3 Tankers Carrying Iranian Crude Oil Leave Strait Of Hormuz
The first tankers carrying Iranian crude oil have left the Strait of Hormuz since the US naval blockade began two months ago, a ship-tracking website announced on June 17.
This comes as senior representatives of Iran and the United States are scheduled to sign a preliminary agreement in Switzerland aimed at ending the war on June 19.
The website Tanker Trackers, which tracks the storage and transportation of oil cargoes, has confirmed the movement of "Iran's first crude oil export in two months," based on digital data matched with satellite imagery.
At least two tankers of the National Iranian Tanker Company, including two very large supertankers carrying crude oil named "Diona" and "Hero 2", have passed through the US Navy's maritime blockade zone, loading a total of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian crude oil from the country's terminals and are moving towards their destinations," Tanker Trackers wrote on X.
The company then announced that a third Iranian tanker had passed through the US naval blockade.
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.
Iran Warns Israel Over Lebanon Strikes
Following Israeli military strikes on southern Lebanon on June 16 that left four people dead, Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters has threatened retaliation.
The strikes came after the announcement of a US-Iran agreement aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East.
The Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, which coordinates Iran's armed forces, said in a statement that if Israel does not halt its attacks in southern Lebanon, it should expect a "harsh response" from the Islamic republic.
The statement claimed that since US President Donald Trump announced the finalization of the agreement to end the war, the Israeli military had "violated" the cease-fire in southern Lebanon 84 times.
Earlier, Lebanon said Israeli attacks in the south of the country had killed four people.
Israel, meanwhile, said it had intercepted several rockets fired by Hezbollah and had carried out retaliatory strikes.
Report: US-Iran Memorandum Will Allow Tehran To Sell Oil 'Immediately'
The United States will allow Iran to immediately resume oil and fuel sales under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at ending the war in the Middle East, Reuters reports.
The sanctions waiver will also cover banking, transportation, and insurance services needed to facilitate the sales.
The provisions will take effect immediately once the MOU is signed, according to a senior US official.
The official told Reuters that the arrangement is a “performance-based agreement,” under which Iran will receive benefits only if it complies with its commitments, including having “no nuclear weapon,” neutralizing enriched uranium, and not disrupting navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
The US-Iran memorandum of understanding has already been electronically signed by both sides and is due to be formally signed in Switzerland on June 19 by senior officials from both countries.
Oil Prices Hit Lowest Level In 3 Months
Oil prices fell another 4 percent on June 16 to their lowest in three months as markets weighed the prospects of a resumption of oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz amid weak physical demand and a lack of details about an initial deal to end the Iran war.
Brent crude futures fell $3.20, or 3.85 percent, to $79.97 a barrel by 12:53 GMT (around 3:30 p.m. Tehran time), Reuters reported. The benchmark had earlier fallen to $79.61, its lowest level since March 3 and the first time since then that Brent had fallen below $80 a barrel.
US West Texas Intermediate crude also fell $3.52, or 4.36 percent, to $77.23 a barrel. Its daily low of $76.88 was its lowest since March 10.
Before the war began on February 28, Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude futures prices were in the range of $65 to $70 per barrel.
Oil prices fell nearly 5 percent on June 15 after US President Donald Trump announced a temporary deal to end the war with Iran, although full details of the deal have not yet been released.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on June 16 that Tehran and Washington will begin a new round of talks in Switzerland on June 19 to reach a final agreement.
Signing Of Iran-US Agreement To Take Place At Swiss Mountain Resort
Switzerland announced on June 16 that the signing ceremony for an interim agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the war in the Middle East will be held at the Burgenstock mountain resort in central Switzerland.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry announced in a statement that it has been in close contact with the United States, Iran, Pakistan, and Qatar regarding the possibility of signing the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.
"Currently, the signing of the document is scheduled for Friday, June 19, in Burgenstock, located in the canton of Nidwalden. This location has been suggested by Pakistani and Qatari mediators, as well as by the United States and Iran," the statement said.
Burgenstock is a famous residence and conference complex in central Switzerland that has previously hosted international meetings and diplomatic negotiations.
