attacks by the Lebanese group on its territory.

"in response to Hezbollah “firing at Israeli territory”"

The Israelis have the habit to take advatange of what Hezbollah does when it respond to what the Israeli war belligerent is doing, which provokes a response by Hezbollah.

The fact that Netanyahu (and Trump) dragged Hezbollah, not Lebanon, in his resumption of the preemptive 12-day war in June 2025, by assassinating Khamenei, knowing that Hezbollah would respond, doesn't bother them.

People in Beirut’s southern suburbs expected Israeli attack

Israeli military has confirmed that it carried out what it characterized as a “precision” strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, the area collectively known as Dahiyeh, to the south of the capital.

The reason that’s significant is because Iran had previously drawn a red line over strikes on the capital, and when an Israeli attack happened a week ago, Tehran responded with missile fire on Israel, touching off another round of confrontation.

Now, there’s been some build-up to this, it hasn’t come out of nowhere. We know that, at moments of negotiation, moments when a deal is about to be signed between the US and Iran have proven to be moments of jeopardy here in Lebanon.

In fact, on April 8, when the first truce deal was signed, it was the deadliest day of the war so far.

Speaking to people from Dahiyeh over the course of the day expressed concern. They were nervous. They were worried this was about to happen.

There are two things that could happen. One is that Israel would seek to push into new Lebanese territory, which is what we’ve seen in the city of Nabatiyeh. The other is we might see a provocation – a strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Israeli army says it struck Hezbollah command center in Dahiyeh

The Israeli military has released a statement on its latest attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut.

It said it hit a Hezbollah command center used by the group to plot against Israeli citizens and forces operating in southern Lebanon.

The raid followed Hezbollah launching aerial attacks towards Israeli territory earlier in the day, the statement said.

What is Dahiyeh? – The target of Israel’s latest attacks on Beirut

Dahiyeh is the Arabic word for suburbs. It’s a residential area, incredibly densely populated, with multiple high-rise apartment buildings that appear to have been struck in this latest Israeli attack.

It’s a part of the capital with a large Shia population, which is the social support base for Hezbollah, and Israel says that’s why it’s been striking targets in Dahiyeh, which has suffered enormously over the last couple of months of war – and during the war in 2024 as well.

But it’s not just home to Lebanon’s Shia community, and it’s certainly not just home to supporters of Hezbollah, which is how Israel tries to characterize it. There are also many other communities who live in Dahiyeh – migrant workers from across Lebanon, as well as Syrian migrant workers.

There was a rally in support of this linkage, of the Lebanon and Iran fronts. Residents of Dahiyeh, who’d been able to go back to their homes in recent weeks gathered. Shops are open again. There’s a real busyness to life on these streets over the last couple of days.

So we wait to see what toll there may have been from these Israeli attacks.

"..how Israel tries to characterize it."

In all their wars since October 2023, the Israelis have been employing several directives, and often combined. One of the most used directive carries the character of conflation.

If we would translate this directive into their invasion war of Lebanon, it goes like this: Treat everyone and everything that moves and not move in Lebanon as Hezbollah.

Latest Israeli attack on Beirut could be ‘huge setback’ for deal

This is a serious development as far as Iran is concerned. We’ve seen that the situation in Lebanon is an integral and central part of the potential peace deal.

The latest, broader ceasefire on April 8 was linked to the situation in Lebanon, and Iranian officials have repeatedly said that the situation will not be separated from this deal.

So it could be a huge setback.

We know that right now there’s a Qatari delegation in Tehran working to resolve disputes, helping to move things forward – and this could be changing the picture.

Whether it’s the situation in Lebanon, or the Strait of Hormuz, or the naval blockade. They’re all linked to one thing, regional security guarantees for Iran in order to move forward with negotiations.

Israeli politicians distancing themselves from Netanyahu as vote approaches

Israel is taking news of the ceasefire very negatively, and as we’ve been hearing, not just from opposition members but also from members of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s own coalition, who say they don’t believe he should cave and stop attacks on Lebanon, including Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh.

These were the remarks of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who tweeted about the need to “flatten” certain communities, certain targets inside Lebanon. We’ve heard similar remarks from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

A situation has emerged where many politicians are trying to distance themselves from Netanyahu.

Why? Because elections are upcoming and Netanyahu has been promising people “goals” that he could not achieve. That’s why you see many politicians trying to jump on that opportunity and portray what he’s done as a strategic failure.

They say Netanyahu has been weakened – that he’s not being listened to by the American administration, including President Trump. His opponents and even coalition members are trying to use this against him to win the next elections, expected in October.

But some are thinking Netanyahu will pull a page from his playbook and might launch a strike, or instigate further escalation, to try to push and postpone the elections.

At least two killed in Israeli attack on southern Beirut

The official National News Agency says the strike on a building in the Ghobeiry neighborhood also wounded four other people.

The attack was announced by the Israeli army earlier.

Hezbollah claims attack on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon

The Lebanese group says its fighters attacked Israeli “vehicles and soldiers in the southwestern outskirts of the town of Majdal Zoun with volleys of rockets”.

The attack was in response to Israel’s “ceasefire” violations, the group said, adding it was conducted at 12:30am on Sunday (21:30 GMT Saturday).

The Israeli army has continued a bombing campaign on Lebanon since March 2 and occupied several towns in the country’s south. Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,700 people, wounded nearly 11,500, and displaced over 1.5 million people.

Israel’s Beirut strikes could ‘torpedo’ US-Iran deal to halt war

Sami Nader from the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs says Israel’s strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut is “very strategic testing” of the potential deal between the US and Iran.

“Israel is insisting on decoupling the front with Hezbollah from any negotiations between Iran and the US while Iran is insisting on the opposite. They want this linkage and put it as a condition to go forward with the deal,” Nader said.

“So this event is quite significant, and it has the potential to torpedo the deal between the US and Iran.”

He noted the “domestic dimension” since Israel is in the throes of an election campaign.

“The far right is criticizing Netanyahu for not doing enough to face up to Hezbollah and being too lenient to Mr Trump’s decision not to escalate in Lebanon. So this became an electoral issue of great importance,” Nader said.

“The thing is, now, how Iran will retaliate.”

Israel capable of ‘taking the wheel and driving talks off the road’

The aim of the Qatari delegation as well as other mediators, including Pakistan, has been to try to come to some kind of deal to end the war.

It’s a good sign that, at this critical juncture, Qatar sent a senior delegation. This latest attack on Beirut by Israel will no doubt make their job that much more difficult.

Remember, the mediators are trying to bridge a trust gap between the US and Iran that has been decades in the making and which so far has proved impossible.

Qatar was hoping to go in today to get rid of any remaining obstacles and roadblocks, talking about timelines for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, possible sanctions relief and things like releasing frozen assets. But all of those timelines have been thrown into disarray again.

What this attack clearly does is bring focus back to that trust gap and illustrates one clear point: No matter how well-intentioned or capable mediators are – even if the US and Iran agree to terms – Israel remains capable of taking the wheel and effectively driving talks off the road.

Two Israeli warplanes launched 4 missiles on Lebanon’s capital

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority reports the attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut‬ was carried out by two warplanes that launched four guided missiles.

Top diplomats of Pakistan and Egypt discuss deal efforts

The foreign ministers of the two countries have spoken over the phone for a second time in the past 24 hours, according to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.

Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar and his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, discussed progress towards a potential understanding between Washington and Tehran, it said.

“They expressed hope that these positive developments would contribute to lasting peace, security, and stability across the region,” the statement added.

Pakistan, which mediated a ceasefire in the US-Israeli war on Iran in April, has maintained regular consultations with key regional and international stakeholders for a permanent end to the conflict.

Netanyahu ‘needed to show defiance and force’ against Iran

There was a joint statement by the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, saying they carried out a “precision” strike on a Hezbollah target.

There’s pressure on the government to show defiance, to show force, in light of what it believes is an attempt by the Iranians to link the two fronts – the Iranian front and the Lebanon front – in one deal.

This is something Israel has been working against, and Netanyahu has also found himself in a weakened position, especially domestically, as we’re looking at an election year. So he needed to show defiance and force.

At the same time, this is in line with what Netanyahu has been wanting to do to derail talks, to find ways to sabotage the memorandum of understanding, to sabotage any talks that might potentially bring calm to the region.

