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Commercial transit out of the Strait of Hormuz is accelerating, with seven vessels that were stranded for 109 days now crossing through the waterway, maritime tracking company Windward said in a post on X/Twitter on Thursday.  This is a signal of a rapid reopening and what could be perceived as a sign of confidence in the deal signed between the US and Iran, the firm added.  Five of the ships are from China, one from France, and another from Italy.

A satellite imagery taken on February 1, 2026, shows a new roof over a previously destroyed building at Isfahan nuclear site, Iran. (photo credit: Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS) Tehran extended an invitation to IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi and would allow him to bring “US nuclear inspectors” to Iran, US envoy Steve Witkoff told US officials. Iran  will invite the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency to inspect its nuclear sites and begin work on identifying enriched material sites, US envoy  Steve Witkoff  told US officials in a private briefing on Thursday,  The Associated Press  reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.  Witkoff clarified that although the US-Iran  memorandum of understanding  (MoU) did not include any “side deals,” a “side letter” had been drafted between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 

US Vice President JD Vance holds a joint press conference with Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (not pictured), in Yerevan, Armenia, February 9, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/POOL) US Vice President  JD Vance  will not travel to Switzerland for talks with Iranian negotiators, the White House said in a statement on Thursday, citing logistical issues. “The plans for the upcoming technical talks have not been finalized, and the US delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity,” said the statement from Washington regarding Vance's cancellation. “But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. As of now, the Vice President is not departing tonight," it added. 

A general view of the US Capitol building in Washington, DC, US, June 18, 2026. (photo credit: Elizabeth Franz/Reuters) US President  Donald Trump 's  interim deal to end the Iran war  met scorching public criticism from some of his fellow Republicans as copies of the signed agreement circulated on Capitol Hill on Thursday. One  Republican  senator called the framework pact announced this week the "worst foreign policy blunder in decades," another said some reported provisions seemed "ill-advised," and some pro-Republican commentators also broke with Trump over the agreement. The criticism was a rare rebuke from members of the Republican Party who have mostly offered full loyalty to the president, but are increasingly restive

US Vice President JD Vance holds a joint press conference with Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (not pictured), in Yerevan, Armenia, February 9, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/POOL) The planned talks between the United States and Iran will not take place as planned on Friday at Bürgenstock, the Swiss Foreign Ministry announced on Friday morning. On Thursday, the White House said in a statement that US Vice President  JD Vance  will not travel to Switzerland for talks with Iranian negotiators over the weekend, citing logistical issues. “The plans for the upcoming technical talks have not been finalized, and the US delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity,” said the statement from Washington regarding Vance's cancellation.

Lieutenant Colonel Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, from Beit Hashita, commander of the 52nd Battalion, 'Iron Footsteps' (401) formation, fell in battle in southern Lebanon, aged 32 when he fell (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON UNIT) The IDF announced that four soldiers were killed while fighting in southern Lebanon. The military revealed that one of the soldiers was Lieutenant-Colonel Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, aged 32, from Beit HaShita, the commander of the 52nd Battalion, 401st Brigade. While the military said that all the families were notified, the names of the other three fallen soldiers have not yet been revealed.

Rightwing MEPs have come under fire after they celebrated a vote aimed at increasing deportations across the EU with chants of “send them back”, leading other lawmakers to respond with cries of “shame on you”. The heated confrontation in the European parliament came on Wednesday after lawmakers  voted  418 to 218 to approve  controversial measures  aimed at increasing deportations of undocumented people. The overhaul has been widely criticised by rights groups including Amnesty International France, which this week described the plans as “absurd, cruel and discriminatory”, and 16 UN experts, who  recently outlined  more than a dozen ways in which the rules could contravene international human rights. The plans include measures under which  people could be detained  for up to two years or sent to offshore centres that have been described as potential “human rights black holes”, while also allowing ICE-style immigration enforcement to gain a foothol...

