We’re wrapping up this live page now but our round-the-clock coverage of the Middle East crisis continues. Here’s a full report on the latest amid the US-Iran framework peace agreement, and a recap of the day’s key events.
- +Iran ‘agreed to never have a nuclear weapon’, says Trump – as it happened
Donald Trump has said the strait of Hormuz “will be completely open” by Friday after the agreement on a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran on ending the war.
Donald Trump has said the strait of Hormuz “will be completely open” by Friday after the agreement on a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran on ending the war. Its text is yet to be publicly released. A signing ceremony is scheduled to take place on Friday in Geneva, with US vice-president JD Vance and chief Iranian negotiator Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf in attendance.
The deal includes a ceasefire in Lebanon but does not provide for a withdrawal of Israeli troops from areas they occupy. Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam has said diplomatic efforts with the US are continuing in order to achieve the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from territory in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah later said on Monday it had used rockets and drones to attack an Israeli force trying to advance in southern Lebanon. Earlier in the day an Israeli drone targeted a car, killing its driver, Lebanan’s official National News Agency said, marking the first deadly strike since the peace agreement was announced.
Benjamin Netanyahu said in his first public address after the deal that Israeli forces would remain in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria “for as long as necessary”. The Israeli prime minister also announced he would run for re-election.
Three oil tankers and two cargo ships carrying goods passed through the strait of Hormuz area that had been subject to a US naval blockade, Iranian media said on Monday evening. Trump said earlier that ships were again moving through the strait.
Hezbollah welcomed the Iran-US agreement, saying it had resulted in a comprehensive ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon. The Iran-backed group said it would not accept any attacks that violated Lebanon’s sovereignty or targeted its people, and that Lebanon’s inclusion in the agreement reflected Iran’s commitment to ending the war.
The Trump administration is prepared to allow the establishment of a $300bn investment fund for Iran if it agrees to a final settlement to end the war that includes a nuclear deal, according to the Financial Times. Trump dismissed the report as “fake news”.
Trump repeated that “Iran has agreed to never have a nuclear weapon”. Vance said nuclear inspectors would “absolutely” be allowed to return to Iran as part of the deal.
Israel’s military said it has killed two Hamas commanders in strikes in Gaza on Monday.
Global oil prices tumbled amid fresh hopes that the deal may end the greatest energy supply crisis in the market’s history. The price of Brent crude dropped below $84 a barrel as the new trading week began in financial centres across the Asia-Pacific.
Fury continued to mount in India over the US’s refusal to apologise for the deaths of Indian sailors killed in strikes in the strait of Hormuz, further straining relations between the two countries as their leaders meet at the G7 summit in France this week.
Ahead of the Iran v New Zealand match now being played in the World Cup – Iran’s first of the tournament – Iranian Americans streamed into the Los Angeles stadium with some calling for Iranians to band together and forget politics while others bore symbols protesting against the regime.
The team arrived at the stadium after flying into the US on Sunday from their training base in Tijuana, Mexico, touching down in Los Angeles just as the US-Iran deal on ending the war was announced.
In Los Angeles – home to the biggest Iranian community outside Iran, many of whom fled the country after the Islamic Revolution – Iranian American soccer fans say they have been left torn between excitement at seeing the team on the world’s biggest stage, anger at Tehran’s crackdown on protesters and concern about Washington’s bombing campaign.
Reuters also reports that by 4pm local time, about 300-500 protesters had gathered outside the stadium, waving anti-government signs and flags. Some in the community have said they do not want to attend the match as it would imply support for Iran’s government.
Others have indicated they will go and try to smuggle in symbols of protest, including the pre-revolutionary Iran flag, which is the same colours as the current official flag but has a different lion-and-sun motif.
Iran has threatened to halt matches if unofficial flags are brought in or slogans chanted.
World football’s governing body Fifa has said it prohibits flags or apparel of a political nature, but it has not commented specifically on what its approach would be to the Iranian pre-revolutionary flag.
Reuters saw fans carrying the lion-and-sun flag or wearing T-shirts with the symbol passing through security without any issue on Monday.
More now on why the former US ambassador to Israel thinks the US-Iran deal leaves Tehran strengthened and Washington weakened: Dan Shapiro told CNN the agreement comes at a US cost just to return to the pre-war position of the strait of Hormuz being open.
He told the network’s OutFront program:
double quotation markThere is payment coming – it’s clear that Iran is going to get sanctions relief, some frozen assets released, first perhaps by its neighbours, then later perhaps by the United States and others – and so this will cost us just to get back to the status quo we were at before the war.
“Everything else is kicked down the road, everything else is a negotiation to come,” Shapiro said, including Iran’s uranium enrichment and checks on its nuclear program.
As a result, the US would be going into the coming nuclear negotiations with Tehran from a “very weak position” and “without a credible threat of force, something that’s critical to make diplomacy effective”, he said.
double quotation markBecause no one will believe that 60 days from now, if Iran tries to drag their feet on those negotiations, President Trump’s going to go back to war two months before the midterms [US congressional elections], send oil prices and gas prices spiking back up again”.
Donald Trump may decide to release Washington’s agreement with Tehran before Friday, JD Vance says.
The US vice-president’s comment to Fox News come as the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran is set to be formally signed on Friday in Geneva at a ceremony with Vance and chief Iranian negotiator Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf.
The text of the agreement has not been released publicly but White House officials have been quoted as saying its full details will be published over the next 24 to 48 hours.
Trump, Vance and Ghalibaf have already reportedly signed the deal electronically.
