President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan in April failed to reach a peace deal. Trump later announced the open-ended extension of the ceasefire and the continuation of a U.S. blockade until negotiations concluded.
On Sunday, Trump announced that the U.S. and Iran had reached a "great deal," which he said would be signed on Friday.
Israeli attacks, occupation in Lebanon violate MOU, Araghchi says
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that ending the war with the U.S. and Israel "would not be completed" without Israel's withdrawal of the lands it has occupied in southern Lebanon during this war, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Speaking at a meeting with foreign diplomats in Tehran, Araghchi said Iran will view any military attack on Lebanon by Israel and the continuation of its occupation as a "violation of the MOU."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjmain Netanyahu said on Monday that the Israel Defense Forces will not withdraw from the areas it has seized in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.
Lebanese army forces deploy in the village of Bir al-Salasel in southern Lebanon on June 15, 2026.
Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images
-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian
Jun 15, 2026, 2:53 PM EDT
Israel will remain in buffer zones of Lebanon, Gaza, Syria: Netanyahu
Israel will remain in the "buffer zones" it has created in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.
"We will remain in the security belts as long as it takes to protect our country," he said.
Israel has expanded its presence in southern Lebanon in recent weeks.
Jun 15, 2026, 1:09 PM EDT
Trump says 'it depends' if he will attend signing ceremony on Friday
During a press spray with French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7, President Donald Trump said the text of the memorandum of understanding would be released “pretty soon,” but sometime after Friday.
“This is a very powerful document, and I want it to be released. So, probably pretty soon. I would say, after-- sometime after Friday, because the Strait opens. It’s open now, but it opens completely,” Trump said.
This comes as a senior administration official said Monday that the MOU would be released in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Trump also said “it depends” if he will attend the signing ceremony in Geneva on Friday, but he said Vice President JD Vance would be there.
Macron, in his opening remarks, praised the agreement between the U.S. and Iran, saying it was a “very important” step toward peace and rebuilding the global economy, which took a hit because of the war.
President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron during the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, June 15, 2026.
Ludovic Marin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Jun 15, 2026, 12:49 PM EDT
'By Friday, everything will be fully open,' administration official says of Strait of Hormuz
Senior administration officials said Monday that the Strait of Hormuz should be fully open by Friday.
A drone view of vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 8, 2026.
Stringer/Reuters
"In terms of returning traffic, I mean, we've been maybe getting as much as 25 ships through a day, you know. Now that we're through, I think they'll probably go to, you know, maybe 40 to 50 pretty quickly," an official said. "... By Friday, everything will be fully open. I think it will adjust very, very quickly, and I think obviously the prioritization will be on the heavy tankers, you know, the gas, the oils. I think that will actually flow very quickly."
“Just to be clear here, it takes a little bit of time, because you know you have mines in the Straits," the official continued. "But you will see significant increase in traffic in the Strait of Hormuz actually starting already, and that will ramp up slowly over time to the point where I think a week from now, two weeks from now, we probably won't return to normal in two weeks, but we will see a significant increase in Strait traffic.”
The official made clear that the memorandum of understanding ensured the Strait of Hormuz be “toll-free for 60 days,” with the expectation that it will become part of the “final agreement, as well.”
President Donald Trump, during a press spray with French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7, told reporters that the Strait of Hormuz is “already partially open” and said “on Friday, it will be completely opened.”
