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03:46
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We’ll be back at 9:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.
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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.
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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22:16
12.6.2026
US Official Says ‘High-Stakes’ Iran Deal Nearly Finalized
A woman in Tehran walks past a banner bearing the images of former Iranian supreme leaders Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (left), Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (center), and his son, the current supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
WASHINGTON — A senior US administration official has said the United States and Iran were very close to sealing a deal that would reopen a critical shipping route and dismantle Tehrans nuclear enrichment infrastructure.
Speaking on background to reporters after a closed-door briefing on June 12, the official outlined what he called a straightforward but high-stakes memorandum of understanding, stressing that the agreement remains unsigned but has moved significantly closer to completion.
Were not quite at the finish line yet, but we are very close, the official said, adding that the likelihood of a final signing was around 80 to 85 percent.
Read morehere
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20:50
12.6.2026
Israeli Minister Voices Doubts About Prospective US-Iran Deal
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz (file photo)
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has voiced concerns about a potential US-Iran agreement to end the Middle East war, saying the deal being pursued by US President Donald Trump was primarily focused on American interests.
In a Telegram post on August 12, Katz said Trump was working toward an agreement with Iran “with American interests in mind,” while expressing hope that Washington would uphold the shared objective of preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
He urged the United States to also address Israel’s broader security concerns, including Iran’s missile program and support for regional armed groups.
Katz said Israel must retain the ability to act independently to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and stressed that its security doctrine seeks “decisive victories, not compromises or concessions.”
He added that Israel would maintain its designated security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza.
His comments came as US, Iranian, and Pakistani officials, whose government has been mediating the talks,signaledthat negotiations on a peace agreement were nearing completion.
With reporting by dpaShare
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18:16
12.6.2026
Pakistani PM Says Final Text Of US-Iran Peace Deal Has Been Reached
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif (file photo)
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Islamabad’s mediators believed a final text of an agreement to end the Middle East war had been reached and were working with both sides “to finalize the next steps,” despite what he described as an “incessant misinformation campaign being waged by those who want to sabotage the peace deal.”
Writing on X on June 12, Sharif added that peace “has never been this close as it is now.”
He tagged Trump, US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US envoy Steve Witkoff, Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in the post.
Sharif’s comments came shortly after Araqchi said that an agreement with the United States to formally end the Middle East war was close, despite a public dispute over the contents of a proposed deal which prompted US President Donald Trump to accuse Tehran of negotiating in bad faith.
Trump’s comments came after Iranian media published what it said were elements of a draft agreement, including Tehran’s insistence on retaining the right to enrich uranium and maintain control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump, who said a day earlier that a deal could be signed within days, rejected the Iranian account, saying leaked terms had NOTHING to do with what had been agreed and accusing Tehran of issuing a weak and pathetic statement.
Senior US administration officials also told RFE/RL that they were “very close” to a deal that would dismantle Tehran’s nuclear program, remove and destroy nuclear material, and keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
Araqchi later appeared to echo that optimism,saying on Telegramthat the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding — a tentative deal framework negotiated during talks in Pakistan’s capital — “has never been closer” and urging media outlets to avoid speculation while negotiations are being finalized.
Trump later posted a screenshot of Araqchi’s Telegram post on his own Truth Social feed.
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17:08
12.6.2026
Senior US Administration Officials Say Iran Deal Three-Quarters Complete
WASHINGTON — The United States and Iran are about “75 percent there” on reaching a proposed memorandum to end the war in the Persian Gulf, but senior administration officials said a full deal that would dismantle Tehran’s nuclear program, remove and destroy nuclear material, and keep the Strait of Hormuz open is not yet complete.
“We are very close,” one official said on June 12.
Another official said negotiators had reached agreement on both the broad concepts and detailed provisions of the accord, but stressed that “the deal is not done until we sign it.”
Terms of a proposed agreement have been leaking out — both in the United States and in Iran –through media outlets.
