Donald Trump will restart the bombing and blockading of Iran if Iran does not fulfill its commitments, his defence secetrary said on Thursday.
“The president has pointed out that we will be prepared to recommence if underneath the timeline of these talks, Iran does not do what it says it's going to do,” Hegseth said in Brussels after meeting NATO defence ministers.
“If Iran doesn't comply, then we're more than able to reimpose an ironclad blockade,” he said, adding that the Pentagon would be “here and prepared to restart if we need to”.
The US president continues to face mounting global criticism over his plans to end the war with Iran after releasing details of the interim 14-point agreement signed on Wednesday.
The terms of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) included stopping the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but also controversially outlined the financing of Iran’s recovery, sanctions relief and the release of frozen funds.
Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, boasted that “everything we sought to achieve through military action, we obtained several times over through negotiation”, adding “it was not even comparable”.
Read MoreRead Trump’s 14 point Iran peace deal in full after US announces signing of agreement
Oil prices fall to below $80 as Trump signs US-Iran interim peace deal to end Middle East war
Trump knows his deal with Iran is bad. His closing G7 speech made that very clear
‘I’m blaming JD’: Trump jokes at Vance’s expense on what happens if Iran deal doesn’t work out
Key Points
- President Trump signs deal aimed at ending Iran war while inside Versailles
- Trump jokes he will blame Vance if Iran deal fails
- Pakistan's Sharif deletes post on signing ceremony
- Analysis: Why Trump’s Iran deal is little more than a shopping list of capitulations
- Trump's former VP says Iran deal 'smacks of appeasement'
- Oil prices fall again amid buoyed optimism around Iran
Trump’s war secretary Hegseth tears into European allies over Nato spending
14:00 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump’s war secretary has announced a review of US forces in Europe after launching a fresh attack on allies over the amount of money they are putting into the Nato alliance.
Pete Hegseth told Nato defence ministers that “for too long Nato has been a paper tiger and a one-way street” – referring to how much of the weight of troops and money have fallen on the US – at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels.
“No more,” he added. “For all of our clarity, too many allied capitals seem to still miss something in translation. Too many allies still don't recognise the historic need that President Trump has made clear to them and to Nato itself to reforge a relevant, powerful military alliance, as President Trump put it.”
Trump’s war secretary Hegseth tears into European allies over Nato spending
Three Saudi supertankers transit Strait of Hormuz
13:30 , James ReynoldsThree Saudi-flagged supertankers with six million barrels of crude onboard sailed through the Strait of Hormuz hours after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a deal with Iran over an end to the conflict, ship tracking data showed on Thursday.
The sailings from Saudi ports were the biggest departures through the strait in weeks, according to Reuters analysis of shipping movements.
Saudi Arabia has mainly used its Red Sea port terminal of Yanbu to ship out oil due to the conflict which started on Feb. 28 and which has disrupted hundreds of millions of barrels of oil from leaving from Gulf producer ports through Hormuz.
Trump urged to include imprisoned British couple in Iran peace deal
13:00 , James ReynoldsThe family of a British couple held in Iran are urging Donald Trump to push for a hostage exchange as part of a deal to end the war.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman, from East Sussex, were sentenced to 10 years in Tehran’s Evin prison last year after Iran charged them with espionage during a motorcycle trip around the world. They deny the charges.
The couple have been on hunger strike for 39 and 30 days respectively, fearing “there is no other way to be heard” having effectively been stranded without legal representation, according to the family.
Family of British couple in Tehran prison want loved ones freed under Iran peace deal
Watch: Indian seafarer witnesses missiles from his vessel deck as war escalated
12:30 , James ReynoldsMore Republicans turn on Trump over Iran deal
12:00 , James ReynoldsAs the US revealed details of the 14-point MoU to end the war with Iran, Nikki Haley, the former US ambassador to the UN under the first Trump administration, asked why Washington appeared to be offering to help rebuild Iran as part of the deal.
“This regime chants death to America, murders our troops, and attempts to assassinate Americans on US soil,” she wrote on X.
“They believe they have an obligation to destroy us. Now, we plan to unlock billions of dollars and lift sanctions, with the promise of even more money.”
Trump insisted on Wednesday that the US would not invest in a $300bn fund and said he has not pressured Gulf states to contribute, following backlash over reports Washington could have signed up to help finance the Islamic Republic’s reconstruction.
