Iran Fighter Jet Crashes after Engine Fails, Pilots Survive

Iranian air force’s US-made F-4 Phantom fighter jets perform during a parade on the occasion of the country’s Army Day, on April 18, 2017, in Tehran. (AFP)
Iranian air force’s US-made F-4 Phantom fighter jets perform during a parade on the occasion of the country’s Army Day, on April 18, 2017, in Tehran. (AFP)
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Iran Fighter Jet Crashes after Engine Fails, Pilots Survive

Iranian air force’s US-made F-4 Phantom fighter jets perform during a parade on the occasion of the country’s Army Day, on April 18, 2017, in Tehran. (AFP)
Iranian air force’s US-made F-4 Phantom fighter jets perform during a parade on the occasion of the country’s Army Day, on April 18, 2017, in Tehran. (AFP)

An Iranian fighter plane crashed near the central city of Isfahan on Saturday after its engine failed, but both pilots survived, media reported.

The pilots were taken to a local hospital, the official IRNA news agency said. It said there was a technical failure in the engine of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat that led to the crash.

A clip by the agency showed columns of smoke billowing from the remains of the aircraft in a desert area.

Iran’s air force has an assortment of US-made military aircraft purchased before the 1979 revolution and the Tomcat F-14 is American-made. It also has Russian-made MiG and Sukhoi planes. Decades of Western sanctions have made it hard to obtain spare parts and maintain the aging aircraft.

Iran has a history of similar crashes among its faltering fleet. In May a fighter jet crashed in the central desert of Iran, killing both pilots. In February, a fighter jet plunged into a soccer field in the country’s northwestern city of Tabriz, killing both pilots and a civilian.



US Official Says Parties Can Still Walk Away from Iran Deal, Sequencing Will Be Key

Men ride their mopeds past a map of Iran with the images of some of those killed in the Israeli-US war against the nation, erected on a wall along the highway in Tehran on June 17, 2026. (AFP)
Men ride their mopeds past a map of Iran with the images of some of those killed in the Israeli-US war against the nation, erected on a wall along the highway in Tehran on June 17, 2026. (AFP)
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US Official Says Parties Can Still Walk Away from Iran Deal, Sequencing Will Be Key

Men ride their mopeds past a map of Iran with the images of some of those killed in the Israeli-US war against the nation, erected on a wall along the highway in Tehran on June 17, 2026. (AFP)
Men ride their mopeds past a map of Iran with the images of some of those killed in the Israeli-US war against the nation, erected on a wall along the highway in Tehran on June 17, 2026. (AFP)

Both Iran and the US can walk away from the memorandum of understanding they are set to sign on Friday, and upcoming talks are likely to focus on ‌the precise sequencing ‌of the steps ‌previewed ⁠in the preliminary accord, ⁠a senior US official told reporters on Wednesday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official read out the 14-point memorandum that is due ⁠to be formally ‌signed in Switzerland. ‌

They said the upcoming meeting ‌there will be "critical" for ‌ensuring that the memorandum of understanding can evolve into a comprehensive agreement.

"I think the meeting in ‌Switzerland will be quite critical in order to really ⁠see ⁠how we get to the next phase," a senior US official said.

The document, as read out by the official, was similar to the 14-point memorandum that various media outlets had already reported on earlier in the day.

According to the official, the draft agreement includes a new “minimum” standard for downblending of highly enriched Iranian uranium and has provisions to ensure the “territorial integrity” of Lebanon after Israel’s latest attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanese territory.

In return, the US will move to waive, but not eliminate, some wide-ranging sanctions against Iran once the deal is signed.

The US draft of the agreement also secures toll-free passage of the Strait of Hormuz for only 60 days, and it does not preclude fees in future, the officials said.


Trump Says Iran Accord to Be Signed ‘Shortly’, ‘Maybe’ Thursday or Friday

US President Donald Trump attends a press conference at the Hotel Royal during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, 17 June 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump attends a press conference at the Hotel Royal during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, 17 June 2026. (EPA)
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Trump Says Iran Accord to Be Signed ‘Shortly’, ‘Maybe’ Thursday or Friday

US President Donald Trump attends a press conference at the Hotel Royal during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, 17 June 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump attends a press conference at the Hotel Royal during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, 17 June 2026. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he expected the accord with Iran ending the Middle East war to be signed "shortly" but added uncertainty over the exact date. 

"The deal we reached with Iran on Sunday will be signed shortly, tomorrow (Thursday), maybe the next day (Friday)," Trump said at the G7 summit, after previous announcements that it would be signed Friday in Switzerland. 

"We are going to most likely sign a deal," he added. 

Trump told reporters at the final press conference of the G7 that he was prepared to "bomb the hell" out of Iran if they violated the agreement. 

"If they are not behaving they will be hit again," he said. 

But he added: "They don't want to get bombed, they don't want to get hit". 

In a long succession of comments on his dealings with Iran, Trump recalled at length how he had in 2020 issued the order to kill Qassem Soleimani, the head of foreign operations for the Revolutionary Guards. 

Trump also recalled the February 28 air strike that killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei and other senior figures, who he said were "having breakfast" at the time. 

Trump said Washington "did send a copy" of its accord with Iran to end the Middle East war, following reports of tensions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  

Insisting he maintains a good relationship with Netanyahu, Trump reaffirmed his criticism at the G7 summit of Israel's campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying "they (Israel) could do a much better job". 

Trump was also asked about the deadly strike on an Iranian school in Minab on the first day of the war, which left 155 dead, according to the Iranian authorities. 

Initially describing the question as "strange", Trump said: "Nobody did it on purpose. Mistakes are made, war is nasty." 

"I know it is under investigation," he said, telling the reporter to address the question to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instead. 

A US Tomahawk cruise missile hit the elementary school due to a targeting mistake, according to the preliminary findings of a US military investigation reported by The New York Times. 

Trump also thanked China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir ‌Putin for ‌what he ‌called ⁠their neutrality during the ⁠war with Iran.  

"I just want to thank ⁠them because ‌they ‌made it ‌a lot better," ‌Trump said, adding that both leaders had been "neutral." 


Italy Says to Re-Open Tehran Embassy on Friday

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani ahead of the European Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, 15 June 2026. (EPA)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani ahead of the European Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, 15 June 2026. (EPA)
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Italy Says to Re-Open Tehran Embassy on Friday

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani ahead of the European Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, 15 June 2026. (EPA)
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani ahead of the European Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, 15 June 2026. (EPA)

Italy's embassy to Tehran will re-open on Friday after more than three months of closure because of the Middle East war, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

"Our embassy in Tehran will re-open its doors on Friday," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italy's parliament.

After the US and Israel began the war with air strikes on Iran, Italy in early March decided to temporarily close its embassy and move its staff to neighboring Azerbaijan for security reasons.

"Our ambassador will return to the Iranian capital with all our diplomats and foreign ministry officials," Tajani said.

"In a complex region like the Middle East, caution is essential. But, for the first time, after weeks of war and faltering negotiations, a tangible glimmer of peace is emerging," he said.

The US and Iran this week agreed a framework deal to end the Middle East war.

The agreement is due to be formally signed on Friday in Switzerland.