Key Points from the US-Iran Memorandum

This videograb from footage made available on June 18, 2026, from the X account of French President Emmanuel Macron shows US President Donald Trump (C) and France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) during the signing of a deal with Iran to end the Middle East war, inside Chateau de Versailles, in Versailles southwest of Paris on June 17, 2026. (Photo by @EmmanuelMacron (X account of France's President Emmanuel Macron)
This videograb from footage made available on June 18, 2026, from the X account of French President Emmanuel Macron shows US President Donald Trump (C) and France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) during the signing of a deal with Iran to end the Middle East war, inside Chateau de Versailles, in Versailles southwest of Paris on June 17, 2026. (Photo by @EmmanuelMacron (X account of France's President Emmanuel Macron)
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Key Points from the US-Iran Memorandum

This videograb from footage made available on June 18, 2026, from the X account of French President Emmanuel Macron shows US President Donald Trump (C) and France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) during the signing of a deal with Iran to end the Middle East war, inside Chateau de Versailles, in Versailles southwest of Paris on June 17, 2026. (Photo by @EmmanuelMacron (X account of France's President Emmanuel Macron)
This videograb from footage made available on June 18, 2026, from the X account of French President Emmanuel Macron shows US President Donald Trump (C) and France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) during the signing of a deal with Iran to end the Middle East war, inside Chateau de Versailles, in Versailles southwest of Paris on June 17, 2026. (Photo by @EmmanuelMacron (X account of France's President Emmanuel Macron)

Here are the main points from the memorandum of understanding signed between the United States and Iran to end the Middle East war, the text of which was made public by Washington and Tehran:

- Permanent end to hostilities -

The United States, Iran and their respective allies "declare an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon".

They undertake "not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon".

- Final agreement within 60 days -

Iran and the United States commit to "negotiating and achieving the final deal in maximum 60 days, extendable with mutual consent".

- Lifting US blockade -

The United States will "immediately" begin the removal of its blockade of Iranian ports, which it imposed on April 13, and will bring it to an end within 30 days.

The United States also undertakes to "remove its forces from the proximity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final deal".

- Reopening the Strait of Hormuz -

Iran will make best efforts to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge, for 60 days only, from the Arabian Gulf to the Sea of Oman, and vice versa. The traffic of commercial vessels will immediately start and be fully restored within 30 days, once the Hormuz Strait has been cleared of mines.

- $300 billion plan -

The United States and its regional partners will draw up a plan with "at least" $300 billion "for the reconstruction and economic development" of Iran.

- Lifting sanctions -

The United States undertakes to "terminate all types of sanctions against" Iran, and to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Iranian Republic of Iran upon the implementation of this MOU.

The US Treasury will "issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and derivatives, and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurances, (and) transportation" with immediate effect, until the sanctions are lifted.

- Nuclear -

Iran reaffirms that "it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons".

The disposition of Tehran's enriched uranium will be resolved by "a mechanism that will be mutually agreed upon... with the minimum methodology to be down-blending on site under the supervision of the IAEA".

Pending the final deal, Iran will "maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program", and the United States "will not impose any new sanctions, and will not deploy additional forces in the region".

- Signing -

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who was involved in the mediation, said the memorandum was electronically signed on Thursday, Islamabad time, by US President Donald Trump and Iran's leader Masoud Pezeshkian.

A ceremony will be held in Switzerland on Friday to "commemorate this landmark event and commence with the technical level talks", according to Sharif.

- UN resolution -

The final agreement will be endorsed by a binding resolution of the United Nations Security Council.



Military Helicopter Crashes in Southern Türkiye, Killing 4

Rescuers and security officers examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz Purchase
Rescuers and security officers examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz Purchase
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Military Helicopter Crashes in Southern Türkiye, Killing 4

Rescuers and security officers examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz Purchase
Rescuers and security officers examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz Purchase

A military helicopter crashed in southern Türkiye on Thursday, killing four personnel, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

The aircraft crashed for unknown reasons in Samankoy, a neighborhood on the southern outskirts of the provincial capital Malatya in the early evening.

