TOP STORIES
CIA Director Doubts Iran’s Intentions on Deal, Sources Say | Axios
“CIA Director John Ratcliffe told President Trump and other senior officials that intelligence gathered by U.S. intelligence agencies raised serious doubts about Iran's willingness to make the nuclear concessions the U.S. is seeking in any final deal, according to three sources familiar with those discussions. … Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have both expressed concerns and raised questions about the deal in internal discussions, while Vice President Vance and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner advocated for it, according to two of the sources. … One senior U.S. official said the U.S. will know in two to three weeks if Iran is serious about nuclear concessions. If not, the process could stop without Iran gaining much. … The MOU leaves much room for interpretation, by stating that the U.S. ‘undertakes to make [the funds] fully available for use . . . upon the implementation of this MOU,’ according to the source familiar. U.S. officials say it will be a ‘pay for performance’ model. A senior U.S. official told reporters that if the U.S. sees positive ‘gestures’ from Iran, it could release some funds in exchange.”
Vance Describes US-Iran Memorandum as ‘Very General’ One-Page Document | Iran International
“US Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran is a short, broad framework ‘about a page and a half’ long, with key details to be worked out in later technical negotiations. Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper, Vance said the document outlines general principles for implementation while leaving specific obligations and verification measures for future talks. ‘The agreement links any benefits for Iran to compliance with its commitments under the deal,’ he added.”
Iran Executes Two Men over Role in January 2026 Protests, Judiciary News Outlet Says | Reuters
“Iran executed two individuals described as ‘armed leaders of early 2026 unrest’ in the county of Shahrud, the judiciary’s news outlet Mizan said on Tuesday, identifying the defendants as Javad Zamani and Abolfazl Saedi. The two men were convicted of Moharebeh (waging war against God), corruption on earth, damaging public and private property, and crimes against national security.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Two Iran-Linked Tankers Sail Through Hormuz Before Deal Signing | Bloomberg
“Two Iran-linked tankers are sailing eastward through the Strait of Hormuz ahead of the US and the Islamic Republic signing an interim peace agreement on Friday that would re-open the waterway. . . . Satellite imagery shows Musik loaded a cargo at Iran’s Bandar Imam Khomeini port deep in the Persian Gulf on June 10. Argo Maris was seen departing the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas in late May, according to shiptracking firm Kpler. Both ships have been blacklisted by nonprofit organization United Against Nuclear Iran for transporting Iranian oil, but are not sanctioned by Washington. . . . Since the US-Iran deal announcement, blacklisted tankers have been transiting the strait with their Automatic Identification Systems switched on, said Charlie Brown, an adviser to UANI. ‘While it remains too early to determine whether this represents a permanent change in operating behavior, it is a significant departure from the more cautious posture adopted during periods of heightened military tension.’”
Interview of UANI Senior Advisor Charlie Brown | BBC News
“This is going to be on a knife’s edge the whole time. The first moment there is an indication of an attack by Iran on neutral shipping, it will shut everything down. . . The whole world is watching and hoping.”
DIPLOMACY
Iran Deal Already Signed, Vance Says, Promises Full Text This Week | Politico
“The Trump administration expects to release the full text of its agreement with Iran later this week, after U.S. officials electronically signed the document Sunday, Vice President JD Vance said Monday morning. . . . In a series of interviews Monday, Vance also hinted at how the U.S. will attempt to ensure Iran does not develop or obtain a nuclear weapon, which Trump has long sought to prevent. ‘If the Iranians are willing to give a long-term commitment—along with proper verification—to giving up that nuclear weapon, we’re willing to welcome them into the world economy to lift some sanctions and to turn over a new leaf in that relationship,” Vance said . . . Otherwise, the vice president said . . . the U.S. would continue to ‘apply the pressure that we’ve seen build up economically.’”
Vance Says ‘A Lot’ of Iran Deal Details to Figure Out, but U.S. Has ‘All the Cards’ | CNBC
“VCice President JD Vance on Monday said after the U.S. and Iran struck a preliminary deal that ‘a lot’ of details remain to be ironed out, but he expressed confidence that America has ‘all the cards’ in subsequent talks. . . . Vance said that while Iran has ‘committed to destroy and dispose of their stockpile of highly enriched material,’ the process for doing so has not been established. ‘And what we’ve said is, ‘OK, let’s talk about how exactly we’re going to do that,’’ he said. ‘They want access to an unsanctioned economy. We’ve talked about, ‘OK, we’re open to that,’ but that would require a long-term commitment to the inspection and verification regime’ imposed under the deal, he went on.”
