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.
Pakistan to host US-Iran ceremony in Geneva on Friday, Sharif says
In a speech to parliament Monday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan will host the signing ceremony for the U.S.-Iran agreement in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday.
Sharif did not provide details or mention a specific location in Geneva for the ceremony. ABC News has contacted Sharif's office to request further details on the planned ceremony.
Sharif praised Pakistan's negotiator, Field Marshal Asim Munir, saying there were many "ups and downs during the negotiations" and "moments when it seemed that it's over," but that Munir "did not give up."
-ABC News' Habibullah Khan and Victoria Beaule
1 hour and 55 minutes ago
Lebanese army warns displaced people not to return south
The Lebanese Armed Forces on Monday urged people displaced from the south of the country by Israeli military operations there not to return to their homes and await further instructions, following Sunday's announcement of a memorandum of understanding that could bring an end to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
"In light of recent developments in the region and with news circulating about reaching a ceasefire, the Army Command emphasizes the need for residents to postpone their return to the southern border villages and towns, and to adhere to the instructions of the deployed military units, in order to protect their safety from the danger of Israeli violations and attacks," the force said in a post to X.
Lebanon's NNA state media reported that some displaced Lebanese families were starting to head back to southern Lebanon following the U.S.-Iran agreement, which President Donald Trump announced on Sunday. The deal is expected to be signed on Friday, Trump said.
Local authorities and civil emergency groups began to open closed roads in the southern districts of Tyre and Bint Habeel, NNA reported, paving the way for the return of people to their homes.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday said that the Israel Defense Forces will not withdraw from areas it has seized in southern Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip regardless of a deal with Iran.
A girl flashes signals from a vehicle as displaced residents cross the Bourj Rahal bridge on their way to their village in southern Lebanon on June 15, 2026.
Kawnat Haju/AFP via Getty Images
-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz, Somayeh Malekian, Victoria Beaule and Jordana Miller
4:21 AM EDT
International Maritime Organization chief welcomes US-Iran deal
The Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization Arsenio Dominguez called the reported agreement between the U.S. and Iran "an important step toward restoring safety in this vital maritime corridor for seafarers and ships, as well as safeguarding the fundamental principle of freedom of navigation."
Dominguez said in a statement published on Monday morning that the agreement allows the organization to "advance its plan to evacuate the thousands of seafarers stranded in the area," but that this "will require time to ensure that all necessary safety and security guarantees are in place."
-ABC News' Victoria Beaule
3:35 AM EDT
Israeli troops won't withdraw from Lebanon, Katz says
Following Sunday's announcement of a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued statements saying Israel will not withdraw from any territory it has seized.
"Israel is not subordinate to the United States, and we are an independent and sovereign state," Ben-Gvir said in a statement. "We must not withdraw from any territory that our fighters have occupied and cleared of terrorist infrastructure," he added.
Katz said that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are leading "a clear policy" under which the Israel Defense Forces "will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza indefinitely."
"The area will be cleared of local residents and all terrorist infrastructure, above and below ground -- including the houses in the contact villages that served as terrorist outposts -- will be destroyed," Katz said.
Netanyahu is yet to comment on the announced U.S.-Iran understanding.
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in Nabatieh, Lebanon, on June 15, 2026.
