ISLAMABAD, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as mediator in the U. S. -Iran peace deal, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office.
US and Israeli nuclear weapons 'brought no advantage in talks' The US-Iran framework agreement to end the war proves that nuclear weapons provide no strategic advantage, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican) said on Thursday. US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a deal on Wednesday which lays the groundwork for detailed negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme and sanctions relief for Tehran. Ican, which won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its key role in drafting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), insisted the deal revealed how little advantage US and Israeli nuclear arsenals provided.
Oil inventories across OECD member states fell in May to their lowest level since 1990, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), as governments drew down strategic reserves to offset supply disruptions linked to tensions in the Persian Gulf during the Middle East conflict. The IEA reported that since the beginning of the crisis, stocks in OECD countries have dropped by around 163 million barrels.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the memorandum of understanding signed between Iran and the US constitutes a historic document and reflects the message of a strong Iran, emphasizing that peace can only be achieved on the basis of mutual respect.
U. S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday berated NATO allies for not assisting in American strikes against Iran and announced a review of U.
The US Justice Department is investigating how Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei built a global investment portfolio with exposure to Wall Street banks, Bloomberg reported, citing four officials with direct knowledge of the matter.
In US statecraft and warcraft, the president and Pete Hegseth are now saying previously quiet parts out loud The Department of Defense will soon officially become the Department of War, if Republicans get their way. Key committees in the House and Senate have approved the name change, and Donald Trump is eager to sign it into law. The rebranding is candid and ominous, offering a future of heightened zeal for killing, maiming and destroying.
The head of the UN’s atomic energy agency on Thursday welcomed the signing of an initial Iran-US memorandum aimed at ending the war, before proposing “to sit down” with both parties to assist with concrete measures such as verification of Iran’s nuclear programme, a key sticking point.
The United Nations has again called for freedom of movement for its peacekeepers in Lebanon who continue to closely monitor developments in the south of the country, including in the wake of the recent provisional agreement signed by the United States and Iran.
The Security Council debated conditions in Gaza at the request of its 10 elected members amid concern that the territory's humanitarian crisis is being overshadowed by wider regional developments. The meeting took place under a ceasefire that has existed in name since October 2025 – but nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed, and most Gazans remain displaced. Relief chief Tom Fletcher told ambassadors that “fragile gains” since the truce are “the bare minimum of what Palestinians need.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 18 (ANI): Deputy Chief of Mission (Deputy Ambassador) at the Embassy of Israel in India, Fares Saeb hopes that Israel's concerns on Hezbollah and Iran's nuclear program will be addressed in the 60 days of negotiations between US and Iran. Saeb, in a conversation with ANI, said that Israel will not accept Iran's nuclear program and financing of Iranian proxies against Israel.
Bhalu (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 18 (ANI): Rajesh Sharma, the father of deceased seafarer Aditya Sharma, on Thursday acknowledged the Prime Minister's diplomatic constraints during his meeting with US President where the isssue of seafarer safety was raised. Speaking to ANI, Rajesh Sharma appealed to the government to ensure the safety of Indian seafarers in international waters.
Trump told Erdogan he is attending Nato's Ankara summit 'just for him' Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 12:04 Sources say Erdogan’s role as host helped persuade Trump to attend as tensions grow between Washington and European allies US President Donald Trump greets Recep Tayyip Erdogan outside the West Wing as he arrives at the White House on 25 September 2025 (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/AFP) Off US President Donald Trump told his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, last month that he would attend the forthcoming Nato summit in Ankara just to please the Turkish leader, according to several sources familiar with the phone call who spoke to Middle East Eye. Tensions between the US and its European allies have been steadily rising, and the July summit is seen as a potential breaking point, where both sides are expected to reveal their positions and attempt to chart a path forward together. “Many European countries say that the fact that the meeting will be held in Turkey , hosted by our president, is the most important factor that made President Trump’s participation in the summit possible,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters on Thursday.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Tajik President Emomali Rahmon congratulated Iran on the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the US marking the end of the war of aggression against Iran, describing the MoU as an important step toward regional and international stability.
Analysts said the agreement accomplishes none of Israel’s war aims and leaves the country in worse shape on each of them.
Tehran [Iran], June 18 (ANI): Iranian ships have entered ports without issue, and cargos have also been unloaded from ports without hindrance, spokesperson of the country's foreign ministry Esmaeil Baqaei, said on Thursday as per the ISNA news agency. Baqaei said that when the presidents of both US and Iran- Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian- had signed an agreement, the cost of breaking it will be higher.
'This was not easy': Trump and Iran sign interim ceasefire deal in France Submitted by Ayse Betul on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 09:24 The 14-point memorandum of understanding affirms reopening of Hormuz and a 60-day window to negotiate a permanent peace treaty involving nuclear down-blending Videograb from the X account of French President Emmanuel Macron shows Trump and Macron during the signing of the deal with Iran in Versailles, Paris 17 June 2026 (X) Off US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end a war that has devastated the Middle East since late February. The White House has confirmed the digital signing, noting that an initial phase of the agreement was signed on Sunday by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with President Trump witnessing. Trump had previously announced that both sides had agreed on the deal on 14 June.
Hormuz vessels must still coordinate with IRGC navy, Iranian state TV says The transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz still needs to be done in coordination with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy, Iranian state television said on Thursday. Vessels have begun moving through the strait following the signing of a deal to bring the US war on Iran to a close.
Israel accuses EU's top diplomat of 'blood libel' and severs ties Israel's foreign minister has launched an extraordinary attack on the European Union's top diplomat, accusing her of "acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness toward the State of Israel" and severing all ties with her. Gideon Saar said on Thursday that Kaja Kallas had "compared Israel to the racist apartheid regime that existed in South Africa", a comparison he referred to as a "blood libel". "I am grateful to the many European elected representatives who condemned this grave statement," Saar posted on social media.
Iranian press review: Conflict revived Iran’s regional power, says anti-war analyst Submitted by MEE correspondent on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 11:05 Meanwhile, new details emerge of US missiles used for first time, first motorcycle licences issued for women, and economist warns of hyperinflation risk A man in Tehran reads the Iranian daily newspaper Hamshahri bearing an image of the US president and the headline 'Gone with the wind', on 18 June 2026 (AFP) Off War renews confidence in regional alliances Iranian analyst Mehrdad Ahmadi Sheikhani said the recent US-Israeli war on Iran has renewed support for one of the country's key regional policies of expanding its strategic depth. Since the end of the Iran-Iraq war in 1988, Tehran has built ties with armed and political groups across the Middle East that share its ideological views. Iranian political and military leaders have long argued that these alliances help the country deter attacks by Israel .
