Live: US and Iran say peace deal reached, signing planned in Geneva

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

The United States and Iran appear closer than ever to formalising a peace agreement, but conflicting statements over timing underscore that the deal has not yet been signed. While Washington says a breakthrough could come within hours, Tehran insists final approval is still pending.

Meanwhile, fighting continues on the Lebanon front despite growing expectations of a regional de-escalation.

Here are the latest updates: 

• President Donald Trump said a US-Iran agreement could be signed on Sunday and claimed it would permanently block Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

• Iran’s foreign ministry said the chances of finalising the memorandum of understanding in the coming days are high, but stopped short of confirming a Sunday signing.

• Pakistan, which has mediated the talks, said it is preparing an electronic signing ceremony for the agreement via video link.

• Washington said a completed deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and help restore normal maritime traffic through the strategic waterway.

• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the war had failed to achieve its objectives and described the conflict as a source of national unity.

• Israeli media reported that the military withdrawal from southern Lebanon is “not currently on the table”. 

• Israeli strikes continued across southern Lebanon, including attacks near Nabatieh and Jezzine, despite reports of progress in negotiations.

• Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli military position near Hula with drones and later released footage it said showed the downing of an Israeli drone over the Bekaa Valley.

• Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei are scheduled to begin on 4 July in Tehran, with burial planned for 9 July in Mashhad. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the 12-day war with Israel last year had become a “symbol of national solidarity”, praising what he described as the unity and resilience of the Iranian people.

In a message marking the first anniversary of the conflict, carried by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, Pezeshkian paid tribute to those killed and said Israel had miscalculated by believing attacks on senior military figures and strategic facilities would weaken the country.

Pezeshkian said the “resistance” of the Iranian people, together with the leadership of the late Ali Khamenei and the readiness of Iran’s armed forces, prevented Israel from achieving its objectives and ultimately forced it to accept a ceasefire.

The conflict began on 13 June 2025 with Israeli strikes on Iran and ended on 24 June after nearly two weeks of fighting that also saw US attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, Natanz Nuclear Facility and Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre. 

Hasan Dorr, a political analyst, says Hezbollah has surprised both Israel and Lebanese authorities after 2 March, when many expected it was finished.

Instead, he says, the will to fight remains, and Hezbollah still has the manpower and equipment needed to slow Israel’s advance, inflict losses, and prevent it from establishing stability in southern Lebanon.

Dorr says FPV drones have become the surprise of this war, just as Kornet missiles were in 2006. Despite Israel declaring a “yellow line“ or “security belt,“ he argues this does not mean it controls the land or has full freedom of movement.

Iran and Hezbollah’s resilience defeated the US and Israel | Hasan Dorr | MEE Opinion pic.twitter.com/tfhrjvacoh

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 13, 2026

The Israeli military said two drones that entered Israeli airspace crashed and exploded in the Western Galilee near the border with Lebanon, with no injuries reported.

According to Israeli media, the drones were believed to be heading towards military sites near the border community of Rosh Hanikra in northern Israel.

Earlier, the Israeli Home Front Command said sirens sounded in Rosh Hanikra and nearby areas following what it described as a drone infiltration from Lebanon.

Israeli Army Radio reported that four drones have crashed inside Israel over the past two days, suggesting an increase in airspace breaches along the northern frontier.  

Israeli President Isaac Herzog marked the 80th birthday of US President Donald Trump with a message praising his support for Israel and his approach towards Iran.

In a post on X, Herzog said the Israeli people were grateful for Trump’s “leadership in confronting Iran’s empire of evil” and for his “steadfast commitment to the security of Israel”.

Herzog also thanked Trump for his efforts to secure the release of Israeli captives and described his political rise as a reflection of the “breadth of the American dream”.

He added, “May you lead the Middle East and the world toward peace and security and continue to strengthen the unique US-Israel partnership.”

Happy 80th birthday, President @realDonaldTrump!

Your remarkable journey to the White House represents the breadth of the American dream and the power of your own resolve.

The people of Israel are grateful for your leadership in confronting Iran’s empire of evil and for your…

— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) June 14, 2026

A report published by The New York Times argues that the military campaign waged by the United States and Israel against Iran failed to achieve its stated strategic objectives and instead produced a more resilient and hardline Iranian state.

According to the publication, the war was intended to weaken the Iranian government or encourage internal political change while also curbing Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Instead, the report says, Iran’s political system remained intact and underwent a restructuring that increased the influence of the military establishment, particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The report suggests that the conflict has created a new political and security environment in which Tehran is more willing to take risks and better prepared to withstand external pressure than before the war. 

Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the country had emerged “stronger, more aware, and more determined than before” following last year's conflict with the United States and Israel.

In a post on X marking the first anniversary of the war, Gharibabadi said the “American-Zionist enemy thought it could break the will of a nation with a few blows” but failed to achieve its objectives.

The diplomat paid tribute to senior military officials and nuclear scientists killed during the conflict, including Mohammad Bagheri, Hossein Salami and Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

“Their martyrdom serves as an indication of the rightfulness of a nation that has not bowed to force, terror, and coercion,” Gharibabadi wrote, adding that the sacrifices of those killed and the leadership of Ali Khamenei had strengthened the country’s resolve.

