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. The memorandum of understanding was read to reporters on Wednesday.
Trump says 'we defeated Iran,' is confident US will reach a deal
President Donald Trump said the U.S. "defeated" Iran in the first week of the war, saying the U.S. naval blockade on Iran was "100% effective" and Iran now wants to come to an agreement to end the war.
"They want to sign, they want to get back to a normal life. You know, we hit them very hard," Trump told reporters while speaking at the G7 Wednesday.
"This is a memorandum of understanding, but it's a very strong one. This isn't just like a two-paragraph. This is a longer, pretty detailed memorandum that goes into a regular contract," Trump said.
8:08 AM EDT
Trump describes MOU as 'not final,' threatens to restart bombing
President Donald Trump said the text of the memorandum of understanding with Iran announced earlier this week was not final, and that if he didn't like it, the U.S. would "go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head."
"No, it’s not final. It’s a memorandum of understanding, and if I don't like it, we'll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs on their head,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday, during a bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the sidelines of the G7 in France.
President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with Egypt's President on the sidelines of the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 17, 2026.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
He added, "If I don't like it, if they don't behave, we'll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head, OK? Because they misbehaved for 47 years."
-ABC News' Fritz Farrow
5:55 AM EDT
UN reports 'significantly' reduced violence in southern Lebanon
The U.N. is seeing a "significantly reduced level" of violence and exchanges of fire in southern Lebanon since the weekend, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the U.N. secretary general, said on Tuesday.
People ride an all-terrain vehicle moving past destroyed buildings in the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in southern Lebanon on June 16, 2026.
Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images
"The mission recorded 38 violations of Lebanese airspace by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) yesterday, down from 83 reported on Sunday," Dujarric said at his daily press briefing.
On the continued displacement of people from southern Lebanon, Dujarric said, "while violence has decreased since Sunday, incidents in southern Lebanon continue to be reported, which has a direct impact on people’s ability to check on their homes or to move around."
-ABC News' Victoria Beaule
5:33 AM EDT
G7 leaders 'support,' 'ready to contribute' to US-Iran MOU
The G7 leaders released early on Wednesday a joint statement on geopolitical issues, including the US-Iran deal, saying the group welcomes the MOU that could "prevent Iran from acquiring any nuclear weapon and tackling the threats related to its regional and ballistic activities."
"We support and are ready to contribute to its implementation," the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States said in a written statement.
The statement highlighted the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that the critical passageway should operate "without restrictions or tolls," calling it "the bedrock of international trade."
President Donald Trump shakes hands with France's President Emmanuel Macron as they attend a morning work meeting as part of the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 17, 2026.
Mandel Ngan/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
"We agree that the multinational, independent, and defensive initiative led by France and the UK can play an important role to facilitate the resumption of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz by protecting merchant vessels, reassuring commercial shipping operators, and supporting verification that all mines are removed," the leaders added.
In an interview with CNN that was aired Tuesday night, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he has seen the MOU, calling it "well-structured" and a "game-changer." The Canadian prime minister did not confirm the exact length of the document, but called it a "reasonable" length.
President Donald Trump attends a morning work meeting as part of the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 17, 2026.
Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
In the joint geopolitical statement, the G7 leaders also emphasized their support for an "immediate robust ceasefire" in Lebanon -- where Israel has been attacking targets it says are associated with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia -- along with the protection of Lebanon’s "territorial integrity and sovereignty," while also reiterating efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
-ABC News' Justin Gomez, Emily Chang and Rachel Scott