Marc Thiessen, a Fox News contributor, assessed that the idea of handing Iran $300bn was “a disaster” akin to offering Germany a Marshall Plan “while the Nazis were still in power”.
'Technical work starts now,' says UN nuclear watchdog
11:30 , James ReynoldsThe United Nations nuclear watchdog on Thursday welcomed the interim peace deal signed on Wednesday evening by Washington and Iran.
"It is good that the memorandum is there. Now the technical work starts," the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi told reporters in Geneva.
Israel says troops operating 10 km inside Lebanon despite U.S.-Iran accord
11:23 , James ReynoldsThe Israeli military said on Thursday that its forces were operating in a security zone extending about 10 km (6 miles) into southern Lebanon, despite a provision in the interim U.S.-Iran agreement calling for an immediate halt to military operations in Lebanon.
The military said the deployment was dictated by operational needs and that troops remained stationed in their designated area of operations.
Watch: Moment Trump signs US-Iran peace agreement at Palace of Versailles
11:00 , James Reynolds
Moment Trump signs US-Iran peace agreement at Palace of Versailles
Donald Trump bats off criticism of his Iran framework deal
10:59 , James Reynolds
Hegseth says US will be ready to 'recommence' with Iran if needed
10:56 , James ReynoldsUS defence secretary Pete Hegseth tells reporters in Brussels that if Iran does not fulfill its commitments, the US will be prepared to “recommence”.
If Iran does not give up nuclear ambitions and material, the war department is “here and prepared to restart if we need to”, he says.
He adds that the US is “more than able to reimpose an ironclad blockade” - but would rather continue down the diplomatic route.
He says the Iran deal came from a US position of strength and that they will be “the big stick behind the negotiations”.
Any changes to the US troop presence in the region will be “conditions-based”, he reveals.
Catch up: US and Iran sign ceasefire agreement
10:30 , James ReynoldsThe US and Iran released the text of an interim agreement their presidents have signed to end their war on Wednesday - as Donald Trump threatened to resume attacks and kill Iranian officials if they failed to honour their commitments.
Trump, attending the G7 with other leaders in France, also withdrew at least one of his stated rationales for attacking Iran in the first place, saying it would be "unfair" for Tehran not to have ballistic missiles, having previously vowed to obliterate them.
"We're going to bomb the hell out of them if they violate the agreement," Trump said of Iran at a press conference. "I don't want them to. I want them to honor the agreement."
Earlier, he had said: "If I don't like it, if they don't behave, we'll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head, OK?"
Iran's lead negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf hailed the agreement in comments to state TV.
"Everything we sought to achieve through military action, we obtained several times over through negotiation; it was not even comparable," he said.
Oil prices fall again amid buoyed optimism around Iran
10:30 , James ReynoldsOil prices fell again on Thursday after the United States and Iran signed their interim agreement to end the war.
Brent crude was down 1.58 per cent to $76.07 per barrel, continuing a steady downward trend correlating with optimism around the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Global stocks were torn, meanwhile, between concern about the rising chances of a US rate hike this year and optimism over the situation in Iran.
In Europe, the STOXX 600 fell 0.5%, as declines in energy shares like Shell and BP offset gains in tech stocks like ASML, Infineon and AI-exposed industrial group Schneider Electric.
Europe is more vulnerable to an increase in inflation from higher oil prices than the United States and so falling oil prices are good for European economies, but the weight of energy shares on various national markets kept the pan-regional index slightly in the red.
Signing ceremony WILL go ahead on Friday, insists Switzerland
10:21 , James ReynoldsSwitzerland on Thursday said that initial talks between the US and Iran are planned at the Buergenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland on Friday, following the signing of a ceasefire agreement.
In a statement, the Swiss foreign ministry said that as things stand, the plan is still for the U.S. and Iran, and mediators Pakistan and Qatar, to meet tomorrow at Buergenstock for initial negotiations about implementing the agreement.
It comes after Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei cast doubt on this, telling IRIB's News Network that, because the two presidents had already signed on Wednesday, "No signing ceremony will be held in Switzerland."
