Israel Watch

Trump Signs Iran Deal – bellwetherintel.com

pgnewser June 18, 2026 0

President Donald Trump has officially signed a deal with Iran that is effectively a 60-day ceasefire intended to lead to a final peace deal. Details of the plan have not been clearly given, but already Trump faces skepticism from both progressives and conservatives at home.

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Toronto police say gun-for-hire networks linked to US Consulate shooting– abcnews.com

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Toronto police have linked multiple shootings, including one at the U.S. Consulate in March, to complex gun-for-hire networks

TORONTO — Police in Canada said Tuesday they have linked multiple shootings, including at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto in March, to “multilayered” gun-for-hire networks that have also targeted synagogues in the city.

Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw told a news conference that young adults are being recruited through encrypted messages and paid by the networks to carry out the shootings and have to film them to get paid. Some of the firearms used in the attacks have since been seized by investigators.

US and Iran sign deal, but who really won? Here’s what to know– www.euronews.com

pgnewser June 18, 2026 0

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The US-Iran framework deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring the two adversaries back to the negotiating table over Tehran’s nuclear programme was signed on Wednesday amid differing reports and growing confusion over its contents.

Despite an earlier announcement that the agreement would be signed at a ceremony in Switzerland on Friday, US President Donald Trump signed a physical copy of the deal while dining with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles.

In Tehran, President Masoud Pezeshkian also signed the document on Wednesday, according to the state-run IRNA news agency, which posted an image of him holding up the deal with his signature next to Trump’s.

Hegseth says military in position to restart operations against Iran– www.washingtonexaminer.com

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War Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. military was in a position to restart operations against Iran “if we need to,” shortly after President Donald Trump signed the memorandum of understanding in Versailles, France.

Speaking to reporters on the tarmac before departing from Brussels, Belgium, Hegseth indicated that, though the MOU sought to end the war with Iran, the U.S. was also prepared to launch renewed strikes if Tehran was not seen as having fulfilled its commitments under the deal.

“We will be prepared to recommence if, underneath the timeline of these talks, Iran does not do what it says it’s going to do, which is give up nuclear weapons, give up nuclear ambitions, give away their nuclear material, close nuclear facilities. Then the War Department is here and prepared to restart if we need to. We prefer not to, but we are prepared,” he said.

What’s in the US-Iran deal? Key details from the 14-point agreement– www.channelnewsasia.com

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Respecting sovereignty

The second point of the agreement states that both nations are to “undertake to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs”.

Iran is deeply suspicious of Trump, who twice in the past year attacked in the middle of negotiations.

Whether or not the Iranians are willing to compromise could also hinge on their supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, considered more hardline than his father, who was killed along with the new leader’s mother, wife and son in a US-Israeli strike.

The US will also be distrustful, watching to see if Iran is stringing them along, as Trump aides say they have experienced before.

Israel hits Hezbollah in defiance of Trump’s so-called Iran deal– www.mirror.co.uk

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As Trump obfuscates over Iran concessions in his new ‘peace deal’ major tension grows between Israel and Washington over the inclusion of Lebanon – as it is seen as protecting Hezbollah

A police officer inspects buildings damaged in Israeli strikes in the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon(Image: AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Israel has continued to hammer Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon in defiance of a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran. At least one person has died in the attacks despite Lebanon being included in the ‘memorandum of understanding’ on the Iran war. US President Donald Trump’s controversial MOU concedes the inclusion of Lebanon, effectively limiting Israel’s ability to attack Iran’s proxy extension Hezbollah. It has infuriated many Israelis who see the MOU as severely restricting their ability to protect themselves from Hezbollah by attacking it.

Iran war live: Trump’s deal with Iran ‘may be worse than Obama deal he hated’– www.mirror.co.uk

pgnewser June 17, 2026 0

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Trump and Starmer have both spoken at the G7 Summit in France today.

The US president told reporters that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon and that if that does happen, “all hell will rain down on them”.

