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Vance says Trump may release US – Iran agreement before Friday signing
US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on Monday that US President Donald Trump may decide to release Washington's agreement with Tehran before Friday.
The agreement, which was electronically signed by leaders in the US and Iran, is expected to be signed in person on Friday.
Vance says nuclear inspectors will 'absolutely' be allowed back into Iran
US Vice President JD Vance told NBC News in an interview on Monday that nuclear inspectors will "absolutely" be allowed to return to Iran as part of a deal with the US to end the war between the two countries.
"In fact, one of the core parts of the agreement is that the (International Atomic Energy Agency) and the United States are going to help Iran destroy the highly enriched stockpile, and that's something that's spelled out very clearly" in the memorandum of understanding the US and Iran have already agreed to, NBC quoted Vance as saying.
Iranian media says explosions heard near Qeshm island
Iran's Mehr news agency said that the sound of three explosions was heard south of Qeshm island and in the Strait of Hormuz area, adding that initial reports suggested the blasts were likely carried out to "manage traffic in the strait".
Hezbollah says it attacked Israeli forces in southern Lebanon
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said on Monday it had attacked an Israeli force trying to advance in southern Lebanon despite the US – Iran agreement to end the Middle East war.
Fighters from the group, "using rockets and drones", blocked an Israeli force consisting of an excavator and two Merkava tanks that was "advancing" in the vicinity of Kfar Tebnit, near the southern city of Nabatieh, Hezbollah said in a statement.
In another statement late on Monday, it added: "The enemy army regrouped its forces in the vicinity of the crossing area by bringing in an armoured force consisting of five Merkava tanks and four vehicles.
"The mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted them with rocket barrages and artillery shells, and the clashes are still ongoing."
Vance says US – Iran MOU is a 'very general document'
US Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that the US memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran was only a broad framework agreement, with key details still to be settled in future talks.
"The MOU ... is about a page and a half so it is a very general document," Vance said on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper". "On a number of issues, we are going to have to figure this stuff out during the technical negotiation phase."
🎥 US-Iran deal leaves major Lebanon questions unresolved
Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Negah Angha, Visiting Fellow at King's College London and Former Senior Advisor at the US Department of State and National Security Council under the Biden Administration, says that "the real test is going to be whether or not this framework survives the Lebanon angle and whether it can, on the American side, be translated into some sort of nuclear framework".
🎥 Deal allows Tehran to charge maritime service fees on Hormuz Strait transit, Iranian ministry days
US officials said Monday that ships will move toll-free through the Strait of Hormuz under an Iran peace deal signed by President Donald Trump, and insisted that Tehran would have to fulfill its commitments before getting any economic benefits. However, Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday that the deal would allow it to charge maritime service fees on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, rather than imposing "tolls." FRANCE 24's Peter O'Brien reports.
Netanyahu says Israeli forces to stay in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza 'as long as necessary'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that the country's forces would remain in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria "for as long as necessary," hours after a deal was announced between Iran and the US to end the Middle East war.
"We established deep security zones around the State of Israel. We did this in Gaza, in Lebanon, and in Syria," Netanyahu said in a televised press conference. "And I want to make it clear: we will remain in these security zones for as long as necessary to protect our country."
Lebanon's Aoun welcomes US-Iran deal after call with Iran FM
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday welcomed the announced US-Iran deal to end the Middle East war during a call from Tehran's top diplomat and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, the Lebanese presidency said in a statement.
The Lebanese leader said he hoped the agreement would be a "positive step towards reducing tensions and opening the door to diplomatic solutions", while Araghchi emphasised "the importance of respecting Lebanon's sovereignty", the statement said.
🎥 As the US and Iran both declare victory, 'none of the problems were resolved'
Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Ali Vaez, Director of the Iran project and Senior Advisor at the International Crisis Group. He argues that the war failed to achieve its principal strategic objectives while imposing enormous costs on all parties involved. Contrary to narratives portraying the outcome as a decisive victory for either side, Vaez frames the conflict as a classic "lose-lose" dynamic: Iran survived but emerged economically devastated; the United States and Israel degraded some Iranian capabilities but failed to secure regime change, eliminate Iran's strategic influence, or produce a substantially improved nuclear agreement.
Trump says Strait of Hormuz will be 'completely open' Friday
The Strait of Hormuz will be "completely open" from Friday after a deal between Iran and the US to end the Middle East war that limited shipping in the critical bottleneck, President Donald Trump said.
Speaking at the start of bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of a G7 summit in France, Trump added "I don't think we will need much help" on keeping the strait open, after London and Paris proposed a joint naval mission.
US-Iran pact 'very important step for peace,' Macron says
The memorandum of understanding signed by the United States and Iran to end their four-month war is a very important step and will allow for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, French President Emmanuel
Macron said.
"That's a very important step for peace," Macron said during a press meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump during the G7 summit.
Text of of the US-Iran pact to be released after Friday, says Trump
US President Donald Trump said the text of the deal with Iran will be released sometime after a formal signing on Friday.
Speaking shortly after arriving in Evian, France, for a G7 meeting, Trump also said the Strait of Hormuz will be fully open by Friday.
🎥 Israel 'has had its hands forced' by US-Iran deal
The US and Iran said they have agreed terms to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Though the text has not yet been published, its apparent call for hostilities to cease more broadly could be tricky for Israel, which was not part of the negotiations and has been waging war in Lebanon against the Iran-aligned Hezbollah group. FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky reports from Jerusalem.
Trump, Vance and Iran's parliament speaker signed the MOU, senior US official says
The memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran has been signed electronically by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a senior US official said on Monday.
🎥 Mixed reactions in Lebanon and Israel over Iran-US ceasefire
The United States and Iran reached an initial agreement Monday that would extend their shaky ceasefire and lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but significant challenges remain to ending the war, including whether Israel will continue its offensive in Lebanon. The deal was met by sceptism by some in Beirut who doubt if it will really bring an end to the destruction, while in Israel some would like to see the war continue.
Israeli strike kills one in south Lebanon, first deadly attack since US-Iran deal announcement
An Israeli drone strike targeted a car in southern Lebanon, killing its driver, Lebanese security sources and state media reported on Monday.
The strike was the first reported deadly Israeli attack in Lebanon since the announcement of the U.S.-Iran agreement.
US blockade of Iran ports in effect until agreement with Tehran completed, US advisory says
A US blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect pending completion of a ceasefire agreement
with Iran scheduled for June 19, the US military said in an advisory note on Monday.
"A military blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect restricting all traffic inbound and outbound from these ports," the advisory said.
"Do not attempt to cross until explicit direction is given."
Iran must change behaviour before any EU sanctions can be lifted, EU's von der Leyen says
Iran must fundamentally change its behaviour before any EU sanctions can be lifted, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said .
"The principle of sanctions is that we need real change on the ground before we can think about lifting them. Sanctions are in place to change behaviour. So if behaviour is changing credibly and verifiably, then you can lift sanctions", she said, speaking at a press conference in Evian, France, ahead of the G7 summit.
Yesterday's key developments:
• Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said early on Monday that the US and Iran have agreed to a memorandum of understanding to be signed in Switzerland on June 19, with both sides declaring "the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon."
• The United States agreed to release $12 billion in frozen assets to Iran before the start of negotiations.
• The Israeli military continued to strike the southern suburbs of Beirut, claiming to have killed a senior Hezbollah militant, earning backlash as the US and Iran worked towards an agreement.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