Image source, Reuters JD Vance's very public criticism  of Israeli cabinet ministers today shows the depth of the Trump administration's current displeasure with its key ally. Trump this week accused Israel of using vastly disproportionate force by killing civilians in Lebanon during Israel’s attacks on the Iran-backed Hezbollah. Vance told the New York Times that his message for ultranationalist ministers in Israel was "you can't just kill your way out of" national security problems, before telling reporters that Israel was globally isolated and only Trump was backing the country. All this cumulatively amounts to the sharpest public criticism from any US administration against Israel since its foundation, and signals how angry Trump is that the Israel-Hezbollah conflict could spike his pact with Tehran. But one further point: In an election year, Trump’s political and economic fate is deeply linked to the survivability of his deal. Part of this very public row wi...

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's grandson, Hassan Khomeini speaks during the 36th anniversary of the death of the leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, at Khomeini's shrine in southern Tehran, Iran June 4, 2025. (photo credit:  Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA/Reuters ) Hassan Khomeini, grandson of the founder of the Islamic regime, Ruhollah Mostafavi Musavi Khomeini, hailed the Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) as a major “victory” for  Tehran , promising that the “greater jihad” would now begin, according to a speech aired by state media earlier this week. Khomeini advised that to maintain victory, Iranians “must stay away from pointless disputes, disputes that are the product of ego and self-centeredness.” While it is unclear which disputes he was referring to, the regime has struggled to suppress growing domestic dissent, most visibly during the January demonstrations that erupted over the country's worsening economic conditi...

(Illustrative) Palestinian members of al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement. (photo credit:  ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90 ) A San Diego resident was arrested on suspicion of raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Hamas through fundraising campaigns that appeared to be humanitarian aid efforts for residents of the Gaza Strip, the  US Justice Department  announced Wednesday. Reda Mazen Rida Sabassi, 38, of San Diego, California, was charged in a five-count criminal complaint with terrorism, sanctions evasion, wire fraud, money laundering, and making false statements, according to the Justice Department. Sabassi was arrested Tuesday and appeared before US Magistrate Judge Steve B. Chu in the Southern District of California. If convicted, he could face significant prison terms. Each of the four charges carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

IDF troops killed two terrorists on Saturday, one of them being a commander who participated in the October 7 massacres and held hostages, the military said on Wednesday. Hamas platoon commander Muhammad Sa’id Ahmad Nimrouti, who held numerous hostages in tunnels according to the military, was eliminated in a strike in southern Gaza, the statement said.  Alongside him, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) platoon commander Mu’awiya Suleiman Saqr Ayadi, who infiltrated Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, was eliminated in central Gaza, the military said. Both terrorists were posing a direct threat to soldiers, the IDF said, and specifically, Ayadi was planting explosives. Both were said to have launched attacks during the course of the war, and increasingly so during the last weeks.

A symbolic mockup of an Iranian missile is displayed, amid a ceasefire between U.S. and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, April 27, 2026. (photo credit: MAJID ASGARIPOUR/REUTERS) The economic relief granted to Iran under the reported terms of the  Memorandum of Understanding  (MoU) would likely allow the Islamic regime to immediately reconstitute its military powers, according to an assessment published by the American think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on Tuesday. Though US President  Donald Trump  denied reports of a $300 billion fund slated for Iran in comments on the sidelines of the G7 summit on Wednesday, ISW noted that Iranian officials have already promised that funds set to be released as part of the deal would be used to rebuild its missile and drone programs. Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told Iranian press in May, “I think even the stones of Mina would be moved to tears upon hearing such absurd statements from American off...

A tugboat moves cargo towards the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Musandam province, Oman, July 20, 2018 (photo credit: HAMAD I MOHAMMED/REUTERS) While US President  Donald Trump  has recently hailed the resumption of oil flows from Gulf allies, Iran, too, appears to be gearing up to resume exports and trading. At least three tankers carrying some five million barrels of Iranian oil have sailed through the US naval blockade this week, shipping data shows, despite the US military saying its operations against Iran-linked shipping will stay in place until Friday. The oil market has focused on a deal to end the Iran war which Trump announced on June 14 and is  scheduled to be signed on Friday  in Switzerland. "The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Sunday. "Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!"

