Middle East crisis: Trump says US expects ‘complete ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel’ – as it happened

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Donald Trump said on ⁠Thursday ⁠that the ​US expects “a ⁠complete ceasefire on all fronts, including ⁠Lebanon, Hezbollah, ​and Israel.”

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“We ‌encourage everyone ‌in the ‌Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations ‌to beautifully unfold,” Trump wrote ​on Truth Social, one day after he ⁠signed a memorandum ​of understanding ​to end ​the nearly ​four-month ‌conflict with ​Iran.

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US central command (Centcom) said in a statement on social media that they have ended their blockade in the strait of Hormuz.

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“Today, US forces lifted the blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas, in accordance with the President’s direction,” the statement said. “American forces are not impeding the transit of vessels to or from Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. All US military blockade enforcement efforts have ceased.”

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The US blockade of the strait had been in effect since 13 April, with control of the waterway being a key point of conflict in the war. Marine Traffic data showed that at least seven ships have crossed the strait so far today.

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The Centcom statement added that naval ships will remain in the general area “to make sure that all aspects of the agreement are adhered to, obeyed and in full force and effect”.

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The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she was representing the bloc’s position on the Middle East, after Israel announced it was severing diplomatic relations over allegations she had compared the country to apartheid South Africa.

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Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on X earlier on Thursday that he would sever all contact with Kallas over a Euractiv report that she had compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa.

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Sa’ar said that she had for some time Kallas had been “acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness toward the state of Israel”, while accusing her of a “blood libel” over the alleged comments.

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Kallas told reporters she had made tens if not hundreds of statements on Israel and Gaza “and you see what I have been saying” but did not deny the report. “I cannot fight shadows all the time,” she said, asking reporters to refer to her public statements.

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She said she was representing the EU and “it is true we don’t always see eye to eye” with the Israeli government.

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The former Estonian prime minister has faced criticism inside the EU for not denying the remarks.

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EU leaders meeting in Brussels will express “grave concern” over the “deteriorating situation in Gaza and the West Bank, including the persistent and devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza”, according to a draft summit communique due to be released on Friday. But the bloc has been unable to agree trade sanctions against Israel. Under growing pressure to take action, Kallas announced on Monday that she would ask for “a list of options for possible trade measures”, including stopping commerce from occupied territories.

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EU diplomats say it remains unclear whether the bloc can find a majority to pass sanctions on Israel.

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Union’s high representative of foreign affairs and security policy Kaja Kallas.”,”caption”:” European Union’s high representative of foreign affairs and security policy Kaja Kallas.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Olivier Matthys/EPA”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1781801477000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”12.51 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1781801708000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”12.55 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1781801708000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”12.55 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”12.55″,”title”:”EU policy chief says she was representing bloc’s position on Middle East”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Jennifer Rankin”,”imageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2017/12/26/Jennifer-Rankin.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c0ebd8938a45421b4873cc414bdf05a7″,”largeImageUrl”:”https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2017/12/26/Jennifer_Rankin,_L.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e12882f2580d0f8384b06b108a89b53f”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 18 Jun 2026 16.04 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 18 Jun 2026 00.36 EDT”},{“id”:”6a3416d48f08c4f67d4d2ebd”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

JD Vance has said that the 60-day period in which to reach a final agreement with Iran has started today.

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“I would say the 60-day period officially started today. It was signed late, and it may have even been signed technically, you know, because of the time shift, I think it’s signed technically today, Iran time,” he said during a press briefing at the White House on Thursday.

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If this is true, that would set a deadline for the final agreement between Iran and the United States as 17 August.

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The interim pact signed by President Donald Trump and Iranian leaders kicked the hardest issues down the road ⁠to the next phase of negotiations, with no ​guarantee ​they will ever ​be resolved, Reuters reports. Most analysts are sceptical ​the two ‌sides can ​forge ​a final settlement within the 60-day window laid out in the memorandum of understanding.

