Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stressed on Thursday that the deal made to end the war in Iran was &#8220;born of strength of American action,&#8221; and said the Pentagon is &#8220;ready to go&#8221; if President Donald Trump decides to restart the war.
Hegseth, a hard-liner on Iran, said that this negotiation is different from past negotiations because of the military action taken against the Iranian regime.
“One key difference between this agreement and others is this was born of strength of American action,&#8221; Hegseth said. &#8220;JCPOA came from a bunch of begging and talking — this agreement came after months of bombing and a blockade that was impenetrable.”
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He said that posture will continue, and pledged that Iran should know that the War Department is &#8220;right here ready to go&#8221; if it fails to reach a deal over the next 60 days.
&#8220;Our posture is one of strength,&#8221; Hegseth said. &#8220;Iran is going to have every opportunity to cut the kind of deal they should at the table, and if they don&#8217;t — the War Department will be right here ready to go.&#8221;
Hegseth also echoed the lines previously promulgated from senior administration officials, saying the MOU is &#8220;all performance-based&#8221; and &#8220;all conditions-based,&#8221; promising a &#8220;verify, verify, verify&#8221; approach he explicitly contrasted with the Obama-era nuclear deal.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://x.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SECWAR</a> “One key difference between this agreement and others is this was BORN OF STRENGTH of American action.
JCPOA came from a bunch of begging and talking—this agreement came after months of bombing and a blockade that was IMPENETRABLE.” <a href="https://t.co/YNs1p2Va8a">pic.twitter.com/YNs1p2Va8a</a>
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) <a href="https://x.com/DOWResponse/status/2067555756988076047?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;There&#8217;s not a lot of trust here,&#8221; Hegseth said, adding, &#8220;Everything we&#8217;re going to do is verify, verify, verify. And so at every step, whether it&#8217;s our military posture or it&#8217;s the carrots that exist to ensure Iran never has a nuclear weapon, all performance-based.&#8221;
&#8220;There [are] no giveaways here. There&#8217;s no trust here. It&#8217;s all verification,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And the War Department stands behind it all — as the president has said — prepared to devastatingly do what we&#8217;ve done already.&#8221;
The MOU, however, is vague on the conditions of a deal, with senior administration officials and the president saying that a lot of what has been promised by Iran isn&#8217;t explicitly written.