The accounts have varied slightly on the details, but some appeared to favor Iran, prompting US President Donald Trump to label the reports as having “NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing.” He did not specify which terms in the reports were inaccurate.
A senior administration official, reacting after the president’s statement, said that, under the proposed agreement, Iran’s nuclear material “will be destroyed and removed” and its nuclear program “will be dismantled.”
The deal would also include a long-term commitment that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, backed by what officials described as a meaningful inspection regime to verify compliance.
In addition, Iran would be prohibited from funding terrorist groups as part of broader efforts to promote stability in the Middle East, the officials said.
The officials added that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open under the agreement.
Some reports appeared to show that Iran would gain access to billions of dollars worth of frozen assets, while sanctions on Iranian oil exports would be waived.
A US administration official said that any sanctions relief would be contingent on Iran fulfilling its obligations.
“None of their money will be released until they perform,” the official said, adding that Iranian assets would remain frozen until Tehran meets its commitments.
They did not give any further details.
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16:01
12.6.2026
Trump Accuses Iran Of Leaking False Details Of Proposed Nuclear Deal
US President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump says Iran has misrepresented the status and contents of ongoing US-Iran negotiations, asserting that details reportedly leaked to the media have NOTHING to do with terms he says were already agreed to in writing.
In aTruth Social poston June 12, Trump accused Iranian officials of acting in bad faith and described them as very dishonorable negotiating partners.
He also condemned what he characterized as an Iranian drone attack on Indian ships departing the Strait of Hormuz the previous night, saying the attack had been repelled and was totally unacceptable.
Trump warned Tehran to get their act together, and FAST.
The US president’s comments come a day after he saida great settlement had been reachedto end the conflict with Iran and that a memorandum of understanding could be signed as soon as this weekend in Europe.
Trump said the agreement would permanently bar Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and could lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian officials, however, appeared to downplay the prospect of a final agreement. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said key issues remain unresolved and accused Washington of repeatedly changing its position.
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12:36
12.6.2026
Iranian State Media Claims Draft US Deal Includes Nuclear Ban
Irans state-affiliated Mehr news agency claimed on June 12, citing an unnamed official source, that a draft memorandum between Iran and the United States includes Irans commitment not to develop nuclear weapons; a permanent halt to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon; a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days; and 60 days of negotiations to reach a final agreement on Irans nuclear program.
Reports from Iranian state media during negotiations have often been used to float ideas or advance particular positions — and have frequently proven to be inaccurate or incomplete.
US President Donald Trump on June 11 said a great settlement has been reached with Iran to end the war, which began on February 28, adding that he expects a deal to be signed in the coming days.
“We have a deal that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, which was the whole purpose of what we had to go through to get this,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
The White House has not elaborated further on the contents of a possible deal, howeverAxios reportedthat under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) “Iran would make certain commitments on its nuclear program — first and foremost to never acquire a nuclear weapon and to resolve the standoff around its enriched uranium.”
Axios also reported, citing a “diplomat from one of the mediating countries and a US official,” that the MOU would extend the cease-fire for 60 days and “calls for the strait [of Hormuz] to be reopened immediately without tolls, with a return to pre-war shipping volumes within 30 days. In return, the U.S. blockade would also be lifted.”
The Mehr news agency further claimed that other provisions included the lifting of Irans naval blockade, the withdrawal of US forces from areas surrounding Iran, the suspension of sanctions against Iran, and the release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian funds.
Quoting the Iranian Foreign Ministrys spokesperson,Mehr claimedthat the text requires final approval by the Iranian authorities.
Pakistani journalist, Baqir Sajjad, who works for the English daily newspaper Dawn in Islamabad, posted on X that the draft Iran-US agreement is being considered for approval at the leadership level in both countries.
Sajjad wrote that he spoke to a Pakistani diplomat, who shared an outline of the agreement, and confirmed that the “14-point” draft included “immediate de-escalation, end of hostilities across all fronts incl. Lebanon, US non-interference pledge, phased lifting of maritime blockade, sanctions relief on oil/petrochem, & gradual restoration of Irans financial access.”
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