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Vance also confirms that Congress is due to be briefed about the agreement with Iran soon. “We do plan to brief Congress very soon,” Vance told reporters in the White House briefing room.

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In the same press briefing, he said he is “not at all” worried about being blamed for any potential fall out of the agreement with Iran.

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Vance holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington.”,”caption”:”JD Vance holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Eric Lee/Reuters”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1781798612000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”12.03 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1781798751000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”12.05 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1781798751000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”12.05 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”12.05″,”title”:”Vance says 60-day-period to reach final Iran agreement starts today”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 18 Jun 2026 16.04 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 18 Jun 2026 00.36 EDT”},{“id”:”6a3408b68f083b97ede8b0b4″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Pakistan’s foreign ministry has said that the signing ceremony in Switzerland, which was due to take place on Friday, is cancelled as it understood to have already been signed remotely.

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“The proposed visit has been postponed as the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has already been electronically signed, has entered into force, and is now under implementation,” spokesperson Mosharraf Zaidi said, adding Pakistan would support the next phase of several “technical-level” tracks.

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Three people have been killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese state media, despite the signing of the US-Iran agreement which provides for the end of the war on all fronts in the Middle East, including Lebanon.

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Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported an “enemy drone targeted a car” in Kfar Tebnit, a village near the city of Nabatiyeh, killing two people. Another drone attack in the neighbouring village of Zebdine killed one person, according to the news agency.

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Meanwhile, the Israeli military said one of its soldiers was killed last night in an incident in southern Lebanon that left seven others injured.

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While Israel’s strikes in Lebanon have been sporadic since a ceasefire was announced in the country in April, the fighting between the Israeli military and Hezbollah has not stopped. The Iran-backed group, however, has not claimed responsibility for any new attacks against Israel since the US-Iran agreement was announced earlier this week.

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At least seven vessels have crossed the strait of Hormuz so far today, according to Marine Traffic data.

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Four cargo ships, a French flagged LNG tanker and a Cook Islands flagged bitumen tanker all exited the strait towards the Gulf of Oman – CNN reports. Additionally, a Panama flagged Starway entered the strait heading toward the Gulf.

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This marks an increase in traffic on the strait, but still far below the prewar average of about 135 ships per day moving through the vital waterway.

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This comes after the route was reopened as part of a deal between the US and Iran was made on Wednesday.

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European leaders have largely been sidelined from the negotiations, but expressed relief that the strait of Hormuz would reopen, allowing the flow of oil to resume. Emmanuel Macron said it would put a stop to a “situation of great instability that had terrible consequences for our economies”.

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President of the Philippines Ferdinand R Marcos Jr was also optimistic, saying the freedom of navigation returning to the Hormuz strait was “what we have been hoping for since the day after the war started”.

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at the strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman.”,”caption”:”Vessels at the strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Reuters”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1781787432000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”08.57 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1781787715000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”09.01 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1781787524000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”08.58 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”08.58″,”title”:”Ships pass through strait of Hormuz, according to shipping tracker”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 18 Jun 2026 16.04 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 18 Jun 2026 00.36 EDT”},{“id”:”6a33cfe98f087fb1fe0611b6″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has praised what he called a “historic” deal with the US to end the war between the two countries and pave the way for negotiations towards a final settlement.

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In a post on social media, he said: “This is a historic document and a message from a powerful Iran: peace will be realised in the shadow of mutual respect.

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“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been committed and steadfast to global peace while preserving its dignity and independence, as well as to progress and regional cooperation.”

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He also posted an image of the document bearing his signature and that of US president Donald Trump.

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Pezeshkian holding up a document with his signature and Donald Trump’s. “,”caption”:”A screen grab shows Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian holding a memorandum signed with US president Donald Trump.”,”credit”:”Photograph: WANA/Reuters TV/Reuters”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1781780457000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”07.00 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1781780846000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”07.07 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1781780846000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”07.07 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”07.07″,”title”:”Iranian president hails ‘historic’ deal with US”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 18 Jun 2026 16.04 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 18 Jun 2026 00.36 EDT”},{“id”:”6a33ca0d8f087fb1fe06115f”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, has been speaking in Brussels after meeting with Nato defence ministers there.

