War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Israel has launched three consecutive drone strikes targeting the Mayfadoun town square in Nabatieh district, Al Jazeera reports citing Lebanon’s National News Agency.

The Israeli army has also dropped a sound bomb in Haddatha, resulting in minor injuries to four people, it says.

Lebanese health authorities have revised the death toll from the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict to 3,826 killed and 11,851 wounded since March 2, Al Jazeera reports.

Among the dead are hundreds of women and children, paramedics, and first-responders.

An Iranian deputy foreign minister says the two-month US naval blockade on Iranian ports has been lifted ahead of the planned formal signing of a deal ending the war, AFP reports.

“The lifting of the blockade was something we had emphasised from the outset. It has now begun, and the blockade has been lifted prior to the formal signing” scheduled for Friday, says Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, according to the Iranian government’s website.

An interim US-Iran agreement aimed at ending the war in the Middle East could be signed on Friday at the Buergenstock mountaintop resort in central Switzerland, Reuters reports citing a statement issued by the Swiss government.

The Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement that it had been in close contact with the US, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar regarding the possible signing of what it called a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.

“At this stage, the signing is scheduled for Friday, June 19, at Buergenstock in the canton of Nidwalden. The location was proposed by the Pakistani and Qatari mediators, as well as by the US and Iran,” the ministry said.

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has told Irish public broadcaster RTE that the Us-Iran agreement may be seen as a “betrayal” in Israel, Al Jazeera reports.

“I think that maybe from the point of view of the original position of [Israeli PM] Netanyahu, it may be interpreted as a betrayal,” Olmert says.

He adds that the sitting prime minister would be unlikely to say so publicly because he’s “entirely, completely dependent on the relations and support” of Trump.

Olmert believes “the door is open” to an agreement between Israel and Lebanon, adding that Israel should withdraw from southern Lebanon as part of negotiations.

“We don’t need any territory in the south of Lebanon … We should pull out completely from the south of Lebanon and make all the necessary adjustments for a territorial agreement, and we should try to make peace,” he states.

Israeli warplanes have carried out attacks on several areas in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh, district despite rising pressure from the US to stop its war on Lebanon as part of the agreement with Iran, Al Jazeera reports.

In addition to air raids, Israeli artillery has targeted the Ali al-Taher heights in the same district, Al Jazeera’s correspondents on the ground report.

No casualties have been immediately reported, nor the extent of any damage.

Hezbollah has received ⁠assurances ⁠from its ally Iran that it will demand ⁠a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon ⁠in its next phase of talks with the United States, Al Jazeera.

Hezbollah’s media ‌relations office tells Reuters that a pull-out will be the result of, and not a precondition for, continuing ⁠talks between Tehran ⁠and Washington following the signing of a memorandum of understanding ⁠between the two countries on ⁠Friday.

The Lebanese group says there will be “no nuclear deal between ‌Iran and the United States unless the ‌Israelis ‌withdraw” from Lebanon.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chinese Foreign Minister have welcomed the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, terming it “an important step towards promoting sustainable peace and stability in the region”, the Foreign Office (FO) says.

“Foreign Minister Wang Yi commended Pakistan’s proactive diplomatic outreach and robust mediation efforts, which helped create conducive conditions for sustained engagement between Iran and the United States,” the FO says on X.

“He appreciated Pakistan for making a vital contribution to advancing international peace and stability.”

The FO adds that Dar lauded China’s support of Pakistan facilitating the peace process, noting contributions such as Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Four-Point Proposal and the Pakistan-China Five-Point Initiative.

“Both leaders underscored the importance of implementing the understandings reached between the parties and maintaining continued engagement for the peaceful settlement of all outstanding issues,” the post adds.

“They noted the importance of opening … the Strait of Hormuz for the global economy, energy security and international trade.”

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will be present for the signing of an interim agreement to end the war with the US, Reuters reports citing the Tasnim news agency, which cited an Iranian deputy minister.

Majid Takht-Ravanchi says it remains unclear exactly where the signing will take place and in what format it will be conducted.

President Donald Trump says that the United States is now in a position to let Russian oil waivers lapse after reaching an agreement to end the Iran war, Reuters.

“Soon we’ll be able to do that, because the oil is now flowing,” he tells reporters during a meeting with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the G7 summit in France.

US President Donald Trump says that he has a plan for Iran’s enriched uranium, adding that at an “appropriate time”, his country will retrieve and destroy it.

“It’s a very tough excavation, nobody else can do it but us, and probably China,” he tells reporters. “We’re in no rush, but we’ll get it, and when we get it, we’ll destroy it.”

Asked if destroying the uranium is part of the agreement with Tehran, Trump responds, “We’re not looking to take it, we’re looking to destroy it. We have plenty of it.”

When asked if he would present the US-Iran agreement before Congress, President Donald Trump has replied, “I never thought of it, but I would. I wouldn’t mind.”

US President Donald Trump says he will release the text of the memorandum of understanding with Iran, but wants to “get a formal setting first”.