An oil tanker docked at the Port of Fujairah, as the US-Israel conflict with Iran limits marine traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, May 6, 2026. (photo credit: Amr Alfiky/Reuters) A $300 billion private fund designed to trigger investment into Iran is outlined in the  US-Iran framework agreement  and more than half that sum has already been committed, a source with direct knowledge of the deal told Reuters. The fund is designed to give both sides an economic incentive to conclude a final deal to end the war, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan has not yet been announced as Washington and Tehran prepare to sign on Friday. The fund's existence has been previously reported but Reuters is revealing for the first time that more than half of the amount has already been committed and that it will be comprised entirely of private-sector funds

Hezbollah Member of Parliament Ali Fayyad stands in Burj al-Muluk, near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila, where Israeli forces remained on the ground after a deadline for their withdrawal passed as residents sought to return to homes in the border area (photo credit: Karamallah Daher/Reuters) Ankara  gave Hezbollah delegations assurances that Turkey supported the Iran-backed group’s continued role in Lebanon, and that Damascus had no plans to take action against the terrorist organization,  Lebanese Member of Parliament Ali Fayyad  told the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen last week. The Hezbollah politician’s comments came a week before  US President Donald Trump  told Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani that Syria should take over the role of removing the Hezbollah threat, "If Israel can't do the job without killing everyone else.” "I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of  Hezbollah , because to be honest with you, I think they'd d...

If the deal is signed, it would mean the US would release the full text of the agreement, and the parts of the deal regarding the Strait of Hormuz would take immediate effect. President Trump holds a meeting, with Vice President J.D. Vance alongside him, in the Situation Room at the White House on Saturday. There should be a swift pivot to negotiations, presenting Tehran with clear and firm terms, says the writer.  US PRESIDENT Donald Trump holds a meeting, with Vice President J.D. Vance alongside him, in the Situation Room at the White House on Saturday. There should be a swift pivot to negotiations, presenting Tehran with clear and firm terms, says the writer. The US, Iran, and mediating parties are discussing bumping up the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as early as Wednesday, according to an Axios report. The parties are set to sign the MoU into effect on Friday. However, one mediating diplomat and a second source familiar with the talks told Axios that the de...

A man walks past Iran’s national flag and a banner bearing the images of the late founder of the Islamic Revolution, supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (R), the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and his son, the current supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei (L), in Tehran, June 10. (photo credit: Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images) This is the Americans’ war; their army did everything, and that is how it is presented there in the US. I mean, they decide, they close the war," Ze'ev Palti said. Ze'ev Palti, the former head of the  Mossad  intelligence directorate, warned that he does not know how long it will be before Iran’s new leader decides whether to continue on his father’s path or change course toward a bomb in an interview with 103FM on Tuesday. The United States and Iran agreed to a framework agreement on Sunday that is expected to advance negotiations between the two sides. Palti, who previously headed the Mossad’s intelligence directorate, laid out his vie...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/RONEN ZVULUN/FILE PHOTO) He shouldn't have written that, this was a national mistake and a blow to our unity," Netanyahu told Zamir. "It embarrasses us in front of Trump." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told off IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen.  Eyal Zamir  during a security cabinet meeting after Israeli Air Force Commander Brig.-Gen. Omer Tischler released a letter on Tuesday revealing details on the canceled attack on Iran,  Ynet  reported. "He shouldn't have written that. This was a national mistake and a blow to our unity," Netanyahu told Zamir. "It embarrasses us in front of Trump."

Former US Vice President Mike Pence slammed US President Donald Trump's controversial Memorandum of Understanding with Iran on Wednesday in a post on X/Twitter. In the post, Pence called out the deal for not covering Iran's nuclear or ballistic missile programs, or its proxy terror organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah. He also criticized the fact that the deal would grant Iran billions of dollars in unfrozen assets, sanctions relief, and reconstruction funds. "The reported MOU with Iran smacks of the kind of appeasement that we saw during the Obama years, the kind of appeasement that Joe Biden tried to accomplish and was ignored by the Iranians, and the kind of appeasement we categorically rejected during the first Trump administration," Pence wrote.

A drone view shows vessels anchored at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, May 30, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/Stringer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) Iran has fired multiple drones toward commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz since the signing of the  US-Iran  memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Sunday, a source told  The Jerusalem Post . The source added that all of the drones had been intercepted by the US military before they pose a threat to commercial or US military ships and personnel. Go to the full article > >