When it struck Dahiyeh a few days ago, Israel said the goal was to empower and strengthen the US’s position in the negotiations by showing defiance and strength toward Iran.

This morning, many politicians have been saying that Iran has won, Iran has had the last word, which goes against what Netanyahu and his government wanted when they co-launched with the US the war on Iran.

At least 3 dead, 15 wounded after Israeli strike on Beirut’s Dahiyeh

The Lebanese Civil Defence agency says it has recovered three bodies after the Israeli attack on the Ghobeiry area in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Search, rescue and debris removal operations are ongoing at the site, it said in a statement.

The National News Agency reported 15 people were wounded and significant damage was inflicted on nearby buildings and shops.

Iranian commander warns ‘Israeli crimes in Beirut will not go unanswered’

Sardar Asadi, an official at the Iranian military’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, says Israel’s air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs will be met with retaliation.

“Without a doubt, these crimes will not go unanswered,” Asadi said, according to the Iranian Mizan news agency.

Khatam al-Anbiya is the central joint command headquarters overseeing Iran’s armed forces, including the IRGC and regular army.

‘Regional security cannot be shaped by eliminating or ignoring Iran’: Araghchi

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the new security structure being shaped in the Middle East requires the participation of all countries based on “collective cooperation”.

“Regional security cannot be shaped through eliminating or ignoring Iran,” his statement said.

“The countries of the region have gradually come to the reality that sustainable security, economic development and regional stability are only possible through cooperation, understanding and consideration of the common interests of all countries in the region, including the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

US ‘either lacks the will to fulfill its commitments or the ability to do so’: Iran’s Ghalibaf

The Israeli attack on Dahiyeh once again shows the US “either lacks the will to fulfill its commitments or the ability to do so”, Iran’s top negotiator says.

“By giving the green light to the [Israeli] regime you cannot gain concessions. The game of bad cop and good cop is outdated,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also Iran’s parliament speaker, said on X.

“If you lack the will and ability to fulfill your commitments, speaking of continuing the path is not possible,” he added.

Ghalibaf’s comments come after Israel’s attack on a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut killed at least three people and wounded 15.

Lebanon accuses Israel of spraying chemical herbicide in the south

Lebanon has accused Israel of using a chemical herbicide as a weapon and killing three Lebanese soldiers in separate incidents, saying the attacks are sabotaging US-backed ceasefire talks in Washington.

In a complaint to the UN Security Council, Lebanon said Israeli forces sprayed glyphosate on several southern border villages on February 1. Soil samples from Aita al-Shaab, Ras an-Naqoura, and al-Dhaira showed concentrations of the weed killer up to 22,750 microgram's per gram – thousands of times higher than normal agricultural levels, according to a scientific report cited by the Foreign Ministry.

The Chemical Weapons Convention bans using herbicides as a method of warfare.

In a second complaint, Lebanon said the Israeli army struck a Lebanese military vehicle on the Kfar Tebnit-Al-Khardali road on June 6, killing a brigadier general, a captain, and a soldier.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the attacks directly undermine Washington-brokered negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, which are focused on confidence-building and Israel’s withdrawal behind internationally recognized borders.

Israel’s attacks on Beirut ‘don’t serve anything’

The failure of Israel’s war on Iran is a matter of fact and it’s trying its best to scupper any deal with the United States, says Gideon Levy, an author and Haaretz newspaper columnist.

“Israel makes no secret of the fact that it is opposing this agreement and will do whatever it can to sabotage it. However, it can do very little because if Donald Trump is very strict about it, Israel will not provoke anymore,” said Levy.

“The fact that the Iran project failed is a matter of fact. It’s not a question of interpretation, it is a fact,” he added, describing how Prime Minister Netanyahu spent decades pushing US presidents towards military action against Iran.

“Finally he found one president who was willing to do it, and it is a total failure. We are now in the same position right before the war, and maybe even a worse position than before the war,” Levy said.

“He has no influence on the agreement with Iran, nothing whatsoever. He wasn’t even consulted. And in Lebanon, there’s no purpose to all that bombardment, nothing. It doesn’t serve anything – not even his political career.”

Iranian warning against ‘calculation error’ with Israel

The spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission has warned against pursuing a deal with the United States without first restraining Israel following its attack on Beirut.

“One must not fall into a calculation error. Even if you seek agreement or understanding, its path is disciplining the Zionist regime. If this rabid dog is not controlled the ink of an agreement not yet dry will bite our own foot,” Ebrahim Rezaei wrote on X.

No opposition in Israel ‘when it comes to wars’

Israeli public opinion offers Prime Minister Netanyahu a political “buffer zone” on military action even as he faces personal criticism, an analyst says.

“There is not really an opposition in Israel when it comes to wars. When it comes to wars, to occupation, to apartheid, there is no opposition,” Gideon Levy, a columnist at Israeli newspaper Haaretz, said.

“They all think the same. There is an opposition to Netanyahu in person, a very devoted one, a very decisive one. But not against the wars,” he added.

“Israeli public opinion is always favoring wars over any kind of peace. We saw it in the past. We’ve got this North Korean figure of 93 percent support for the war [on Iran], which is unbelievable. Israelis still believe that the only way forward is through shooting, destroying, and killing – that it’s the only open way to security.”

Iranian media say deal not imminent, Qatari officials discuss ceasefire in Tehran

Iran’s Fars news agency, citing a source close to the negotiating team, is reporting that Iranian officials were discussing the ceasefire points with the Qatari mediators in Tehran.

The report added that the deal is yet to be finalized and “no agreement will definitely be signed at the time Trump announced”.

The comments were made to the agency prior to Israel’s deadly attacks on Lebanon’s southern suburbs today.

Israeli army preparing for potential Iran attack in coming hours

The Israeli military says it’s bracing for a possible retaliatory strike by Iran after it bombed southern Beirut.

The Israeli army says it’s “preparing for the possibility of fire toward the territory of the state of Israel in the coming hours”.

Mohammad Jafar ⁠Assadi, ⁠deputy commander of Iran’s top military command, ⁠Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, later warned that the Israeli attack on Lebanon’s capital “will not go unanswered”.

Israel informed CENTCOM prior to Beirut strikes

Israel claims to have informed the US Central Command prior to these strikes on Beirut.

US ambassador to the UN says Trump still pushing for Iran deal today

The US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, says Trump remains determined to finalize an agreement with Iran today, despite what he described as difficult negotiations.

Speaking on ABC’s This Week, Waltz said, without providing evidence, that Iranian negotiators have struggled to receive clear guidance from the supreme leader and are “not always on the same page” internally.

Still, he said Trump and the US negotiating team remain confident that a deal can be completed.

Waltz was fired as national security adviser in May last year following reports that he engaged in intense back-channel coordination with Netanyahu behind Trump’s back over a possible war with Iran before an Oval Office meeting between the two leaders.

Trump says Beirut attack ‘should not have happened’

Trump has called for all sides to “stand down” in the wake of the Beirut attack, which he said should not have happened as “we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran”.

“Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and should not disrupt this important process,” he wrote on social media.

He said that a deal was close and would “bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon”.

“There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel.

“This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace – Let’s not blow it!”

Israel’s army chief says its targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in Nabatieh

The Israeli army’s chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, says the recent attacks in Beaufort in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh district sought to deprive Hezbollah of the “underground, command, control and fire capabilities that it has developed over many years”.

The Israeli military said on Sunday that Hezbollah had launched three projectiles towards communities in northern Israel in violation of a ceasefire in Lebanon.

Israel then fired ‌at what it called Hezbollah targets in the Dahiyeh neighborhood of Beirut in an attack that Lebanon’s civil defense agency said killed three people.

Israel bombs Beirut in apparent bid to derail US-Iran ceasefire talks

This has been a day of escalation here in Lebanon. It started with Israeli air strikes across the south, and forced displacement orders issued for 29 towns and villages, most in the district of Nabatieh, but also in Sidon and areas far north of the so-called “Yellow Line” – the part of southern Lebanon that Israel has been seeking to control and occupy.

That gave people here an impression of how the day might play out. There was a sense of nervousness across Lebanon today because people here have learnt that the moment a US-Iran deal is about to be signed, or indeed after it is signed, is a moment of jeopardy here in Lebanon. They fear almost exactly what happened: that there would be an Israeli strike, a provocation that may then result in an Iranian response, which could jeopardize the entire thing.

