Donald Trump is claiming his Iran peace plan is a victory for Washington, despite the 14-point agreement revealing significant concessions to Tehran. Under the deal, Iran will reopen the strait of Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets, while talks will continue over the fate of Iran’s nuclear programme. Nosheen Iqbal speaks to the Guardian diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour Continue reading...
Responding to the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the USA and Iran to end a months-long war that spilled into neighbouring countries, killing more than 6,000 people across the Middle East and rattling the global economy, Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said: “US and Iranian officials have signed a deal to end […] The post US-Iran deal must centre human rights and region must see real and sustainable end to hostilities appeared first on Amnesty International .
Vance: US let at least 12 ships pass blockade after Iran deal The US military has allowed at least 12 ships to pass through its naval blockade of Iran's ports following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday. "On the blockade, Centcom has allowed north of a dozen ships to go through our naval blockade, and so we're also honouring our end of the early part of the agreement," Vance told journalists, referring to the US military command responsible for the Middle East.
US-Iran 60-day negotiating period begins Thursday, VP Vance says The 60-day period for negotiations between the United States and Iran begins on Thursday, but the agreement between the two sides took effect the day before, Vice President JD Vance said. "I would say the 60-day period officially started today," Vance told journalists, adding that "the deal started yesterday".
Makerfield by-election: This may finally be the end for Starmer Submitted by Peter Oborne on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 16:38 If Labour candidate Andy Burnham is victorious, the party could begin a much-needed process of renewal Supporters hold placards promoting Andy Burnham in the Makerfield by-election campaign in northwest England, on 22 May 2026 (Paul Ellis/AFP) Off British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will have mixed feelings as he awaits the result of today’s Makerfield by-election . As Labour leader, he will celebrate if his party wins. As prime minister, his survival depends on Labour losing.
Vance says Israel needs to respect the peace process with Iran US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said Israel will have to respect the peace process with Iran, which he said was good for them, adding that attacks in Beirut that kill civilians were "not acceptable. " Vance also said that he may go to Switzerland 'this weekend' for Iran talks.
TheIran framework agreementgave an immediate boost to markets, with shares rising and oil prices dipping. But whether this translates into durable economic gains will largely depend on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Donald Trump is claiming his Iran peace plan is a victory for Washington, despite the 14-point agreement revealing significant concessions to Tehran. Under the deal, Iran will reopen the strait of Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets, while talks will continue over the fate of Iran’s nuclear programme. Nosheen Iqbal speaks to the Guardian’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour – watch on YouTube Continue reading...
Israel 'will be at war with Syria sooner or later', says Likud minister Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 16:01 Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli outlined a 'radical Sunni axis of evil' made up of Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli (R) sits beside Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, as they attend a conference on antisemitism in Jerusalem on 27 March 2025 (AFP) Off An Israeli minister from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party said this week that Israel “will be at war with Syria sooner or later”. The remarks came in a series of radio interviews given by Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli on Wednesday and Thursday, in which he outlined what he dubbed a "radical Sunni axis of evil" in the Middle East. “There is no way that a jihadist regime rooted in Isis and al-Qaeda, whose aspiration is the unification of Jerusalem, can live in peace alongside the State of Israel,” the far-right minister said, referring to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government.
With sanctions-relief and a US promise to avoid further meddling, the conflict has been settled on Tehran’s terms Donald Trump is running fast to escape the catastrophic war on Iran that he and Benjamin Netanyahu started four months ago. He is saying anything that appears to suit the moment. In fact, he clearly feels he can now ditch his friend, the Israeli prime minister.
Europe and the larger world will be watching carefully to see if talks produce a lasting agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz.
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate denounces Israeli seizure of church land in Jerusalem Submitted by Ayse Betul on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 16:22 Patriarchate launches a lawsuit and calls for international intervention to halt 'a broader campaign of land theft' A nun walks past Israeli police on Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem (AFP/Menahem Kahana) Off The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem has denounced the “unlawful and illegitimate” Israeli seizure of its property in occupied East Jerusalem. In a statement on Wednesday, the Patriarchate said that it "expressed grave concern over the Israeli raid and land grab targeting its Church property in Silwan". During the operation, which took place on Monday, “the Patriarchate’s representative was forcibly removed, his equipment was confiscated, trees were uprooted, and the property was enclosed with fencing and gates”.
While the human cost is clear, the Iranian regime has not just survived the war, it has been empowered.
While the human cost is clear, the Iranian regime has not just survived the war, it has been empowered.
Plan is admission US could not achieve what it sought through war as red line after red line has been erased Only a man with an unparalleled ignorance of history such as Donald Trump would have signed America’s peace treaty with Iran at Versailles, the byword for national humiliation. And only a man with an impish sense of humour such as Emmanuel Macron would have suggested it. It is easy to cast Trump in the role of the humiliated and hurt German Count Ulrich von Brockdorff-Rantzau.
At Least 32 Lawyers Arrested, Prosecuted, or Imprisoned in Iran Since January 2026 Political Detainees, Death Row Prisoners at Grave Risk Without Independent Lawyers June 18, 2026 — As domestic repression intensifies across Iran, authorities have increasingly turned their attention to the country’s independent legal community. In just the first five months of 2026, at […] The post Iran Intensifies Assault on Independent Lawyers Amid Expanding Post-War Crackdown appeared first on Center for Human Rights in Iran .
UK no longer advising against all but essential travel to UAE and some other Gulf states Britain on Thursday said it was no longer advising against all but essential travel to some Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait. The change comes shortly after the United States and Iran signed an interim agreement to end their war.
Late-night hosts discussed the president’s Iran peace deal ‘blunder’ and his poor grasp of geography Late-night hosts discussed Donald Trump ’s “childish” behavior at the G7 summit, his reportedly catastrophic peace deal with Iran and a blunder over Middle East geography. Continue reading...
The Foreign Ministry in Moscow has welcomed the development, urging all parties involved to avert renewed escalation, including in Lebanon The Russian Foreign Ministry has welcomed the US-Iran memorandum of understanding and expressed its readiness to help facilitate further diplomatic efforts toward establishing peace in the Middle East.
Inside the Oxford Union debate where Tommy Robinson lost to a Palestinian student from Gaza Submitted by Imran Mulla on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 10:14 The far-right leader was defeated in a fiery debate on Islam as hundreds of protestors surrounded the prestigious institution's building Tommy Robinson and Arwa Elrayess at the Oxford Union on Wednesday (MEE/Imran Mulla) Off On Wednesday night Britain's most notorious anti-Islam activist was hosted at the Oxford Union by a Palestinian student from Gaza who said she was upholding his right to free speech, before roundly defeating him in a debate on Islam. Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, arrived at the debating society to speak in support of the motion "This House believes the West is right to be suspicious of Islam". It failed to pass.
