Latest PinnedUpdated 43 minutes agoHere’s the latest.President Trump urged Israel and Hezbollah to exercise restraint on Sunday, suggesting that Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Beirut earlier in the day could derail a potential peace agreement with Iran and “should not have happened.”“We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down,” Mr.
Trump wrote on social media.The Israeli military launched the strikes on the Dahiya neighborhood of Beirut, where Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group, has long held sway. Earlier on Sunday, Israel accused the group of violating a cease-fire by firing toward northern Israel.Hezbollah claimed several attacks on Israeli military positions in southern Lebanon on Sunday, but did not respond to Israel’s accusation that it had fired into Israeli territory.The attacks heightened uncertainty around a potential U.S.-Iran peace agreement after months of fighting across the Middle East, which have killed thousands and roiled the global economy.Israel said it was preparing for potential incoming fire — a sign it expected possible Iranian retaliation for the strikes on Dahiya.Mr.
Trump said on Sunday that Israel had the right to defend itself but that the strikes on Beirut “should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.”Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s lead negotiator with Washington, condemned Israel’s strikes on Lebanon, suggesting that they undermined U.S. credibility.“If you neither have the will nor the ability to execute your commitments, talking about the continuation of the path is not possible,” he said on social media, referring to the peace negotiations.Mr.
Trump had said previously that a deal was “scheduled to get signed” on Sunday, and that it would immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that Iran has tried to control during the war. And Pakistan, a key mediator in the negotiations, had said on Saturday that the country was preparing for “the electronic signing of the peace deal.”But Esmail Baghaei, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, said a deal would not be signed on Sunday, though he left open the possibility that one could be agreed upon in the coming days, according to Iranian state media.Neither the United States nor Iran has shared the text of the deal being considered.Lebanon has emerged as a critical stumbling block.
Iran wants any broader peace settlement to end the fighting there and has called for the Israeli military to withdraw from Lebanese territory. But Israel, which is not directly involved in the U.S.-Iran negotiations, has said it would launch strikes in Lebanon if Hezbollah attacked its territory.Here’s what else we’re covering:Diplomacy: A Qatari delegation visited Tehran on Sunday as part of the negotiations between Iran and the United States, according to Iranian news media and an official with knowledge of the situation.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said the Qataris, who have been acting as mediators, were helping to finalize the agreement in coordination with Washington.Opposition in Iran: There were signs on Saturday that some conservative factions in the Iranian government and the military were opposed to the peace agreement being negotiated, including criticism from two conservative lawmakers.58 minutes agoMinutes after Trump told Israel and Hezbollah to hold fire amid efforts to finalize an agreement with Iran, the Israeli military said it had identified “impacts of several suspicious aerial targets” in Israeli territory, a term often used to describe attack drones.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the impacts came before or after Trump’s post. Israel has threatened to retaliate forcefully for any strikes on its territory.1 hour agoLeo SandsBreaking news reporterIn his post on Truth Social, President Trump also repeated a suggestion that a deal between the United States and Iran to end the war could be within reach. “We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon,” he said, though it was not immediately clear from the post whether Lebanon would be included in a broader deal.1 hour agoDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that once a deal was signed with Iran, the U.S. military would end its blockade of Iranian ports. “If the blockade comes off, then you pull back and you allow shipping to flow, just like Iran needs to allow shipping to go through the straits,” Hegseth told CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “But we can snap that blockade back at any point.”ImageCredit...Tierney L.
Cross/The New York Times1 hour agoLeo SandsBreaking news reporterPresident Trump urged Israel and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia, to exercise restraint on Sunday, saying that Israel’s strikes on a suburb of Beirut earlier in the day “should not have happened.” In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and should not disrupt this important process,” referring to the negotiations toward a peace agreement.
1 hour agoDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the United States and Iran were still on track to sign a memorandum of understanding today that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to cargo traffic and lift the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports. “From all I know, we are on track.
It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” Hegseth said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” His comments came as U.S. and Iranian officials have offered slightly different timelines for signing a potential deal.The United States and Iran would then have 60 days to negotiate a more permanent peace and an end to Iran’s nuclear program, he said.
He declined to provide details about how a stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which Iran could use to build nuclear weapons, would removed from country. The nuclear material is currently believed to buried under rubble from an American and Israeli airstrikes. “We’ll have all options on the table,” Hegseth said.He also described the potential deal as “performance based,” meaning “no money released to Iran until they perform.”2 hours agoThe Israeli military said it was preparing for potential fire aimed at Israel in the coming hours following Israel’s strike in Beirut’s outskirts earlier on Sunday.