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Donald Trump

Iran

Pete Hegseth

16×9-liveblog-apache-down

Iran’s ‘Nepo’ Supreme Leader Reacts To Trump’s Deal — And It’s Personal

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Protest

Revolution

The national average gas price dipped below $4 per gallon on Thursday for the first time since March, following President Donald Trump&#8217;s signing of a tentative peace deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Average gas prices stand at $3.99 in the United States, down from $4.03 the day before, <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/?state=US">according to AAA.</a> The decline coincides with a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/gas-iran-trump-aaa-72d8e7d7c9dcd0795c37a51864fce8a6">15% drop</a> in the price of U.S. crude this month.
Drivers across the South and Midwest are enjoying some of the nation’s cheapest gasoline. Indiana boasts the nation’s lowest average gas price of $3.39 per gallon, while Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, and other red-leaning states remain in the same range. On the East Coast, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Rhode Island have also dropped below $4 per gallon.
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Credit: The White House via Storyful
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Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, <a href="https://x.com/GasBuddyGuy/status/2067594886195343390?s=20">said</a> gas prices could fall below $3 a gallon later this year.
It’s a welcome relief for cash-strapped consumers and perhaps a turnaround for the White House, which has been racing to lower prices ahead of the crucial November elections.
“These fools, who think I haven’t been tough enough on Iran, when the Stock Market Just Hit A RECORD HIGH, and Oil prices are &#8216;tumbling&#8217; down, are either jealous, bad people, or stupid,” President Trump said in a Thursday morning <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116770180426363226">Truth Social post</a>.
On Wednesday night, Trump formally signed the U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at ending the Middle East conflict during a dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles following the G7 summit. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly signed on behalf of the Iranian regime, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-iranian-protests-intensify-as-citizens-demand-end-to-ayatollah-rule?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump+Signs+Iran+Deal+In+Surprise+Move%2C+Scrapping+Planned+Ceremony">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported. 
The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding guarantees toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, but it also calls on Iran, Oman, and other Gulf states to negotiate the waterway’s long-term administration afterward, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-iranian-protests-intensify-as-citizens-demand-end-to-ayatollah-rule?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Trump+Signs+Iran+Deal+In+Surprise+Move%2C+Scrapping+Planned+Ceremony">raising questions</a> about whether future transit fees could be imposed in a way that benefits Tehran.
Gas prices have remained elevated since the war began, peaking at $4.56 per gallon. By comparison, the national average stood at $3.18 on the same date in 2025, according to AAA.
In May, pain at the pump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gas-prices-surge-past-an-ugly-mark-in-all-50-states">passed an ugly mark</a>, with all 50 states reporting average gas prices at $4 or higher going into Memorial Day weekend. 
Opening the Strait and lowering oil prices appeared to be a top concern for the president. 
“If I did the opposite, if I went out and continued to bomb them … just bomb the hell out of them, I’d get bad press on that, there&#8217;s nothing I can do,” <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/2067288719644918150?s=20">Trump said.</a> “Also, we run out of reserves in about four weeks, you know, there are reserves all over the world, and we would really run out, and there&#8217;ll be a time when you wouldn&#8217;t be able to get it, and you want to see bedlam?”  
&#8220;I didn&#8217;t want to see economic catastrophe. If you kept this going, that could have happened,” <a href="https://x.com/Rory_Johnston/status/2067342729885982986?s=20">Trump added.</a> 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Trump on the Iran War MOU: &#8220;I didn&#8217;t want to see economic catastrophe. If you kept this going, that could have happened.&#8221;
It&#8217;s honestly a surreal minute to watch:<a href="https://t.co/K7ZRPYklV5">pic.twitter.com/K7ZRPYklV5</a>
— Rory Johnston (@Rory_Johnston) <a href="https://x.com/Rory_Johnston/status/2067342729885982986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2026</a></blockquote>

Pain At The Pump Starts To Ease In First Day After Trump Signs Iran Deal

Gas Prices

News

A young Iranian woman who sang without a hijab at a desert concert has been <a href="https://www.en-hrana.org/singer-parastoo-ahmadi-and-members-of-the-caravanserai-concert-team-sentenced-to-flogging-and-ban-on-artistic-work/">sentenced to 74 lashes</a>, a human rights group reported on Thursday. The brutal punishment, which exposes the Iranian regime&#8217;s blood-soaked reality, was reported the day after Tehran inked a deal with Washington.
Parastoo Ahmadi, a 28-year-old singer and film school graduate from Nowshahr, was sentenced by a Qom court to flogging, a two-year travel ban, and a two-year prohibition on performing. Her crime: livestreaming a concert on YouTube from the historic Deir Gachin Caravanserai in December 2024, performing without a hijab to no audience — just a camera and her voice. Eight musicians and crew members were sentenced alongside her, all convicted of &#8220;offending public decency.&#8221;
Ahmadi is no stranger to defiance. During Iran&#8217;s 2022 uprising, she shot to prominence with a stirring rendition of &#8220;From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland,&#8221; becoming a symbol of the resistance. Now she faces the lash for singing folk songs.
Earlier this week, Iran <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/iran-executes-two-more-protest-leaders-as-regimes-killing-machine-grinds-on?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=6&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Iran+Executes+Two+More+Protest+Leaders+As+Regime’s+Killing+Machine+Grinds+On">executed</a> Javad Zamani and Abolfazl Saedi — two men convicted of &#8220;waging war against God&#8221; for their roles in the early 2026 anti-government protests. The hangings are part of a staggering killing spree: at least 22 political prisoners executed between late March and late April alone, roughly one every two days, many following trials featuring torture and forced confessions. Three teenagers, two of them 17, reportedly have death sentences upheld by Iran&#8217;s Supreme Court in violation of international law.
&#8220;The use of the death penalty as a political tool on this scale has not been seen since the 1980s,&#8221; said researcher Esfandiar Aban of the Center for Human Rights in Iran.
At the G7 this week, shortly after agreeing to a memorandum of understanding with Iran, President Trump <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/trump-claims-i-never-cared-about-regime-change-in-iran-current-leaders-are-strong-smart/">suggested</a> that he&#8217;s getting along with Iranian counterparts.
&#8220;They&#8217;re not radicalized and they’re, you know, looking to help their country,&#8221; Trump said, adding, &#8220;They were nice to deal with. They were strong people, smart people.&#8221;
Prominent dissident Masih Alinejad disagreed with Trump&#8217;s assessment.
&#8220;One day after the U.S. signed a deal with the Islamic Republic, the regime handed Parastoo Ahmadi 74 lashes for singing on YouTube,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;A woman&#8217;s voice scared them more than any superpower ever could. This is not a normal government. This is apartheid against women.&#8221;

