US Iran war highlights: Witkoff leaves for talks, Trump claims US ‘wiped out everything’ in Iran

US Iran war highlights: US President Donald Trump speaks after touring the newly designated Air Force One presidential aircraft at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, June 19, 2026.

US Iran war highlights: Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire on Friday after fresh clashes in Lebanon threatened to derail the fragile agreement aimed at ending the wider Middle East war. The truce, which took effect at 4 pm local time (1300 GMT), was brokered by US and Qatari mediators following consultations with Israel and Iran, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Iran starts large volume of shipping

Meanwhile, Iran has begun shipping large volumes of oil that had been held back under a US blockade, potentially boosting Tehran's finances days after it signed an interim peace agreement with Washington.

According to shipping data compiled by Bloomberg, 11 tankers carrying a combined 20 million barrels of crude departed this week from the Iranian port of Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman.

The vessels had previously been prevented by the US military from entering the Indian Ocean as part of efforts to restrict Iran's oil revenues. China remains the main destination for most Iranian crude exports.

At the same time, Tehran has moved to tighten its oversight of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. In a document published on its website, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority said vessels transiting the strategic waterway must adhere to designated routes and outlined provisions that could pave the way for tolls on shipping in the future.

The United States on Thursday ended its blockade of Iran, allowing oil tankers to resume normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz after months of disruption to traffic through the key waterway, as a temporary peace deal aimed at ending the conflict came into force.

The developments came as Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei backed direct talks with the US in a statement carried by state media.

US-Iran deal LIVE: Latest key points

• Oil prices fell on Friday on the prospect of more supply returning to the market after oil tankers began to move through the Strait of Hormuz.
• The White House said Thursday night that Vice President JD Vance was delaying a trip to Switzerland to lead a new round of negotiations with Iran citing difficult logistics for negotiations.
• Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei endorsed direct negotiations with the US on Thursday in a statement read by state media.
• Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's lead negotiator and parliament speaker, has said Tehran will not accept any violation of the memorandum of understanding by the United States.
• The deal gives negotiators 60 days to reach agreement on the status of Iran's nuclear program, and set up a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran and other financial incentives.

JD Vance's rant against Israeli ‘freakout’

US vice president JD Vance on Thursday delivered a sharp response to Israeli critics of the Iran deal, slamming what he described as the “freakout in Israel” over the peace accord.

"Donald J Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time," Vance said during a news briefing at the White House on Thursday.

"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."

In an interview with The New York Times published earlier on Thursday, Vance said: “I find this whole freakout in Israel a little bit odd because ‌I think that it comes from a place of mistrust, and I think that America has earned the trust of that region, of the world."

Mojtaba calls Trump ‘desperate’

Mojtaba Khamenei said that he had approved the memorandum of understanding, while adding that “desperate” US President Donald Trump had used all forms of leverage during the negotiations.

"In principle, I had a different view (about the memorandum of understanding), but I issued my permission due to the commitment that the honourable (Iranian) president, as the chairman of the Supreme National Security Council, gave me on behalf of himself and other members to protect the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front," Khamenei said in message read on state television

Khamenei said Trump had "used all kinds of levers" to secure the deal "out of desperation".

Vance to skip Switzerland trip to lead new US talks with Iran

The White House said Thursday night that Vice President JD Vance was delaying a trip to Switzerland to lead a new round of negotiations with Iran citing difficult logistics for negotiations.

It said the team lead by Vance had been ready to leave but was postponing, citing difficult logistics for negotiations.