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He said the US will restart military action and ⁠reimpose a ⁠blockade ​against Iran if it does not fulfil its commitments ⁠under the agreement signed yesterday.

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“The ‌president has pointed out ‌that we will be prepared to recommence if underneath the timeline of these talks, Iran ‌does not do what it says it’s ​going to do,” Hegseth said.

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secretary of defence Pete Hegseth speaking at the Nato defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Belgium.”,”caption”:”US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth addresses the Nato defence ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Belgium.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Omar Havana/Getty Images”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“If Iran doesn’t comply, then ​we’re ​more than ​able to reimpose an ​ironclad ‌blockade.”

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He also slammed Nato for its perceived lack of support on the Iran war, as my colleague, Jakub Krupa, reports on the Europe live blog.

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Hegseth said:

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n

The United States has defended Europe for generations, and the President said all he said was that our jets would need to take off from bases in Europe or our ships from ports to strike targets in the Middle East, Iranian targets that threaten European interests even more directly than they threaten us.

n

But too many of our allies said no, or tried to drown us in arcane legal debates, or criticised us publicly for doing what they aren’t prepared or able to do themselves. It was shameful.

n

These allies, they put America’s sons and daughters, our sons and daughters, at risk by denying them the predictable access facing an overflight that never should have been in question at all.”

n

“,”elementId”:”8a440fc7-f6c2-4b29-84fa-c0173fac3f44″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1781778957000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”06.35 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1781779401000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”06.43 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1781779401000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”06.43 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”06.43″,”title”:”US will restart military action if Iran does not fulfil commitments under signed agreement, Hegseth says”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 18 Jun 2026 16.04 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 18 Jun 2026 00.36 EDT”},{“id”:”6a33bd1c8f083b97ede8ac33″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Donald Trump has hit out at critics who say he has “not been tough enough on Iran”, calling them “jealous, bad people, or stupid”.

“,”elementId”:”8eeec2bd-807d-4830-a1d7-ebe43f9167df”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Among his critics are top Republicans, who have said the agreement achieves even less than the deal negotiated by former US president Barack Obama in 2015.

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In a post on Truth Social, Trump said:

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n

These fools, who think I haven’t been tough enough on Iran, when the Stock Market Just Hit A RECORD HIGH, and Oil prices are “tumbling” down, are either jealous, bad people, or stupid. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

n

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president Donald Trump at a press conference.”,”caption”:”US president Donald Trump at a press conference at the G7 summit in France on Wednesday.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Pierre Teyssot/AGF/Shutterstock”}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1781775644000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”05.40 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1781776551000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”05.55 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1781776519000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”05.55 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”05.55″,”title”:”‘Jealous, bad people, or stupid’: Trump hits out at critics over his Iran deal”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 18 Jun 2026 16.04 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 18 Jun 2026 00.36 EDT”},{“id”:”6a33b1468f087fb1fe06102f”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said he is cutting off contact with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas after she reportedly compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to South Africa’s racist apartheid era.

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In a post on social media, Saar accused Kallas of “acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness” against Israel and claimed she has not denied, clarified or addressed the remarks reported in Euractiv, a European news website.

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foreign minister, Gideon Saar, speaking on stage.”,”caption”:”Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, speaking at an event in Jerusalem in November 2024.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Abir Sultan/EPA”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Therefore, as Israel’s minister for foreign affairs, I have no choice but to sever all ties with Ms Kallas,” Saar said.

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Kallas did not immediately comment.

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According to Euractiv, Kallas made the apartheid comparison during closed-door and confidential talks with officials in Mexico City last month as part of a senior EU delegation attending a summit there.

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As the adage goes: no plan of battle survives first contact with the enemy.

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Donald Trump entered the war with Iran with maximalist goals: eliminating the country’s nuclear programme, destroying its ballistic missile programme and ending its support for regional military groups including Hezbollah and Hamas.