Trump said: “The only thing that really matters to me is Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. If they do, they’ll suffer unbelievable consequences. The consequences are the ultimate consequences.

“The biggest thing is they will not have a nuclear weapon. They will not develop, purchase, buy or require a nuclear weapon. If they do, all hell will rain down on them.”

Rubio And Hegseth Face Admin Threat For Opposing New Deal: ‘May Pay A Personal Price’– crooksandliars.com

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s jobs may be at stake if they continue to oppose President Donald Trump’s Iran deal, a senior White House official warned.

The threat emerged in a report published Sunday by the right-leaning Israeli daily Israel Hayom, which detailed a bitter internal White House battle over the emerging memorandum of understanding with Tehran.

“The debate has been settled. Those who oppose it may pay a personal price,” a senior US official told the outlet.

According to the report, Vice President JD Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump envoy Jared Kushner have driven the push for a deal, arguing the Iranian regime is unlikely to collapse soon and that Gulf states — particularly Qatar — have pressed hard for an agreement.

Rubio and Hegseth argued the opposite: that Iran is buckling under economic pressure and Washington should tighten the screws, not ease them. The two men had been the public faces of that harder line — touting “Project Freedom,” a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force, only for Trump to shelve it hours after they publicly praised it.

US won’t need ‘much help’ on Hormuz, Trump says at G7– www.news24.com

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President Donald Trump on Monday told allies the US would not need “much help” in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as he attended a G7 summit meeting of leading powers in France, dominated by questions over his deal with Iran to end the Middle East war.

Trump arrived in the spa resort of Evian-les-Bains for the summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, flush from celebrating his 80th birthday by watching MMA cage fighting at the White House the previous night.

But allies have a list of questions for Trump about his deal, impatiently waiting for the Strait to reopen and global energy prices to fall.

Macron faces a delicate balancing act in hosting the often unpredictable US leader. The New York Post newspaper reported that Trump is threatening to slap a 100% tariff on French wine and champagne unless Paris removes a digital services tax.

The Strait of Hormuz will be “completely open” from Friday after demining is completed, Trump said at the start of bilateral talks with Macron ahead of the summit opening.

Trump says Iran deal to be public soon and will rule out nuclear weapon for Tehran– www.channelnewsasia.com

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Both sides say the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s trade in oil and liquefied natural gas, will be open from Friday.

On Tuesday, Iranian state television reported operations to lift its maritime blockade, while stressing that vessels must still coordinate with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

Trump said earlier that tankers were starting to move out of the strait, and Reuters reported that the US – which had imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports – had been overseeing scores of secretive ship-to-ship oil transfers to keep Gulf energy exports flowing.

Trump Iran Policy the ‘Height of Incompetence’– www.breitbart.com

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Monday on CNN’s “OutFront,” Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) claimed President Donald Trump’s actions in Iran were the “height of incompetence.”

Host Erin Burnett said, “I got to start with this new reporting coming out of Axios, that U.S. intelligence has raised serious doubts about Iran’s willingness to make the nuclear concessions. And that Director Ratcliffe of the CIA, that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have all expressed concerns about the agreement. What’s your reaction to that?”

Kelly said, “I’m not surprised to hear that. I haven’t verified that. I haven’t seen the intelligence you’re talking about. But, you know, as I listen to, you know, how you describe this, agreement, this one and a half page MoU that is going to be signed and then 60 days of negotiation. I mean, the word that comes to mind to me is incompetence.”

Iran’s Khamenei funeral is a bet US peace deal will hold, expert warns– www.foxnews.com

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Iran’s decision to hold a July funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is a high-stakes bet that any emerging peace deal with the United States will hold, potentially creating a “target-rich” gathering of Tehran’s most isolated leaders, a counterterrorism expert warned Sunday.

The multi-day state funeral, announced by Iranian state media on June 13, is scheduled to begin in Tehran on July 4 and end with Khamenei’s burial in the holy city of Mashhad on July 9, Reuters reported.