Progovernment Rally After New Conflicts Between Iran And Israel

Iranian Regime Whips Female Singer For YouTube Concert As Mullahs Execute Protesters

Hijabs

Lashes

While the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) guarantees immediate toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, the agreement leaves the waterway&#8217;s long-term status in the hands of Iran, Oman, and other Gulf states.
The issue surfaced Wednesday during a call with reporters as administration officials walked through the text of the agreement and defended its provisions governing the strategic shipping lane.
Paragraph 5 of the MOU states that Iran will provide for the &#8220;safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge&#8221; for 60 days following the signing of the agreement. The same section, however, goes on to state that &#8220;the Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services of the Strait of Hormuz in discussion with other Persian Gulf littoral states.&#8221;
The language means that after the initial 60-day period, the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz will be negotiated by Iran, Oman, and other Gulf states — placing Tehran at the table with governments that it repeatedly bombed throughout the war despite those countries generally not firing back.
Before the conflict, the Strait of Hormuz carried approximately 20% of the world&#8217;s oil consumption and roughly one-third of all seaborne crude oil shipments, making it one of the world&#8217;s most important energy chokepoints.
During the call, a senior Trump administration official said there isn’t concern tolls will be charged because Gulf governments would not agree to such an arrangement.
&#8220;And of course, I&#8217;m sure the Iranians will assert their rights as aggressively as they can,&#8221; the official said. “But fundamentally toll-free passage of the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, and that will continue because the Persian Gulf States will never agree to an arrangement that doesn&#8217;t permit toll-free access to the Strait of Hormuz for themselves and their industries.”
By leaving the issue to future regional negotiations, the agreement effectively shifts responsibility for preserving toll-free access onto Gulf governments rather than the United States. 
Critics are likely to argue that this approach could leave those countries negotiating from a position of weakness after a conflict in which Iran demonstrated its ability to disrupt their economies and commercial shipping without triggering a direct regional military response, potentially allowing Tehran to emerge with greater influence over one of the world&#8217;s most important trade routes than it had before Operation Epic Fury.
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Credit: Wired in Live
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Throughout the conflict, Iran repeatedly sought to establish control over shipping through the waterway. Iranian officials argued that the Strait of Hormuz falls under the authority of Iran and Oman as the coastal states bordering the passage. 
Tehran also deployed naval mines in and around the strait, nearly halting commercial traffic and drawing international concern over freedom of navigation through the waterway.
The administration now argues that those threats are subsiding as part of the agreement. 
The senior official noted that commercial traffic moved through the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian interference on Tuesday, after roughly 100 days of threats and disruptions to shipping in the region. The official described the development as evidence that Tehran has begun complying with the agreement even before Friday&#8217;s planned signing ceremony in Switzerland.
&#8220;Even before the formal signing ceremony on Friday, we see Iran actually ceasing its efforts to cut off traffic from the Strait of Hormuz,&#8221; the official said.
The agreement also outlines a broader rollback of U.S. military and naval measures imposed during the conflict. Under the MOU, the United States will begin removing its naval blockade immediately upon signing and will fully end it within 30 days. The agreement further states that commercial shipping volumes will gradually return to pre-war levels during that period.
Another provision calls for the United States to remove forces from the vicinity of Iran within 30 days of a final agreement.
A senior administration official said the provision is intended to restore the U.S. military posture that existed before the conflict began.
&#8220;What we&#8217;re saying is that after 30 days, or within 30 days after the final deal — meaning assuming we get to the final deal, we may not — but assuming we get to the final deal, then we will return our force posture in the region to that which existed before the conflict started,&#8221; the official said.
The official also pointed to lower oil prices as evidence that markets are responding positively to the agreement and to the restoration of commercial shipping through the waterway.