“I have no problem with that … it is what it says: Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, that’s what it says. To buy, or develop, they will not have a nuclear weapon,” he says in response to a question, adding that it is “99.9 per cent of what I wanted”.

Trump adds that the Strait of Hormuz will be “toll-free, period” when it opens.

“I’ll go over the document with the media in a couple of days,” he says.

When asked what to expect from the second stage of negotiations, US President Donald Trump says, “I think it’s going to happen fairly on time.

“We’ve been both involved, I think we’re going to want to get it done,” he tells reporters. “Iran wants to get it done, they have to get back to business, and the relationship is now normalised. So I think it’s going to go pretty quickly,” he responds.

US President Donald Trump says that the Strait of Hormuz will be open by Friday

Trump is speaking to reporters alongside Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UAE President.

“The ships are starting to move now, we’re going to have it (Strait of Hormuz) fully open by Friday,” he says. “The ships are starting to move nicely, oil is starting to go and the prices are coming down rapidly.

“Most importantly, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump reiterates.

Lebanon’s parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, has spoken with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Tehran and Washington, Al Jazeera reports.

The two officials discussed in particular the provision in the agreement concerning an end to the Israeli war on Lebanon, Iran’s IRIB broadcaster reports.

Berri and Ghalibaf have stressed the need for the US, the parties guaranteeing the MoU, and the international community to compel Israel to end its military campaign, halt the destruction of Lebanese villages, respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and immediately withdraw from territories it has occupied, a statement said, according to Lebanon’s LBC International broadcaster.

The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) says “unconditionally” opening the Strait of Hormuz to Gulf tanker traffic is essential to ending the shock from soaring oil and gas prices to economies worldwide, AFP reports.

“The single most important solution to this problem is the fully and unconditionally opening up of the state of Hormuz to shipping,” IEA chief Fatih Birol tells a press conference.

Iran had effectively halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes launched in late February, choking off oil and gas traffic and sending crude prices skyrocketing.

Birol “warmly” welcomes the US-Iran deal, calling it “great news” that “will give comfort to the markets”.

“The crisis has started almost four months now,” the IEA chief, who has previously compared the fallout to the great oil shocks of the 1970s, points out.

Iranian state television says Iranian oil tankers and other vessels have resumed shipping following a deal with the US, in what appears to be an easing of Washington’s naval blockade, AFP reports.

“Three Iranian oil tankers are currently sailing in the northern Indian Ocean, and two others carrying essential goods and livestock feed are en route and sailing towards southern ports,” says a state television reporter from a site in the Strait of Hormuz.

He adds that “the operation to lift the naval blockade has been implemented”, in reference to the US measure in place since April 13.

Oil prices have fallen more than 2 per cent to a new three-month low as markets show optimism for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, following the preliminary deal between the US and Iran, Al Jazeera reports.

Brent crude futures are down $2.02, or 2.4pc, at $81.15 a barrel, by 1059 GMT. The benchmark has fallen to $80.89 per barrel, the lowest since March 4.

US West Texas Intermediate is down $2.22, or 2.8pc, at $78.53 a barrel after dropping to $78.27 – the lowest since March 10.

Qatar, a key negotiator in the deal to end the war between the US and Iran, believes the agreement can deliver security to the Middle East, AFP reports.

“We are cautiously optimistic that the signing of the memorandum of understanding will lead to the next phase of regional security through the talks that will take place on the nuclear programme and on other issues,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari tells reporters at a regular press briefing.

He confirms that both Pakistani and Qatari officials will be present for the formal signing of the memorandum on Friday.

Declining to comment on the contents of the deal, the spokesman urges “regional dialogue” after the accord is inked if trust with Iran is to be rebuilt.

“I can’t say that we are returning to business as usual in our region with our neighbours … there is a lot of need for dialogue and for agreement over how to guarantee the security of our region,” he says.

Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari says no Qatari funds have been paid under the reported framework of $300 billion allocated for the reconstruction of Iran after the war, Al Jazeera reports.

“We cannot comment on the $300bn allocated for reconstruction,” he states.

He adds that all efforts in this regard must be international, and the value of the economy in the region should be part of these efforts.

“We did a great job,” US President Donald Trump says, adding that it would take Iran 15-20 years to rebuild after the damage caused by the attacks.

He says that if the agreement was never signed, US would have done more damage to Iran and they would never have been able to rebuild.

Doubling down on Iran not having a nuclear weapon, US President Donald Trump claimed, “If they had a nuclear weapon, they would have blown up Israel.

“They would have blown up the Middle East, and they probably would have taken a shot at us.”

Trump says US is open to trade with Iran in the future if the deal goes well, adding that “they have a lot of oil.”

Trump has appeared to criticise Israeli military action in Lebanon, saying it has been fighting Hezbollah “too long and too many people are being killed”, according to Al Jazeera.

“You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody because there’s a lot of people in those apartment houses — and they’re not all Hezbollah,” the US president says.

“I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah because, to be honest with you, I think they’d do a better job of doing it,” Trump adds.