Donald Trump announced that Iran has agreed to never pursue a nuclear weapon as part of a new peace agreement with the US. A signing ceremony is set for Friday in Geneva, while tensions continue in Lebanon and Israel.
Key points
Trump claims Iran agreed to never pursue nuclear weapons
Signing ceremony for the peace agreement set for Friday in Geneva
Ceasefire in Lebanon included, but no Israeli troop withdrawal mandated
Global oil prices fell amid hopes of resolving the energy crisis
Mentioned in this story
Donald TrumpJD VanceMohammad-Bagher GhalibafHezbollahIsraelGenevaLebanonGazaIran
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.
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 andSyria “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.
Iranians walk past a billboard depicting present and past supreme leaders in Tehran on Monday
Iranians walk past a billboard depicting present and past supreme leaders in Tehran on Monday. Photograph: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
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.
Q&A
What did Trump say about Iran's nuclear weapons?
Trump stated that Iran has agreed to never have a nuclear weapon as part of the peace agreement.
When is the signing ceremony for the US-Iran peace agreement?
The signing ceremony is scheduled for Friday in Geneva.
What are the key components of the US-Iran peace agreement?
The agreement includes a ceasefire in Lebanon but does not mandate the withdrawal of Israeli troops from occupied areas.
How did global oil prices react to the US-Iran agreement?
Global oil prices fell, with Brent crude dropping below $84 a barrel amid hopes that the deal could resolve the energy supply crisis.
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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.
Protesters with a pre-Iranian Revolution ‘Lion and Sun’ flag outside the stadium during the Iran v new Zealand game
Protesters with a pre-Iranian Revolution ‘Lion and Sun’ flag outside the stadium during the Iran v new Zealand game. Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters
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.
Fans display pre-revolutionary Iranian flags during the World Cup match between Iran and New Zealand on Monday
Fans display pre-revolutionary Iranian flags during Iran’s match on Monday. Photograph: André Penner/AP
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.
A pre-Iranian Revolution flag displayed in the stands
A pre-revolution flag displayed in the stands. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters
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.
The US agreement with Iran is “very weak” and will mean Washington goes into the coming talks over Iran’s nuclear program in a weak position and with no guarantee of getting what it wants, according to a former US ambassador to Israel.
Dan Shapiroposted on X after appearing on CNN to talk about the framework agreement:
double quotation markIt’s a very weak deal that we have to do to open the Strait of Hormuz and end the war. But we will go into the nuclear negotiations in a weak position, with no certainty we will get the results we need.”
Here’s a fuller look at the fresh hostilities in Lebanon, despite the Iran-US framework agreement:
Hezbollah said it attacked Israeli forces “advancing” in the south on Monday and Lebanese media said an Israeli drone earlier targeted a car, killing the driver.
Fighters from the Iran-backed militia used rockets and drones to block an Israeli force consisting of an excavator and two Merkava tanks that was “advancing” in the vicinity of Kfar Tebnit town near the southern city of Nabatieh, Hezbollah said in a statement.
In another statement late on Monday, it added:
double quotation markThe enemy army regrouped its forces in the vicinity of the crossing area by bringing in an armoured force consisting of five Merkava tanks and four vehicles.
The mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted them with rocket barrages and artillery shells, and the clashes are still ongoing.”
Agence France-Presse also reports that earlier on Monday, an Israeli drone targeted a car in the same area “killing its driver”, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency, marking the first deadly strike since the US-Iran agreement was announced.
Meanwhile, UN secretary general António Guterres’s spokesperson said there had been fewer clashes on Monday.
Stephane Dujarric said UN peacekeepers reported that from midnight to 4pm local time, they saw a decrease in violence and exchanges of fire, “recording 133 trajectories of projectiles and two airstrikes attributed to the IDF” (Israel defence forces). “No trajectories from Hezbollah or non-state actors were reported during that time.”
A girl amid destroyed buildings in Deir Qanoun En Nahr, southern Lebanon, on Monday
A girl amid destroyed buildings in Deir Qanoun En Nahr, southern Lebanon, on Monday. Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock
Three oil tankers and two cargo ships carrying goods have passed through the strait of Hormuz area that had been subject to a US naval blockade, Iranian media said on Monday evening.
Donald Trump said earlier in the day that ships were again moving through the strait and that the key oil route would be “completely open” by Friday after the agreed deal between the US and Iran.
The reopening of one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints – though which about a fifth of oil and liquefied natural gas supplies usually travel – would mark a major step towards ending the months of deadly conflict and economic turmoil triggered by the US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.
“Ships are starting to move, many loaded up with oil, out of the strait of Hormuz,” Trump said, adding later that he did not “think we will need much help” keeping the waterway open, AFP reports.
Iran had blockaded the strait since the start of the war, sending oil prices soaring and raising fears of a prolonged inflation shock, while the US then blocked shipping to and from Iranian ports.
Vessels at the strait of Hormuz as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Monday
Vessels at the strait of Hormuz as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Monday. Photograph: Reuters
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.