“As a result of an accident involving our S-70 helicopter in Malatya, for a reason not yet determined, 4 of our heroic comrades-in-arms aboard the helicopter were martyred,” the ministry said in a social media post.

“We pray that God will have mercy on our martyrs and offer our condolences and prayers for strength to their grieving families, our Turkish Armed Forces, and our noble nation.”

According to The Associated Press, TV images showed the wreckage of the helicopter burning near a cluster of buildings in an otherwise open area of land. The Demiroren News Agency reported that flames had spread to a nearby house but reported no casualties on the ground.

Police, firefighters and medical teams were dispatched to the crash.


Trump Says US Does Not Need Iran Deal

US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance look on during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance look on during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
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Trump Says US Does Not Need Iran Deal

US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance look on during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance look on during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

President Donald Trump said on Thursday the US does not need a deal with Iran and directed Vice President JD Vance, who has played a role in efforts to resolve the war, to focus "his complete and total attention" on alleged crime and corruption in Democratic-run cities and states.

Trump's directive came a day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Vance was considering face-to-face peace talks with a hard-line Iranian security official and a week after the vice president blamed the costly war with Iran for Republicans' midterm elections drubbing.

Trump's comments marked a shift in tone after he had suggested ⁠in recent weeks ⁠that Iran would be more willing to strike a deal in the eight-month conflict after the US elections.

"We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!" Trump wrote on social media, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, the critical ⁠shipping route near Iran where the US military has been working to secure safe passage for international shipping.

Trump said he asked Vance to focus instead on a domestic issue the president previously put in his portfolio: leading an effort targeting alleged fraud in Democratic-run cities and states throughout the US.

"Our Budget could be quickly BALANCED with the correction of this large-scale criminal activity. CORRUPTION is in the Democrat Leadership’s blood!" Trump wrote on Thursday.

Vance's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that ⁠Vance was considering ⁠meeting with a senior Iranian security official, a move that would have put Vance at the center of peace negotiations. Reuters has not confirmed the potential talks.

Vance, who is viewed as a leading contender for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, distanced himself from the war last week after Republicans' midterm election rout by Democrats.

The vice president blamed the costs of the Iran war in part for the party's losses. He also said an earlier recommendation to end the war was "sound advice."

Trump responded to Vance's position by defending the war as necessary to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.


Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz

Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz
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Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz

Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz

Four oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's military said on Thursday, adding that the vessels had ignored warnings and entered what it considers restricted areas of the strategic waterway.

Tankers are still facing attacks across the strait, despite a rebound in traffic and expectations of a de-escalation in the war between the United States and Iran that have been reflected in falling oil prices.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said two supertankers were disabled by explosions on Wednesday after they ignored ⁠warnings against using what ⁠it said was an "unauthorized route".

Reuters could not immediately verify the Iranian account.

The two vessels "exploded after hitting naval mines", Iranian state media reported, broadcasting what it said was video footage of the incidents.

Iran's army later said two other tankers had hit mines on Thursday afternoon while sailing through the eastern Strait of Hormuz after ignoring ⁠warnings and disabling their radar systems, state TV reported. The tankers entered a restricted area and subsequently caught fire, it reported.

Earlier in the US-Israeli war with Iran, which began in February, the IRGC Navy announced its attacks on tankers. More recently, however, it has instead reported that vessels have caught fire after hitting naval mines while traversing the southern part of the strait, which it has declared an unauthorized route.

In several of those cases, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) has said vessels had been struck by unknown projectiles.

The ⁠UKMTO said ⁠in reports on Thursday that a vessel was hit by an unidentified projectile about 14 nautical miles northwest of the UAE emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah on Wednesday while exiting the strait, causing a fire in its engine room.
Firefighting efforts were under way and all crew had been evacuated, it added.

At least 10 ships were hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, which was the highest monthly tally since the conflict began in late February, according to data from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.