Iran and the United States signed the memorandum of understanding to end the war, which is structured in the form of a general document, electronically on June 15, and the document is scheduled to be signed in person on June 19 with the presence of senior officials from both countries.
Trump Says He Will Send Iran Deal To US Congress
US President Donald Trump announced on June 16 that he would send the peace agreement with Iran to the US Congress for review.
Speaking to reporters during a meeting with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, Trump said: "I never thought of it, but I would.... I will send it to Congress. I like the idea. I mean, who wouldn't approve it?"
Some Republican lawmakers had previously called for lawmakers to review the text of the agreement.
Trump also promised to make the text of the Iran deal public "within the next day or two" and suggested he might even read the entire document publicly once a formal framework for its release is in place. According to Reuters, he said he was waiting for an official process before publishing the text but added that he had no objection to making it public.
"I would like to have a formal framework for this first, but I have no problem with publishing it; it is a great document," Trump said. He added that the agreement's central provision is straightforward: "Iran will never have a nuclear weapon."
Regarding the next phase of negotiations with Iran, for which a 60-day timeline has been set, Trump expressed optimism that progress would be rapid.
"I think it's going to go very quickly," he said, adding that Iran wants to finalize the process and return to normal economic and diplomatic activity. "Iran wants to finalize this. They need to get back to their normal activities and relations are now normalized, so I think this process will move very quickly."
Trump cautioned that the timeline could vary but reiterated his expectation of a swift outcome: "It might go faster, it might take longer, but it could be done very quickly."
Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding to end the conflict electronically on June 15. According to US Vice President J.D. Vance, the document is approximately a page and a half long. A formal signing ceremony is scheduled to take place in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 19, with senior officials from both countries expected to attend.
Pre-Revolutionary Flags Fly At Iran's World Cup Opener, Defying FIFA Ban
Dozens of soccer fans displayed Iran’s pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flag during the country’s World Cup opener against New Zealand in defiance of FIFA, which won a court hearing allowing it to prohibit the symbol inside venues. The Lion and Sun flag, flown over Iran before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, has become a symbol of resistance to decades of repressive theocratic rule in the country. It is also widely displayed by Iranian monarchist exiles.
Pahlavi Calls US-Iran Deal 'Morally Wrong'
The former crown prince of Iran has criticized the new framework agreement between Iran and the United States, describing it as "morally wrong" and "strategically misguided" and said that any agreement with the Islamic republic would ultimately fail.
In an interview with The Times magazine, Pahlavi emphasized that Iran cannot be trusted, saying that the current government will continue to suppress dissent, blackmail the international community, and spread instability in the region.
He also said that the Iranian people should be at the center of any international negotiations and policymaking regarding Iran.
Pahlavi is the last son of the shah of Iran who was deposed during the country’s 1979 Islamic revolution. He is one of many figures vying for prominence among the fractured Iranian opposition in exile.
Pahlavi also told The Times that"regime change" was the only possible solution for Iran as the country was "incompatible with the free world."
He also claimed that "the American and Israeli attacks have been seen by many Iranians as an act of liberation."
The former crown prince of Iran emphasized that determining the future leader of Iran is solely the responsibility of the Iranian people and that this issue should be determined through the ballot box.
Iranian Foreign Minister: New Round Of Talks To Begin On June 19
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said that, as of the morning of June 15, the war has officially ended on all fronts and that a new round of talks between Iran and the United States will begin in Switzerland on June 19.
The United States and Iran have electronically signed a framework deal to end the three-month-long war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The agreement is expected to be formally signed during a ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 19.
Speaking to a group of foreign ambassadors and diplomats in Tehran, Araqchi also warned Israel that any attack on Lebanon would constitute a "violation of the understanding" between Tehran and Washington.
He said that "one side of this memorandum is Iran and Hezbollah, and the other side is America and Israel."
Hezbollah is both a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has only blacklisted its armed wing.
Despite the declared cease-fire, there has been sporadic Israel-Hezbollah fighting in southern Lebanon, with Israeli air strikes and Hezbollah rocket attacks.
"The end of the war includes the end of the occupation, and the end of the war is not complete without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they occupied in this war," Araqchi said.