War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

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.”

Hezbollah has congratulated Iran on the peace agreement, but also warns Israel “there will be no return to the pre-March 2 status quo”.

“The resistance, which has been and remains the vigilant guardian of the homeland and its people, will not accept any aggression that violates its sovereignty or sheds the blood of its people,” the group says in a statement.

Hezbollah remains committed to Lebanon’s “right to defend its land, its people, and its sovereignty until a complete withdrawal is achieved and the prisoners are returned”, it adds.

More negotiations are expected to follow between Washington and Tehran following Friday’s signing ceremony in Switzerland, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, according to Al Jazeera.

Speaking after a meeting with members of the Iranian parliament’s Economic Commission, Araghchi cautions that negotiators are moving ahead amid a backdrop of distrust.

“We plan the process of negotiations and implementation of the agreement based on distrust, breach of commitments, and past experiences,” he says. “We try to create economic breakthroughs for the country as much as we can through the agreement.”

Speaking at a briefing with reporters, a US official says there will also be a “significant increase in traffic in the Strait of Hormuz”, Reuters reports.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, notes that the rise in traffic is “actually starting already, and that will ramp up slowly over time”.

“We probably won’t return to normal in two weeks, but we will see a significant increase in strait traffic,” they add.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has hailed the US-Iran memorandum of understanding as a “document of honour” for the region and Iran’s “resistance forces”, Al Jazeera reports.

Speaking at a national conference, Pezeshkian says there are “minor differences in a very short section”, but has not elaborated.

Israel’s reaction to the agreement shows “we are victorious”, the president adds.

The memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran has been signed by US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Reuters reports citing a senior US official.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains virtually at a standstill, tracking platforms indicate, despite US President Donald Trump’s claim that crossings were resuming under his deal to end the war with Iran, AFP reports.

At 1400 GMT, tracking firm Kpler had detected only one commodities carrier crossing the strait during the day with its transponder switched on.

The Maltese-flagged Disha left the Gulf carrying a cargo of 60,000 tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) loaded in Qatar and was heading towards India, Kpler says.

A second vessel, the bulk carrier Kaiser, also appears to have exited the strait around midday, according to its AIS signal traceable on the MarineTraffic platform.

“Crossings [are] still remaining limited while there are more than 500 commercial vessels that have given an AIS signal in the Persian Gulf” in the past 24 hours, Nikos Pothitakis, Kpler’s media relations manager, says on X, referring to the ships stuck west of the strait due to the conflict.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health says that 3,798 people have been killed since Israeli attacks began on March 2, with 11,781 others also injured, according to Al Jazeera.

It adds that 15 people have been killed and 82 injured in Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi says “the entire global community should welcome Iran-US understanding”, Al Jazeera.

“It’s a timely win for diplomacy and common sense,” he writes on X.

Wall Street stocks have opened higher after the United States and Iran announced a deal to end the Middle East war that sent oil prices sharply lower, AFP reports.

While the two sides have characterised key elements of the agreement differently, the announcement has prompted about a five per cent retreat in oil prices.

About 15 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1pc at 51,703.60. The broad-based S&P 500 climbed 1.5pc to 7,544.90, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 2.4pc to 26,518.12.

The accord does not immediately resolve key questions such as the future of Iran’s nuclear programme, which will be part of a 60-day negotiation.

US Vice President JD Vance says the deal with Iran was signed electronically over the weekend, suggesting that its terms are now in place and that Iran is not receiving any new financial relief, according to CNN.

“We already signed the deal digitally yesterday, and there’s been no money released. And that won’t change,” Vance says on ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’.

While an electronic signing of the deal had been floated before it was agreed to, it had not been clear until now that such an event had transpired.

He adds that the text of the deal will be released this week.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says a peace deal between the United States and Iran can stabilise the global economy, adding that the agreement must also count for Lebanon, Reuters reports.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says the country will double efforts “to secure the complete Israeli withdrawal from our lands and the release of our prisoners” after the US-Iran ceasefire agreement was announced, Al Jazeera reports.

Salam says in a statement that Beirut hopes the deal “will succeed in putting an end to this war and halting the killing, destruction, displacement, and all the tragedies and pains inflicted upon the Lebanese”.

He thanks “all those who contributed to achieving this outcome”, adding, “We look forward to our people being able to return safely and with dignity as quickly as possible to their cities and villages and will intensify efforts with partners to secure the requirements for reconstruction.”

Iran must fundamentally change its behaviour before any EU sanctions can be lifted, Reuters reports quoting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“The principle of sanctions is that we need real change on the ground before we can think about lifting them. Sanctions are in place to change behaviour. So if behaviour is changing credibly and verifiably, then you can lift sanctions”, she says, speaking at a press conference in Evian, France, ahead of the G7 summit.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has received a telephone call from his Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani, according to the Foreign Office (FO).

“DPM/FM thanked the Italian side, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s appreciation of Pakistan’s mediation efforts that facilitated the understanding reached between the United States and Iran,” it says in a post on X.

The FO adds that both sides stressed the importance of implementing the agreement and sustaining international efforts for lasting peace and stability in the region, including in Lebanon.

“They underlined that the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is a positive step for global energy flows, trade, and the broader international economy,” it says.

“Appreciating the positive trajectory of Pakistan-Italy relations, both sides welcomed the recent signing of the agreement on the abolition of visas for diplomatic passport holders between Pakistan and Italy.”

Both sides have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation and agreed to remain in contact.

US President Donald Trump has announced that ships in the Strait of Hormuz are “starting to move, many loaded up with oil”.

“They are going along the Southern ‘Highway’, which is totally safe, secure, and pristine,” he writes on Truth Social, adding that there are “other areas of travel, also”.

Hezbollah has welcomed the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, saying it had resulted in a comprehensive ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon, Reuters reports.

In a written statement, the group warns Israel that it will not accept any attacks that violate Lebanon’s sovereignty or target its people.

It adds that Lebanon’s inclusion in the agreement reflects Iran’s commitment to ending the war.