The path forward for these negotiations between the US and Iran is now in a bit of a question because we have seen signaling from Iranians that, yes, this red line will invite a response.

Extent of Iran’s retaliation against Israel remains unclear

There has been no official statements regarding Iran’s direct response to these attacks so far, but two clear messages are being communicated by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the parliament speaker and head of the negotiating delegation.

The first is criticizing the US for the lack of will to fulfill their commitments. The second line, which is very important, is the impact on the pathway forward in the diplomatic engagement between Tehran and Washington.

One of the terms Iran considers important is a ceasefire across the region, and in particular in Lebanon. The last time that there was an Israeli violation of the ceasefire in Beirut, Iran came out to respond.

One of the deputies of the joint military headquarters saying Israeli crimes are not going to go unanswered. The extent to which Iran is going to take any course of action is something we have to keep waiting to see.

Israel kills three in Beirut 

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says an Israeli raid on Beirut’s southern suburb of Ghobeiri has killed three people and injured 16 others.

Obama says Trump Iran deal will not improve on his pact

Former US President Barack Obama says it’s unrealistic to expect any deal between Washington and Tehran will be a “significant improvement” over his own nuclear pact with Iran 11 years ago.

In interview excerpts released on the ABC News programme This Week, Obama also suggested it’s better to negotiate a deal that falls short of all of Washington’s requirements in order to avoid all-out war.

“It is doubtful that any agreement that arises is going to be significantly different or a significant improvement from the deal that we had in the first place,” Obama said, referring to 2015’s landmark nuclear pact, which Trump abandoned.

Obama said his own deal “worked for a long stretch of time before… the United States pulled out of it”.

Obama said the troubled progress of a new US-Iran deal is a reminder that Washington cannot “just bully our way or bomb our way to solutions” instead of engaging in comprehensive diplomacy.

“You’d think we would have learned that lesson by now,” he said.

French aircraft carrier to remain near Gulf as US-Iran deal nears

The French army says no decision has been made on the return of the aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle to the city of Toulon in southern France, despite reports that it could leave the region in the coming days for scheduled repairs.

“The Charles-de-Gaulle remains in the area until further notice, no decision has been made on a return at this time,” spokesman Guillaume Vernet told the AFP news agency.

“Technical deadlines are taken into account but are not the only elements integrated into operational planning,” he added, saying “France remains particularly committed to maintaining freedom of navigation”.

The carrier and its escort arrived in the Gulf region in mid-May as France and the United Kingdom prepared a possible “neutral” maritime mission to restore navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s president says ‘very good relations’ with neighbouring countries despite attacks

Iran’s President Pezeshkian says “despite recent events, very good relations have been established with neighbouring countries” and he said many misunderstandings were “on the path to resolution”.

Iranian official says ‘strong response coming’ over Israel’s attacks on Beirut

Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, has threatened a “strong response” following Israel’s deadly attacks on Beirut today.

“Today’s crime by the Zionist regime in Dahiyeh, Beirut, once again proved the US is weak without credibility, as it is not even capable of controlling this illegitimate regime.

“A strong response is coming.”

Trump says will ask Iran not to attack Israel in response to Beirut strikes

Trump says he will ask Iran not to attack Israel in response to the deadly attacks on Lebanon today, Fox News is reporting.

Trump blames Israel for ‘a few hours’ of delay in US-Iran deal signing

Trump has told the US media outlet Axios that the US-Iran deal to end the war is still on track for Sunday, despite Israel’s strike in Beirut and the Iranian threat to retaliate.

“[The Israeli attack] shook it up. It delayed the signing by a few hours. It was supposed to be now. Now it is scheduled for a few hours from now,” Trump said in a phone conversation with Axios.

Trump said he was shocked when his advisers called to brief him about the Israeli strike in Beirut, and he fumed at Netanyahu.

“It is so bad – I couldn’t believe it. An hour before we are supposed to sign the deal,” Axios quoted the leader as saying.

Trump claimed the deal with Iran will be good for Israel because it will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, require the disposal of the nuclear material and allow snap inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

‘Finger on the trigger’, ready to fire at ‘enemy’s heart’, says Iran’s army commander

Iran’s military commander, Ali Abdullahi, says the country’s resistance has “marked a new chapter” in international affairs and established Iran as an “influential global power”, according to the Mehr news agency.

In a message to the nation, he was quoted as saying that its military capabilities are more powerful than before and soldiers have a “finger on the trigger”, ready to shoot at the “enemy’s heart”.

Iran warns ‘fingers are on the trigger’ as mistrust clouds US deal

The message from the Iranian side is a two-sided one. While the country is saying that diplomacy tops the list of priorities, they are also saying that fingers are on the trigger.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the decision regarding peace or war is up to the Supreme National Security Council of the country and the supreme leader.

However, speaking of the general context, one has to keep in mind that the cloud of mistrust in Tehran pertaining to a negotiated settlement has intensified after these developments, because they were saying from time to time that the ceasefire across the region, and in Lebanon in particular, is part and parcel of any deal to be reached.

While the deal may around the corner, there is a new round of escalation, and Iranians are receiving it as a negative message.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, explaining the details about this memorandum of understanding to be signed between the two sides, says that Iran is not going to leave Lebanon alone. This is a key factor among other sticking points out there when it comes to the potential for diplomacy to resolve all these issues.

Strikes aimed at Iran strengthen Netanyahu’s position, despite US disapproval

These Beirut attacks are playing out very well for Benjamin Netanyahu domestically because this is what the Israeli public wants. This is what the opposition had been pointing the finger at Netanyahu for not doing.

In fact, these strikes have enjoyed the support even from opposition figures like Benny Gantz. Without Trump actually taking steps of retribution that would hurt the strategic relationship between the US and Israel, it seems unlikely that Netanyahu is going to walk it back.

A senior security source was speaking to Channel 12 News in Israel, saying that this strike was conducted with Iranian retaliation in mind. If that causes the collapse of the deal, that would be a desired outcome for Israel because the memorandum of understanding was not in Israel’s favor.

So, the domestic politics in this are playing in exactly the opposite direction of what the US president wants. Nobody is going to come out and say it explicitly to Trump, but it certainly doesn’t seem right now that Israel is really bothered, even by those strong words from the US president.

Trump gives updated timeline on US-Iran deal as damage control

Trump has been speaking with several news outlets, saying that he was on the phone with Netanyahu and that he said in an expletive-laden manner ‘What are you doing?’ He said that this was coming at a time that could derail those peace talks, but that this has not happened.

He told Axios and Fox News that the deal would be signed within the next few hours; the first time anyone has updated a timeline on the potential digital signing of this initial peace deal.

Earlier, on Truth Social, Trump did condemn those attacks by Israel on Beirut. He essentially minimized the Hezbollah rocket attacks leading up to that response from Israel, saying they did not create any injuries and so they were small and meaningless.

This was after Iran’s chief negotiator said earlier in the day that any US green light for these attacks from Israel was going to derail the signing of this initial peace agreement.

Whether or not this damage control that Trump has been performing works, we’ll find out in the next few hours when we see whether or not this deal is actually signed.

Israel tests US limits as it seeks to undermine deal: Israeli analyst

It’s no secret that Israel doesn’t want this deal, so it makes sense that it would test whether it can put a stop to it or whether the US will restrain it, says Gideon Levy, a columnist at Israeli news outlet Haaretz.

“If you’re Israel that wants the war to continue, that still sees these things exclusively through a military lens and wants to upend this deal, which doesn’t deliver the things that you pulled America into a war in the first place for, why wouldn’t you test again whether you can collapse this,” Levy said.

“I think what the Israeli side is trying to do is hope that the deal is still collapsible. If not, at least play to their domestic political audience and leave as much open as possible on the Lebanese front.”

Israel is still occupying certain parts of Lebanon and is continuing evacuation threats and clearing out towns and villages, Levy said, adding that Israel wants to add to those numbers.

UN’s chief slams Israel’s Beirut attack at ‘crucial moment’

UN chief Antonio Guterres “strongly” condemns Israel’s Beirut attack that “took place despite the ceasefire”.

He posted on X that the attack came “at a time when the US & Iran are expected to reach an agreement that will pave the way to a peaceful resolution of this conflict”.

