US Iran news highlights: Trump says Iran agreed on nuclear clause, denies reports of US paying $300 billion to Tehran

US Iran news LIVE: Italian PM Giorgia Meloni said, "Overnight, we have already expressed, together with France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, our strong appreciation for the memorandum of understanding signed by the United States and Iran in recent hours.

A heartfelt thanks goes to all the mediators, and in particular to Qatar and Pakistan, who have made this agreement possible. This is an opportunity for peace that must be seized: Italy, as in the past, is ready to support the diplomatic process toward a comprehensive agreement.

The principles are clear: Iran cannot acquire nuclear weapons, and freedom of navigation must be guaranteed. We are ready, together with the other partners and subject to the necessary parliamentary authorization, to contribute to an international naval presence to accompany the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Finally, it is necessary for hostilities to cease also in Lebanon, where Italy will continue to work to support Lebanese sovereignty."

US Iran news LIVE: UN human rights chief Volker Türk welcomed the US-Iran peace deal, calling it an important step toward ending the conflict and restoring stability in the region. He urged all sides to exercise "maximum restraint" and implement the agreement in good faith. Türk also expressed concern over ongoing violence in Lebanon, calling for an immediate end to hostilities, Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territory, and investigations into alleged violations of international law by all parties.

US Iran news LIVE: The United Arab Emirates has called for the protection of free navigation and the uninterrupted flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement, the UAE Foreign Ministry stressed the importance of keeping the key trade route open and secure amid regional tensions.

US Iran news LIVE: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez welcomed the newly announced peace agreement between the United States and Iran, expressing hope that it would bring an end to the conflict and usher in a new phase of stability in the Middle East. In a post on X, Sánchez highlighted the human and economic cost of the fighting, citing more than 7,400 deaths—most of them civilians—as well as the destruction of homes, schools and hospitals, rising prices and billions of euros in losses that have also affected Europe. Calling the conflict "senseless," he urged all parties to respect the agreement and emphasized that the crisis should serve as a reminder that "war is a failure" and that "dialogue and diplomacy are the only path."

US Iran news LIVE: Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir strongly rejected the proposed US-Iran agreement, declaring that "Trump's agreement does not bind us" and insisting that "Israel is not subject to the United States, and we are an independent and sovereign nation." While expressing gratitude to US President Donald Trump, Ben-Gvir argued that Israel's security interests must come first, warning that past concessions under international pressure had come at a "blood price." He said Israel could not be a partner to any deal that does not guarantee its security, stressing that there should be no compromise short of the dismantling of Hezbollah. Ben-Gvir also opposed withdrawing from territory captured by Israeli forces and called for immediate retaliation against any drone, missile or rocket attack from Lebanon, stating that "every launch of a drone, UAV, or missile toward Israel from Lebanon will lead to an Israeli strike in Dahiya." Emphasizing Israel's determination to act independently, he concluded with the message that the Jewish people "does not intend to lower its gaze before enemies anymore" and declared, "Never again."

US Iran news LIVE: Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X, "The agreement with Iran is bad for Israel and for the entire free world. Period. The joint campaign had many achievements in weakening Iran, and they will not go to waste. We will have to continue the campaign to topple the regime ourselves and in creative ways, and ensure that Iran will never have nuclear weapons.

None of the candidates who see themselves as fit for the premiership would withstand even ten percent of the pressure currently being applied to the Israeli government, and especially to the one at its head.

In Lebanon, we will be tested.

This is our war, our fighters, and the immediate security of our northern residents.

I will continue to act so that we continue to stand firm on ours and allow the IDF full freedom of action to continue pushing Hezbollah away."

Iran war news LIVE: Oil prices tumbled and stocks soared Monday after the United States and Iran said they had reached a deal to end their war that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, sending a wave of relief through global markets.

The two sides confirmed an announcement from mediator Pakistan, with a signing ceremony set to take place in Switzerland on June 19, bringing an end to three months of conflict that has sent energy prices soaring and revived fears of another inflation spike.

The Strait -- a vital maritime chokepoint through which roughly 20 percent of the world's crude oil supply transits -- was effectively closed by Tehran soon after US-Israel strikes on Iran launched the conflict.