Vance: Iran ‘Could Have Access To’ $300B Reconstruction Fund | The Hill
“Vice President Vance on Monday said Iran could have access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund under its peace agreement with the U.S. if Tehran upholds its obligations outlined in the deal. . . . ‘I think that one of the things you’re going to see . . .—and people have to be skeptical of this—is that the hard-liners in the Iranian system will overemphasize the benefits that Iran gets, while underemphasizing all the things that they have to concede, and all the things they have to provide, in order to get these benefits,’ the vice president added.”
Vance Says Nuclear Inspectors ‘Absolutely’ Will Return to Iran Under Terms to End War | NBC News
“Vice President JD Vance said Monday that nuclear inspectors will be allowed back into Iran as part of a deal with the U.S. to end the monthslong war in the Middle East. ‘Yes, absolutely,’ Vance told NBC News’ Tom Llamas in an interview. ‘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, or MOU, he added.”
Trump Denies U.S. Will Put ‘Any Money’ Into Iran, as He Meets Allies at G7 Summit | CNBC
“U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that America will not invest money in Iran after a Memorandum of Understanding was agreed with Tehran. ‘We are not investing any money in Iran, by the way, and with that rumor got out there yesterday was ridiculous,’ he told reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian, France. ‘We have the right to go in some day and do, if I want to do something, or if somebody wants to do something, but we are not investing any money.’”
“US President Donald Trump is maintaining that an interim accord with Iran makes clear that Tehran would never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and he also suggested Syria could be better positioned to disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah. . . . ‘The only thing that really matters to me is Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and it says it loud and clear,’ he said, warning that ‘all hell will rain down’ on Iran if it sought to acquire one.”
Trump Promised No Iranian Nukes. His Deal May Never Do That | Politico
“In touting the deal, Trump has made a variety of maximalist pledges, including that ‘no money will exchange hands’ with Iran. His team has repeatedly telegraphed, however, that Iran could ultimately see significant financial relief if the deal comes to fruition. For example, the U.S. has offered a $300 billion fund to rebuild Iran if it complies, [a] senior U.S. official said Monday. More immediately, the U.S. could release frozen funds as a confidence building measure, the first official said. ‘We are prepared to release frozen funds, and we are prepared to give these sanctions, and we’ll do some small gestures of that in the beginning if they make some small gestures to us that show that they’re willing to meet their commitments,’ the first official said. ‘Everything we do will be transparent, there’ll be no side deals, the MOU will be released.’”
Iranian Foreign Minister: New Round of Talks to Begin on June 19 | Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
“Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said that, as of the morning of June 15, the war has officially ended on all fronts and that a new round of talks between Iran and the United States will begin in Switzerland on June 19. . . . Speaking to a group of foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Tehran, Araqchi also warned Israel that any attack on Lebanon would constitute a ‘violation of the understanding’ between Tehran and Washington. He said that ‘one side of this memorandum is Iran and Hezbollah, and the other side is America and Israel.’”
Inside the Zigzag Bargaining That Produced an Iran Framework | David Ignatius in the Washington Post
“The principal U.S. negotiators have been Trump’s special emissaries, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, the president’s son-in-law and close friend, respectively. They aren’t diplomats but investors. That has given this negotiation a peculiar risk-reward character. It’s an investor pitch rather than a diplomat’s brief. The theme is a ‘pay to play,’ rather than ‘check the boxes.’ When Kushner met in April in Islamabad with Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, he told him bluntly: “Look, if you want your Rolls-Royce price, we need the Rolls-Royce product,” according to an official close to the negotiations. In other words, if Iran delivers by keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, stopping enrichment of uranium for 20 years and halting its export of revolution, it stands to gain hundreds of billions of dollars.”
MILITARY MATTERS & STRAIT OF HORMUZ CRISIS
Iran Says Strait of Hormuz Won’t Have ‘Tolls’ but It Will Have ‘Fees’ | New York Times
“Though President Trump declared on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen and be ‘permanently toll-free,’ Iran indicated on Monday that it intended to charge fees for unspecified services in the strait. The net effect—paying for passage through the vital waterway for global energy supplies, which was not required before the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran—could add expense and complications for commercial shipping in the waterway, and set a dangerous precedent for shipping in international waters worldwide.”