Watch: Trump says it would be 'unfair' for Iran to not have ballistic missiles in U-turn
10:00 , James ReynoldsIsrael in talks with US over Lebanon occupation: report
09:52 , James ReynoldsIsrael is holding negotiations with the U.S. as it seeks to continue its deployment of troops in southern Lebanon, two Israeli officials said on Thursday.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, made the comments a day after the U.S. and Iran signed an interim pact that calls for parties to ensure "the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon."
A senior Israeli official close to Israel’s Netanyahu told Reuters that Israel was "conducting stubborn negotiations" with Washington over continuing its deployment of troops in southern Lebanon.
The official said Israel would not back down on its positions, including keeping troops deployed in the area south of Lebanon's Litani River.
A second Israeli official told Reuters that the outcome of the talks would ultimately depend on whether U.S. President Donald Trump "decides to force the issue" by threatening repercussions if Israel does not abide by the interim Iran pact's terms.
‘I’m blaming JD’: Trump jokes at Vance’s expense on what happens if Iran deal doesn’t work out
09:30 , James ReynoldsPresident Donald Trump on Wednesday touted what he called a “historic” agreement with Iran while joking that if the deal falters he will pin the blame on Vice President J.D. Vance.
Speaking at a press conference at the end of the G7 summit in France, Trump defended the memorandum of understanding with Tehran, saying it would end the current conflict, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and “prevent Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
But when asked why he wouldn’t stick around Europe for a signing ceremony set for Friday in Switzerland, the president quipped that he was letting the vice president go in his stead in case the deal goes south.
Trump jokes at Vance’s expense that if Iran deal doesn’t work out: ‘I’m blaming JD’
Hegseth attacks European allies over Iran commitments
08:57 , James ReynoldsU.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is attending a meeting of Nato defence ministers at the alliance HQ in Belgium.
He says that too many Nato allies failed to support the US on its war in Iran, branding it “shameful” that they were denied access to airbases.
He says the Pentagon will launch a six month review of US troop posture in Europe - a ‘real review’ to ensure Nato is moving fast and irreversibly towards Europe leading the alliance.
The US cannot pay more for Nato’s defence than allies do, he adds.
Trump grilled Murdoch on whether he preferred Vance or Rubio - as they were all sat together, report says
08:50 , James ReynoldsDuring an October dinner, President Donald Trump reportedly polled media mogul Rupert Murdoch to get his thoughts on the question flying through Washington ahead of the 2028 presidential election: Who do you like more, Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio?
The two men sat awkwardly nearby as Murdoch responded, according to an excerpt obtained by Axios from the forthcoming book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
Murdoch, who reportedly tried to talk Trump out of choosing Vance in 2024, allegedly responded that Vance “has the potential to be great,” while Rubio “is brilliant.”
Read the full story:
Trump grilled Murdoch on if he liked Vance or Rubio as they sat together: report
Analysis: Why Trump’s Iran deal is little more than a shopping list of capitulations
08:23 , James ReynoldsThere are gaping holes in the 14-point US deal with Iran in which some of the trickiest sticking points have not been addressed, writes chief international correspondent Bel Trew:
Why Trump’s Iran deal is little more than a shopping list of capitulations
Trump's former VP says Iran deal 'smacks of appeasement'
08:22 , James ReynoldsMike Pence, who was Trump’s vice president during his first term, acknowledged the Memorandum of Understanding “does smack of the kind of appeasement that our administration rejected in the Obama-Iran nuclear deal”.
“I would urge the President to take a step back, continue the blockade and pursue a negotiated settlement that commits Iran to dismantling their nuclear program, dismantling this missile program, ends support for terrorist proxies and opens the strait.
“Failing that, we should let our Armed Forces finish the job on our terms,” he wrote on social media.
German growth hit by Iran war energy shock, IMK says
08:15 , ReutersGermany's economy will grow less than previously expected this year and next as the Iran war and a resulting energy price shock weigh on consumption and investment, the IMK economic institute said on Thursday.
The Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK) forecast gross domestic product would expand by 0.6% in 2026 and 0.9% in 2027, cutting its March projections by 0.3 and 0.7 percentage points respectively.
IMK said the outlook assumed the conflict would not escalate further, energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz would normalise later this year and oil and gas infrastructure in Gulf states would not suffer substantial additional damage.
Inflation is expected to average 2.8% in 2026, higher than previously assumed, before easing to 2.3% in 2027.