Satellite Imagery Of The Strait Of Hormuz

Iran Deal Opens Door To Iranian Tolls In Strait Of Hormuz

Oman

Strait of Hormuz

President Trump’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran avoids the obvious question: why trade away unprecedented leverage after unprecedented military success?
Over the past three years, the United States and Israel have inflicted more nuclear, economic, and military damage on the Islamic Republic and its terror proxies than at any point since the regime seized power in 1979.
The regime that stood at the height of its regional power on October 7, 2023, when its Hamas proxy unleashed a bestial massacre in Israel, now finds itself weaker and more vulnerable than at any time in its history.
A combination of economic pressure, military force, intelligence operations, and the extraordinary performance of American and Israeli servicemen, intelligence officers, and policymakers brought the regime to its knees.
Americans are therefore entitled to ask whether the Trump administration is about to surrender a significant portion of its leverage before the hardest phase of negotiations has even begun.
A decade ago, the Obama administration bet that sanctions relief and diplomatic engagement could moderate the Islamic Republic. Instead, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) delivered massive sanctions relief while putting Iran on a pathway to nuclear weapons as restrictions expired. Tehran used the windfall to expand its missile and drone programs, strengthen its terrorist proxies, and threaten the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, two waterways key to the free flow of energy.
President Trump withdrew from that fatally flawed agreement and, working with Israel, built unprecedented leverage against the regime. Even when Tehran played the Hormuz card at its weakest moment, the U.S. military began quietly reopening the strait and moved millions of barrels of oil per day. Saudi and Emirati overland pipelines moved millions more.
That’s why the emerging details of the new MOU are so troubling.
The agreement may allow Iran to immediately increase energy sales while potentially receiving relief from the banking and transportation sanctions that facilitate those transactions.
If so, the administration would be trading away one of America’s most effective sources of pressure before final negotiations — intended to strip Iran of its remaining nuclear weapon capabilities — even begin.
The MOU could amount to a $25 billion toll payment to Tehran from oil sales, to keep the Strait of Hormuz open through the midterm elections.
The administration may argue that such relief is limited, reversible, and necessary to stabilize global energy markets.
Yet the burning questions remain.
How much of that money can be repatriated? How can the regime use those funds? What restrictions remain on financial transactions? Will the administration stop enforcing existing sanctions?
Most importantly, how much damage will be done to the sanctions architecture that took years to build?
Tehran could also gain access to tens of billions of dollars in additional oil revenue and portions of the roughly $100 billion in Iranian funds frozen abroad. That would be a massive windfall.
If the MOU includes broad waivers covering banking and transportation transactions, that would represent far more than a narrow licensing arrangement. It would fracture the core architecture of American oil and financial sanctions.
Once the United States normalizes Iranian oil exports to major buyers such as China, India, and the United Arab Emirates, alongside the repatriation of oil revenues back to Tehran, the damage becomes difficult to reverse.
If companies, traders, insurers, shipping firms, banks, and governments become accustomed to doing business with Iran again, restoring today’s pressure campaign would take years, not weeks — precisely why sanctions relief should come at the end of successful negotiations, not at the beginning.
And prematurely weakening this leverage will make it even more difficult to secure the final nuclear agreement with Iran that the MOU is supposedly designed to deliver.
The regime has played this game successfully against multiple American presidents. Indeed, the only arena in which the Islamic Republic has consistently defeated the United States is at the negotiating table.
President Trump argued he still retains the military option. But leverage erodes. Deployments end, Washington’s attention shifts, and Tehran may simply pocket economic concessions while waiting for pressure to dissipate or for a next president not willing to stop Iran.
If negotiations fail — as they likely will — the administration should be prepared immediately to restore maximum economic pressure, return to military operations including in Hormuz, and suffocate the regime’s remaining sources of power.
There is one final instrument that every administration has neglected.
The Iranian people.
Economic pressure and military power can weaken the regime. Only the Iranian people can ultimately end it.
Nothing can match the power of tens of millions of Iranians who despise the regime that rules them. No one has sacrificed more to challenge the Islamic Republic.
Despite enduring killings, incarceration, torture, corruption, and economic ruin, they continue to resist.
The truly decisive question is not how long the United States can pressure this regime.
It is whether America is finally prepared to help Iranians finish the job themselves.
President Trump should immediately instruct his intelligence services to build a plan. Call it Operation People’s Fury. And have it ready for when Iranians courageously return to the streets, as they have done repeatedly for decades.
***
Mark Dubowitz is chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the presenter of <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.fdd.org/category/podcasts/the-iran-breakdown/__;!!F0Stn7g!CXgsIlEBML2AYFaX0372v0_L5qnUjHMgegvX8DDMWsMIjt3f0Sf06wIzQZDE2vGSfwN3STHRx9Y$">“The Iran Breakdown”</a> podcast.

