War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Former Israeli prime minister and head of the Together alliance, Naftali Bennett, has called for a more aggressive campaign against Iran under new Israeli leadership, Al Jazeera reports citing the Haaretz newspaper.

Speaking to journalists, Bennett says the countdown for regime change in Iran will begin the moment Israel’s current government is replaced.

His comments suggest that any Israeli leadership change will not necessarily mean a move away from war, but rather a renewed push to escalate pressure on Tehran.

Danish shipping giant Maersk welcomes the agreement announced by the United States and Iran, but says it is too early to assess its impact and that there have been no changes yet to the group’s Middle East operations.

Hezbollah said it had repelled an Israeli force that was trying to “advance” in southern Lebanon, despite the US-Iran agreement to end the Middle East war on all fronts including in Lebanon, reports AFP.

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 town near the southern city of Nabatieh, Hezbollah said in a statement.

Earlier today, an Israeli drone targeted a car in the same area “killing its driver”, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported, marking the first reported deadly strike since the agreement was announced.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has welcomed the announced US-Iran deal to end the Middle East war during a call from Tehran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi, AFP reports, citing a statement from the Lebanese presidency.

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 says.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has briefed Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri on the MoU’s clause on the cessation of hostilities against Lebanon, according to Al Jazeera.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reports that Araghchi said the clause “must be implemented and applied literally immediately from day one and throughout the 60-day negotiation period, and that ensuring compliance with it is the responsibility of the United States of America and the guarantors of the memorandum of understanding”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran spared his country from what he described as the Islamic republic’s threat of “nuclear annihilation”, AFP reports.

“The most important thing is that we saved the State of Israel from the threat of nuclear annihilation,” Netanyahu says, in what were his first comments after Washington and Tehran agreed to a deal to end the Middle East war.

“And what would that mean? It would mean that millions of Israeli citizens — you who are hearing me now — all of you would have been in terrible danger of mass death … And we have pushed away from us, for years, this danger of the annihilation of Israel’s population,” Netanyahu adds in a televised press conference.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Israel will do whatever it takes to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, Al Jazeera reports.

“I did not err and we have defined our goal, which is to remove the existential nuclear threat from Israel,” he says.

Speaking about Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel has “taken control of central areas” from which Hezbollah threatened Tel Aviv, Al Jazeera reports.

“We destroyed the weapons of the Assad regime, and we will remain in the security zones no matter what it takes,” the Israeli premier tells reporters.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is speaking live at a press conference with Israeli reporters, Al Jazeera reports.

Although Israel has successfully avoided the danger of destruction, he says, “our struggle has not yet ended”.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has shared details of how Iran agreed to the memorandum of understanding (MoU), Al Jazeera reports.

“After intensive discussions, nearly all members of the Majlis [Islamic Consultative Assembly] supported the text of the memorandum of understanding so that America’s true resolve to respect the rights of the Iranian nation could be tested in practice,” he writes on X.

He adds that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Motjaba Khamenei “played the greatest role in incorporating clauses to safeguard Iran’s national interests”.

Pezeshkian adds that the MoU is the result of months of “dialogue and persistent follow-ups”, and an important step towards stopping war and beginning negotiations.

He notes that Iran “has prepared itself for all options”.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has thanked Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and members of the Shura council for their role in securing the US-Iran deal.

“The memorandum of understanding that has been drafted is the result of months of dialogue and persistent follow-ups in this regard, and if all its provisions are properly implemented, it can be considered a document of pride for the country,” he writes on X.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says that revisions to the US-Iran peace deal were finalised yesterday and that the final signing and implementation phases are slated for Friday.

“The enemy expected war to throw our markets and administration into chaos. However, thanks to the prior delegation of authority to governors and local officials, the executive system managed the country seamlessly, preventing any disruption or turmoil,” he is quoted as saying by the Iranian government on X.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has hailed the agreement between the United States and Iran, Al Jazeera reports.

Ankara is “greatly pleased” with the deal and hopes it will pave the way for lasting peace and stability in the region, Erdogan has said in remarks reported by the Anadolu news agency.

The United States has released no frozen Iranian funds so far under a peace deal, a US official says, dismissing an Iranian report that Washington would immediately unblock some assets, AFP reports.

“Zero,” the senior administration official has said in a call with reporters when asked how many Iranian funds had been released. “The very simple fact is $0 of frozen assets have been released by the United States or any other country.”

French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking alongside US President Donald Trump, says that France and the United Kingdom will lead a mission to coordinate the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reports.

The maritime and naval effort will involve some 20 countries, Macron says, reiterating that France remains committed to helping in this regard.

US President Donald Trump has reiterated that Iran “will not have a nuclear weapon”, Al Jazeera reports.

“They agreed to that,” Trump says, adding that “strong policing” will enforce the agreement. “Hopefully it’s going to be a good relationship … and if we don’t, we go back to where we started.”

US President Donald Trump says Iran will only receive sanctions relief if they “do what they’re supposed to do”, Al Jazeera reports.

“It’s really a behavioural thing. If they do what they’re supposed to do, that starts taking effect,” he says.

US President Donald Trump has made remarks on the situation in Lebanon.

“That’s a mini version of what we were doing, and it should not be tough,” he tells reporters. “Hezbollah, we have to have a little talk with them.”

Speaking to reporters, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Donald Trump says that the Strait of Hormuz is going to be open and “toll-free”, adding, “We’re not going to need much help, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have a ship or two from a few countries.”

US President Donald Trump says the text of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iran will be released “pretty soon”.

Speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump tells reporters, “I want it to be released, it’s a very powerful document … probably pretty soon, I’d say some time after Friday.”

When asked if he would attend the Friday signing ceremony for the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, President Donald Trump has replied “well it depends”, while confirming that Vice President JD Vance would be in attendance.

“I may be involved, I may not, but JD was coming in for that specifically,” he tells reporters.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf congratulates the people of Iran over the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the United States, calling it a “great stride toward final victory”.

“Beloved and steadfast people of Iran, through your historic resistance and the bravery of our armed forces against those who sought to take the lives of this nation and destroy and subjugate this country, Iran has taken a great stride toward final victory. They wanted to—but they could not,” he said in a social media post on X.

“We remain steadfast, and in the end, Iran will be victorious, God willing.”