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15:35
Iran Downplays Claims Of Imminent Peace Agreement
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei (file photo)
The signing of an Islamabad memorandum aimed at ending the conflict between Iran and the United States is unlikely to take place on June 14, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on June 13.
Speaking to state media, Baqaeisaidthe agreement could still be signed in the coming days but cautioned against predicting a timeline because of what he described as the hesitancy of the other side.
His remarks came amid mixed signals over the Pakistan-mediated framework, which is intended to halt hostilities, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and create a pathway for broader negotiations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on June 12 that a deal had “never been closer,” while Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, claimed a day later that the final textcould be signed within 24 hours.
However, even as Iranian officials have expressed confidence that an agreement is within reach, Tehran has repeatedly cautioned against speculation about the timing and contents of any deal before it is finalized.
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13:39
Pakistani Prime Minister Says Peace Deal Expected Within 24 Hours
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (file photo)
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has written on social media that a peace agreement between Washington and Tehran is expected within the next 24 hours.
Sharif, a key mediator in the negotiations, repeatedhis claim from June 12that agreement was now closer than ever. The last 24 hours have also seen indications from senior US and Iranian officials that diplomatic progress has moved rapidly forward.
We are closer to a peace deal than ever before. With finalization likely expected in the next 24 hours, Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week, Sharifwrote on Xon June 13.
We are confident that this historic peace deal will form a strong foundation for lasting peace, Sharif added.
Iranian officials have also indicated a deal would be signed digitally, while a White House official told RFE/RL on June 12 that mediators were still considering an in-person signing ceremony in Europe in the coming days.
Details of the deal have remained unclear, with leaders on each side presenting different elements.
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13:20
Renewed Fighting In Lebanon Highlights Another Barrier To Peace Deal
Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, on June 13.
Israeli air strikes were reported in multiple locations in southern Lebanon on June 13, the latest in a series of flare-ups in the conflict between Israel and Iranian proxy Hezbollah that is complicating peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Media reports highlighted Israeli attacks around Nabatieh, some 70 kilometers south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that rocket fire from Lebanon had caused sirens to be sounded in northern Israel.
Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago regarding a hostile aircraft infiltration in the areas of Metula and Misgav Am, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon, an IDF statement said.
Senior Iranian officials have repeatedly said that a deal with Washington must include a truce in Lebanon. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi repeated this position in a TV interview on July 12.
Hezbollah, regarded as a terrorist organization by both Israel and the United States, is not party to US-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon — and has denounced the meetings.
Hezbollah attacked Israel in early March, following the US and Israeli air strikes on Iran that began on February 28.
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13:18
Iran Announces Funeral Plans For Khamenei
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in an air strike on February 28.
Iranian authorities have said farewell ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will be held in Tehran on July 4-6 and in Qom on July 7, with burial scheduled for July 9 at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, according to the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.
Theannouncement, issued by Khamenei’s office on June 13, repeatedly referred to him as the “martyred leader” and addressed condolences to his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who assumed Iran’s top post following his father’s death in an Israeli air strike in February.
The statement said family members killed alongside Khamenei would also be honored during the ceremonies.
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11:45
Iranian Media Announces More Property Seizures From ‘Traitors’
A statement by the judiciary in Irans Isfahan Province has announced that the property of 100 people it describes as traitors will be confiscated, Iranian media reported.
The statement on June 13 claims the people have been supporting enemies of Iran, according to state-run IRIB broadcaster. It added that they were disrupting the economy, without providing details.
“The judicial system, alongside the supervisory institutions and the responsible agencies, will fulfill its legal duty and will deal decisively with the disruptors without any compromise,” Provincial Chief Justice Hojjatoleslam Asadollah Jafari was quoted as saying.
For several weeks now, the Iranian authorities have announced similar measures against hundreds of people — part of a wider crackdown that has seen thousands of arrests and dozens of executions of political prisoners.
The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group described it as an unprecedented surge on June 1, calling for firm and effective international action to stop further executions.
Meanwhile, also on June 13, Irans semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported a suspect had been arrested for being in contact with foreign espionage elements.
Another part of the crackdown has been the increasing use of a new law introduced following the 12-day war with Israel last year, expanding penalties for alleged espionage.
With reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio FardaShare
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10:36
Report: Iran Making It Harder To Access Buried Uranium
An image taken from Iranian state television showing a bank of centrifuges at a nuclear facility in Natanz that could be used to enrich uranium. (file photo)
Iran has stepped up efforts to secure its stockpile of near bomb-grade uranium by collapsing tunnels and laying explosive mines around access points, according to five sources familiar with US intelligence,CNN reports.
The measures have made it significantly harder to reach around 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium believed to be stored at the Isfahan nuclear complex and other sites.
This further complicates negotiations between the United States and Iran over a deal that would require Tehran to surrender its enriched uranium for destruction and removal.
A senior US administration official said the sides aremoving closer to an agreement, though conflicting accounts from Washington and Tehran have left the terms unclear.
