War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, says Tehran is engaging diplomatically with the US from a position of strength, Al Jazeera reports.

In an interview with Iran’s Press TV, Ghalibaf, who also serves as speaker of parliament, said that Iran’s “battlefield victory” had provided the backdrop to the talks.

“The difference between the current negotiations and previous periods is that today, this banner of battlefield victory, which both enemies and friends have acknowledged, serves as the backing for negotiations,” Ghalibaf said.

He added that it was important for Iran’s military gains to be translated into a lasting settlement that serves the country’s interests.

“Every war that ends in victory, if it does not ultimately lead to a legal and political document, and those victories are not recorded, will bring no benefit.”

After the announcement of the signing of the deal between US and Iran, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said “peace has prevailed”.

“The historic ‘Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding’ has been signed today. Hats off to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Syed Asim Munir,” he said.

Japan’s Nikkei share gauge surged past the 71,000 level for the first time as a ceasefire deal between the US and Iran boosted demand for risk assets, Reuters reports.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 1.88 per cent to 71,219.45, after touching an intraday high of 71,293.64. The broader Topix gained 1.67pc to 4,080.26.

Oil prices fell in early trading after the US and Iran signed an interim agreement that would end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and waive U.S. sanctions on Tehran’s oil, resolving the largest energy supply disruption in history, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures were down 89 cents, or 1.12 per cent, at $78.66 a barrel as of 0005 GMT, and US West Texas Intermediate fell 98 cents, or 1.28pc, to $75.81 a barrel.

Iran’s chief negotiator said the deal with Washington to end the Middle East war after more than three months was a “failure” for the United States, AFP reports.

“The agreement is a record of US failure. People will see it and judge,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on state TV.

Iran’s chief negotiator has repeated Tehran would charge ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz after a 60-day fee-free period stipulated in a memorandum of understanding with the US, AFP reports.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in an interview aired on state television that the “Strait of Hormuz will not return to pre-war conditions”, adding: “Iran has the right to sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and of course we will receive a fee for services.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said early on Thursday that the ‘Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding’ (MoU) between the United States and Iran had been signed electronically by both sides.

“The memorandum has been signed by honourable presidents of both the countries and also endorsed by me as the mediator. The signing of this agreement at the highest level of the respective governments demonstrates the commitment of both sides to a diplomatic resolution of the conflict,” he said in a post on the social media platform X.

He added that the MoU shall “enter into force with immediate effect and as a first step, Islamic Republic of Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States of America will immediately lift the naval blockade”.

US President Donald Trump put his signature to the memorandum of understanding during a candlelit dinner at the Palace of Versailles following a G7 summit, as host French President Emmanuel Macron and other guests applauded, a video posted by a Trump aide showed.

“Just signed it,” Trump told reporters as he emerged from the palace.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, quoted by the state news agency IRNA, said the document “was finalised with the signatures of the presidents”.

PM Shehbaz’s post on X initially stated that Pakistan, with the support of Qatar, would host the official ceremony as scheduled on June 19 in Switzerland, to “commemorate this landmark event and commence with the technical level talks”.

However, this was later removed while Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told IRIB’s ;News Network’ that, because the two presidents had already digitally signed the agreement, “No signing ceremony will be held in Switzerland”.

In his post on X, PM Shehbaz offered his congratulations to Trump, saying his “steadfast commitment to diplomacy and preference for peaceful resolution have once again helped end a conflict that could have led to devastating consequences for the region and beyond”.

He also commended the dedication and efforts of the US team, including Vice President JD Vance, special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for their “invaluable contributions to this achievement”.

PM Shehbaz also expressed his respect and appreciation for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for their “wisdom, foresight and statesmanship in embracing the cause of peace”.

“I also wish to recognise the efforts of the Iranian negotiating team, including Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Abbas Araghchi and Eskandar Momeni, whose patience, perseverance and commitment to constructive engagement were instrumental in bringing this agreement to fruition,” he added.

PM Shehbaz also acknowledged the efforts and engagement of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt. He also made special mention of Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, saying his “tireless efforts, selfless dedication and instrumental role were critical in facilitating this breakthrough and advancing the cause of peace and regional stability”.

“May this memorandum of understanding serve as an enduring foundation for greater understanding, mutual respect and shared prosperity for the complete region,” he said.

The deal aims to draw a line under the war launched February 28 by the United States and Israel, prompting Iran to counterattack with missile and drone salvos across the region — and effectively shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for the world economy. The US responded by blocking shipping to and from Iranian ports.

Under the text of the deal, Washington also commits to immediately waive oil sanctions crippling Iran’s economy.

And once a final agreement is reached on the Islamic republic’s nuclear programme, the US will also facilitate the release of a $300 billion reconstruction fund supported by regional nations, the deal says.

Under the deal released by US officials, Iran will dilute its enriched uranium stocks, possibly by “down-blending on site under the supervision of the IAEA” — the UN’s nuclear watchdog.