The conflict was “having a devastating impact on the world’s economy” and he urged all parties to “show maximum restraint at this crucial moment”.

Former Israeli envoy says Trump feels betrayed by Netanyahu

Former Israeli ambassador to the US, Alon Pinkas, says Trump’s public rebuke of Israel over its latest attack on Beirut reflects a rare rupture between Washington and Israel.

Pinkas said Israel had not found itself so visibly at odds with a US president for decades.

“You’d have to go 30, 40 years back,” he said, pointing to earlier crises under the Ford administration in 1975 and George HW Bush in 1991. He added that the current crisis is different.

“There were a lot spats, but nothing like this.”

Pinkas said Trump is furious because Netanyahu sold him false assumptions before the war on Iran.

“Trump is livid, angry, disillusioned and disappointed with what Netanyahu told him,” he said, adding that Netanyahu’s expectations had collapsed.

“The [Iranian] regime has not been toppled. There was no popular uprising, the IRGC was not demolished, Iran’s missile capability has not been destroyed.”

He said Trump’s anger shows he has finally recognized that Netanyahu was trying to undermine him.

Iran has ‘upended the strategic equation’

Iran has emerged from the war stronger and more emboldened, while Israel now faces a less favorable regional balance, says former Israeli ambassador to the US Alon Pinkas.

Pinkas said it may be too early to say whether Israel is more or less secure after the conflict, but argued that the geopolitical landscape had clearly shifted.

“Iran of mid-June 2026 is exponentially stronger geopolitically and more emboldened than Iran of February 28, the day the war started,” he said, adding that Iran had changed the regional balance during the war.

“Iran has upended the strategic equation. Iran has attacked the Arab Gulf states. And Iran drove a wedge between Israel and the US,” he said, warning that the post-war balance between Israel and Iran remains uncertain, but said it would no longer favour Israel in the same way.

“It remains to be seen what kind of power balance it’s going to develop between Israel and Iran, but it’s certainly going to be different and less advantageous to Israel than the one that existed in February,” Pinkas said.

Iran condemns Israeli attack on Beirut suburbs, warns US bears responsibility

Iran’s foreign ministry has strongly condemned Israel’s attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs, calling it a “terrorist act” and warning that Washington bears responsibility for the consequences.

It called the attack “a clear violation of Lebanon’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity” and “a gross violation of the ceasefire agreement … between Iran and the United States”.

The ministry said Iran holds the US directly responsible for Israel’s actions and repeated violations of the ceasefire.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran … emphasizes its determination to take all necessary measures to exercise the inherent right of self-defense,” the ministry said.

It added that “the responsibility for the dangerous consequences of the Zionist regime’s arson for regional peace and security will lie with the United States and the Zionist regime”.

‘Zero hour has arrived, and the launchers are preparing’, says adviser to Iran’s supreme leader

Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, says “a computational error in Beirut exhausted patience, and the order was issued”.

“Zero hour has arrived, and the launchers are preparing,” he said on X.

“Hezbollah is a vital part of the resistance axis.”

“If the fire of mischief in Lebanon is not extinguished, the two powerful geographic arms – Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab – will squeeze your economic lifelines to the point of strategic suffocation.”

US army says it redirected 142 ships, attacked nine vessels enforcing Iran blockade

US Central Command (CENTCOM) says its forces have redirected 142 commercial ships and “disabled” nine vessels as part of Washington’s blockade against Iran.

The statement underscores Washington’s role in enforcing the blockade, with the word “disabled” referring to US attacks on civilian vessels that refused to comply.

Trump says Strait of Hormuz ‘opening for business very shortly’

Trump has said in a social media post that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and that the Strait of Hormuz would be “opening for business very shortly”.

In another post, the US president said that the deal with Tehran would be a “WALL against Iran ever having a Nuclear weapon”.

He also criticised the Obama administration’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, saying that the JCPOA had been “a road to a Nuclear weapon for Iran, cash and all”.

Iran’s president says Tehran not to ‘bow down to any power’

“We will not bow down to any power, but we consider ourselves responsible and accountable to the Iranian people and their legitimate demands,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said.

He said the government had a duty to support those defending the country and public security, adding that Iran could not ask fighters to stand firm while ignoring “their support, facilities, and needs”.

Pezeshkian also criticized attacks on officials carrying out state missions, saying it was “unfortunate” that people working “with the aim of protecting the national interests and honor of the country” faced accusations of “treason or betrayal of the homeland”.

“Criticism is a natural right of society, but the destruction of those who are entrusted with a lawful mission is far from fairness and [justice],” he said.

Trump says plans to announce US agreement with Iran ‘imminently’

Trump plans to issue a statement imminently, confirming that the US has agreed to a deal with Iran, he told The Wall Street Journal.

Trump said this deal, which Iran hasn’t yet confirmed it would agree to, will either be signed electronically by him or Vice President JD Vance, according to the report.

Trump says plans to announce US agreement with Iran ‘imminently’

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says the US-Iran deal is now in place and mediators will facilitate a series of meetings this week.

Peace deal includes ‘immediate’ halt in fighting, including Lebanon

Pakistan’s Sharif also said on X that both sides have declared the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”.

The official signing ceremony will be on Friday, June 19, in Switzerland, he added on X.

The prime minister thanked the US and Iran for their commitment, as well as Qatar for its support “in reaching this agreement”.

“I would also especially thank the visionary leadership of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Republic of Turkiye for their immense contributions in this regard,” he added.

A series of meetings will follow this week to lay the foundation for technical talks and the official signing ceremony, he added.

Trump says he has authorised removal of US naval blockade on Iran

Trump has just posted on his Truth Social platform, confirming that the ceasefire agreement with Iran “is now complete”.

“Congratulations to all!” he wrote.

“I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”

Frantic diplomacy bears fruit as US-Iran ceasefire avoids total collapse

After what the Israelis have done this afternoon [in Beirut] – where, essentially, all hopes were dashed, and the [US-Iran] deal felt like it was torpedoed and that Iran would react – it appears that Pakistan and Qatar, the two countries that were in the mix and sticking their necks out, have been able to pull it through, albeit for a later date.

It is not the virtual signing that the Americans had hoped for, but it is not the complete breakdown that was feared today.

These really frantic mediation efforts have been bearing fruit a couple of times now. Now there is going to be a sigh of relief for all sides.

There is going to be further detail that is going to be ironed out about the language. But this is also possible because the Iranian National Security Council voted in favor of negotiations.

Trump announces Iran peace deal, but questions remain over implementation

Trump has announced the deal on Truth Social, saying it has been reached and congratulating all involved. He is making good on those promises that, once that memorandum of understanding was signed, he would end the blockade and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The US president is saying this has been agreed to. What he is not saying is whether or not this has been signed.

The statement coming from Pakistani officials says that the signing will take place on Friday and will involve further talks before that occurs.

Now there are two different versions.

The US is saying that the memorandum of understanding was agreed to, but that is not what we have been hearing from Iran.

It is still clear that there is a lot to work out here. The chain of events as understood it is not happening. In other words, that there would be a signing and then an opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

The US president has reversed the order of procedure. This appears to be Trump buying time and saving face.

Iran yet to confirm ceasefire deal with US

This is a huge development. This announcement by Donald Trump, is particularly significant, especially when taking to account that there is no confirmation so far from the Iranian side.

It’s a completely reverse orientation to the escalation that has been expected, and is being expected tonight, which means that something behind the scenes is going on across the board in terms of a ceasefire deal.

A Qatari delegation has visited, and is probably still here in Tehran, so there is a race against time to counter the efforts of escalation that are being deployed by the Israelis, when they launched those strikes in Beirut.

There is a strong message in this announcement by President Trump. He is anticipating the situation, and he is probably sending a strong message to Netanyahu that, whatever he does to disrupt this process, the Americans and the Iranians are adamant that it will go ahead.

US-Iran ceasefire deal largely returns situation to pre-war status

Trump announced that he authorized the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports.

It is not clear what the US president meant by [him] opening the narrow waterway, since it was not under Washington’s control.

Since the start of the war last February 28th, Tehran has de facto gained control of the strait by attacking, or threatening to attack, vessels transiting through the chokepoint.

Its effective closure rocked the global economy, as the strait is crucial to significant shipments of oil, natural gas and related products, like fertilizer.