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DW Opinion

Iran Nuclear Deal

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Special Reporting

WASHINGTON— The text of the agreement between the United States and Iran has finally been shared with reporters. 
After days of intense scrutiny and debate over the deal, a senior Trump administration official read the “memorandum of understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran” to reporters on a Wednesday afternoon call. 
The text of the memorandum, according to that official, reads thus: “The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran have jointly agreed in good faith on such and such a date on the following.” 
<h3>Paragraph 1</h3>
The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war, by signing this MOU, declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts including in Lebanon and other provisions of this paragraph.
<h3>Paragraph 2</h3>
The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran undertake to respect each other&#8217;s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in each other&#8217;s internal affairs.
<h3>Paragraph 3</h3>
The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran commit to negotiating and achieving the final deal in maximum 60 days extendable with mutual consent.
<h3>Paragraph 4</h3>
Immediately upon the signing of this MOU, the United States of America will begin the removal of its naval blockade and any disturbances or impediments against the Islamic Republic of Iran and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days. During this period, the traffic of vessels will be in proportion to the numbers of pre-war traffic being restored by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America further undertakes to remove its forces from the proximity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final deal.
“What we&#8217;re saying is that after 30 days, or within 30 days after the final deal—meaning assuming we get to the final deal, we may not—but assuming we get to the final deal, then we will return our force posture in the region to that which existed before the conflict started,” the senior administration official noted. “That&#8217;s what that paragraph effectively provides.” 
<h3>Paragraph 5</h3>
Upon the signing of this MOU, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa. The traffic of commercial vessels will immediately start and considering the need for removing the technical and military obstacles and demining by the Islamic Republic of Iran will be reinstated within 30 days. The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services of the Strait of Hormuz in discussion with other Persian Gulf littoral states in line with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.
The senior administration official made particular note that the MOU says “the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge&#8221; for the first 60 days.
“It says that Iran will work not just with Oman, but with the Gulf States to set up a broader agreement, a longer-term agreement on the Strait of Hormuz,” the official explained. “And of course, I&#8217;m sure the Iranians will assert their rights as aggressively as they can, but fundamentally toll-free passage of the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, and that will continue because the Persian Gulf States will never agree to an arrangement that doesn&#8217;t permit toll-free access to the Strait of Hormuz for themselves and their industries.” 
The senior administration official also emphasized that on Tuesday, Iran did not fire at any vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. 
“So fundamentally, even before the formal signing ceremony on Friday, we see Iran actually ceasing its efforts to cut off traffic from the Strait of Hormuz,” the official noted. “This is one of the reasons why Brent crude is hovering around $79 and West Texas crude is even lower.” 
<h3>Paragraph 6</h3>
The United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan, which could reach $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The definitive implementation of this plan will be finalized as part of a final deal within 60 days. All required licenses, waivers, and permissions needed for the relevant financial transactions will be granted by the United States of America.
This paragraph, the senior administration official pointed out, is probably one of the most controversial paragraphs in the deal. 
“Note that it doesn&#8217;t require us to do anything,” the official said. “Number one, to ever pay a cent of money to the Iranians, to ever contribute money to this reconstruction fund. What it says is that if we get to a final deal and if the Iranians behave, we will permit the sanctions relief that would allow, for example, the Emiratis to build a power plant in Iran.”
“That&#8217;s all it says,” he emphasized. “If they do what they have to do, we will permit the investment in the reconstruction of their country, which of course, if they do what they say they&#8217;re going to do and they change their behaviors as a country, that would be great for everybody.”
<h3>Paragraph 7</h3>
The United States of America undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against Islamic Republic of Iran, including United Nations Security Council resolutions, i.e., IAEA Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions, primary and secondary, in an agreed-upon schedule as part of the final deal. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America acknowledge the critical importance of the sanctions termination issue above mentioned and express their intention to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.