Senate Republicans want a say on Trump’s Iran deal– www.politico.com

pgnewser June 17, 2026 0

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President Donald Trump is touting a deal that would end the monthslong war with Iran — and potentially ease some of the political headwinds bearing down on Republicans.

GOP lawmakers still have lots of questions.

The absence of publicly released text for the “memorandum of understanding” Vice President JD Vance reportedly signed with Iranian officials Sunday left an information vacuum on Capitol Hill, where senators of both parties were left airing concerns about what the deal might entail.

Even most Republicans agreed: More information needs to come to Congress soon, and any agreement touching on the future of the Iranian nuclear program would have to eventually be subject to a congressional vote.

“If you want a deal to last, it can’t be an executive agreement,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.). “We’ve got to have a vote of Congress to be able to solidify [it] long term.”

Trump Promises ‘Ultimate Consequences’ For Iran– trendingpoliticsnews.com

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President Donald Trump warned Iran that it will face “ultimate consequences” if the regime obtains a nuclear weapon, drawing a hard red line as he works to lock down a Middle East peace deal.

Speaking during a G7 news conference and bilateral meeting with Qatar early Tuesday, Trump said Tehran “will not” be allowed to develop, buy or otherwise acquire a nuclear weapon under his emerging memorandum of understanding.

“And if they do, they suffer unbelievable consequences,” Trump said during a bilateral meeting with Qatar early Tuesday morning. “Not just a little bit,  I won’t even tell you the consequences, but the consequences are the ultimate consequences.”

Trump Made The Worst Deal In US History In Leaked Iran MOU Text– www.politicususa.com

pgnewser June 17, 2026 0

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Trump wants to go down in history as one of the great US presidents, but what is unfolding is one of the biggest presidential trainwrecks in American history. Through a series of bad policy decisions, Donald J. Trump has wrecked the economy. Corruption in this administration is approaching levels that haven’t been seen in the country since the 19th Century.

The president started a war with Iran, which he lost, and negotiated a ceasefire extension that he will not let Congress or the American people view.

Trump hails ‘great relationship’ with Qatar as it cements its trusted negotiator role– www.washingtonexaminer.com

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Qatar solidified its role as the Trump administration’s preferred negotiator after playing a decisive role in bringing together the Memorandum of Understanding to end the U.S. war with Iran.

Speaking alongside Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani at a summit on Tuesday, President Donald Trump heaped praise on the Qatari leader and his nation’s efforts to help the United States.

“We have a great relationship,” Trump said. “The emir is a fantastic man, respected all over the world … highly respected people, great people, and we work very well together. We have our deal done with Iran, and to be successful, it goes to a second stage, which I think will be actually easier.

Carney says he’s seen U.S.-Iran framework to end war, calls it a ‘game changer’ in CNN interview– www.cbc.ca

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The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he’s seen a copy of the preliminary deal struck between the U.S. and Iran to end hostilities in the Middle East and is calling it a “game changer.”

“I have to say, it’s exceeded my expectations. We’re very pleased with the deal that’s been struck,” the prime minister said in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France.

Trump’s Iran Deal ‘Smacks of Appeasement’– www.breitbart.com

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Tuesday on CNN’s “The Source,” former Vice President Mike Pence said President Donald Trump’s deal with Iran “smacks of appeasement.”

Pence said, “Iran has been at war with the United States, and our cherished ally Israel, for 47 years. And I strongly supported, the president’s decision for the first time in modern history to take the fight directly to the mullahs in Tehran last year. And then again, this year. And I do believe the president has earned some latitude in negotiating an end to hostilities. But I have very real concerns. I look like apparently an awful lot of people on this, I just don’t trust the Iranians. I’ve been quite close to those issues from my time in the White House, many briefings in the Situation Room, as well as my years on the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House. So I’ve been the Iranians, particularly with regard to their nuclear ambition, have essentially a legacy of lies.”