The US Is Using an Iranian Smuggling Tactic to Sneak Oil Out of the Gulf | Reuters
“The United States military has overseen scores of secretive ship-to-ship oil transfers to keep Gulf energy exports flowing, using aerial and water drones as well as helicopters in an operation to guide convoys to awaiting tankers. The operation on the edge of the Strait of Hormuz employs a shuttling technique long used by Iran to skirt sanctions.”
Iran’s Oil Lifeline Outlasted the U.S. Assault, Strengthening Its Hand | Washington Post
“Tehran appears to have kept oil profits flowing as the White House failed to negotiate an end to the war and struggled with the mounting political challenges created by higher energy prices in the United States and around the world. As oil prices climbed, Iran seized the opportunity to make greater profits on every barrel it sold, according to sanctions experts and oil shipment data, using shadow financial networks and crypto payments to route the proceeds around international restrictions. Through much of the conflict Iran generated more revenue from oil sales each day than it did before the first U.S. and Israeli attacks in late February, according to the data.”
Trump Says Strait of Hormuz Will Be ‘Completely Open’ on Friday | Guardian
“The strait of Hormuz will be ‘completely open’ from Friday after a deal between Iran and the US to end the Middle East war that limited shipping in the critical bottleneck, president Donald Trump has said. Speaking at the start of bilateral talks with French president Emmanuel Macron ahead of a G7 summit in France, Trump added ‘I don’t think we will need much help’ on keeping the strait open, after London and Paris proposed a joint naval mission.”
“Speaking at a meeting with the U.S. president, the French leader said France could dispatch fighter aircraft as early as Tuesday to fly observation flights over the vital waterway and that France’s nuclear powered aircraft carrier, already in the Middle East, could help out quickly, too. It is part of a pitch that France and other G7 allies are making at their summit in Evian-les-Bains to reopen the strait as soon as possible so energy supplies flow freely again to world markets, in the wake of the tentative U.S.-Iran deal to end the war.”
Shipowners Seek Details on Hormuz Deal Before Resuming Transits | Bloomberg
“From the bridge and the engine room where we’re sitting, right now it looks very different to what the headlines may say,’ said Angad Banga, chief executive officer of maritime conglomerate The Caravel Group, which owns Fleet Management Limited, one of the world’s largest ship management companies. It presently has several crews trapped in the Persian Gulf. ‘We’ve seen positive signals before, and I think ultimately what matters is what holds.’ … ‘Shipowners are on a risk spectrum — the Japanese, Koreans and Chinese are less open to high risk, while the Greeks have a different appetite — so we may see some people gearing up,’ said Anoop Singh, global head of shipping research at Oil Brokerage Ltd. ‘But by and large the rest of the market is still seeking more details and assurance before proceeding.’”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran’s Government Thinks It Has Won the War | Financial Times
“As Iran’s state television blasted out victory anthems after announcing the deal with the US, a new narrative began taking shape in Tehran: the regime believes it has not only survived its greatest crisis in decades, but emerged stronger. . . . Nor has the war erased the deep frustration felt by many Iranians who once hoped the conflict might bring political change. ‘Trump betrayed us more than previous US presidents and made our situation even more complicated,’ said a yoga instructor who had hoped for regime change. ‘The Islamic republic can claim victory. But many of us don’t share that feeling. We feel exhausted, frozen and abandoned by everyone.’”
Iranian MP Urges Officials to Skip US-Iran Deal Signing Ceremony | Iran International
“Iranian lawmaker Meysam Zohourian on Monday cautioned against holding a formal signing ceremony for the reported US-Iran memorandum, adding that such events primarily serve media narratives rather than producing tangible outcomes. ‘What ultimately remained from the Gaza peace agreement were the photos and images of the Sharm El-Sheikh summit, which portrayed Trump as the peace leader in Gaza in the media. After the Sharm El-Sheikh summit, neither did Israel's aggression against Gaza come to an end, nor was a single dollar spent in Gaza through the illusory $53 billion reconstruction fund envisioned in the agreement,’ Zohourian posted on X.”
“The hardline outlet Raja News on Monday criticized senior Iranian officials over their response to the reported US-Iran agreement, adding they were using praise of the leadership as a political ‘shield’ to deflect accountability for the deal. In a post on X, the outlet said Vice President Mohammad-Reza Aref and President Masoud Pezeshkian had framed the agreement as the result of guidance from Iran’s leadership and portrayed it as a national victory, drawing comparisons with similar messaging after the 2015 nuclear deal.”