<h3>Paragraph 8</h3>
The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpile enriched material pursuant to a mechanism that will be mutually agreed upon in accordance with the schedule mentioned in paragraph seven with a minimum methodology to be downblending on site under the supervision of the IAEA. 
The two parties also agreed to discuss the issue of enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the Islamic Republic of Iran&#8217;s nuclear needs based on a satisfactory framework to be agreed upon in the final deal. Final deal will confirm the provisions of this paragraph. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran acknowledge the critical importance of the nuclear issues above mentioned and express their intention to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.
On this point, the senior administration official emphasized that while the Iranian media has claimed that there will be no mention of nuclear issues in this MOU, the agreement doesn’t just say that they will discuss the nuclear question.
“It sets a minimum standard where at a minimum, the enriched stockpile will be destroyed by downblending,” the official explained. “Of course, that&#8217;s the floor, and we will push for more than that, but the fact that they&#8217;re conceding to that is a major, major win for the United States of America. They&#8217;re saying, &#8216;We will destroy the enriched stockpile and this is how we&#8217;re going to do it, at a minimum.&#8217;” 
Points seven and eight play off one another, the senior administration official said. 
“So when I see the media saying that they&#8217;re going to get all their sanctions relief, the sanctions relief in seven is tied to the nuclear settlement in eight, and in fact, we use the exact same language to finalize both of those paragraphs,” the official explained. “We&#8217;re saying the sanctions relief and the nuclear issues are connected, and to the extent that you perform on the nuclear questions, you&#8217;ll get the sanctions relief.”
<h3>Paragraph 9</h3>
In the final deal, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree to maintain the status quo. The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program and the United States of America will not impose any new sanctions and will not deploy additional forces in the region.
<h3>Paragraph 10</h3>
The United States of America undertakes that immediately upon the signing of this MOU and until the determination of sanctions, US Department of Treasury will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products, and derivatives, and all associated services including banking transactions, insurances, transportation, etc.
The senior administration official here pointed out that when the U.S. was sanctioning Iranian oil, the U.S. was actually giving China a “massive discount on the purchases of petroleum.”
“Regardless of whether we had had efficacy, regardless of whether we lift a single other sanction, the President of the United States and the entire team agreed that it&#8217;s absurd to sanction Iranian oil in such a way that they are still allowed to sell that oil, we just give China a big fat discount. We stop that process, and of course, it&#8217;s part of the broader agreement.”
<h3>Paragraph 11</h3>
The United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the implementation of this MOU. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will mutually agree on the procedures related to the release of these funds during the negotiations. Such funds, whether retained in the original account or transferred, shall be made fully usable for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designed by the Central Bank—excuse me—ultimate beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America undertakes to issue all necessary licenses and authorizations accordingly.
Iran will get access to the restricted funds and assets upon the implementation of this MOU, the senior administration official explained. 
“So assuming we reach the agreement and implement the terms of this MOU, assuming we get to a final deal, then they will have access to these assets,” that official noted. “And indeed, what we&#8217;ve contemplated is that if they engage in good behavior, for example, they give us the nuclear dust while we&#8217;re engaged in this final negotiation, then we will release some frozen assets in response to that.” 
The official emphasized a point that he believes will be misreported. 
“What Iran wanted was restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the signing of this MOU,” the senior administration official said. “And what they eventually conceded is that they wouldn&#8217;t get any money unless they perform good behavior, even though of course it&#8217;s their own money, just in frozen assets, which is why we structured it the way that we do. If they implement the MOU, they then get access to some of their frozen assets.” 
<h3>Paragraph 12</h3>
The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree that an executive mechanism will be established to monitor the successful implementation of this MOU and the future compliance of the final deal.
<h3>Paragraph 13</h3>
After signing this MOU and subject to the beginning of the implementation of paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11 of this MOU, and the continuing implementation of these measures, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will start negotiations regarding the final deal exclusively on the other paragraphs.
<h3>Paragraph 14</h3>
The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UN Security Council resolution and then there&#8217;s the signature page and that is it.