The military issued the same announcement last Sunday, when Israel came under Iranian missile fire hours after it had similarly struck near the Lebanese capital.3 hours agoLeo Sands and Sanam MahooziMohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s lead negotiator with Washington, condemned Israel’s strikes on Sunday in Dahiya, a suburb of Beirut, suggesting that they undermined the credibility of the United States. “If you neither have the will nor the ability to execute your commitments, talking about the continuation of the path is not possible,” Ghalibaf said on X, referring to the negotiations between Iran and the United States to end the war.3 hours agoIsrael strikes the outskirts of Beirut, after accusing Hezbollah of launching attacks.ImageThe site of an Israeli strike in Beirut’s southern outskirts on Sunday.Credit...Daniel Berehulak/The New York TimesThe Israeli military said Sunday that it had struck a Hezbollah target on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in retaliation for the Iran-backed group launching drones and rockets toward northern Israel.The escalation on Sunday complicated an already delicate moment as President Trump and Iran appeared to be edging toward signing a framework peace agreement.The strikes could lead to a broader flare-up if Iran decides to take retaliatory action against Israel, as it did a week ago under similar circumstances.
The Israeli military said in a statement later on Sunday that it was preparing for potential fire toward Israel in the coming hours.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, said in a joint statement that they had ordered the strike on the Dahiya neighborhood, a bastion of Hezbollah support on the fringes of Beirut.
The military said the target was a Hezbollah command center.“Israel will not tolerate firing at its territory,” they said in the statement.Israeli aircraft launched additional attacks on Sunday in the Tyre district and other areas in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese state media reports.
Hezbollah confirmed the death of one of its operatives near the city of Tyre.Hezbollah claimed several attacks on Israeli military positions in southern Lebanon in a series of statements on Sunday. The statements did not specifically refer to Israel’s accusation that the group had fired across the border into Israeli territory.Late Saturday, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a rocket launched by Hezbollah at Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon and had identified several additional launches from Lebanon toward northern Israel.Israel and the United States jointly launched a war against Iran in late February.
Soon after, Hezbollah attacked Israel in solidarity with its patron, Tehran, igniting a new war in Lebanon. Iran insisted that any peace agreement with the United States extend to the conflict in Lebanon.Israel has sought to prevent any direct link between a deal with Iran and its military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
But Israel is not a party to the U.S. negotiations with Iran and has limited influence.Iran’s lead negotiator with Washington, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, condemned Israel’s strike on Sunday in Dahiya and suggested that the United States was failing in its efforts to curb Israeli military action around the Lebanese capital.“If you neither have the will nor the ability to execute your commitments, talking about the continuation of the path is not possible,” he said on X, referring to the negotiations between Iran and the United States to end the war.Hezbollah rejected a U.S.-brokered cease-fire proposal for Lebanon earlier this month.
The leader of Hezbollah, which was not included in U.S.-brokered talks, said a truce worked out between Israel and the Lebanese government amounted to surrender for his group.But the fighting in Lebanon could lead to further destabilization in the region.Israel’s military said it bombed a Hezbollah site on the southern outskirts of Beirut last Sunday, and Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at northern Israel.
Israel counterattacked, striking sites in Iran in the first clashes between the countries since a cease-fire paused the war with Iran in April.Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, said on Sunday that the current reality was “sensitive and complex,” and that Israel was “monitoring the situation closely, while maintaining vigilance and readiness on all fronts.”The military said in its statement later Sunday that it “remains on high alert and prepared for a range of defensive and offensive scenarios.”Lebanon’s health ministry did not immediately report casualties from the Israeli strike in Dahiya.
There were no initial reports of casualties in Israel.Reham Mourshed, Hwaida Saad, Gabby Sobelman, Heedo Abu Laban and Johnatan Reiss contributed reporting.5 hours agoPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, and the country’s defense minister, Israel Katz, issued a joint statement saying they had ordered the strike in the Dahiya neighborhood of Beirut. “Israel will not tolerate fire into its territory,” they said.
The strike against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia that dominates Lebanon, comes at a delicate moment, as President Trump and Iran give mixed signals on a timeline for a possible peace agreement.5 hours agoThe Israeli military said it struck what it described as a Hezbollah infrastructure site in Dahiya, a neighborhood on the southern outskirts of Beirut that has long been dominated by Hezbollah.
The strike came soon after the military accused Hezbollah of a “blatant cease-fire violation.” The military said earlier that Hezbollah had fired drones and rockets across the border toward communities in northern Israel.ImageCredit...Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times6 hours agoAdam Rasgon and Sanam MahooziA Qatari delegation visited Tehran as part of ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States, Iranian news media and an official with knowledge of the situation said on Sunday.
The Iranian Students News Agency, a semi-official outlet, said the delegation arrived to advance negotiations between the two countries.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said the Qatari negotiators flew to Tehran on Sunday morning in coordination with the United States to help facilitate the finalization of the agreement.June 13, 2026James C.