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He exits it with Iran’s word not to build a bomb and to hold further nuclear discussions, no mention in writing of the ballistic missile programme and with Hezbollah celebrating a “victory” as the memorandum of understanding (MOU) instituted a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel has seized a swath of the country as a “buffer zone”.

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Iran’s key asset ended up being the strait of Hormuz, the waterway that almost every previous simulation of the war predicated would be quickly cut off by Iran. To reopen the strait, the administration was forced to fold on its broader goals or face what Trump called a “worldwide depression”.

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It has been clear for days that the Trump administration was skittish about putting out the text of its MOU. It was only finally read out by a senior administration official on a briefing call on Wednesday, and the White House still has not published a copy online.

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The reasoning is clear: many in Trump’s own party will hate this deal. The outgoing US senator Bill Cassidy, of Maryland, called it the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades”.

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The full analysis is here:

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Pakistan’s prime minister has hailed the “peaceful resolution” of the conflict between the US and Iran, while congratulating the leadership of both countries for signing an agreement that he claimed would immediately reopen of the strait of Hormuz.

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But amid the celebrations from Shehbaz Sharif – who has served as mediator for the deal – the release of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that gets the ball rolling on the next 60 days of negotiations between Iran and the US has proven more divisive, eliciting a mixture of outrage, bewilderment and relief.

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In France, the leaders of the G7 countries welcomed the deal, calling it a “historic opportunity to prevent Iran from acquiring any nuclear weapon”.

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European leaders have largely been sidelined from the negotiations, but expressed relief that the strait of Hormuz would reopen, allowing the flow of oil to resume. Emmanuel Macron said it would put a stop to a “situation of great instability that had terrible consequences for our economies”.

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In Israel, however, the agreement has been greeted with less optimism.

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Mark Regev, a former senior adviser to prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, questioned how seriously Iran would approach negotiations over its nuclear program now that America has removed the economic and military “pressure”. His views were reflected across Israel.

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See the full report here:

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Pakistan’s prime minister said earlier in the day that the agreement between the US and Iran agreement was taking “immediate effect” after being signed by both sides.

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Shehbaz Sharif said on social media that “as a first step, Islamic Republic of Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States of America will immediately lift the naval blockade”.

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Sharif, who helped mediate the memorandum of understanding, also reportedly said there would still be a formal signing ceremony in Switzerland on Friday to “commemorate this landmark event and commence with the technical level talks”.

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Welcome to our continuing live coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.

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The US and Iran have released the text of an interim agreement their presidents have signed to end their war, but Donald Trump has threatening to resume attacks and kill Iranian officials if Tehran fails to honour its commitments.

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Trump, attending a G7 summit with other leaders in France, also withdrew at least one of his stated rationales for initially attacking Iran, saying it would ⁠be “unfair” for Tehran not to have ballistic missiles, although he previously ⁠vowed to obliterate them.

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“We’re going to bomb the hell out ​of them if they violate the agreement,” Trump said of Iran at a press conference. “I don’t want them to. I want them to honour the agreement.”

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The 14-point memorandum of understanding extends an April ceasefire by another 60 days, including in Lebanon, to allow the two sides to negotiate a final truce over the coming 60 days.

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The agreement also includes the full resumption of maritime traffic “with no charge” in the strait of Hormuz, the lifting of a US blockade of Iranian ports, the waiving of US sanctions on Iran, the unfreezing of its assets, and a $300bn investment fund for Iran’s post-war reconstruction.

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Trump boards Air Force One as he departs Geneva airport after taking part in the G7 summit in Switzerland”,”caption”:”Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs Geneva airport after taking part in the G7 summit in Switzerland.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

However, lead Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Hormuz strait “will not return to prewar conditions” and that Iran would charge ships to transit the waterway after the 60-day toll-free period stipulated in the agreement. Trump has previously said he will not accept tolls being imposed for crossing the vital energy route.