The deal largely returns to a status that existed before the war, but with thousands of people dead and Iran wielding a new source of negotiating pressure with its ability to influence transits of the strait.

About the ceasefire agreement

The following is based on the Pakistani prime minister and the US president’s posts on social media:

• Both sides have agreed to stop fighting on all fronts, which also includes Israel in Lebanon (which has long been a sticking point, since Israel wanted Lebanon to be excluded from a deal between the US and Iran).
• The official signing ceremony will be on June 19 in Switzerland.
• Trump said that traffic should resume through the Strait of Hormuz without any payment being imposed on vessels.
• The US agreed to remove the naval blockade on Iranian ports.
• Technical talks will be held this week.
• Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye were thanked for their contribution in reaching the accord.

‘Every second matters’ before ceasefire signing on Friday

The signing of the ceasefire is still four days away from us, and there are many, many hours, and many minutes and many seconds in which anything can go wrong.

It's unclear what the Israelis are going to do. Nor is it clear whether the Iranians will now calm the situation and desist from attacking Israel.

So, everything depends on the reaction that is expected here in Iran: whether they are aligned with what President Trump has said, whether there was an agreement behind the scenes before this announcement was made, or whether it was made unilaterally by the Americans without any consultation with the Iranians.

That’s going to be a really dangerous scenario, because the Iranians are in full gear about this situation in Lebanon.

Iran says negotiations for final ⁠deal ​will be ⁠held during 60-day period

According to remarks carried by the Tasnim news agency, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said negotiations for a final ⁠deal will be ⁠held during a 60-day period, after verifying that the US implemented its commitments under the deal, including ending hostilities, lifting the blockade, and releasing frozen assets.

Gharibabadi said that on Friday, the date set for the official signing ceremony, the two delegations will hold talks to determine the future arrangements for the negotiations.

He also said that Iran included all its “important positions” in the draft of the memorandum of understanding, adding that the text will be published after the accord is signed.

“This memorandum of understanding does not mean trusting the enemy,” Gharibabadi said, as quoted by Tasnim. “We will monitor the implementation of US commitments.”

Iran’s Embassy in Turkey hails ‘new era’ in Middle East

“Welcome to the Middle East of a new era,” Iran’s Embassy in Turkey wrote in a post on X.

The post includes an image of an Iranian flag flying over the Strait of Hormuz.

US vice president hails deal as potential ‘new era’ with Iran

US Vice President JD Vance, a key backer of a deal to end the US-Israel war on Iran, has said the announced ceasefire deal could mean a “new era” in the Middle East, as he praised Trump’s efforts with Gulf states and regional allies to secure the deal.

“What the president has done is create the real space to transform that region,” he said, speaking to Fox News. “And now, hopefully, a new era with the Iranians.”

“I think we can safely say, with confidence, that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” he said, which was a key position for the US.

“This is just a great thing for the American people,” Vance said, expressing hope that energy prices would now decrease.

He said he plans to be at the signing ceremony next week, and it is possible that Trump will be there too.

US-Iran deal expected to go ahead, despite Israeli attempts to derail diplomacy

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the US president would issue the statement that an agreement had been reached between the United States and Iran.

In that announcement, the US president did a couple of things that he had said would not happen until the memorandum of understanding was signed.

However, the attack by the Israelis on Beirut started to look as though things were falling apart and that there would not be the agreement, which Trump had suggested would be signed on Sunday and conducted virtually.

Given the fact that the US president has released a statement, the agreement still stands despite any attempts to derail diplomacy.

Qatar welcomes US-Iran memorandum of understanding

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani says his country welcomes the agreement reached between the US and Iran on the memorandum of understanding.

“We extend our thanks to our brothers in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and to all regional and international parties who contributed to creating the conditions for reaching this understanding,” he said on X.

“We look forward to all parties engaging in the upcoming negotiations in a positive and constructive spirit, contributing to consolidating and building upon this progress.

“We affirm that the State of Qatar will always remain a steadfast supporter of these efforts and of all that promotes security and stability at the regional and international levels through dialogue and peaceful means.”

Israel’s right wing sees this agreement as ‘strategic defeat’

The announcement Donald Trump will not be taken well by Israel. In the Israeli media, particularly right-wing outlets that are usually closely aligned with the Israeli prime minister, there has been an attack against the US president, which in itself is very unusual.

The US president was more popular in the polls than the Israeli prime minister until a very short while ago.

And the fact that the positions of the United States and Israel do not align when it comes to Iran, coupled with the announcement of this deal by Donald Trump, could force Israel to stop bombing Lebanon and perhaps even withdraw from Lebanon, or at the very least halt its invasion.

This is the subject of outrage for the Israeli right wing. It is being seen as a political defeat for Israel. They understand that this deal will be viewed as a victory in Tehran, and that victory, in turn, represents a strategic defeat for Israel.

Does Trump’s announcement pave way for sustainable peace?

Marwan Bishara says he understands the potential cynicism around the announcement of a deal, but that it is important nonetheless.

“President Trump has some three dozen times broken the news about a deal coming, been crying deal for more than two months now, but finally, the deal has come,” he said.

“It is important that something has been reached, something has been signed, and that is better than war,” he said.

The question now is whether this announcement, which will end the fighting, can pave the way for peace, he said, acknowledging the remaining differences between Washington and Tehran.

France’s Macron welcomes US-Iran agreement

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed support for the deal between Washington and Tehran, adding that the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened without conditions, and that France will continue to support the Lebanese government as it seeks to establish control over Hezbollah.

“I welcome the agreement reached between the United States and Iran, the result of a diplomatic effort to which several partners contributed. I call for its swift and full implementation by all parties to the conflict,” Macron said in a post on X.

“This agreement must allow for the urgent and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which the international mission established with the United Kingdom is ready to support. The resources are in place and ready to be deployed.”

France “will also continue to provide its full support to the determined efforts of the Lebanese authorities to restore the sovereignty of the State, which alone can ensure Lebanon’s stability and territorial integrity and meet the needs of its populations”, he added.

Netanyahu far from war goals in Lebanon and Iran

Netanyahu is not close to achieving its war goals in Lebanon and Iran. He boxed himself into very unrealistic expectations that he planted in the minds of the Israeli public.

He promised them that the Iranian government would collapse. He promised them a new Iran, a pro-Israel Iran. He promised them an Iran that would not only lack the capacity to enrich uranium but would also lack the capacity to develop ballistic missiles. It would not be funding any allied groups or proxies, as Israel calls them.

In Lebanon, he said that Hezbollah had been defeated back in November 2024, and yet now small, inexpensive drones launched by Hezbollah are pursuing Israeli soldiers while casualties among those soldiers are arriving at hospitals every day.

Israel has invaded parts of Lebanon. It now defines its security border as extending deep into Lebanese territory – as much as 15km or even 40km [9 to 25 miles] in some areas – and yet there is still no calm.

The expectations set by Israel’s prime minister may ultimately become the undoing of the popularity he hoped to gain because none of those goals have been achieved. As things stand, if he has to acquiesce to Donald Trump, none of them will be achieved, especially in Lebanon.

That will carry a heavy political cost for him with elections right around the corner.

UN chief Guterres hails US-Iran agreement as ‘critical step’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the announced “peace deal” between the US and Iran as a “critical step”.

“I warmly congratulate the US & Iran for having reached a peace deal that provides for an immediate & permanent ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, as well as a framework for further negotiations,” Guterres posted on X.

“This represents a critical step towards the peaceful settlement of the conflict,” he said.

‘There are a lot of spoilers out there’

Retired US General Mark Kimmitt has warned that four potential factors could derail the fragile deal the US and Iran have agreed to.

Kimmitt said that Israel, Hezbollah, Iran, and potentially the US could all act as spoilers.

“There are a lot of spoilers out there,” Kimmitt says. Israel, he said, has many “overlapping” concerns with the US, but not identical ones.

“Israel may, in fact, take its own course,” he said, adding that Hezbollah could too, as it has yet to accept the ceasefire.

Iran, he added, has also been unwilling to discuss its long-range missiles and its support for its regional allies.

In 1968, the then-Israeli minister Menachem Begin said at the UNGA, that one must make sure that no enemy has a reactor. But, no country in the world had an enemy regarding the possession of nuclear reactors at that time but the Israelis who were in the possession of nuclear weapons a year earlier.