"The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete," US President Donald Trump wrote on social media Sunday as he marked his 80th birthday.

"I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz," he added. "Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!"

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi then said the deal put an "immediate end" to the war, with talks on a "final agreement" due within two months.

The content of the agreement, which follows weeks of fraught negotiations and periodic threats from Trump of fresh hostilities, remained unclear.

Crude prices tanked as much as five percent Monday, with West Texas Intermediate approaching $80 a barrel for the first time since the start of March. Brent was down nearly five percent at around $83.30.
(AFP)

Iran war news LIVE: Egypt welcomed Monday an agreement announced by the United States and Iran to end the Middle East war, saying it could be a "turning point" for peace in the region.

The US and Iran said they reached a deal to end the war on all fronts including Lebanon, and to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz, though they offered little indication on the thorny question of Tehran's nuclear programme.

"Egypt welcomes the agreement reached between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, considering it a highly significant development that will restore security and stability at both the regional and international levels," Cairo's foreign ministry said.

Egypt, it said, "hopes that this agreement will constitute a major turning point toward strengthening mutual trust, laying new foundations for cooperation, creating a supportive environment for peace and advancing diplomatic efforts aimed at addressing remaining regional issues".

(AFP)

Iran war news LIVE: Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the US-Iran deal a "historic step towards peace" Monday following weeks of his government mediating between the warring sides.

"Today, the world has seen a historic step towards peace. After the darkness of war, the sun of peace has risen," Sharif told Pakistani lawmakers after earlier announcing the deal would be signed in Geneva on June 19.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Israel’s defense minister said Monday that Israel won’t withdraw from land seized in Lebanon, potentially challenging an interim deal that Iran and the United States reached hours earlier that includes opening the Strait of Hormuz and further extending a shaky ceasefire.

Details of the deal were not immediately released and Iran signaled implementation would not start until the signing, which key mediator Pakistan said would take place Friday in Switzerland.

But the memorandum of understanding over the war already faced hurdles. Israel’s continued hostilities with the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs Sunday, nearly derailed the negotiations. Israel joined the U.S. in launching the war on Feburary 28.

(AP)

US-Iran war news LIVE: Pakistan PM on Monday said US-Iran deal a ‘historic step towards peace.’

US-Iran war news LIVE: Egypt on Monday said US-Iran deal could be 'turning point' for Mideast peace, news agency AFP reported.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday welcomed the understanding reached between the United States and Iran to end the conflict in West Asia.

In a post on X, PM Modi said, "I welcome the understanding reached between the United States and Iran on ending the conflict in West Asia, which has caused serious economic disruption across the world and led to loss of life in many countries."

He added,"India hopes that the implementation of this understanding will help restore peace and stability in the region and ensure the freedom of navigation and commerce.

We look forward to deliberations on the remaining issues reaching a sustainable final agreement."

US-Iran war news LIVE: President Donald Trump has announced that the US and Iran have finalised a deal to end their 107-day war, which triggered a global energy crisis.

The peace agreement is scheduled to be signed on June 19 in Switzerland, according to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

"The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday evening, easing pressure on the global energy markets.

He said the deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the US naval blockade on Iranian ports.

"I hereby fully authorise the toll-free opening of the Strait of Hormuz and, simultaneously, authorise the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!" Trump said.

However, in a subsequent post, Trump said the Strait of Hormuz will open on Friday after the official signing of the agreement.

The finalisation of the deal, on a day when Trump turned 80, capped a tumultuous week of war and diplomacy when the US carried out strikes on Iran and the US president, at the last minute, backed off a threat to take control of the Kharg Island, the oil export hub of the Islamic Republic.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Oil prices slipped to a three-month low on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran's deputy foreign minister said they had reached an initial deal to end the war and to resume traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude futures fell $3.65, or 4.2%, to $83.68 a barrel by 0630 GMT and U.S. West Texas Intermediate was at $80.75, down $4.13, or 4.9%. Both contracts fell to their lowest levels since March 10 on Monday after tumbling more than 3% on Friday.