Experts warned the new fortifications could hinder verification and removal efforts.
Scott Roecker, former head of the National Nuclear Security Administrations Office of Nuclear Material Removal, told CNN that the developments would definitely complicate retrieval of the uranium and could allow Iran to argue that part of the stockpile is irretrievable.
The stockpile was previously considered a potential target for a US military operation that was deemed too risky, according to the CNN report.
US President Donald Trump has emphasized the importance of securing the material, saying in May: We know exactly whats happening with the buried uranium and that nobodys even gotten close to it.
Even if a deal is reached, removing the uranium could take weeks and require specialist equipment and demining operations.
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09:24
US, Iran Edge Toward Deal As Region Awaits Breakthrough
US President Donald Trump: On the verge of a deal with Iran? (file photo)
WASHINGTON — After more than three months of conflict that has shaken the Middle East, disrupted energy markets, and heightened concerns about regional stability, the United States and Iran appear to be moving closer to a possible peace agreement.
Amid intensive diplomatic efforts brokered by Pakistan, officials in Washington, Tehran, and Islamabad indicated on June 12 that negotiations on a preliminary Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had made significant progress.
The proposed agreement would focus on immediate de-escalation measures, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz, ending the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, and securing a commitment from Tehran not to develop or acquire nuclear weapons.
If signed, the MoU would open a 60-day period of technical negotiations aimed at addressing broader issues.
Analysts say the apparent progress reflects a shift in Washingtons negotiating strategy, with officials separating immediate security concerns from longer-term disputes.
Read morehere
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03:11
US Downs Iranian Attack Drones, Even As Momentum For Deal Builds
(This item has been updated to reflect CENTCOM confirmation)
US forces have shot down multiple Iranian attack drones flying toward the Strait of Hormuz, in another flare-up of violence even as Washington and Tehran are suggesting a peace deal is imminent.
“Iran launched multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” US Central Command (CENTCOM)said on June 13.
“US forces have downed all of them in recent hours as traffic flow through the strait continues unimpeded. The international trade corridor remains open for transit,” it added.
Qeshm Island map
Earlier, Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard near the port of Sirik and on Qeshm island, but it said the cause of the blasts were not known. Some reports said the blasts were likely warning shots fired by Iranian forces at ships attempting to transit the strait without permission.
It came as a senior US administration official said the US and Iran were very close to sealing a deal that would reopen the critical shipping route and dismantle Tehrans nuclear enrichment infrastructure.
US President Donald Trump on June 12 had expressed frustration with Tehran, threatening further strikes if it did not quickly sign a peace agreement.
A day earlier, a senior US defense official told RFE/RL that the US military shot down two Iranian attack drones in what it called a “self-defense” strike after Tehran’s forces had targeted commercial vessels transiting the strait without its permission.
With reporting by ReutersShare
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23:48
12.6.2026
Indian FM Protests US Shipping Strike In Call With Rubio
India’s foreign minister has called his US counterpart in a “strong protest” after US strikes hit three mainly Indian-crewed merchant ships off the coast of Oman, killing three sailors as part of the American blockade of Iranian ports.
The call to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio came after India summoned a senior US diplomat in the Indian capital, New Delhi, for a second time in two days over the incident.
“Spoke to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this evening,” Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankarsaid early on June 13 on X.
The brother of Shivanand Chaurasia, an Indian seafarer killed aboard the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello, looks over a photo of the slain sailor.
“I reiterated India’s strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. Such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified.”
On June 10, three Indian sailors were killed in a US strike on the Palau-flagged MT near Oman.
On June 11, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker was hit in a US strike. New Delhi said its crew, including 20 Indian sailors, was rescued.
On June 8, a strike on the MT Marivex, another Palau-flagged tanker, forced the evacuation of 24 Indian sailors off the stricken vessel.
The US State Department did not immediately comment on the call between Jaishankar and Rubio. it earlier said it was in “direct contact” with the Indian government on the issue.
Indian sailors represented more than 320,000 active seafarers in 2025, according to the country’s Shipping Ministry.
With reporting by AFPShare
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23:09
12.6.2026
France Urges US, Iran To ‘Seize Opportunity’ And Sign Peace Deal
France’s foreign minister urged Washington and Tehran to seize the opportunity to end an untenable situation and sign a tentative peace deal that appears to be close, saying he passed the message on to his Iranian counterpart in a call.
“We call on both sides to seize this opportunity to end a situation that is clearly untenable and only creates losers… that is what I told my Iranian counterpart,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrothe said told French TV channel LCI.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot
Barrot said he spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on June 12.
“I am cautious, but the positive signs are accumulating. I feel both sides have a will to reach this deal,” Barrot said.
A senior US administration official has said the US and Iran were very close to sealing a deal that would reopen a critical shipping route and dismantle Tehrans nuclear enrichment infrastructure, although some public differences remained between the two sides.
With reporting by ReutersShare
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