Key facts
- Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated a memorandum of understanding with the US to end the war is "never been closer".
- President Donald Trump called reports on the deal "fake news" but reposted the Iranian minister's statement.
- The US President is seeking an 'off-ramp' from the political and economic impacts of the Iran war.
- Iran is using the conflict in Lebanon as a foreign policy instrument amid US negotiations.
- Four Palestine Action activists were jailed in the UK on terror charges for protesting an Israeli arms firm.
- UN peacekeepers have sustained casualties in southern Lebanon since March 2.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that a memorandum of understanding with the United States to end the war "has never been closer," emphasizing that media speculation should cease pending finalization. President Donald Trump reposted the statement on his Truth Social platform, after previously criticizing Iran for alleged leaks regarding the deal's details and calling such reports "fake news."
President Trump is reportedly seeking an "off-ramp" to escape the political and economic impacts of the ongoing war, aiming to secure a peace agreement he can claim as a victory. Details of the memorandum of understanding remain unspecified, with Trump oscillating between expressing optimism about the deal and threatening further action against Iran.
Meanwhile, Iran is reportedly using the conflict in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel as a foreign policy instrument amidst the US negotiations. Former US diplomat Henry Ensher told Al Jazeera that any Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon would be a gradual process, and that many factors could still derail the pending deal between the US and Iran, suggesting it is the beginning, not the end, of negotiations.
Separately, four activists from the group Palestine Action were jailed in the UK on "terror" charges for damage caused during a protest at a factory linked to Israeli weapons production. The group is known as the "Filton Four."
The United Nations Security Council has condemned the killing of Serbian peacekeeper Milovan Jovanovic in southern Lebanon on June 4. Jovanovic is the seventh UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeper killed since Israel escalated attacks against Lebanon on March 2. Investigations into previous killings of peacekeepers, attributed to Israeli tank fire and Hezbollah, are ongoing. The UN Security Council voted last year to end UNIFIL's mandate at the end of 2026, though China has suggested it is not an opportune time for withdrawal.