The doctrine, named after the then-prime minister, aims to preemptively attack any country in the region, which dares to launch its own nuclear program.

In the context of the Netanyahu's war on Iran, it is make sure that Iran has no nuclear weapons.

In 2025, many news media were either sharing or creating their own video reminding the viewer that Netanyahu lies about Iran for thirty years.

The Israelis have been a spoiler by nature.
 

Germany, Italy, France, UK say ready to lift sanctions on Iran

The European nations say they are ready to lift sanctions on Iran if Tehran takes “clear, verifiable steps” on its nuclear programme.

“Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon,” the leaders of Italy, Germany, France and the UK said.

“We stand ready to work with the US, Iran and the IAEA to this end,” the statement said, referencing the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The statement also called for the unrestricted opening of the Strait of Hormuz and affirmed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon.

See comment above.

Iran’s Security Council says deal includes immediate end to fighting in Lebanon

The secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says the deal with the US includes the immediate suspension of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, and an end to the US’s naval blockade on Iranian ports.

“Based on the agreements reached, the war and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, will end immediately and permanently as of tonight, and in addition, the naval blockade against Iran will end immediately and completely,” the statement reads.

“The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding will be officially held on Friday, June 19,” it said.

“Negotiations for a final agreement will be postponed until after the other party has fulfilled its obligations under the Memorandum of Understanding. The Islamic Republic of Iran appreciates the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Government of Qatar. Peace be upon you, God’s mercy and blessing.”

Lindsey Graham welcomes US-Iran agreement

US Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent Iran hawk, has welcomed the agreement between Washington and Tehran in a post on X, but expressed concerns about the seemingly different interpretations.

“I am somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming,” he said.

He added that any deal with Iran needs to be sent to Congress for “review and a vote”.

US ambassador to UN says Trump ensured ‘best possible outcome’

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, has congratulated the president on the agreement with Iran.

“The President has put our country first and negotiated a peace deal that will keep us safe and prevent Iran from ever getting a nuclear weapon. From the very beginning, POTUS [president of the US] maximized our leverage, limited casualties, and brought credible military force to ensure the best possible outcome,” Waltz said in a social media post.

“This is one hell of a way to celebrate a birthday. Congratulations, Mr President.”

Can Trump keep Netanyahu in check to secure ceasefire deal succeeds?

Sami Hamdi, a Middle East expert and managing director of the risk consultancy International Interest, says that the success of the current deal depends entirely on whether Trump can keep Netanyahu in check.

“The last time Pakistan announced a ceasefire, Israel responded by ceasing attacks against Iran and escalating against Lebanon,” he said.

“When Pakistan insisted Lebanon was included in the ceasefire, Trump appeared to alter the terms to exclude Lebanon. The concern is whether Trump will do the same again.”

Hamdi noted that the Israelis remain deeply opposed to the current deal with Tehran, with Netanyahu carrying out a strike in Lebanon today to derail the deal earlier today.

His concern, he said, is “whether Trump alters the deal again—so that even if he prevents Israel from attacking Lebanon, he may still refuse to pressure them to withdraw from southern Lebanon, which would put the entire agreement in jeopardy”.

Turkish president supports US-Iran deal, calls for peace

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has welcomed the announced agreement between the US and Iran.

“I sincerely hope that this news, which the entire world has long needed, will pave the way for the establishment of a lasting environment of peace and security in our region,” Erdogan said in a post on X.

The Turkish president called on all sides to “avoid rhetoric, provocations, and actions that could escalate tensions in the period leading up to the signing of the agreement, and to remain vigilant against possible sabotage”.

He added that an environment of peace has long been needed and said that Ankara is willing to continue supporting efforts in that direction.

US-Iran agreement marks ‘first regional peace deal in Middle East history’

Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, a leading Iran expert, has said that he remains skeptical of the prospect of a comprehensive deal emerging from this initial announcement, but characterized it as an important step for regional diplomacy.

In a post on X, Batmanghelidj said this should be considered the first regional peace deal in the Middle East, adding that the “logic and framework” developed could underpin a new regional architecture.

“Every major power in the region had a hand in the deal’s formulation and the consensus building necessary for its adoption,” he said.

Batmanghelidj added that the process has shown that Middle Eastern diplomats are capable of taking the lead in shaping and securing durable, inclusive agreements, despite often being dismissed or undervalued by counterparts in Washington.

“It was Arab, Pakistani, Turkish, and Iranian diplomats who got the world out of a crisis, one created by Washington and abetted by European governments all too eager to see their bases, aircraft, and munitions used to wage war in the Middle East, especially in the ‘defense’ of Israel,” he said.

Japan, New Zealand and Germany welcome US-Iran deal

• Japan: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called it a “major step” towards a broader agreement. She said she hopes the MoU “will be steadily implemented, that free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz will be actually ensured and that a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear issue and other matters will be realised at the earliest possible date”.
• Germany: Chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated the leaders of Iran and the US, saying the deal could pave the way for a broader breakthrough. He added: “This can pave the way towards a reinvigorated global economy and a more secure Middle East.”
• New Zealand: Foreign Minister Winston Peters said he hopes to see swift implementation, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. “We urge all parties to continue the positive momentum. While the situation remains fragile, this is a constructive step towards addressing decades long challenges,” he wrote on X.

Iran frames peace deal as success for its ‘diplomacy, war deterrence’

The Iranians say that nobody has forced them to agree on this deal and that it is the result of a long process and many weeks of difficult negotiations with the other side, through the Pakistanis, and recently, through the Qataris.

So they frame it as a success for Iran’s diplomacy and for its war deterrence.

They say they have been defending the country effectively, and they have been sending messages to the Americans and the Israelis that Iran cannot be crushed, that its civilization cannot be annihilated, and that the sovereignty of Iran is a red line.

So they consider the deal a result of sacrifices, of war, of diplomacy, and not something that is being forced on them.

As to the timing, it’s interesting that just hours, minutes even, before the announcement of this agreement, the Iranians were in full readiness to launch strikes against Israel in retaliation for Israel’s new attacks on southern Beirut’s Dahiyeh, something that Iran considers a red line.

So there were a lot of statements throughout the day, particularly in the afternoon, warning that the fingers were on the trigger and that everything was in place for an attack on Israel. It would have completely disrupted the peace process and the efforts deployed by the Americans and the mediators for these peace forces to go ahead.

 

US-Iran deal raises hope of ‘some peace coming back’ to Middle East

Abas Aslani, an analyst at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies in Tehran, says the US-Iran agreement is an opportunity to lay the groundwork for a wider rapprochement that could benefit the entire Middle East.

“We have been seeing an interest from regional countries in order to improve relations with Iran and work on bilateral issues as well as regional ones. So that’s why they want to leave what has happened behind and to think of the future,” Aslani said.

“With the MoU in place, there is hope that there could be some peace coming back to the region,” he said.

“Iran has been insisting that peace needs to include all fronts in the region, and this can also pave the ground for further efforts by Tehran and other regional capitals to work on their relations, and to work towards a better region, provided that Israel and the United States allow this to happen.”

Trump says Strait of Hormuz will reopen after deal signed

Reports start to emerge saying that the memorandum of understanding was being reached after The Wall Street Journal reported that the US president was imminently going to be issuing a statement.

And that was exactly what occurred, because the US president shortly thereafter issued that statement on Truth Social, saying that not only had an agreement been reached with Iran, but that the Strait of Hormuz would immediately be opened. And he followed it up by saying, “let the flow of oil begin”.

But he was forced to clarify, a short time thereafter in a subsequent Truth Social Post, that, in fact, there would be a delay on that reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and it would now coincide with that June 19 signing that was announced by Pakistani mediators, or the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif.

Top Democrat slams Trump, says ‘American less safe’ after war on Iran

US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has responded to Trump’s announcement of a deal with Iran.

He noted that the US had already signed a deal with Iran that had constrained its nuclear program in 2015, under former President Barack Obama.

But “Donald Trump recklessly ripped that agreement up and took us to war. Now gas prices are soaring, Iran is stronger and America is less safe,” he wrote on X.

“That’s the Trump record.”

Democratic lawmaker welcomes peace deal, calls for ‘rigorous oversight by Congress’

Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, cautiously welcomed the memorandum. But he also stressed that the war was Trump’s choice and had “inflicted real costs on Americans, partners and allies, global markets, and countless innocent civilians”.