(Reuters)

US-Iran war news LIVE: Israel's defence minister said the country will not support the withdrawal of the IDF from Lebanon, stressing that it will resist both current and future pressures to do so, news agency Reuters reported.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Israeli opposition leader Yair Golan has sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the announcement of a US-Iran agreement, arguing that the deal was reached without Israel having any meaningful influence over the outcome.

In a statement posted on X, Golan said, "A tough morning for Israel. This morning, Israeli citizens are waking up to an agreement between the United States and Iran made over Israel's head.

In one signature stroke, immense military achievements secured with the courage of our pilots and the blood of our fighters have been erased, while Netanyahu stood on the sidelines—weak, ill, isolated, and powerless.

US-Iran war news LIVE: Oil prices slipped to a three-month low on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran's deputy foreign minister said they had reached an initial deal to end the war and to resume traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude futures fell $3.65, or 4.2%, to $83.68 a barrel by 0630 GMT and U.S. West Texas Intermediate was at $80.75, down $4.13, or 4.9%. Both contracts fell to their lowest levels since March 10 on Monday after tumbling more than 3% on Friday.

The U.S. and Iran will sign a memorandum of understanding in Switzerland on Friday, said the prime minister of Pakistan, whose country has served as a mediator. Trump said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz would be open "toll free" and that a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports would also end.

Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency said the draft deal called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days under Iranian arrangements.

"The geopolitical risk premium that had been built into crude is now being unwound quite aggressively as traders price in the prospect of restored oil flows," said Tim Waterer, chief ⁠market analyst at KCM Trade.

The world has lost millions of barrels of oil and gas supply since the war closed the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, for more than three months.

(Reuters)

US-Iran war news LIVE: Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, on Monday denounced the deal between the United States and Iran to end the Middle East war, including in Lebanon, insisting his country was not bound by it.

"Trump's agreement does not bind us... we are not party to this agreement. It does not safeguard our security," Ben Gvir said on his Telegram channel, in what was the first reaction from an Israeli official to the deal.

"We must not settle for anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah. We must not withdraw from a single inch of territory that our soldiers have captured and cleared of terrorist infrastructure," he said.

US-Iran war news LIVE: US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the US and Iran have finalised a deal to end the war between them. The peace agreement is set to be signed on June 19 in Switzerland.

Here is a look at the key players shaping diplomacy on all sides.

Donald Trump:

The US president, who has focused much of his second-term foreign policy on the idea that he is a peacemaker, has been the driving force behind the push for a deal with Iran. He has positioned the deal as a signature foreign policy achievement of his second term.

J D Vance:

The US Vice President has been a key figure in the administration's war cabinet, helping shape Washington's negotiating posture as the conflict entered its fourth month.

Vance has been closely involved in deliberations over the terms of the 14-point memorandum of understanding that forms the basis of the emerging deal. He led the US delegation during the marathon talks with Iran held in Islamabad in early April.

Steve Witkoff:

Trump's special envoy and point man for West Asia, Witkoff, has led the American negotiating team in back-channel talks with Iranian interlocutors. He has been instrumental in hammering out the framework deal, working closely with Pakistani mediators to bridge the gaps between the two sides.

Jared Kushner:

Trump's son-in-law and a former senior White House adviser, now operating in an informal capacity, has been part of the broader American diplomatic effort, drawing on his West Asia contacts from Trump's first term to help facilitate the negotiations, alongside Witkoff and Vance.

Ali Larijani:

The secretary of the powerful Supreme National Security Council was the de facto leader of Iran after the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28 until his own killing in mid-March in US-Israeli strikes.

Abbas Araghchi:

The Foreign Minister emerged as one of Iran's most influential voices in foreign affairs during the conflict with the US.

Araghchi has played a key role in managing Iran's relationships with global powers, neighbouring countries, and international institutions. He has been the main representative for Iran in discussions with Pakistan's mediating team.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf:

The Speaker of Iran's Parliament, viewed as a hardliner, has been a key figure in Iran's peace talks with the United States. He was Iran's chief negotiator in the first direct talks with the US in decades, held in Islamabad in early April.

Field Marshal Asim Munir:

Pakistan's Army Chief has played a crucial role in shaping Islamabad's mediation efforts, making it the country's most significant diplomatic intervention in decades. His behind-the-scenes communications with both American and Iranian representatives have been largely credited with preventing the talks from falling apart.