US and Iran still expected in Switzerland on Friday
07:45 , James ReynoldsThe Swiss government says the plan at present is still for the US and Iran, along with Pakistan, Qatar and other involved countries, to meet at Burgenstock on Friday for initial talks on implementing the peace agreement.
Germany deploys ship to Red Sea for possible Hormuz mission
07:15 , James ReynoldsGermany is deploying two ships to the Red Sea in preparation for a possible military mission in the Strait of Hormuz, Germany's Defence minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday.
"As we speak, our minesweeper Fulda and the supply ship Mosel are sailing through the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea," he told reporters as he arrived for a meeting with his NATO counterparts in Brussels.
Pistorius said approval would be needed from Iran and Oman before any participation in a minesweeping operation, and added any mission would also depend on the developments in further talks between Iran and the United States.
Catch up: Read Trump’s 14 point Iran peace deal in full after US announces signing of agreement
07:12 , James ReynoldsNearly four months after the U.S. started its war with Iran, Donald Trump has signed a long-awaited deal to end the war, restore global shipping and resolve an abiding dispute over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Details of a 14 point plan were previously released by US officials, with an official signing ceremony expected to take place in Switzerland on Friday. However, it emerged on Wednesday evening that it had already been signed by the US president and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said any further Israeli attacks on Lebanon would be considered a breach of the terms of the deal. With Israel having continued its strikes on the country’s south, there remain concerns the deal could still fall apart.
Read Trump’s 14 point Iran peace deal in full after US announces signing of agreement
Vance argues Iran is not a quagmire like the Iraq war
06:59 , Namita SinghIn interviews this week, JD Vance has sought to speak directly to the skeptics in his party, a preview of the difficult explanations he may be pressed to make as a candidate on the war.
On Megyn Kelly's show, the vice president said the critics “believe Iranian propaganda” about the deal. But he acknowledged some of the frustrations on the hawkish right while trying to reassure the anti-interventionists that the Iran conflict isn't the war in Iraq, where he served as a Marine.
“We were never going to get the quagmire that a lot of people were worrying about because Donald Trump is just not George W Bush,” he said.
Democrats have stressed that even as Vance becomes the face of the Iran deal, the fate of any administration official who harbors presidential aspirations — particularly hawkish Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has largely been quiet in the agreement's final phases — will be tied to its outcome.
“I think any member of this administration is going to rise or fall on the basis of the Iran war and the handling of the economy, and I don’t think there are exceptions,” said Senator Brian Schatz.
Criticism of Iran deal continues to build in US after text is released
06:36 , Namita SinghBacklash against the US-Iran peace deal, including from conservatives, began growing this week after the US digitally signed the memorandum of understanding with Iran on Sunday.
Luke Schroeder, a spokesperson for vice president JD Vance, said in a statement: “It’s unfortunate that some Republicans are attempting to undermine the President’s efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East and ensure Iran never has a nuclear weapon.”
Officials gave shifting answers about when they would release the text, but leaked copies of a draft were quickly met with anger and scepticism from Democratic and Republican lawmakers, as well as Israel and pro-Israel advocates.
Their criticisms included concerns that the deal, meant to open a two-month negotiating period, seemed to offer Iran wins up front while guaranteeing little in return, and that Trump’s stated reason for launching the conflict, to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, remains unresolved.
In response to the backlash and mounting questions, the US on Wednesday provided the text of the agreement to journalists.
The agreement states that Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is believed to be buried under rubble, must at minimum be diluted under international supervision. It also states that Iran shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons – a commitment it has made previously.
But beyond stating that the US and Iran will negotiate over Iran's nuclear program, other commitments still need to be worked out.
Criticism on the right persisted after the text was released.
Conservative radio host Erick Erickson, a hawk who has defended the war, said: “This is an American surrender.”
Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, criticised the agreement and said to reporters: “I think the president, unfortunately, is receiving bad advice.”
Vance becomes the face of Trump's tentative deal to end war with Iran
06:14 , Namita SinghJD Vance was supposed to be spending the week promoting his new book, the kind of event a potential presidential candidate like the vice president typically uses to speak to a wide audience about his life and values ahead of a campaign.
Instead, the rollout of Vance’s second book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, has been largely crowded out by something else he’s put his name on: the tentative deal to end the Iran war.
The Republican vice president has embraced the role of chief defender of the agreement he and President Donald Trump signed with Tehran, giving a series of interviews touting the memorandum of understanding as a success and releasing a video championing it.