Additional input from AFP and Reuters

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem says that the memorandum of understanding reached between Iran and the US is a “big victory”, according to Al Jazeera.

“We congratulate the Iranian people, leadership and those who support freedom on this big victory, and we thank the Islamic Republic for linking the Lebanon front — the resistance, which has sacrificed a lot — and forcing Israel to stop its aggression,” Qassem says in a televised address.

“The goal was to bring down the Iranian regime, but the might of American tyranny was broken, and Washington’s colonialist project for Iran failed,” he adds. “The goal of bringing down the Iranian regime and destroying the dignified life of revolutionary Iran failed, and the direction shifted.”

Qassem also says that Lebanon’s negotiations with Israel should be limited to “mutual security”, adding that the country’s main demand should be restoring its sovereignty.

“The ceiling for the negotiations with the Israeli enemy is mutual security … and any proposal under the banner of disarmament will not pass, as this is an Israeli recipe for taking everything and wrecking the country,” he stresses.

“Everything linked to organising our domestic situation, whether the issue of weapons or the economy, or the national security strategy or defence strategy … it all must be completely outside the negotiations,” he adds.

“This we discuss internally. Therefore, in any negotiation, the main demand must be Lebanon’s sovereignty,” says Qassem.

Iran’s Press TV reports that 11 Iranian ships have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz, according to an informed source.

According to the source, eight vessels have managed to sail through international waters from Iran, while three others have entered Iranian waters after the US blockade was lifted under an agreement between Tehran and Washington.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre says it has received a report of an incident around 194 kilometres northeast of Yemen’s Aden, adding that the crew were safe, Al Jazeera reports.

“A vessel has been approached to within 4 meters and fired upon by two skiffs with an unknown number of armed persons on board,” UKMTO says in a statement shared on social media.

“The vessel has deployed [a] security team and returned fire,” UKMTO says, adding that “the suspect vessels have now disengaged”.

US President Donald Trump suggests sanctions on Iran can be removed once “they behave”, Reuters reports.

“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,” he tells reporters at the G7.

“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.”

Al Jazeera’s Osama bin Javaid explains that, if the version of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) read out by a senior US official is accurate, Iran’s leadership would be pleased “because it does [appear to] give into quite a lot of their demands”.

“But as the US president has been saying, his priority was to make sure that he de-nuclearises Iran,” bin Javaid says.

“He’s been able to get them to agree to water down their fissile material. He’s got a commitment that they will not be enriching uranium and never build a [nuclear] bomb — and that, to Donald Trump, is the victory he was after.”

He adds that the MoU appears to be very close to what Iran was asking for.

“We’ll have to wait and see until the final agreement is signed by the two sides,” he said. “Until they sign on the dotted line, we are not 100 per cent sure that this is the final document.”

Tehran’s foreign ministry says it is considering a plan for the presidents of the United States and Iran to sign the deal ending the Middle East war, ahead of the expected ceremony in Switzerland, AFP reports.

“So far, our plans for the Geneva meeting have not changed,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says. “Regarding the signing of the memorandum of understanding, one idea is that it be done by the presidents of the two countries, which is currently under review.”

Iran could get access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund under a deal with the United States, US officials say as they release the text, while insisting that Washington is under no commitment to contribute, AFP reports.

Tehran will also be allowed to resume oil sales as soon as the agreement is signed this week, while all sanctions will be lifted if a final deal is reached after the 60-day negotiation period, senior administration officials say.

US officials have released the text of an agreement with Iran to end the Middle East war, under which they say Tehran will agree to dilute its enriched uranium stockpile, AFP reports.

The two countries say they will discuss a mechanism for dealing with Iran’s stocks “with the minimum methodology to be downblending on site under the supervision of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)”, the officials say.

US President Donald Trump says that if Iran does not comply with the deal and pursues a nuclear weapon, “it will be bombed”.

He is responding to a question about how the agreement can permanently prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, with floated drafts of the agreement not mentioning its nuclear programme.

“When I say permanently, it should be permanently. But if it’s not permanently, we will bomb them,” Trump replies.

US President Donald Trump says he will “work with Israel” on Lebanon, further criticising Tel Aviv for “buildings being dropped” in Israeli strikes.

“It’s so unfair. You go into Beirut … that was a big hit. That was unnecessary in my book,” he says in response to a question.

According to Reuters, a senior US official has read out the text of a signed agreement with Iran, but says the parties can walk away until a binding deal is reached.

Both Iran and the US can walk away from the memorandum of understanding (MoU) they are set to sign on Friday, and upcoming talks are likely to focus on the precise sequencing of the steps previewed in the preliminary accord, the official adds.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official has read out the 14-point memorandum due to be formally signed in Switzerland. They add that the upcoming meeting will be “critical” for ensuring that the MoU can evolve into a comprehensive agreement.

“I think the meeting in Switzerland will be quite critical in order to really see how we get to the next phase,” a senior US official says.

The document, as read out by the official, is similar to the 14-point memorandum that various media outlets, including Reuters, had already reported on earlier in the day.