Shehbaz Sharif:

The Prime Minister of Pakistan has taken a prominent role as a mediator in the discussions, revealing on X this past Saturday that the agreement is expected to be finalised "within the next 24 hours" and signed electronically. Earlier, Pakistan hosted the first direct talks between the US and Iran in 47 years in April.

Ishaq Dar:

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister has played a crucial role in Islamabad's mediation efforts. He has engaged in talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi, and foreign ministers from numerous countries around the world.

Additionally, he has been coordinating with regional partners, including Turkey and Qatar, to ensure that diplomatic efforts continue.

Mohsin Naqvi:

Pakistan's Interior Minister, a key ally of Army Chief Munir, travelled to Tehran multiple times for meetings with the Iranian leadership as part of Islamabad's push to de-escalate tensions in the region. His visit was seen as a confidence-building measure ahead of the anticipated signing.

US-Iran war news LIVE: A liquefied natural gas tanker chartered by India's Petronet crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, heading east to exit the strait after the United States and Iran reached a peace deal, shiptracking data showed.

Data from Kpler and LSEG showed the vessel picked up its cargo at Qatar's Ras Laffan on March 1-2 and had been west of the strait since. While shiptracking data did not indicate the tanker's destination, a source familiar with the matter said the cargo will be delivered to the Dahej terminal in India.

(Reuters)

US-Iran war news LIVE: Top points from the US-Iran peace deal:

-The US and Iran have reached a preliminary agreement to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with a formal Memorandum of Understanding scheduled to be signed in Switzerland on Friday.

-The deal calls for the "immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon," according to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country mediated the talks.

-The future of Iran's nuclear programme has not been settled and will be discussed during a 60-day negotiation period, which will also cover sanctions relief for Iran.

-US President Donald Trump said he had ordered the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the end of the US blockade of Iranian ports, writing: "Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!"

-The announcement lifted market sentiment, with Brent crude falling about 4% and Asian stock markets rising, although analysts cautioned that important details of the agreement are still unclear.

US-Iran war news LIVE: The announcement that the US and Iran have finalised a deal to end their 107-day conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is expected to boost India's exports to West Asia, which was severely impacted by the hostilities, spur manufacturing activity and help stabilise the rupee, according to exporters and experts.

They said the announcement, if implemented successfully, would reduce pressure on India's import bill, ease inflationary covers and create a more conducive environment for trade.

The peace agreement would be signed on June 19 in Switzerland.

The US and Iran have reached a peace deal to end a four-month war that disrupted global energy supplies, pushed oil prices above USD 100 per barrel, and brought the Middle East to the brink of a wider regional conflict.

For India, which relies heavily on West Asia for crude oil, LPG and LNG supplies, the deal promises relief from high energy prices, pressure on the rupee, and inflation risks that intensified during the conflict, economic think tank GTRI said.

"For India, the agreement brings immediate economic relief as the conflict has exposed India's dependence on West Asia, from where it sources roughly 50 per cent of its crude oil imports, around 70 per cent of its LPG supplies and nearly 90 per cent of its LNG imports," GTRI Founder Ajay Srivastava said.

The disruption of shipping through the Gulf raised India's energy import bill, increased inflation risks, weakened the rupee and forced refiners to seek alternative supplies from distant markets.

(PTI)

US-Iran war news LIVE: Australia has welcomed the agreement between the United States and Iran, saying it hopes the breakthrough will pave the way for a long-term and stable peace in the region through continued diplomacy.

US-Iran war news LIVE: This agreement is not a final peace treaty. It is a memorandum of understanding that sets up a 60-day negotiating period, during which US and Iranian officials will work toward a more comprehensive agreement.

And Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said negotiations for a final deal will only begin after Iran verifies that the US has followed through on its commitments, including ending hostilities, lifting the blockade and releasing assets. He also said the full text of the memorandum will only be made public after the official signing ceremony on Friday.

Gharibabadi made clear that the agreement does not signal any change in how Iran views the US. “This memorandum of understanding does not mean trusting the enemy,” he said. "We will monitor the implementation of US commitments," per Al Jazeera.