In a statement posted on X, Meeks said that “negotiated, verifiable agreements remain the only way to sustainably” address the US’s disputes wth Iran.

“We have seen time and again that war cannot change the Iranian regime; eliminate its missile and drone program; end Iranian support for proxies; or stop its abuse of the Iranian people.”

Meeks went on to call for a congressional review of the deal, saying that “any final agreement must be durable, enforceable, transparent and subject to rigorous oversight by Congress”.

Qatari delegation departs Tehran after concluding diplomatic efforts

The Qatari delegation involved in diplomatic efforts to secure the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran has now left Tehran.

The delegation spent 17 hours in negotiations in Tehran to help finalize the agreement and will now return to Doha. He added, citing a diplomatic source, that preparatory meetings for the signing of the agreement next week will be held in the Qatari capital.

Traffic in Strait of Hormuz ‘may take months to return to pre-war levels’

Rockford Weitz, professor of practice in maritime studies at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, says that de-mining operations are the first action needed to get traffic moving through the Strait of Hormuz.

Even after that, maritime traffic is likely to resume cautiously, he said.

“The shipping industry has to have the confidence to go. So we will be watching closely this week how things go. Once ships start flowing, a few will go at first, and then more will follow if all goes well,” Weitz said.

He added that it could take months for conditions at the Strait of Hormuz to fully return to normal.

“This has been a much longer disruption in shipping than anyone expected. And the shipping industry is gonna be hesitant at first to go fully in,” he said.

“Secondly, the production facilities of both oil and gas have been damaged in a number of Gulf countries, including in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. So there will be some time for that to recover.

“I think we’re definitely looking at months before we get to pre-war levels, and that’s with a very important caveat that assumes everything goes well, smoothly, and stably.”

Stock markets soar, oil falls as US, Iran confirm deal to end war

Stock markets across the Asia Pacific are surging following the announcement of a deal between Washington and Tehran to end the US-Israel war on Iran.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark index surged more than 5 percent in morning trading, while South Korea’s Kospi jumped 5.7 percent.

Taiwan’s Taiex climbed 2.7 percent, while the ASX200 in Australia rose about 1.5 percent.

Futures for US stocks, which are traded outside of regular market hours, climbed, with those tied to the benchmark S&P500 and tech-focused Nasdaq Composite up about 1 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively.

Brent crude, the primary benchmark for global oil prices, fell more than 4 percent to about $83.70 per barrel.

White House yet to release text of agreement

The White House has not yet released he text of that memorandum of understanding.

But developments are telling there will be talks that will be conducted this week.

The talks will take place in Qatar, and will be finalizing and ironing out some of those fine points, if you will, prior to the memorandum of understanding being signed in Switzerland.

But timing is everything.

 Trump is a financial guy. He knows the Asian markets are opening and watching very carefully, given the fact that he had projected all week that this virtual signing would take place on Sunday.

So, meeting his own deadlines was important. And immediately upon his social media post, we saw the Brent crude price fall 4 percent to $84 a barrel, and financial markets also rose modestly by 0.9 percent.

Trump’s former vice president expresses skepticism about Iran deal

Mike Pence, Trump’s vice president during his first term, has told News Nation that “no deal is better than a bad deal”.

But he said that unless Iran “forfeits and dismantles its nuclear program, dismantles its missile program, immediately opens the straits, and stops subsidizing terrorist groups across the region”, the US military should “finish the job”.

“My concern right now is not with the intentions of the president. I think the president has earned a great deal of deference here by the American people. I just don’t trust the Iranians,” he added.

What does Iran-US deal entail?

According to Iran’s Mehr news agency, the draft agreement contains 14 points.

It includes: a permanent and immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon; the complete lifting of the naval blockade within 30 days; a US commitment to withdraw its forces from around Iran; and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

The draft also mentions the suspension of sanctions on Iranian oil sales, reaching a final agreement on nuclear issues within 60 days of signing the deal, and the release of $24bn in frozen Iranian assets during the 60-day negotiation period.

Mehr also reported that final negotiations would not begin until half of Iran’s frozen assets had been released and restrictions affecting the Strait of Hormuz had been lifted.

Discussions concerning Iran’s missile programme and its support for resistance groups have been removed from the negotiating agenda, it added.

Trump describes Netanyahu as ‘difficult’, says he ‘should be very thankful’

The US president, speaking with The New York Times after announcing the deal with Iran, has slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for mounting attacks on Lebanon, which nearly derailed the final agreement.

“He’s a very difficult guy,” Trump said of Netanyahu. “And to be honest with you, he should be very thankful to us for doing this. Because if Iran had a nuclear weapon, Israel wouldn’t be around for two hours.”

He also threatened to resume attacks on Iran if the two sides failed to reach a final agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program.

According to the NYT, Trump insisted that it was the missile and bombing attacks on Iran that made Tehran agree to the deal. “They did not want the third attack,” he said. “They do care about living.”

“The bottom line is that those attacks that we made had a huge impact on having this deal made, a huge impact.”

The US president has told The New York Times that the final deal with Iran would limit Tehran to enriching uranium to low levels that “could never be used by the military”.

According to the NYT, when asked whether that limit was the same as in the Obama-era deal – which limited enrichment to 3.67 percent – Trump said only that the new deal would ensure that “they can only enrich for nonmilitary purposes. Forever.”

The US president also said that if Iranian leaders killed antigovernment protesters, it would prevent them from getting full sanctions relief. That’s despite this requirement not being included in the MoU.

Beijing will see US-Iran deal as ‘very positive’

Beijing will welcome this deal.

It will see this as very positive. Since the beginning, China has been one of the strongest voices calling for a complete cessation of all hostilities, a complete ceasefire, and a return to talks.

However, Beijing is likely to be very cautious. It will note the lack of detail, with many disagreements still to be clarified. And even after this agreement is signed on Friday, there will be another 60 days for technical details to be hammered out.

For Beijing, this will be a promising start, but it does not signal the end quite yet.

So while China will welcome this new path, it will not change its long-term plan to reduce dependence on energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

Democratic lawmaker says party should support deal

Progressive US Representative Ro Khanna has expressed support for the ceasefire agreement and said that the Democratic Party should support an end to the war.

“The ceasefire agreement with Iran with the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is welcome news. Democrats should support it. I am glad it includes a provision for mutual respect of the US & Iran’s sovereignty so we do not launch a dumb war of choice again,” Khanna said in a social media post.

“The war was a costly lesson for the US. As expected, Trump failed to bring about regime change. The terms seem no better than what Obama secured under the JCPOA nearly a decade ago. America lost 14 precious service members and wasted billions of dollars on this foolish endeavor,” he added.

“But today, we can be relieved that gas and food costs will start coming down for Americans. And that no more American or civilian lives will be lost.”

Former Obama official slams war on Iran as ‘reckless, costly debacle’

Robert Malley, a former US negotiator and special envoy for Iran, welcomed the latest memorandum of understanding (MoU), but said the war remains a blunder and a “reckless, costly debacle”.

“The MOU is an important and welcome achievement, chiefly because it reopens the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure inflicted devastating costs on millions across the globe. But the MOU also is a clear and damning indictment of the war that preceded it, chiefly because its main accomplishment is to reopen a waterway that was only closed due to that war,” Malley wrote on X.

“As for the issues that will have to be addressed after the MOU – the fate of Iran’s nuclear program; the disposition of its enriched uranium; the scope of sanctions relief – they almost certainly will be left for later, and will almost certainly be harder to resolve than prior to the war,” he added.

Ben Rhodes, who served as Obama’s deputy national security adviser, echoed the sentiment.

“This deal reopens a body of water that was open before the war and begins a nuclear negotiation far narrower than what Trump was seeking before the war,” he wrote. “All at a staggering cost to the entire world while leaving an IRGC-led government that feels strengthened.”

Trump’s announcement of deal comes on his 80th birthday

It’s a big day for Trump, given the fact that he needed to meet this deadline for a deal.

And it was almost derailed by his supposed ally in the Middle East, Israel, which, ironically, isn’t much of a birthday gift for Trump [from Israel].

But the fact of the matter is that Trump believes that he and his team were able to keep this on track along with other allies like Qatar and Pakistan.