The report cites a US official as saying Washington had discussed the possibility of sanctions relief and “a big $300bn fund to rebuild their country”. The incentives would be connected to Iran’s “performance” in adhering to the memorandum of understanding that is to be formally signed in Geneva on Friday.
The establishment of the fund would be contingent on a final settlement that is part of the MoU and would follow a 60-day extension of the ceasefire, the reopening of the strait of Hormuz and further negotiations on a nuclear deal, the report quotes a person briefed on the talks as saying.
People walking at Enghelab Square in central Tehran, Iran, on Monday
People walking at Enghelab Square in central Tehran, Iran, on Monday. Photograph: Maryam Rahmanian/Shutterstock
The fund would not come from governments and instead would be created for companies keen to invest in the country with abundant energy resources, the person added. The structure and management of the fund were not immediately clear.
The FT report also said:
double quotation markThe scale of financial incentives the US has floated for Iran has been a contentious topic in the negotiations. It has also been among the most politically sensitive issues for Donald Trump because he is loath to be seen to be rewarding the Islamic regime.”
As just mentioned, Trump has dismissed the report as “fake news”.
Donald Trump has just said again that Iran agreed not to ever have a nuclear weapon.
In a post on his Truth Social platform the US president also referred to a news report that Washington is considering establishing a $300bn fund for Iran if it upholds a final agreeement to end the war including a nuclear deal.
Trump’s post says:
double quotation markIran has agreed to never have a Nuclear Weapon! Also, the story that the U.S. is paying Iran 300 million Dollars is Fake News, put out by the Dumocrats!!!”
More on the fund report in a moment.
US vice-president JD Vance has said nuclear inspectors will “absolutely” be allowed to return to Iran as part of the deal with Washington to end the war.
“In fact, one of the core parts of the agreement is that the [International Atomic Energy Agency] and the United States are going to help Iran destroy the highly enriched stockpile, and that’s something that’s spelled out very clearly” in the memorandum of understanding the US and Iran had already agreed to, NBC News quoted Vance as saying in an interview on Monday.
What the deal specifies about the future of Iran’s nuclear program has not yet been made clear, as the details are still to be revealed publicly and both sides have given different accounts of what has been agreed so far.
Donald Trump has repeated that “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon” while officials from Pakistan, which mediated the deal, reportedly said talks on the nuclear issue would continue over the next 60 days under the agreement.
Trump has said the US could resume attacks on Iran if it failed to reach a nuclear deal.
Hezbollah fired rockets and drones at Israeli forces trying to advance in southern Lebanon, it said late on Monday.
The Israeli military later said it intercepted “numerous rockets” launched by the Iran-backed militant group and that not injuries were reported.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) also said on Telegram that earlier on Monday Hezbollah launched an anti-tank missile and multiple mortar shells at Israeli soldiers in the area. There was no injuries.
It also said that Hezbollah forces in vehicles approached the Israeli military in four incidents across the day, “posing an imminent threat”, and that the air forces later carried out “precise strikes on all of the threats”.
Under the US-Iran truce agreement Lebanon is included, Tehran and Pakistan have said, though details have not yet been released publicly. Israel has said it is not party to the deal.
We’re resuming this live coverage after a pause.
The sound of three explosions has been heard south of Qeshm island and in the strait of Hormuz area, according to the Iranian state news agency Mehr.
Initial reports suggested the blasts were probably carried out to “manage traffic in the strait”, it said on Tuesday.
Donald Trump has said that under the agreed deal between the US and Iran, the strait will be “completely open” by Friday and transit would be without toll.
However, Mehr has said the agreement calls for the reopening of the strait within 30 days under “Iranian arrangements”.
With a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran signed, Donald Trump said the strait of Hormuz “will be completely open” by Friday. A signing ceremony is scheduled to take place on Friday in Geneva, which Trump said he will likely not attend.
The deal included a ceasefire in Lebanon but did not provide for a withdrawal of Israeli troops from areas that they occupied. Lebanon’s 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.
However, in his first public address following the deal signing, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli forces will also remain in Gaza, Lebanon andSyria “for as long as necessary”. He also announced he would be running for relection.
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. In a written statement, the Tehran-backed group warned Israel that it would not accept any attacks that violate Lebanon’s sovereignty or targeted its people. It said Lebanon’s inclusion in the agreement reflected Iran’s commitment to ending the war.
Fury has 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.
Global oil prices have tumbled amid fresh hopes that a US-Iran peace deal may end the greatest energy supply crisis in the history of the market. The price of Brent crude dropped below $84 a barrel as the new trading week began in financial centres across Asia-Pacific.
The Lebanese ministry of public healthsaid Monday that at least 3,798people have been killed since the fighting began in Lebanon on 2 March.
An additional 11,781 were wounded. More than 1.1m were displaced, but even with the US and Iran signing a memorandum of understanding to end the war, the Lebanese army and civil defence are warning residents to not to return to their villages just yet.
Read more here:
BenjaminNetanyahu used his first public statement after Washington and Tehran agreed to a deal to end the war to announce that he will be running in elections scheduled for later this year.
Netanyahu has been prime minister since 2022, but also held office from 1996 to 1997 and 2009 to 2021, making him Israel’s longest serving prime minister.