یک سال پیش، در بامدادی که دشمن آمریکایی- صهیونی گمان می‌کرد با چند ضربه می‌تواند اراده یک ملت را در هم بشکند، نام‌هایی برای همیشه در تاریخ ایران جاودانه شدند، از جمله: شهیدان سپهبد باقری، رشید، سلامی؛ سرلشکر شادمانی، حاجی‌زاده، محرابی، ربانی، کاظمی؛ و دانشمندانی که عمر خود را وقف… pic.twitter.com/loaUn1lICP

— Gharibabadi (@Gharibabadi) June 13, 2026

Hundreds of activists gathered outside the Israeli embassy in London on Saturday as part of the international Red Ribbons Campaign, calling for the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and protesting Israel’s war in Gaza.

Organisers said the campaign aims to draw attention to more than 9,000 Palestinians in Israeli custody, including hundreds of children and medical workers.

Demonstrators said the rally was intended to highlight the situation of Palestinians detained by Israel, including some held without charge or trial.

Protesters also called for the release of Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who they said has spent six months in solitary confinement after being detained by Israeli forces in Gaza.

Human rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about the treatment of Palestinian prisoners, while Israel has rejected allegations of systematic abuse.

Hundreds of activists gathered outside the Israeli embassy in London on Saturday as part of the international Red Ribbons Campaign, demanding the release of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons and condemning Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Demonstrators also called for the immediate… pic.twitter.com/EVNA0zGPpt

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 14, 2026

Republican lawmaker Ron Johnson said a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an “existential threat” to the United States and expressed hope that Trump would prevent such an outcome.

“Iran’s Ayatollahs should be put on the dustbin of history,” Johnson said in comments published by Iran International.

John James welcomed the prospect of an agreement, telling Fox News that Trump’s pressure campaign had brought Tehran to the negotiating table.

“President Trump is the president of peace, but he’s also the president of strength,” James said.

Meanwhile, Don Bacon cautioned against relying on goodwill from Tehran, writing that “hope is not a strategy” and arguing that the Iranian government would respond only to “power and resolve”. 

Democratic lawmakers have voiced scepticism about President Donald Trump's expected agreement with Iran, questioning whether it will deliver meaningful gains after weeks of conflict.

Adam Schiff, a senator from California, wrote on X, “The President says the war is over. I hope that he is right. But we have heard this before,” adding that Trump had made “a raft of broken promises”.

Schiff also argued that the president “has started new wars, but hasn’t reduced costs. And that has deeply harmed the American people.”

Meanwhile, Seth Moulton sharply criticised the proposed accord, describing it as “basically a surrender document”.

Speaking to MS Now, Moulton said, “This is a terrible deal. It’s basically a surrender document from Donald Trump to the supreme leader of Iran.”

He questioned whether reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the conflict justified the financial and human costs of the war, asking, “How is that a win?”

US President Donald Trump said a proposed agreement with Iran would create a barrier preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, describing it as fundamentally different from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“Obama’s agreement was an easy and smooth path towards possessing a nuclear weapon, while my agreement is the complete opposite,” Trump said, referring to the accord negotiated under former President Barack Obama.

Trump also said that “no money will be exchanged, unlike the hundreds of billions that Obama paid to Iran”.

US officials have characterised the emerging understanding as a framework based on “compliance in exchange for gains”, arguing that Tehran would not receive immediate economic benefits and that any future incentives would depend on verified adherence to the terms of the agreement. 

US President Donald Trump has suggested that a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran could be signed virtually, but his public schedule for Sunday contains no reference to a signing ceremony.

Trump has described the proposed memorandum as a major diplomatic breakthrough that would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, arguing that Tehran is no longer interested in pursuing one.

The president has also contrasted the prospective agreement with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action negotiated under former President Barack Obama, saying the new arrangement would be stronger than the accord from which he withdrew the United States during his first term in office.

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, widely known as Cirro, is expected to visit Israel this week, according to Israeli media reports.

If confirmed, the trip would mark his first visit to Israel since the country recognised the self-declared republic, which broke away from Somalia.

Somaliland diplomat Ismail Shirwac posted an image on X showing Somaliland and Israeli flags in Tel Aviv and said the president was expected to arrive on Tuesday.

Analysts have suggested Israel's recognition of Somaliland could strengthen its presence near key shipping lanes and counter the influence of Iran and its regional allies.  

Israeli military operations continued across southern Lebanon on Saturday despite reports that a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran could include ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal provisions for Lebanon.

Al Jazeera reported that Israeli air strikes in Deir el-Zahrani in the Nabatieh district killed two people, while the mayor of Rihan in the Jezzine district was also reported killed. Another person was killed in a cemetery south of the city of Tyre.

The report said that Israeli drone strikes and artillery shelling continued throughout the day, while Hezbollah said it had targeted Israeli troops attempting to advance in southern Lebanon.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said Lebanon is included in a proposed agreement aimed at ending hostilities across multiple fronts.  

France’s digital interference watchdog, Viginum, has linked Israeli company BlackCore to online influence and propaganda campaigns conducted across Europe, Africa and the United States.

In a report released on Sunday, Viginum said the operations targeted elections and political figures in locations including France, Scotland, Angola, Togo and New York City.

According to the report, accounts linked to BlackCore targeted John Swinney, who described Gaza as a “man-made humanitarian catastrophe”, and also focused on candidates from the French left-wing party La France Insoumise through automated accounts, data leaks and the circulation of fabricated allegations.

Viginum also said it found evidence suggesting similar methods were used during municipal elections in New York City, although Brillant said the targets and sponsors behind those operations remain unclear.