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.
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
Jun 16, 2026, 4:55 PM EDT
Vance says Trump could release MOU text 'as early as tomorrow'
Vice President JD Vance said that President Donald Trump could release the text of the memorandum of understanding as soon as Wednesday, but tried to downplay its release overall.
"The president said by the latest Friday, possibly as early as tomorrow, we're going to release the memorandum of understanding text," Vance said on Megyn Kelly’s radio show Tuesday.
"Fundamentally, does it really matter if the deal comes out on Wednesday versus Friday? No. That's why we haven't emphasized it so much is because at the very latest, the text is going to be out on Friday," Vance said.
The vice president also reiterated that any financial relief, including sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets, would be tied to Iran’s behavior.
Vance said that enrichment was "on the table" in the along with verification and inspection, though it was not clear if this was an agreement to limit all enrichment.
"If they want the benefits of the bargain, enrichment is going to be on the table and more importantly verification and inspections is going to be on the table," Vance said.