It’s a striking emergence for a politician who was known for his skepticism of foreign military interventions and who seemed reluctant to speak on the conflict when Trump launched it in late February.
The vice president is poised to yoke himself further to the conflict’s outcome on Friday, when he’s expected to travel to Switzerland to kick off a new phase of negotiations with Iran. He was originally expected to attend a formal signing ceremony for the deal, but Trump formally signed it on Wednesday instead.
Vance becoming a hype man for the agreement seems to be an all-in gamble that, should he decide to seek the White House in 2028, voters will reward him for being the face of ending an unpopular conflict.
It’s also setting Vance up as the presumptive fall-guy should the deal with Iran falter.
Trump joked about such a possibility on Wednesday.
“If it works out, I’m going to take the credit. If it doesn’t work out, I’m blaming JD,” Trump said.
Trump jokes he will blame Vance if Iran deal fails
04:45 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarDonald Trump suggested he would blame vice president JD Vance if the Iran peace deal failed.
Asked about the possibility of blaming Vance if the deal fails, Trump replied: "I like that idea, sure."
"This way, if it works out, I'm going to take the credit. If it doesn't work out, I'm blaming JD," the president continued.
"You better be careful, JD," he said.
Vance has become a leading administration voice promoting the initial agreement to end the war in Iran, even as Trump has occasionally contradicted facets of the agreement that Vance has announced publicly.
Trump knows his deal with Iran is bad. His closing G7 speech made that very clear
04:40 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarIf you’d like to know how Donald Trump’s closing speech at the G7 went, it’s probably best to start at the part where he asked Scott Bessent whether the stock market was smarter than his Treasury secretary.
“No, sir,” Bessent dutifully replied. He was disagreeing with a notion Trump had just posited, but it was clear from his tone of voice that he didn’t mean to disagree.
He was simply trying to make real-time sense of what his boss had just said, which happened to be the semi-coherent and utterly baffling: “The stock market is more brilliant than anybody there is, including people on this stage, apart from me. What do you think, Scott, is the stock market more brilliant than you?”
Yes, sir? No, sir? What, sir? It was clear at that point, just a couple of minutes in, that nobody — including his own team, or perhaps especially his own team — had any idea what Trump was talking about.
More here.
Trump knows his deal with Iran is bad. His closing G7 speech made that very clear
Pakistan's Sharif deletes post on signing ceremony
04:26 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarPakistan's prime minister Shehbaz Sharif deleted a post on the US-Iran deal and later reposted it without a reference to the Friday signing ceremony.
Sharif had written on X that there would still be a formal signing ceremony on Friday, after both sides had already signed a memorandum of agreement.
Sharif briefly removed the post a short time later, however. Then, he reposted most of the same text but removed a reference to Friday's ceremony.
That could cast doubt on whether the ceremony will happen.
Oil prices fall to $78 a barrel
04:25 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarOil prices fell in early trading this morning after the US and Iran signed an interim agreement that would end the Iran war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and waive US sanctions on Tehran's oil, resolving the largest energy supply disruption in history.
Brent crude futures were down 89 cents, or 1.12 per cent, at $78.66 a barrel, and US West Texas Intermediate fell 98 cents, or 1.28 per cent, to $75.81 a barrel.
Watch: Trump says unfair' for Iran to not have ballistic missiles if others have them
04:17 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarTrump threatens he could still resume attacks
04:16 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarUS president Donald Trump has threatened that he could resume attacks and kill Iranian officials if they failed to honour their commitments after both nations signed the peace deal on Wednesday.
"We're going to bomb the hell out of them if they violate the agreement," Trump said of Iran at a press conference.
"I don't want them to. I want them to honour the agreement."
He also called Iranians "smart people" as US and Iranian negotiators work on a permanent truce over the coming 60 days, which Trump said he hoped would usher in peace in the Middle East and lower oil prices.
Fox News host turns blame on JD Vance for Iran negotiations: ‘Wasn’t the right person’
04:01 , Graeme MassieAustralia relaxes Middle East travel warning in boost for airlines and travellers
03:00 , James ReynoldsAustralians would be able to enjoy foreign holidays at cheaper rates after the government significantly relaxed its travel warnings for several Middle Eastern countries.
The government lifted its blanket travel bans for Gulf nations on Tuesday after US president Donald Trump announced a peace deal with Iran.
