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US and Iran sign initial agreement to end war but tougher talks lie ahead
US vice president says 60-day period to reach a final deal is underway and each side is honoring its commitments so far.
Updated 7:07 PM EDT, Thu June 18, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 18: Vice President J.D. Vance speaks during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on June 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. Vance is expected to travel to Lucerne, Switzerland tomorrow for follow up talks after a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the conflict between the United States and Iran was signed between U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Some "gentlemen's agreements" with Iran "are written down," Vance says
0:31
Here's the latest
• US-Iran agreement: The US and Iran have signed an initial agreement, kicking off a 60-day period of negotiations on a final deal to end the war. Iran’s supreme leader authorized the signing despite holding a “different view,” he said in a statement.
• Secret proposals: The US and Iran have been working on laying out secret proposals for implementing the 14 points that were signed this week, including details on how to address the future of Iran’s nuclear program, according to US officials.
• Tension with Israel: Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance criticized Israeli operations in Lebanon, saying they’ve sometimes gotten in the way of negotiations. In response to reports of Israeli displeasure with the agreement, he said, “If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”
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13 min ago
Hear Vance's stern message to Israeli officials who criticized Trump
By CNN staff
US Vice President JD Vance had strong words for members of the Israeli government who have criticized President Donald Trump over the US-Iran agreement.
“If I was in the Cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world,” Vance said.
If you missed it, here’s that moment from today’s briefing:
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Vance issues stern message to Israeli ...
1:26
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32 min ago
The US expects a "complete ceasefire" following initial agreement with Iran. Catch up here
Tori B. Powell
By Tori B. Powell
Lebanese residents return to their destroyed homes following the agreement reached between the US and Iran in Nabatieh, Lebanon, on Monday.
Lebanese residents return to their destroyed homes following the agreement reached between the US and Iran in Nabatieh, Lebanon, on Monday. Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu/Getty Images
President Donald Trump said Thursday the United States expects a “complete ceasefire on all fronts” as he called on “everyone in the Middle East” to uphold their commitments.
The US and Iran signed an initial agreement, kicking off a 60-day period of negotiations on a final deal to end the war.
Catch up on the latest:
More on the ceasefire: The text of the memorandum of understanding calls for “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.” But Israel has once again vowed that it will not withdraw from Lebanon.
Word out of Iran: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, confirmed he authorized an agreement with the US, despite holding a different view on the deal. Khamenei said Trump had “out of desperation, resorted to various forms of pressure and leverage to bring about this outcome,” according to a text message read on Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB on Thursday evening.
The latest on the strait: Iran’s Persian Gulf Waterway Management Authority (PGSA) will manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz following the US-Iran agreement, the country’s Supreme National Security Council announced today. The maritime security threat level in the strategic waterway was also downgraded to “moderate” by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) following the US-Iran agreement to reopen it.
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'We trust President Trump': Israel's UN Ambassador reacts to Iran MOU
9:35
And here’s how more have reacted to the US-Iran agreement:
Some Republican lawmakers lit into the Trump administration’s memorandum of understanding with Iran today, especially over the billions of dollars that could be paid to Iran as part of a permanent truce. US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the agreement a “fiasco,” pointing to Senate GOP concerns with the memorandum and arguing Trump “gave away the store.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said his country trusts Trump to negotiate a peace deal with Iran, as Israel is continuing strikes in Lebanon and potentially throwing uncertainty into diplomatic efforts.
Aida Karimi, Alejandra Jaramillo, Mitchell McCluskey, Elise Hammond, Lauren Fox, Morgan Rimmer, Manu Raju, Ellis Kim, Adam Cancryn and Caitlin Danaher contributed reporting.
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32 min ago
Iran's top negotiator warns US not to make excessive demands or face "crushing response"
By Caitlin Danaher
Iran’s parliament speaker and key negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned the United States that any breach of the agreement or excessive demands will be met with a “crushing response” as both sides work to negotiate a permanent truce over the next 60 days.