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In other developments:

“,”elementId”:”16e7245f-93aa-42be-ba0c-2c011bfe5043″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

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  Iran’s leaders did not address the new threats while celebrating the deal, with Ghalibaf saying on state television: “Everything we sought to achieve through military action, we obtained several times over through negotiation; ⁠it was not even comparable.” The deal included the unfreezing of billions of dollars in Iranian assets, he claimed.

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  Trump and Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian both digitally signed the memorandum of understanding in English and Farsi, ‌US and Iranian officials said. Iran’s foreign ministry said the agreement was already in effect as of Wednesday, as did mediator Pakistan.

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  Under the agreement Iran also undertakes not to build nuclear weapons, reaffirming a vow it had made for decades. It also agreed to an on-site “down-blending” of its stockpile of enriched uranium.

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  Trump signed just before a grand dinner with French president Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles, the site of the signing of the treaty that formally ended the first world war. G7 leaders hailed the agreement at their summit in France. The US has said a formal signing ceremony for the deal is due to be held in Switzerland on Friday.

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  Oil prices fell again on Wednesday on prospects for the reopening of the Hormuz strait, with Brent crude futures below $80 – their lowest level since the war’s start – but later regaining more than 1% after Trump threatened renewed violence. After the signing US crude dipped 1.25% to $75.83 a barrel and Brent crude was down 1.4% to $78.41 a barrel.

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  Donald Trump entered the war with maximalist goals and exits it with a pragmatic decision to end the conflict despite the political cost, Andrew Roth writes in this analysis.
  With news agencies

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Key events

Special envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly told US lawmakers that Iran plans to invite the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect its nuclear sites following the deal with the US, sources told the Associated Press.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the importance of maintaining close ties with the US on Thursday, saying Washington had stood by Israel during the Middle East war.

“The struggle is not yet over, and further challenges lie ahead. They require calm judgement, steadfast defense of Israel’s security interests, and at the same time the preservation of our vital relationship with our American friends, who stood shoulder to shoulder with us in this fight – a partnership we deeply appreciate,” Netanyahu said at a function, reported AFP.

His comments come as relations between the US and Israel have come under strain over the US-Iran agreement to halt the conflict, a deal which has faced sharp criticism from Israeli analysts.

Netanyahu has still not commented directly on the deal, though some of his coalition members dismissed it even before the text’s details were released on Wednesday.

The latest episode of the Guardian’s Today in Focus podcast centers on the 14-point agreement between the US and Iran, the content of which reveals significant concessions to Tehran. The Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, discusses the deal in detail. Check it out here:

Hezbollah said its fighters were engaged in fresh clashes with the Israeli military today, AFP reported, hours after Lebanese state media reported that Israeli strikes in the south killed three people.

The fighting came just a day after the US and Iran signed an agreement to end the Middle East war on all fronts, including in Lebanon.

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, said on Thursday it was fighting “a force of the Israeli enemy army that attempted to advance from the town of Arnoun towards the outskirts of Kfar Tibnit”, near the key town of Nabatieh.

“The clashes are still ongoing,” it added in the statement released in the late afternoon.

Earlier, Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported an “enemy drone targeted a car” in Kfar Tebnit, a village near the city of Nabatiyeh, killing two people. Another drone attack in the neighboring village of Zebdine killed one person, according to the news agency.

Minutes ago, ​Donald Trump posted that the US expects “a ⁠complete ceasefire on all fronts, including ⁠Lebanon, Hezbollah, ​and Israel.”

US expects ‘complete ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel’ says Trump

Donald Trump said on ⁠Thursday ⁠that the ​US expects “a ⁠complete ceasefire on all fronts, including ⁠Lebanon, Hezbollah, ​and Israel.”

“We ‌encourage everyone ‌in the ‌Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations ‌to beautifully unfold,” Trump wrote ​on Truth Social, one day after he ⁠signed a memorandum ​of understanding ​to end ​the nearly ​four-month ‌conflict with ​Iran.

Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba ⁠Khamenei, said on Thursday he had authorized the ⁠memorandum of ⁠understanding signed ​by the Iranian and US presidents despite “⁠holding a different view” after receiving assurances from president ⁠Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior ​officials that ‌Iran’s rights ‌and the interests of the “Resistance ‌Front” would be safeguarded, Reuters reported.

In a written message to the Iranian nation, Khamenei said Pezeshkian, in his capacity as ‌head of the Supreme National Security Council, had accepted ​responsibility for ensuring the agreement protected Iran’s interests and pledged not to yield ⁠if Washington made what he described ​as ​excessive demands.

Khamenei added ​that future face-to-face ​negotiations with the ‌US ​would not mean accepting “the enemy’s position“.

When asked about criticism Donald Trump is facing from some Republicans over the deal, JD Vance told them to “have a little bit of faith in the president of the United States.”

“The idea that he is going to strike a deal that’s bad for the American people, it’s preposterous” Vance said, adding that the administration has to continue to explain the deal to the American people.

“I think that when people get to understand not just the agreement, but our negotiating posture as a country, they will realize this is an excellent thing for the American people,” Vance told reporters. “That’s part of our job. We’ve got to tell the story about what this means for Americans.”

US blockade in strait of Hormuz has ended, says US central command

US central command (Centcom) said in a statement on social media that they have ended their blockade in the strait of Hormuz.

“Today, US forces lifted the blockade on all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas, in accordance with the President’s direction,” the statement said. “American forces are not impeding the transit of vessels to or from Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. All US military blockade enforcement efforts have ceased.”

The US blockade of the strait had been in effect since 13 April, with control of the waterway being a key point of conflict in the war. Marine Traffic data showed that at least seven ships have crossed the strait so far today.

The Centcom statement added that naval ships will remain in the general area “to make sure that all aspects of the agreement are adhered to, obeyed and in full force and effect”.

EU policy chief says she was representing bloc’s position on Middle East

Jennifer Rankin

The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said she was representing the bloc’s position on the Middle East, after Israel announced it was severing diplomatic relations over allegations she had compared the country to apartheid South Africa.

Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar announced on X earlier on Thursday that he would sever all contact with Kallas over a Euractiv report that she had compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa.

Sa’ar said that she had for some time Kallas had been “acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness toward the state of Israel”, while accusing her of a “blood libel” over the alleged comments.

Kallas told reporters she had made tens if not hundreds of statements on Israel and Gaza “and you see what I have been saying” but did not deny the report. “I cannot fight shadows all the time,” she said, asking reporters to refer to her public statements.

She said she was representing the EU and “it is true we don’t always see eye to eye” with the Israeli government.

The former Estonian prime minister has faced criticism inside the EU for not denying the remarks.

EU leaders meeting in Brussels will express “grave concern” over the “deteriorating situation in Gaza and the West Bank, including the persistent and devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza”, according to a draft summit communique due to be released on Friday. But the bloc has been unable to agree trade sanctions against Israel. Under growing pressure to take action, Kallas announced on Monday that she would ask for “a list of options for possible trade measures”, including stopping commerce from occupied territories.

EU diplomats say it remains unclear whether the bloc can find a majority to pass sanctions on Israel.

Israel has to ‘respect this peace process’, says US vice-president JD Vance, adding that civilian deaths ‘not acceptable’

Asked about Trump’s recent criticisms of Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, Vance says that while Israel has the right to defend itself, “the Israelis, just like everybody else, have to respect this peace process.”

He added:

The president has grown frustrated sometimes that we seem to be right on the cusp of a major breakthrough in the agreement, and then all of a sudden, there’s a major explosion that goes off in a civilian population center in Beirut, and a lot of people who have nothing to do with Hezbollah lose their lives. That’s not acceptable.

Vance also said that he may go to Switzerland for talks with Iran this weekend, but that the plan could change.

“We think these technical negotiations are going to start sometime this weekend. That’s still the plan, but that could change,” Vance told journalists at the White House.