The deal is expected to be formally signed in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday.
Foreign minister Penny Wong confirmed that the "do not travel" advisory had been lowered for the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Israel, and Kuwait.
Australia relaxes Middle East travel warning in boost for airlines and travellers
Trump says sanctions will be removed once Iran 'behaves' - ICYMI
02:01 , Alex CroftDonald Trump on Wednesday suggested that sanctions on Iran would be removed once "they behave."
"As far as sanctions are concerned, at some point, you know, we have sanctions which will never let them rebuild. They would have no money, they would be in poverty, the 91 million people would starve, so something will happen as soon as they behave. When they behave, we're going to let that go. We're going to have to. I put sanctions on a lot of people, and then I let them go," Trump told reporters.
He also suggested that frozen funds could be returned.
"We have taken their money, it's not our money, it's their money, and we froze it. At a certain point in time I guess we're going to have to give it back," Trump said. "If we didn't give it back, nobody would ever invest in the dollar again."
WATCH: President Trump signs deal aimed at ending Iran war while inside Versailles
01:33 , Josh Marcus
On Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump ceremonially signed the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the Iran war.
The Republican inked the document during a visit to France’s Versailles palace after the G7 summit.
French President Emmanuel Macron and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looked on with approval as the Republican used a heavy ink pen to seal the deal.
“It’s signed, yeah,” Trump told reporters as he left dinner with Macron. “I signed it in Versailles.”
You can watch video of the historic moment here, via the White House.
Watch: Trump refers to Obama as 'stupid SOB' in Iran rant
01:00 , James ReynoldsFamily of British couple in Tehran prison want loved ones freed as part of Trump’s Iran peace deal
Thursday 18 June 2026 00:00 , James ReynoldsThe family of a British couple held in Iran are urging Donald Trump to push for a hostage exchange as part of a deal to end the war.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman, from East Sussex, were sentenced to 10 years in Tehran’s Evin prison last year after Iran charged them with espionage during a motorcycle trip around the world. They deny the charges.
The couple have been on hunger strike for 39 and 30 days respectively, fearing “there is no other way to be heard” having effectively been stranded without legal representation, according to the family.
Read the full story:
Family of British couple in Tehran prison want loved ones freed under Iran peace deal
Trump thanks Putin and Xi for being 'neutral' during war
Wednesday 17 June 2026 23:30 , Alex CroftDonald Trump on Wednesday thanked China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin for what he called their neutrality during the war with Iran.
"I just want to thank them because they made it a lot better," Trump said at a press conference on the sidelines of the Group of Seven conference in Evian-les-Bains, France, adding that both leaders had been "neutral."
60-day ceasefire period begins today - Tehran
Wednesday 17 June 2026 23:26 , Alex CroftThe 60-day ceasefire period between the US and Iran has started today, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has said.
He provided some extra details on the agreement - here they are:
- Further Israeli attacks on Lebanon will be considered a breach of commitment.
- The management of the Strait of Hormuz will be the responsibility of Iran and Oman.
- Sanctions on Iranian oil should be lifted and Tehran should be able to start selling oil today and for the next 60 days.
- The US should not issue any new sanctions nor boost its military presence in the region within this 60 days.
- Fees will be received in exchange for services given to ships - there was not more clarity issued on this point.
- Iran’s nuclear materials will not be sent outside the country.
Trump and Iran sign MOU agreement
Wednesday 17 June 2026 23:18 , Alex CroftDonald Trump on Wednesday signed the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war with Iran, a White House official has said.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the text of the agreement between the United States and Iran has been officially signed by the presidents of both sides, Iran state media reported early on Thursday.
Trump's Iran deal sets tone for talks
Wednesday 17 June 2026 23:00 , James ReynoldsG7 chiefs on Wednesday welcomed the preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran and said they were ready to help implement it.
They said they would make efforts to diversify energy supply routes to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked for most of the duration of its war with the US.
Trump cautioned today that the memorandum of understanding with Iran was not final, and that he could resume a bombing campaign if it was not honoured.
“If I don't like it, if they don't behave, we'll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head, OK?” he said.
Although European allies appeared supportive of the preliminary memorandum in public, diplomats cautioned that getting a lasting deal on Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programme as well as its support for proxy forces in the Middle East is no small challenge.