“In the event of bad faith, breach of contract, and excessive demands by the opposing side, we have no hesitation in delivering a crushing response to the enemy,” Ghalibaf said in a post on X.
“They were once slapped during the war; if they wish to tread that path again, they will receive an even harder slap,” he added.
The Iranian official noted that his team of negotiators are seeking to “pursue the realization of the conditions and clauses of the agreement,” at the behest of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei.
Earlier, Khamenei confirmed he authorized an agreement with the US, and claimed US President Donald Trump resorted to various forms of pressure and leverage “out of desperation” to secure the initial deal.
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1 hr 55 min ago
Thune calls Iran agreement "a step in the right direction" after White House briefing
Morgan Rimmer
By Morgan Rimmer
Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to reporters during a press conference, following the Republicans' weekly policy lunch, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on June 9.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to reporters during a press conference, following the Republicans' weekly policy lunch, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on June 9. Annabelle Gordon/Reuters/File
Senate Majority Leader John Thune called the US agreement with Iran “a step in the right direction,” though he acknowledged there will “continue to be a contentious conversation” over a final deal, after top congressional leaders were briefed by the White House.
“There’s obviously more to come, and this … sort of sets the stage, if you will, for a negotiation. Hopefully, ultimately it leads to an end to Iran’s nuclear program,” he told CNN.
Asked whether the briefing had assuaged any concerns he had with the financial incentives for Iran included in the initial agreement, Thune replied, “I think the, all of those financial incentives, perhaps with the exception of the toll on the blockade, those are all going to be contingent upon or conditioned upon things that happen later that the Iranians have to do.”
“So I think this is – like I said, I view this as a first step in what will probably be somewhat long and continue to be a contentious conversation about what a final deal looks like, but I think it’s a, obviously it’s a step in the right direction, it opens up the strait and gets the shipping lanes open, and I think that’s a good, a good outcome for the economy,” he continued.
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2 hr 35 min ago
Security threat level in Strait of Hormuz reduced to "moderate," UKMTO says
By Caitlin Danaher
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Thursday.
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Thursday. Stringer/Reuters
The maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz has been downgraded to ‘moderate’ by the the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) following the announced agreement between the United States and Iran to reopen the strategic waterway.
The threat level in the crucial maritime corridor had previously been declared “critical” due to ongoing regional military operations, according to the UKMTO, a British organization run by the Royal Navy that provides maritime security information.
“Mariners should be advised of the existence of mines and expect naval presence as clearance operations continue,” the maritime organization said in an advisory note on Thursday.
The organization also warned of expected congestion through transit routes, with naval forces present to support the free flow of traffic.
The update comes as the US military announced earlier today it was lifting the naval blockade on Iranian ports that had been in place since April.
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2 hr 38 min ago
Schumer slams Iran agreement as a "fiasco"
Morgan Rimmer
Manu Raju
By Morgan Rimmer and Manu Raju
US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks to members of the media outside the Capitol in Washington, DC, Thursday.
US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks to members of the media outside the Capitol in Washington, DC, Thursday. Alex Wong/Getty Images
US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the agreement with Iran a “fiasco,” pointing to Senate GOP concerns with the memorandum and arguing President Donald Trump “gave away the store.”
“This is not the art of the deal. This is the art of surrender. Trump didn’t get peace through strength, he got payoff through weakness. Americans got almost nothing we wanted and needed, and Trump gave away the store. The Iranians took him to the cleaners,” Schumer said.
The minority leader said “Democrats are not going to vote for” any potential deal that includes $300 billion for rebuilding in Iran. Asked about Trump’s insistence that the US would not be providing the money itself, Schumer responded, “We’re not paying for it.”
“That’s a victory, that’s surrender money that Trump gave them, because he cut such a lousy deal and put the United States in such a difficult, difficult position,” he said.
Schumer also accused Trump of starting the war with Iran in an effort to distract from domestic issues.