US supports Gulf countries contributing to $300 billion Iran fund from afar– www.washingtonexaminer.com

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The United States supports Gulf countries contributing hundreds of billions of dollars to Iran, but will not contribute itself, according to Vice President JD Vance.

The subject of funds either given to or made available for Iran has been a primary source of questions as the Trump administration prepares to sign its Memorandum of Understanding with Tehran on Friday.

“That’s the sort of thing they could have access to, funded by the Gulf Coast Coalition, so long as they honor their end of the obligation,” Vance told CBS News on Monday, when asked whether the U.S.-Iran memorandum electronically signed Sunday allowed for a “$300 billion reconstruction fund.”

Senate Shoots Down Resolution to Limit Trump’s Military Authority Over Iran– www.breitbart.com

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By a single vote, the Senate shot down a proposal on Tuesday that would have reined in President Donald Trump’s ability to use military force against Iran without Congress’s approval.

The vote fell just one vote short of advancing with 48-47. Republican Senators Susan Collins, Bill Cassidy, Lisa Murkowski, and Rand Paul voted with the Democrats. On the flip side, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) crossed the aisle to vote alongside the Republican majority against the bill.

Introduced by Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), the resolution sought to require congressional approval for continued U.S. military action involving Iran. Warnock had urged Republicans to vote for it, arguing that Congress shouldn’t just sit back and let the president make all the decisions on foreign wars.

The vote occurred as lawmakers pressed the White House for details about an agreement Trump announced Sunday between Washington and Tehran that he has promoted as a path toward ending months of fighting.

“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!” Trump declared on Truth Social.

Iran says deal with U.S. requires Israeli forces to leave Lebanon– www.cbsnews.com

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Vice President JD Vance said on CNN the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran is a “very general document,” spanning about a page and a half, with knotty details on the future of Iran’s nuclear program and other issues left for future talks.

“On a number of issues, we are going to have to figure this stuff out during the technical negotiation phase,” Vance told CNN’s Jake Tapper, referring to the deal’s 60-day window for further talks, which are set to begin Friday.

Senior U.S. officials told reporters earlier Monday they plan to release the full text of the memorandum of understanding in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Protests In Iran Over Deal, Netanyahu Says Israel Saved From Annihilation– www.ndtv.com

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US-Iran War LIVE Updates: Protests erupted in Iran after a memorandum of understanding was reached with the US to bring peace to the Middle East region, with people calling Iranian leaders Abbas Araghchi and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf “compromisers”.

Trump said the deal will be signed by the two sides on Friday in Geneva, after which the Strait of Hormuz will be opened and operated without fees. “Ships are starting to move, many loaded up with Oil, out of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said, adding later that he did not “think we will need much help” keeping the waterway open. Iran has continued to voice its lack of trust in Washington. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said a “final agreement” will be reached within two months, deliberations over which will include aspects like the nuclear programme and Tehran’s $25 billion frozen assets.

The deal has brought differences between the US and Israel out in the open, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Israeli troops would remain in Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria for “as long as necessary”. He said that the military campaign against Iran had spared his country from the threat of “nuclear annihilation”. He pledged that Iran would never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, regardless of the terms of any agreement.

Senate Shoots Down Resolution to Limit Trump’s Military Authority Over Iran– www.breitbart.com

pgnewser June 17, 2026 0

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EXCERPT:

By a single vote, the Senate shot down a proposal on Tuesday that would have reined in President Donald Trump’s ability to use military force against Iran without Congress’s approval.

The vote fell just one vote short of advancing with 48-47. Republican Senators Susan Collins, Bill Cassidy, Lisa Murkowski, and Rand Paul voted with the Democrats. On the flip side, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) crossed the aisle to vote alongside the Republican majority against the bill.

Introduced by Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), the resolution sought to require congressional approval for continued U.S. military action involving Iran. Warnock had urged Republicans to vote for it, arguing that Congress shouldn’t just sit back and let the president make all the decisions on foreign wars.