War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

United States Central Command (Centcom) announces it has lifted the blockade on maritime traffic headed to or leaving Iranian ports, on the orders of US President Donald Trump.

“American forces are not impeding the transit of vessels to or from Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. All US military blockade enforcement efforts have ceased,” Centcom writes on X.

“Our great naval ships will remain in the general area to make sure that all aspects of the agreement are adhered to, obeyed and in full force and effect.”

US President Donald Trump has denied that there is a $300 billion payment to Iran, calling it “fake news” in a post on Truth Social.

“All there is for the US is success, lower oil prices, and victory. Check out the Stock Market,” he writes.

“Dumocrat propaganda at play!!!” he adds, referring to the Democratic party.

The US VP has excoriated Israeli critics of the agreement, warning that “I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world,” Al Jazeera reports

Speaking to reporters from the White House, Vance says President Donald Trump is “the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time” and has chastised Israeli cabinet members that the majority of the Jewish State’s defensive weapons were provided through US funding.

“The problem for Israel is not Donald J Trump and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the President of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in,” Vance said.

The 60-day period for negotiations between the United States and Iran has started, but the agreement between the two sides took effect the day before, Vice President JD Vance tells reporters, AFP reports.

“I would say the 60-day period officially started today,” Vance says, adding that “the deal started yesterday. “

The US military has allowed at least 12 ships to pass through its naval blockade of Iran’s ports following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, Vice President JD Vance says, according to AFP.

“On the blockade, Centcom (US Central Command) has allowed north of a dozen ships to go through our naval blockade, and so we’re also honouring our end of the early part of the agreement,” Vance tells reporters at the White House.

US Vice President JD Vance says he plans to go to Switzerland for talks with Iran this weekend, but that the plan could change, AFP reports.

“We think these technical negotiations are going to start sometime this weekend. That’s still the plan, but that could change,” Vance tells journalists at the White House.

US Vice President JD Vance says that the Trump administration will soon brief Congress on the Iran deal, but adds that the administration is confident it can temporarily lift sanctions on Tehran without needing congressional approval, AFP reports.

“We feel quite confident that we can temporarily lift those sanctions without going to Congress and seeking their approval on that,” Vance tells reporters at the White House.

Asked if Iran recognises the leverage the United States has over it, Vice President JD Vance has replied in the affirmative.

“I certainly think they recognise the leverage that the United States has over them, we’ve seen that in a number of our conversations, we’ve seen that just in their behaviour over the last couple of days,” he tells reporters.

“They certainly recognise that the United States has great leverage. Will that ultimately lead to a change in behaviour? I don’t know.”

Addressing those sceptical of the agreement, Vance asks, “Isn’t it worth trying? Isn’t it worth seeing whether this incredibly weakened position that the president … has put the Iranians under, whether that motivates them to change their behaviour?”

US Vice President JD Vance says “pragmatists” within Iran’s leadership want to transform Tehran’s relationship with the world and those people “are winning the argument”.

“The United States wants to have a better relationship, but in order for that to happen, the Iranians have to perform,” he tells reporters, referring to Tehran honouring its end of the US-Iran agreement.

“If they don’t perform, as we’ve said before, they don’t get any of the benefits of the bargain,” he adds.

US Vice President JD Vance has expanded on the reported $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran that was in the memorandum of understanding.

“The simple fact is that the only way the Iranians get those resources — not a single penny from the United States of America under any circumstances — but the only way that they would ever get any benefit of the bargain is if they comply fully and change their behaviour,” he tells reporters at the White House.

“You really have a win-win situation for the United States of America: if the Iranians don’t change their behaviour, their military and nuclear programme is still destroyed. If they do change their behaviour, then they are going to have a transformative relationship with the Middle East and the Middle East will have a transformative relationship with the people of Iran,” he adds.

Vance says this is a “win” for the US regardless of which course of action Tehran takes.

US Vice President JD Vance says that Iran is honouring its end of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and has not attacked vessels for the second night in a row.

“Their nuclear programme has been completely destroyed. Their capacity for enrichment, the facilities that they were using to develop enrichment and develop potential nuclear weapons, those facilities are still destroyed,” he tells reporters, adding that Iran’s conventional military and capacity to threaten its neighbours is “gone”.

US Vice President JD Vance says that the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding is “bearing real fruit” during a press briefing at the White House.

“Last night, 12.5 million barrels of oil went through the Strait of Hormuz, that is a high since the beginning of the conflict,” he tells reporters.

“Oil prices are down, nearly at their level from pre-war … gas prices dropped below $4 a gallon today for the first time since the conflict, and importantly, they’re going to keep falling further given how low oil prices are.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has underscored the importance of maintaining Israel’s close ties with the United States, saying Washington had stood “shoulder to shoulder” with Israel during the war with Iran, AFP reports.

“The struggle is not yet over, and further challenges lie ahead. They require calm judgement, steadfast defence of Israel’s security interests, and at the same time the preservation of our vital relationship with our American friends, who stood shoulder to shoulder with us in this fight – a partnership we deeply appreciate,” Netanyahu said at a function, according to a statement issued by his office.

US President Donald Trump’s deal with Iran has opened a rare breach with Republican hawks, who warn that the agreement falls far short of the sweeping victory he promised and could leave Tehran richer, stronger and still able to threaten the region, AFP reports.

The terms have alarmed some of the same Republicans who spent years denouncing Democratic former president Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran as dangerously weak.

They have voiced concerns that Trump is offering Iran sanctions relief, access to oil markets and the prospect of a $300 billion reconstruction fund while failing to secure firm commitments on uranium enrichment, ballistic missiles or Tehran’s support for armed proxies.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy writes on X that former president and Republican icon Ronald Reagan would be “rolling over in his grave”, calling the agreement “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades”.