“He had no aim, no goals, and as a result, America and the world suffered from one of the worst deals that Trump has ever put together, one of the worst deals that we’ve ever seen in United States foreign and diplomatic policy,” he said.
The Democratic leader also noted that most Senate Republicans are not clamoring to back the agreement.
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2 hr 51 min ago
White House briefs top lawmakers on details of Iran agreement
By Adam Cancryn
The White House on Thursday afternoon briefed a handful of senior Senate and House lawmakers on its agreement with Iran, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
The participants on the private call included congressional leadership, as well as top lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee. It marked the first major briefing that the White House has provided to lawmakers about the specifics of the pact with Iran that President Donald Trump signed earlier this week.
On the call, senior officials provided specifics of the agreement, answered questions and offered a preview of the next stage of negotiations aimed at striking a permanent truce over the next 60 days, the source said.
The briefing came amid rising criticism of the agreement on Capitol Hill, including from Republicans who questioned whether it had extracted enough concessions from Iran following nearly four months of war.
Punchbowl News first reported the call.
3 hr 3 min ago
Republican senators sound off on US-Iran agreement
Lauren Fox
Morgan Rimmer
Manu Raju
By Lauren Fox, Morgan Rimmer, Manu Raju and Ellis Kim
Sen. Ted Cruz arrives via the subway in the basement of the Capitol ahead of a vote on January 14.
Sen. Ted Cruz arrives via the subway in the basement of the Capitol ahead of a vote on January 14. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/File
Some Republican lawmakers lit into the Trump administration’s memorandum of understanding with Iran today, especially over the billions of dollars that could be paid to Iran as part of a permanent truce.
Here’s what is going on on Capitol Hill:
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas railed against the framework’s $300 billion economic fund for Iran. “History demonstrates that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is an exceptionally bad idea, and I think unfortunately the president is receiving some really bad advice on this deal,” Cruz said. He faulted the president’s advisers before singling out “mistakes,” including Iran “having an ongoing role in administering the Strait of Hormuz and potentially charging fees or tolls.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who has blasted the deal on social media, argued that “Iran’s left stronger, we are left weaker, our allies are left weaker.” Cassidy, who lost a primary and will retire from Congress, said that “Iran gets $300 billion to rebuild, which I’ll tell you some of it is to support things that we don’t care for.” He said there’s “a lot of stuff in there that’s bad.”
Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, who is retiring at the end of her term, raised questions about the deal. “I think there are many of us that just really want to fully understand what the administration is thinking, where they’re going to go with this,” she told reporters. “I want to know, what are the follow-on repercussions?”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said: “It’s tough to say that the agreement is one that leaves Iran in a worse place and the United States in a better place.” She was also skeptical that there would be a real nuclear deal at the end of 60 days.
This post has been updated with additional comments from lawmakers.
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3 hr 31 min ago
Ships won't be charged application fees to transit Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, Iran says
By Mitchell McCluskey
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on June 11.
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on June 11. Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/WANA/Reuters
Iran’s Persian Gulf Waterway Management Authority (PGSA) will manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz following the US-Iran agreement, the country’s Supreme National Security Council announced on Thursday.
According to a statement carried by Iranian state media, vessels will not be charged application fees for 60 days as the government will cover those costs.
The PGSA has been instructed to quickly review and respond to requests to transit the strait, the council said.
Iran is also working to clear mines from the waterway, as outlined in the deal, the council said.
“Given the special conditions and the presence of certain safety risks along the transit route, and in order to ensure safe passage and prevent maritime incidents, vessels must transit according to the routes and schedules communicated to them so that traffic capacity can gradually increase,” the statement read.
The PGSA will provide more information on how the operation works, the council added.
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4 hr 13 min ago
Ironic or appropriate? Trump signs US-Iran agreement at Versailles
By CNN staff
US President Donald Trump signed the new US-Iran peace plan at the Palace of Versailles — a place with dark history for diplomatic dealmaking.
CNN’s Melissa Bell looks at the historic peace deals signed there and why the location matters to the US president:
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