McKinley Jr. and Shirin HakimThere were signs in Iran on Saturday that some conservative factions in the government and the military were opposed to the peace agreement being negotiated. FARS, a semiofficial news agency affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that dozens of people protested against the deal outside the foreign ministry office in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city, chanting slogans against Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi.
Two conservative members of Parliament also criticized the potential deal and the figures who supported it. One of them, Amirhossein Sabeti, called on social media for Araghchi to be impeached. A second, Mahmoud Nabivian, said in a television interview that under the agreement, “Iran will become a colony of America.”June 13, 2026Prime Minister, Keir Starmer of Britain spoke by telephone with President Trump on Saturday about the war with Iran, his office said.
Starmer, who is facing political problems at home, welcomed the progress made toward a deal that would end the fighting and underlined “the importance of ensuring any deal delivers a durable and lasting peace,” his office said. Trump has promised the initial deal with Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, allowing oil tankers to pass again.
The closing of the strait by Iran has damaged the world economy.June 13, 2026Shirin HakimIran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said on Saturday that there were no plans for an Iranian negotiating team to travel to Geneva or elsewhere in the next day or two, according to IRIB, Iran’s state broadcaster.
The remarks appeared to push back on reports that Iranian officials could soon travel abroad to finalize or sign a memorandum of understanding with the United States, as the two sides try to move toward an agreement to end the recent hostilities.June 13, 2026The signing of the Iran agreement — if it happens — is likely to be done electronically rather than in person.
We don’t yet have insight into the reasoning behind that anticipated arrangement. Typically, a diplomatic agreement like this would be signed at an in-person ceremony between the parties. Trump is expected to remain in Washington on Sunday, which is his 80th birthday, to attend the U.F.C. fight at the White House.June 12, 2026As speculation swirls about the emerging Iran deal, here’s what we know.President Trump and Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, have reportedly agreed to a preliminary deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and a plan for later talks on Iran’s nuclear program.Eric Lee/The New York Times ; Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York TimesWith a draft deal between the United States and Iran now on the table, speculation has been swirling about exactly what is in the agreement.President Trump insisted on Friday that reports circulating about details of the proposed deal were incorrect.
In a post on social media, he said the terms “Iran leaked” to the media “have NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing.”There were conflicting accounts of the deal in Iranian media, with one hard-line news outlet reporting terms more favorable to Iran and the state news agency providing a more measured description.
On Friday, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said that a deal “has never been closer,” but added that “the media should refrain from entering speculation about its content.”Much about the emerging deal remains murky, with both sides keen to frame it as a victory.
What is known is that a “memorandum of understanding” between the two sides is under discussion.Two Iranian officials and one regional official briefed on the terms of the agreement said that the United States and Iran had agreed to a preliminary deal that would end the fighting, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the U.S. naval blockade on Iran.
They said the deal would pave the way for further talks on the country’s nuclear program.The agreement is similar to previous iterations of a deal that have emerged in recent weeks of stop-start negotiations, the three officials said, but added there have been some changes to the wording.The United States, Iran and Israel have been at war since late February, and although a cease-fire was agreed to in April, there have been persistent flare-ups of fighting.
Israeli officials have expressed concern about the agreement, saying they feared Iran would avoid making concessions on its nuclear program in the next round of talks.The regional official was optimistic that the deal could be finalized but cautioned that last-minute spoilers could lead to its collapse.Here is what we know from the three officials about the deal.
The United States has not confirmed these details.Under the terms of the framework, Iran and the United States would start negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. The negotiations should last a maximum of 60 days and the war would stop on all fronts, including Lebanon, for that period.
It is unclear what would happen after the 60 days if a comprehensive deal is not reached.Iran would open the Strait of Hormuz for the passage of ships and the United States would lift the naval blockade on Iran’s ports in the Persian Gulf.During the 60-day negotiation period, Iran and countries in the region would discuss the future management of the strait, the three officials said.
Last month, it emerged that Oman had discussed partnering with Iran to charge service fees for ships to pass through the strait, ignoring Trump administration warnings against such a plan.If the agreement is finalized, a signing ceremony was expected to take place in the coming days in Geneva, Switzerland.
Negotiators from the United States and Iran met there for talks in February before the war began.Vice President JD Vance is supposed to lead the U.S. delegation, according to the regional official. Mr. Trump said on Thursday that he would send Mr. Vance to sign the agreement if it was finalized.
Gen. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator and the speaker of parliament, was expected to lead the Iranian delegation, all three officials said.In the memorandum, Iran would reiterate its commitment to not develop or acquire a nuclear weapon, the officials said.
The agreement does not resolve the question of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, or the future of its nuclear program, and leaves those issues to later negotiations, according to the three officials.The two Iranian officials said the next phase of talks would include discussion of the lifting of American sanctions, including on Iran’s oil sales and international banking transactions, in exchange for concessions on the Iranian nuclear program.
