Iran war live: US, Iran signal deal within reach; Israel bombs Lebanon

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Lebanese MP Amin Sherri has said there are “positive indicators” for a deal between the US and Iran, adding that Israel would be the biggest loser in that case.

“We are waiting to see how the American president will deal with this agreement, and we hope to reach a happy conclusion that will reflect on the situation in Lebanon,” he told Voice of all Lebanon radio station, according to Lebanon’s NNA news agency.

Sherri, who is part of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, added that “no one will be able to disarm” the group.

He criticised the recent talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington, saying that the Lebanese government “made concessions to Israel without any guarantees” for the country.

“The word ‘withdrawal’ was not even mentioned in the outcome of the last negotiations, but rather vague statements were used,” he added. “Hezbollah does not agree to continue this direct negotiation process, considering that the next round will be a copy of what came before.”

Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei has said the Iranians “absolutely do not trust the Americans, and this distrust stems from historical facts and events”, referring to last year’s 12-day war, according to Iran’s semi-state Tasnim news agency.

Mohseni-Ejei was part of the three-man transitional council to lead Tehran after the US and Israeli attacks assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the current war, on February 28.

He claimed that in the ongoing war, Iran has “succeeded in beheading the enemies and cutting off the hands of the aggressors”.

Ali Badie, the mayor of Ar-Rihan municipality, has been killed in an Israeli attack on the area in the Jezzine district of southern Lebanon, according to the country’s National News Agency (NNA).

The circumstances of the killing were not immediately available.

The Israeli military targeted the municipalities of Ar-Rihan and Kfar Hounah in southern Lebanon’s Jezzine district in drone attacks, according to our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.

The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) said a van was attacked in Kfar Hounah, without elaborating on the results.

A separate Israeli attack was also reported in the city of Khiam, southern Lebanon.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has said the country is at a “fateful juncture” as it stands to decide between “a sovereign state that monopolises arms and upholds the rule of law” or to remain “hostage to the logic of militias and the culture of exclusion”.

Speaking on the anniversary of the assassination of former minister Tony Suleiman Frangieh in 1978 by armed factions, Aoun said national unity was an “existential necessity”.

“We are at a moment that tolerates neither sectarian luxury nor regional tug-of-war,” he said.

Aoun, a former armed forces chief, has faced the difficult task of disarming Hezbollah without pushing Lebanon into renewed civil conflict.

Several Palestinians have suffered from tear gas inhalation during an Israeli military raid on the Dheisheh refugee camp south of Bethlehem, according to the Wafa news agency.

The Palestinian security sources told the agency that the Israeli forces stormed the camp and stationed around its entrance as well as the Jerusalem-Hebron road, where they fired tear gas and stun grenades.

There are reports in the US media of aircraft flying to [the Swiss city of] Geneva to prepare the site for the vice president to take part in the signing of the memorandum.

Now, that is not confirmed, but that is the type of speculation that is going around, which has largely been fuelled by the administration, which continues to try to talk up the prospects of a deal that is not only going to happen but may happen imminently.

There does appear to be a sense of agreement on a phased process: the signing of a memorandum of agreement and then another defined period of time to start negotiating, perhaps, the more contentious issues.

President Trump has stated repeatedly that Lebanon will not be part of the MoU. This is a critical point because this is something that Iran has been insisting is the case.

Trump and his administration say that the issue of Israel versus Lebanon is separate from the wider issue of Iran and the US. Tehran begs to differ.

So, this is a sticking point, and this is one that is a very widely differing position between the two parties, even before we see exactly what is in that MoU and what isn’t.

Iranian officials have arrested a suspected spy in Pishva county, near the capital Tehran, in an intelligence-led operation, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports.

The suspect was accused of being “in contact with foreign espionage elements”, Tasnim reports.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has held a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatty, to discuss the ongoing efforts to end the US-Israel war on Iran.

“They expressed hope that an early and constructive outcome in the ongoing engagement between the United States and Iran would be reached,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X.

The discussion with his Egyptian counterpart followed a recent call Ishaq Dar held with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, the ministry said.

Pakistan has been the main mediator in US and Iranian negotiators.

Switzerland, meanwhile, has offered to host a possible signing of an MoU between Tehran and Washington “should the parties agree to it”, the Swiss Foreign Ministry told the AFP news agency earlier.

A Palestinian has been killed and two injured in a drone attack by the Israeli military on a group of people near the entrance to the Bureij camp, in the central Gaza Strip, according to the Wafa news agency.

The Palestinian Information Center identified the victim as Muawiya al-Aydi, a worker in the Bureij municipality.

The Trump administration hasn’t provided any details on what was in the MoU, and also whether it is a two-phase process, as many reports – and at one stage the US – have indicated.

President Trump goes between expressing optimism about the deal and resorting to threats should it not take place.

But above all, he seems intent that this is going to happen, and it could happen as early as next week, as some members of his staff are saying.

Although there are doubts surrounding the actual nature of the deal, as far as the White House is concerned, the deal is close, if not imminent.

We’ve had renewed Israeli military activity just in the last couple of minutes.

Things were sort of quiet from midnight until about 6 or 7am. Less activity than we might have been used to.

There are often air raids at 3 or 4am as the Israelis try to soften things up in preparation for any troop advancements they’re trying to make.

But in the last little while, we’ve had air attacks on two locations, towns in the district of Tyre and in Nabatieh.

And just in the last couple of minutes, the Israeli military has issued a wide-ranging forced displacement order for more than 20 locations. That’s in the district of Nabatieh and in Jezzine.

Multiple people in towns and villages there were told to leave immediately.

So, we’re not seeing any slowdown that people might have hoped for here in Lebanon, given the assurances from the Iranian side that Lebanon would be included in this ceasefire and memorandum of understanding.

Engulfed by a cloud of uncertainty and mistrust, Iran has decided to go through the trajectory of diplomacy, even as we hear that their fingers are on the triggers in case negotiations fail.

In Foreign Minister Araghchi’s interview with the state broadcaster, we heard him say the Strait of Hormuz would not return to its pre-war state, in terms of the management system for transiting through this geostrategically significant chokepoint.

He also talked about the US-imposed naval blockade, saying one of the conditions in this agreement is its removal, as well as a ceasefire across the region, particularly in Lebanon.

He said we are not going to leave Lebanon alone.

All in all, we know this is a positive indication.

But the road to diplomacy remains challenging.

Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil has said that Hezbollah has made “mistakes” since the 2006 war with Israel, but that the wrongdoings of any Lebanese factions does not justify siding with Israelis.

Bassil, who is the son-in-law of former President Michel Aoun and whose party represents the Maronite Christian community, stressed that Israel was the one waging war on Lebanon and destroying its economy, homes and social fabric.

He added that condemning Hezbollah’s actions does not mean ignoring the reality on the ground.

Divisions have been deepening in Lebanese society since President Joseph Aoun took the unprecedented decision of holding direct talks with Israel.

Earlier this month, after the fourth round of direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials, both sides agreed to implement a ceasefire that would require a “complete cessation” of fire by Hezbollah, yet the fighting continues.

The next round of talks between the two countries is expected on June 22, with a view towards reaching a comprehensive agreement.

Iranian authorities have identified and seized the assets of 100 people in Isfahan province who have been accused of treachery for siding with the enemy, the country’s IRIB broadcaster reports.

The report said Isfahan’s chief justice ordered the action against people accused of supporting “the crimes of the enemies in Iran in various ways”.