CONGRESS & IRAN
Republicans Withhold Backing for Trump’s Iran Deal - Report | Iran International
“Republican lawmakers in Congress are withholding firm support for President Donald Trump’s Iran agreement, citing a lack of detail and transparency in the memorandum signed on Sunday, according to a Semafor [article]. While some GOP senators expressed cautious optimism about the ceasefire framework and a potential easing of tensions, others said they are waiting for the full text before taking a position, reflecting uncertainty within the party over the deal’s scope and implications, the report said.”
Thune Says Congress Needs More Information About US-Iran Peace Deal | The Hill
“Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) says he doesn’t yet have enough information to make a judgment about the peace deal between the United States and Iran announced by President Trump on Sunday, and he urged the administration to send senior officials to Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers on the details. . . . Thune told reporters he hasn’t been briefed on the memorandum of understanding laying out the framework of the peace agreement and expressed hope that senators would learn more about the details before U.S. and Iranian officials sign it in person in Geneva on Friday. . . . Thune said Congress may have to vote on the deal, possibly on a resolution of disapproval, which would be unlikely to pass.”
ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Netanyahu Says Israeli Forces Will Remain in Lebanon ‘Buffer Zone’ | Guardian
“In his first address since the US and Iran signed the memorandum of understanding, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces will also remain in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria, AFP reports. ‘We established deep security zones around the state of Israel. We did this in Gaza, in Lebanon, and in Syria,’ Netanyahu said. ‘And I want to make it clear: we will remain in these security zones for as long as necessary to protect our country.’ Netanyahu also said that though the war saved Israel from the threat of nuclear annihilation, Israel will continue to thwart threats in the region and will do what it takes to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, Netanyahu said.”
Aoun Hails Agreement Between Washington and Tehran After Call from Iran FM | L’Orient Today
“President Joseph Aoun ‘hailed’ on Monday the agreement between Washington and Tehran, during a phone call received from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency. During the call, President Aoun welcomed the agreement reached by Iran and the United States, expressing hope that it ‘marks a positive step toward reducing tensions and paves the way for diplomatic solutions that contribute to strengthening security and stability at both the regional and international levels."
Iran FM Discusses US-Iran Agreement with Lebanese Leaders | Iran International
“Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed the US-Iran agreement with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in separate phone calls, according to the foreign minister's Telegram account. Araghchi also discussed provisions related to Lebanon under the agreement with Aoun and Berri, the minister's Telegram account said.”
A Defiant Netanyahu Distances Israel from the U.S.-Iranian Peace Deal | New York Times
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a defiant address to Israelis, suggested on Monday that he did not feel bound by the newly reached cease-fire agreement between the United States and Iran. ‘The struggle has not ended,’ Mr. Netanyahu declared. Foreshadowing potential trouble for the peace deal, he said he had no intention of withdrawing his forces from neighboring Lebanon—a key demand of the Iranians during negotiations with the United States.”
Benjamin Netanyahu Faces Domestic Backlash over US-Iran Deal | Financial Times
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a raucous backlash from opponents and allies on Monday after US President Donald Trump announced a deal with Iran that many in Israel view as a capitulation. . . . [I]n Israel the news [of the deal] was met with a mix of anger and frustration across the political spectrum that the US president had again forced the country into a humiliating truce before it had achieved any of its war goals. The deal also put Israel under pressure to halt its campaign against the Iran-backed Hizbollah militant group in Lebanon. Netanyahu and his allies have repeatedly sought to delink the fight with Hizbollah from the Iran war and continue striking across Lebanon.”
GULF STATES & IRAN
Trump Secretly Approved Qatar-Iran Cash Deal | Israel Hayom
“The US secretly approved a financial and maritime arrangement between Qatar and Iran, under which billions of dollars were paid to Tehran in exchange for free passage for Qatari tankers and ships through the Strait of Hormuz, three diplomatic officials now confirm. This was a deliberate and conscious course of action by the US administration, which allowed its navy to turn a blind eye to the arrangement, in complete contradiction of its declared policy.”
MISCELLANEOUS
Iran World Cup Team Coach Says It Was Ordered Out of U.S. Right After First Match | CBS News
“The coach of Iran’s World Cup team said it was ordered to leave the U.S. and return to its training base in Mexico only a few hours after opening its politically charged tournament by playing to a 2-2 draw with New Zealand on Monday night.”