Live: US strikes Iran again as tensions threaten fragile truce

Pete Hegseth has announced a review into US troop deployments in Europe and once again warned "free riding" Nato allies to meet their defence spending commitments.

Addressing counterparts at Nato's headquarters in Brussels, the US defence secretary said the review would last for up to six months and include consultations with Congress, which has legislate a minimum number of US forces in Europe.

“Make no mistake about it, this will be a real review. It will be designed to ensure that Nato is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defence of Europe,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth also slammed allies that did not support the United States during its war on Iran, after some denied the US basing and overflight rights for war-related activities, Reuters reported.

Three supertankers sailing under the flag of Saudi Arabia and carrying six million barrels of crude oil onboard sailed through the Strait of Hormuz hours after the US and Iran signed their ceasefire deal, according to ship tracking data.

The sailings from Saudi Arabian ports were the biggest departures through the strait in weeks, according to Reuters analysis of shipping movements. 

The Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday that it welcomed the ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran.

US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war on Iran on Wednesday.

Initial discussions between the US and Iran are planned at the Buergenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland on Friday, the Swiss government said on Thursday.

"As things stand, the plan is still for the U.S. and Iran, along with mediators Pakistan and Qatar and other involved countries, to meet tomorrow at Buergenstock for initial negotiations about implementing the agreement,"  the Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement.

"No further information is currently available regarding the schedule and details of this meeting."

Germany is deploying two ships to the Red Sea to arrange for a possible military mission in the Strait of Hormuz, the country's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday.

"As we speak, our minesweeper Fulda and the supply ship Mosel are sailing through the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea," he told reporters.

Pistorius noted that approval would be needed from Iran and Oman before any participation in a minesweeping operation, with the mission depending on further developments between Tehran and Washington. 

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday urged Israel to be a "positive player" for peace in the Middle East, following a deal between Iran and the US.

"Israel's role will of course be crucial.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday urged Israel to be a "positive player" for peace in the Middle East, following a deal between Iran and the US pic.twitter.com/Ui0wT0Yr9b

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 18, 2026

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

The text of the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran has been signed digitally by the presidents of the two countries. 

While an official meeting was expected on Friday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that talks between Tehran and Washington on Friday in Switzerland are not confirmed yet.

Here are some of the other latest developments: 

• Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding will "enter into force with immediate effect". As a first step, he indicated that Tehran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington immediately lifts its naval blockade on the waterway. 

• US President Donald Trump told his advisors that no one can handle Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to The Wall Street Journal citing a source familiar with the comments. The president added that the US president indicated that Netanyahu wants to "bomb everyone".

• US senators are threatening to withhold 75 percent of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget amid increasing frustration with the Pentagon's refusal to comply with congressional requests - including information updates on an investigation into the US targeting of a girls school in Iran.

• Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Wednesday hailed an understanding reached between Tehran and Washington as a "great victory", calling it a "pivotal point" for Lebanon.

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that Israeli settler groups could be added to a global blacklist for violations against children as he voiced alarm at a "staggering" rise in violations against Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif seems to have deleted a post on X announcing the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, with a reuploaded version omitting any reference to an upcoming official signing ceremony.

"Pakistan with the support of co-mediator State of Qatar will host the official ceremony as scheduled on 19 June 2026 in Switzerland, to commemorate this landmark event and commence with the technical level talks," Sharif said in a previous  post.

Earlier, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that talks between Tehran and Washington on Friday in Switzerland are not confirmed for now.

"The Friday meeting was confirmed until a few hours ago, but when it was decided that the presidents of the two sides (Iran and the US) would sign the agreement, it was decided to pause consideration of the Friday meeting for now," Baghaei said.

US senators are threatening to withhold 75 percent of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget amid increasing frustration with the Pentagon's refusal to comply with congressional requests.

Lawmakers have sought information on the military’s investigation into the US targeting of a girls school in Iran on 28 February - which killed 165 people, the majority of them children. 

No one has been held account for the killings as of now. Meanwhile, an investigation by the US Central Command remains ongoing. 

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles says that while the next 60 days will "present challenges", the agreement between the US and Iran was a "great step forward".

There have been have so many memorable days and proud accomplishments for the President and his team.

The G7 was a huge success and an opportunity to make sure the members and other participates see “America First” in action. Not America Only, America First.

The trip was… pic.twitter.com/TUHlwLysfF

— Susie Wiles (@SusieWiles47) June 18, 2026

US President Donald Trump signed the Iran Memorandum of Understanding at the Palace of Versailles, just before a dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

US President Donald Trump signed the Iran memorandum of understanding at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday, just before a dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron pic.twitter.com/CTydkysWfz

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) June 18, 2026

US President Donald Trump told his advisors that no one can handle Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to The Wall Street Journal citing a source familiar with the comments.

The president added that the US president indicated that Netanyahu wants to "bomb everyone".

Trump also told the paper that he finds Netanyahu "great", but that "sometimes he gets carried away".

One senior administration official said that Trump's calls with the Israeli premier usually revolved around Netanyahu calling for more military action, adding that the US leader had grown tired of it.

"Bibi tells the president why he needs to blow something up, and why Israeli intelligence knows how to do it, and when to do it, and the president listens," the official said. "The calls are usually the same."

US President Donald Trump defenced his decision to reach an agreement to end the war on Iran, indicating he wants to avoid an "economic catastrophe".

Referencing former President Herbert Hoover, who was in-office during the 1929 market crash that resulted in the Great Depression, Trump told press that "he was always the one I didn’t want to be".

"I didn’t want to see an economic catastrophe," he added. 

Previously, the US president caused outrage last month after he said that he does not "think about Americans’ financial situation" when it comes to considering an end to the war on Iran. 

"I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing—we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all," he said at the time.

US forces employed Elon Musk’s Grok AI to strike over 2,000 targets in 96 hours during the joint US-Israel war on Iran, according to a written declaration from the US Department of Defense’s digital and artificial intelligence chief, Cameron Stanley.

The details of the department’s use of AI were revealed in the submission to the United States District Court, Northern District of Mississippi, where Musk’s xAI is facing a lawsuit from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s (NAACP), which contends the company is illegally running natural gas turbines. Grok was developed by xAI.

Stanley’s declaration supported the Trump administration’s intervention in the civil case, which is helping Musk’s company fight it. 

Stanley said that the government uses the Grok Gov Model, which relies on “derivatives” of xAI’s commercial offerings, and it is deployed within the Maven Smart Systems (MSS) to “support vital national security missions, including targeting, intelligence, readiness, and recruitment”.

In the declaration, Stanley said that “MSS workflows” enabled US forces to deploy 2,000 munitions in just 96 hours during Operation Epic Fury. 

Read more: US used Musk’s Grok AI to deploy 2,000 munitions during Iran war

French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X a video of US President Donald Trump signing the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran at Versailles.

"This agreement paves the way for lasting peace and allows the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz," he said, adding that the agreement will lead to a "decrease in energy prices".

Le Président Trump a signé ce soir à Versailles l’accord entre l’Iran et les États-Unis.

Cet accord ouvre la voie à une paix durable et permet la réouverture du détroit d’Ormuz.

C’est un pas important dans la bonne direction pour nos compatriotes… pic.twitter.com/b1XgZrBv0m

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 18, 2026