“Before the war, the strait was open, Iran was being crushed by sanctions, and 13 service members were still alive,” he said. “Now, 13 Americans are dead, families have paid billions at the pump, sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped,” he says.

Republican Senator Ted Cruz warns Trump not to “suddenly come in with massive buckets of cash to let them rebuild and become a threat to America again”.

“I don’t want to see theocratic Islamists who want to kill us made stronger. So if this deal is giving them $300 billion, that’s a mistake,” he states.

Israel’s war on Lebanon has now killed at least 3,912 people, wounded 11,873 others, and displaced more than one million since March 2, according to Al Jazeera.

The Health Emergency Operations Centre of Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health has confirmed the toll in its latest statement. Among the dead are hundreds of children, women and health workers.

In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump says that after signing the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding with Iran, Washington has become “strong, safe, and respected like never before”.

“Oil is flowing, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon (the world will be safe!), the stock markets are roaring, jobs are at records and prices are dropping (affordability!),” he writes.

“Our country is strong, safe and respected like never before. You’re welcome!” he concludes.

The United Kingdom’s International Development Minister Jenny Chapman has called on Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon so that families displaced by three months of war can return to their homes.

“Israel should withdraw from southern Lebanon, absolutely. Displacement, we know, anywhere in the world causes huge disruption,” she tells Reuters while visiting a school where displaced families were sheltering.

“That is why we want to get the conditions right so that people can return home and be secure, be safe and be confident they can stay in their homes for the long term.”

Oil prices have dropped following the United States and Iran’s signing of an interim peace agreement, resuming a slide interrupted by US President Donald Trump’s warning that he could restart his military campaign.

Brent crude was down $1.53, or 1.9 per cent, at $78.02 a barrel at 1326 GMT.

US consumers have seen some relief at the fuel pump, as the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline fell below $4 for the first time since March, AFP reports citing the AAA motor club.

Global oil prices have tumbled after US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed off on a deal to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to tanker and other shipping traffic.

The war sent energy prices surging, after Iran’s retaliatory actions included blocking the vital waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies normally pass.

The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline logged in at $3.99 on Thursday, according to AAA. It remains 34 per cent higher than on the day before the war was launched.

The outskirts of the town of Kfar Tebnit, a municipality located near Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, have been shelled by the Israeli military, Al Jazeera reports.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reports that the attack took place in the direction of the Ali al-Taher Hill.

Global trade in fertilisers, crucial to agriculture harvests worldwide, has slumped 30 per cent since the start of the year, as the Middle East war sent prices soaring and led several countries to restrict exports, AFP reports citing the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Prices on average jumped 25pc between February and May, according to FAO data released in its biannual Food Outlook report. As a result, trade volumes fell to 41 million tonnes in the first four months of this year, down from 58 million tonnes in the period last year.

Even if the strait reopens under a deal signed by the US and Iran this week, “recovery across nitrogen, phosphates, and sulphur-linked inputs would be slow and uneven, keeping prices historically elevated”, the FAO warns.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has confirmed to Dawn that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has cancelled his planned trip to Switzerland.

In a message, Dar says, “Yes, it’s cancelled” when asked about the premier’s trip.

“As [the] signing has [been] completed remotely this morning after [the] US and Iranian presidents signed, followed by PM Shahbaz signing as mediator, tomorrow’s ceremony has been cancelled,” he adds

Talks were planned for tomorrow (Friday) at a resort in Switzerland’s Buergenstock, where the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran would be formally signed.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has had a 30-minute telephone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, after the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tehran and Washington was signed.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) notes in a statement that it is the first contact between the pair since the historic agreement was signed.

“The prime minister congratulated President Pezeshkian, the Iranian leadership and the brotherly people of Iran, on the signing of the historic peace deal,” the PMO says in a statement.

“This landmark deal, he said, would not only help restore peace in the region, but also go a long way in rebuilding the Iranian nation and further strengthening Pakistan-Iran ties, across all areas of mutual interest.”

PM Shehbaz has also wished the Iranian side success in the forthcoming phase of negotiations with the United States and assures Pezeshkian of Islamabad’s continued support to Tehran.

“On behalf of the Iranian nation as well as on his own behalf, President Pezeshkian thanked the prime minister and the Field Marshal Asim Munir for their extremely critical roles in steering the mediation process, with great skill and sincerity, that had ensured its success,” the statement adds.

“He said that Iran would always remember Pakistan’s positive and constructive efforts and its support for Iran during these difficult times.”

Qatar has welcomed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) inked by the United States and Iran, calling it “a renewed affirmation of the two sides’ commitment to resolving their differences through negotiation and peaceful means”.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates Qatar’s full appreciation of the partnership and efforts undertaken by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and all regional and international parties to de-escalate tensions and bridge the gaps in viewpoints, culminating in the signing of this memorandum,” Doha’s foreign ministry adds in a statement.

The ministry stresses that the MoU embodies a “solid foundation for moving forward with the next phase of talks between the American and Iranian sides”.

“The ministry affirms Qatar’s continued full support for all good offices and endeavors aimed at enhancing regional security and stability, and reaching sustainable solutions to outstanding issues through dialogue and peaceful means, in accordance with the principles of international law and good neighborliness, and contributing to opening new horizons for cooperation, development and prosperity, and achieving the common interests of the peoples of the region and the world,” the statement reads.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, Al Jazeera reports.

Moscow views the deal as a step towards permanently halting the conflict and could serve as a model for future peace agreements, he says.

Speaking at the Russia-ASEAN summit in the Russian city of Kazan, Putin adds that stabilisation in the Middle East will be beneficial for global energy markets.