US-Iran News LIVE updates: The United States ended its restrictions on Iran on Thursday, allowing oil tankers to once again pass through the Strait of Hormuz after months of disruption, as a preliminary ceasefire agreement began to take effect.
However, Vice President indicated that he might delay a planned trip to Switzerland, where a formal signing ceremony for the agreement was scheduled for Friday. Meanwhile, a Trump administration representative informed US lawmakers during a private briefing that Iran intends to invite the United Nations nuclear watchdog to inspect its nuclear facilities.
These developments came after Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, publicly supported direct talks with the United States in a statement broadcast by Iranian state media.
“It is obvious that the face-to-face negotiations that will be held in the future will not mean accepting the enemy’s opinion,” he stated.
On Thursday, President reiterated the United States’ commitment to promoting peace in after the US and Iran signed a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). He stated that Washington expects a “complete ceasefire” between Hezbollah and Israel.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed confidence that the agreement could pave the way for a wider regional ceasefire and contribute positively to global markets. He emphasised that the United States remains dedicated to ensuring that ongoing diplomatic efforts result in long-term stability throughout the region.
“The United States is committed to PEACE, and we encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold. The Markets are loving what is happening with Oil Prices way down, and Stocks way up. We expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said.
US envoy Steve Witkoff informed lawmakers that Iran plans to allow inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog to visit its nuclear facilities. According to Witkoff, the inspections will help locate and assess Iran’s stockpile of enriched nuclear material, which is believed to be buried beneath debris at several sites.
Stay tuned to LiveMint for live updates on US-Iran News
US-Iran News LIVE: JD Vance says inspectors will oversee uranium stockpile
US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday (June 18) said the United States will rely on verification and inspections rather than assurances in implementing the interim Iran agreement, stressing strict monitoring of Tehran’s nuclear programme.
US-Iran News LIVE: Asia Stocks set to rise as deal lifts mood, says report
Stocks in Asia were poised to rise Friday after a peace deal between the US and Iran boosted optimism that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will ease inflation pressures by restoring oil flows, reported Bloomberg.
Equity-index futures for Japan and South Korea pointed to gains at the open. US stock futures edged lower on Friday after the S&P 500 climbed 1.1% and the Nasdaq 100 gained 2.5%. A gauge of chip stocks surged more than 6% to a record, led by Intel Corp., after President Donald Trump said the company would work with Apple Inc. to design and manufacture semiconductors in the US.
Markets in the US, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are shut for holidays on Friday.
— Bloomberg
US-Iran News LIVE: ’Oil fields are ready to resume extraction operations,’ says minister
Iraqi Oil Minister Basem Al-Abadi stated the country’s oil fields are ready to restart extraction operations, with exports likely to comeback gradually to their earlier levels, as per the Iraqi News Agency (INA) report.
“The oil fields are ready to resume extraction operations,” Al-Abadi said, adding that the “return to normalcy would take place incrementally until previous production rates were reached”.
US-Iran News LIVE: Peace deal does not compromise the right of self-defence for either side, says JD Vance
Vance also clarified that the agreement does not compromise the right of self-defence for either side.
“Israel doesn’t give up the right of self-defence… The Iranians don’t give up the right of self-defence,” he said, adding that the United States expects Iran to abandon efforts to develop missiles capable of threatening countries beyond the region.
He emphasised that Washington’s long-term objective is to prevent Iran from financing regional instability and militant activities.
US-Iran News LIVE: Iran will invite IAEA to inspect its nuclear sites, Trump envoy tells lawmakers
Iran will invite the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency to inspect its nuclear sites and begin work on identifying and uncovering the locations of Tehran’s enriched material, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff told US lawmakers in a private briefing.
The private briefing on Thursday was described by two people familiar with the conversation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to share the closed-door details.
The White House did not directly respond to questions about the invitation.
— PTI
About the Author
Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers.
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With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations.
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Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’.
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He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune.
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He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP.
<br><br> He can be reached on <a href=”https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani”>LinkedIn</a> or on <a href=”https://x.com/GarvitBhirani”>@garvitbhirani</a> on X
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