Read Exactly What The White House Says Is In The Deal With Iran

U.S.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee offered a blunt solution Wednesday to one of the Middle East&#8217;s most intractable problems: deport every member of Hezbollah and Hamas to Iran.
&#8220;Iran demands Israel cease defense of border against Hezbollah. Gaza peace plan depends on Hamas disarming,&#8221; Huckabee posted on X. &#8220;Idea: EVERY member of Hezbollah &amp; Hamas DEPORT to &#8216;Mothership&#8217; in Iran. Result? Lebanon &amp; Israel free from Iran terror proxies. Give PEACE a chance!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Iran demands <a href="https://x.com/Israel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Israel</a> cease defense of border against Hezbollah. Gaza peace plan depends on Hamas disarming. Idea: EVERY member of Hezbollah &amp; Hamas DEPORT to &quot;Mothership&quot; in Iran. Result? Lebanon &amp; Israel free from Iran terror proxies. Give PEACE a chance!
&mdash; Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) <a href="https://x.com/GovMikeHuckabee/status/2067154997607845901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The proposal, characteristically direct, cuts to the heart of a dynamic that has destabilized the Levant for decades — both Hamas and Hezbollah are, in the most meaningful sense, Iranian instruments. The Congressional Research Service has documented that Iran&#8217;s support for regional armed groups has been &#8220;a pillar of the Iranian government&#8217;s foreign policy since the 1979 founding of the Islamic Republic,&#8221; coordinated through the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The State Department estimates Iran provides up to $100 million annually to Palestinian terrorist groups including Hamas, while Hezbollah — Iran&#8217;s most powerful proxy — receives the bulk of its &#8220;funding, training, weapons, and explosives&#8221; directly from Tehran.
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&nbsp;
Huckabee&#8217;s quip lands against a backdrop of renewed diplomatic activity. Reports of a possible Israeli-Lebanese rapprochement have emerged in recent weeks, raising cautious hopes that Lebanon might finally escape the orbit of Iranian influence. But history counsels skepticism. Lebanon&#8217;s sovereignty has been hollowed out twice over — first by the PLO following the 1969 Cairo Accord, which turned southern Lebanon into a launchpad for attacks on Israeli civilians and helped ignite the catastrophic civil war that killed roughly 150,000 people, and then by Hezbollah, which filled the vacuum left after Israel&#8217;s 1982 war forced the PLO terrorist Yasser Arafat into Tunisian exile.
By 2023, Hezbollah&#8217;s arsenal had grown to over 150,000 rockets, dwarfing the Lebanese army it nominally coexists with. Its financial corruption has metastasized through Lebanon&#8217;s banking sector, contributing to what the World Bank describes as one of the most severe economic depressions globally since the mid-19th century. The Lebanese pound, pegged at 1,507 to the dollar for two decades, had lost over 98% of its value.
The human cost of Iran&#8217;s proxy strategy was underscored when 92 retired U.S. generals and admirals published an <a href="https://jinsa.org/open-letter-from-retired-u-s-military-leaders-in-support-of-israel-on-october-7-anniversary/">open letter</a> on the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas massacre of over 1,200 Israelis, warning that &#8220;Iran&#8217;s reign of terror transcends boundaries&#8221; and that &#8220;October 7 is not an isolated incident, but one front in a much larger global civilizational struggle.&#8221;
Huckabee&#8217;s &#8220;Mothership&#8221; proposal won&#8217;t appear in any formal peace framework. But its underlying logic — that sustainable peace in Lebanon and Gaza requires severing, not managing, Iran&#8217;s grip on its proxies — reflects a growing consensus among U.S. and Israeli strategists that half-measures have consistently failed.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Holds Nomination Hearing For Mike Huckabee To Be Ambassador To Israel

Huckabee’s Bold Proposal: Send Iran’s Proxies Back To The ‘Mothership’