But the optics are without question critically important for the US president.

He needs to deliver for not only the American people but members of his own Republican Party, who were fighting back criticism that Trump made things worse, not better, given the fact that he withdrew from the JCPOA that was negotiated under Democratic President Barack Obama in 2015.

Many argued that he had not gotten anything extra from Iran, and, in fact, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and that blockade only drove up the price of oil and then turned up the cost for consumer goods as well as energy prices and the cost of a home.

So as a result, the US president was under pressure to deliver and meet his deadline, which he says he did, which he hopes will translate to accomplishments, given the fact that the looming November elections are going to be difficult for Republicans.

Ex-Trump aide says US should cut support for Israel to ensure deal holds

Joe Kent, a former head of the US National Counterterrorism Center, who resigned from the Trump administration amid disagreements over the war on Iran, has welcomed the ceasefire deal with Iran.

“We can strengthen our chances of this deal holding by cutting all military/intel assistance to Israel, they took every opportunity to tank this deal & will likely do so again unless we take action,” Kent said on X.

“We should also quietly get our troops out of the bases in the Gulf that can be reached by Iran. This ensures Iranian hardliners can’t strike us to drag us back into the fight. Take away every factor that we can control that could force us back into the war on Israel or Iran’s terms. Set all conditions that we can control in our favor.”

Lebanese remain sceptical of ceasefire announcement

The US-Iran ceasefire announcement has raised hopes in Lebanon after Pakistani mediators claimed it included an end to Israel’s war on the country.

Australia urges US, Iran to ‘pursue a durable and lasting peace’

Australia has welcomed the agreement between the US and Iran and urged the parties to “pursue a durable and lasting peace through dialogue and diplomacy”.

“Continued restraint and constructive engagement will be essential to prevent further escalation and secure a lasting agreement,” a joint statement by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.

“We are pleased the agreement between the US and Iran includes steps towards reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the restoration of freedom of navigation,” they said.

Separately, Timothy Kane, Australia’s high commissioner to Pakistan, praised Islamabad for its “tireless efforts” in helping secure the deal.

“Your tireless efforts have borne fruit and you have made an enormous beneficial contribution to the region and the world,” Kane said in a post on X.

No official comment from Israel on US-Iran deal

Right-wing Israeli media have been frantic over the past few hours, attacking Trump for abandoning Israel and for being an unreliable ally.

Diplomatically, we haven’t heard anything from Israeli officials. But we have seen reports that the Israeli prime minister has insisted that Israel is not part of the deal and that Israel would not withdraw from the areas it is already occupying in Lebanon. That’s something that we’ve already heard from the minister of defense.

Domestically, this attempt at sabotage [the attacks on Lebanon on Sunday], which is how the Israeli media are presenting it, has a lot of support from those supporting the governing coalition, as well as from the opposition.

The problem is that, right now, it has backfired, and that’s how the media are presenting the outcome. The result of this air strike was increased diplomacy. And now, with that announcement by Trump, the questions being posed in Israel are whether the Israeli government will comply, whether it will stop firing and stop the invasion, whether it will commit to not attacking the southern suburbs of Beirut, which is a red line [for Iran]. That issue almost derailed this declaration of the memorandum of understanding.

There are many hours and days between now and June 19, and a lot can happen between now and then. That’s really where all the attention will be domestically in Israel. There will be pressure to keep up the military strikes in Lebanon, even if that comes at a cost of creating more tension with Trump.

Pakistan’s foreign minister hails US, Iran’s ‘significant breakthrough’

Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, has called the agreement reached between Iran and the US a “significant breakthrough” and the result of “sustained diplomatic engagement and the collective resolve” of all parties.

“It also sends a reassuring message to the international community and provides much-needed confidence and stability to global markets and the world economy, particularly for developing countries that are most vulnerable to regional instability,” he said on X.

Dar said that negotiations will continue on outstanding matters, but added that he looks forward to the signing of the agreement in Geneva on June 19.

Iran’s embassy in Tunis highlights Pakistan’s role

Iranian embassies around the world have been mocking Trump and the US since the start of the war.

In a comment on the overnight US-Iran deal, Tehran’s embassy in Tunisia highlighted what it described as an irony in how the agreement was reached, pointing to Pakistan’s role in the process.

“History can be ironic; Trump, in pursuit of a deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran, went to the doorstep of another ‘Islamic Republic’ – Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the embassy posted on X.

More Democratic lawmakers slam Trump over Iran war

Democrats continue to welcome the deal reached with Iran while arguing that the war was unnecessary and the agreement simply resets the situation to where it started but only after a devastating conflict.

Senator Chris Coons of Delaware said that while the deal moves the situation in the “right direction”, several questions remain. He warned that competing interpretations of what was agreed could pose risks.

“The fact that we have not seen any text of an agreement, while he and Iranian leaders once again say different things about what has been agreed, highlights why we need to see this deal immediately,” Coons said on X.

“While a ceasefire and negotiations are a positive development, so far this war of choice has only made American service members and civilians less safe and left many key questions unanswered or unaddressed,” he added.

Senator Chris Murphy, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the deal is a “surrender to Iran” but the US should be “glad about it because every day this insane, illegal war continues, we get weaker”.

“More war would just make things worse,” Murphy said.

Murphy noted that the only concession Iran made was on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which was open prior to the conflict, and argued that Iran had already been committed under the JCPOA, an agreement Trump later abandoned, to not develop a nuclear weapon.

US-Iran deal marks ‘personal defeat of Netanyahu’

Gideon Levy, an Israeli political commentator, says the announcement of a deal between the US and Iran is being seen in Israel as “the defeat of Israel and the personal defeat of Netanyahu”.

Iran was Netanyahu’s “life project”, and now Israel has been “totally excluded from the negotiations” and can only resort to sabotage, Levy says.

Such sabotage includes what he called “the ridiculous, childish attacks” Israel launched on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday. But now, “it’s very clear that Israel only lost in this game,” he said.

Levy added that the test of Trump’s commitment to reining in Israel is “still to come” as Netanyahu would remain eager to spoil a ceasefire that fails to achieve key Israeli priorities.

“It’s very, very fragile. And I think that one of the biggest challenges of the agreement with Iran is the situation in Lebanon,” he said.

“Because the Iranians succeeded in creating a total linkage between Lebanon and the agreement, and now, really, I don’t see how it will work because Israel is still in Lebanon, has no intention to withdraw from Lebanon and, as long as the troops are there, there will be no ‘total ceasefire’ because there will always be resistance to the Israeli occupation of Lebanon.”

Iranians cautiously optimistic about prospects for long-lasting deal

There seems to be a mixture of hope, caution and optimism among many Iranians here – but at the same time, there’s also a sense of skepticism.

This deal could bring economic relief. There is a naval blockade, sanctions and many obstacles for people. At the same time, people basically say they have been here several times with the US, which breached its commitments.

Also, and this is an important point, there is a political debate inside Iran.

President Pezeshkian spoke against criticizing the officials working on signing or reaching a deal with the US. He said it’s common sense for anyone to criticize the deal, but added that the authorities will preserve the rights of the Iranian people.

Israeli opposition leader says US-Iran deal ‘erases’ Israel’s achievements

Yair Golan, the leader of the centre-left Democrats, has slammed the agreement.

“In one signature stroke, immense military achievements secured with the courage of our pilots and the blood of our fighters have been erased, while Netanyahu stood on the sidelines – weak, ill, isolated and powerless,” he said in a social media post.

Golan called the deal “the culmination of many years of failure”, adding that Netanyahu is “ending his tenure with Israel’s enemies stronger, Israel weaker and the deterrence built with the blood of our fighters eroding before our eyes.”

New Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon reported

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) has reported over the past hour a number of Israeli attacks in different parts of southern Lebanon, despite the US-Iran deal that Tehran said would include a stop to attacks on Lebanon.

The Israeli war belligerent carried out two strikes on Khiam and a drone attack on a car in the town of Kfar Tebnit, where injuries were reported, according to NNA.

The towns of Kfar Tebnit and Nabatieh al-Fawqa were also subjected to Israeli artillery shelling.

NNA also said that the Israeli army detonated a remotely piloted, booby-trapped M113 armoured vehicle on the Haris-Tibnin road, which leads to the southern city of Tyre.