Hamas

Hezbollah

Mike Huckabee

When Donald Trump launched his first presidential campaign, he pledged to withdraw the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, President Barack Obama&#8217;s nuclear agreement with Iran.
Trump issued a statement condemning the JCPOA as &#8220;very dangerous&#8221; shortly after it was finalized on July 14, 2015. The president never dropped his opposition, <a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-joint-comprehensive-plan-action/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pulling out</a> of the deal in 2018.
Now, the president is preparing to unveil his own &#8220;Memorandum of Understanding&#8221; with Iran — the text of which has not been released, but which the White House says Trump has virtually signed. Officials say the memorandum is just the first step in a broader process. Following its signing, negotiators are expected to enter a roughly 60-day period of “technical talks” aimed at finalizing implementation details relating to the nuclear issues, suggesting that some of the most consequential questions are still not resolved.
Still, the question remains: how does the deal Trump spent years attacking compare with the agreement his own administration now appears to be pursuing?
Let&#8217;s dive in.
<h3>Uranium Enrichment And Sunsetting</h3>
The JCPOA: Trump’s central objection to the Obama deal was that it did not eliminate Iran&#8217;s enrichment program, saying “the deal allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium and, over time, reach the brink of a nuclear breakout.&#8221;
The JCPOA capped enrichment at 3.67% and sharply limited Iran&#8217;s stockpile of enriched uranium, but it did not require Iran to dismantle its enrichment infrastructure. The deal’s restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities also expired over time, gradually allowing the Islamic Republic to enrich uranium, build and run centrifuges, and build nuclear stockpiles.
“The agreement was so poorly negotiated that even if Iran fully complies, the regime can still be on the verge of a nuclear breakout in just a short period of time,” Trump said.
The Trump Deal: As recently as April, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116368825638596650" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> there would be &#8220;no enrichment of Uranium&#8221; under a future agreement. But Trump said Sunday that he was open to an arrangement under which Iran suspends enrichment for 15 years, though he emphasized that negotiations remain ongoing.
Trump also said Iran would be permanently restricted to low levels of enrichment for civilian purposes, but would not say whether that limit would match the JCPOA&#8217;s 3.67% enrichment cap — only that the restrictions would apply “forever.&#8221;
Another unresolved question is the fate of Iran&#8217;s existing stockpile of enriched uranium. Administration officials have indicated that the issue remains under discussion, though details about whether the material would be removed from Iran, diluted, transferred to a third country, or otherwise disposed of have not yet been released.
<h3>Sanctions And Economic Relief</h3>
The JCPOA: Trump argued that the Obama administration surrendered its strongest leverage by lifting economic sanctions and providing Iran access to frozen assets in exchange for what he viewed as temporary nuclear restrictions.
The president frequently cited the estimated $150 billion in frozen Iranian assets that became available after implementation of the agreement and argued the regime used those resources to strengthen itself.
“In other words, at the point when the United States had maximum leverage, this disastrous deal gave this regime — and it’s a regime of great terror — many billions of dollars, some of it in actual cash — a great embarrassment to me as a citizen and to all citizens of the United States,” Trump said in 2018.
Trump also often criticized a separate Obama administration settlement involving a decades-old dispute over military equipment purchased by Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The day after the JCPOA was implemented, the United States and Iran announced an agreement returning $400 million in principal from a pre-revolution foreign military sales trust fund, along with approximately $1.3 billion in interest.
The initial $400 million payment was flown to Tehran in cash aboard a cargo plane, a fact that Trump cited as evidence of Obama capitulating to the Iranian regime.
&#8220;The Iran deal is a terrible deal. We paid $150 billion. We gave $1.8 billion in cash. That&#8217;s actual cash, barrels of cash. It&#8217;s insane. It&#8217;s ridiculous. It should have never been made,&#8221;<a href="https://www.wthr.com/article/news/nation-world/ap-fact-check-trumps-iran-cash-story-oft-told-still-bogus/531-f1d22a97-c520-40b5-bc72-08a072c0f538" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Trump said</a> in 2018.
The Trump Plan: The memorandum reportedly leaves open the possibility of sanctions relief, access to frozen Iranian funds, and potential foreign investment if Iran complies with its commitments. But White House officials stressed that all relief would be based on Iranian compliance.
&#8220;We don&#8217;t pay for play,&#8221; one official said. &#8220;You can&#8217;t give them access to their funds or release funds to them if they&#8217;re just going to use that money to fund terrorism and cause more instability in the region.&#8221;
The agreement could eventually allow countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to invest in Iran, while also providing Tehran greater access to the global economy.
During a call with reporters, one senior administration official said the memorandum discusses &#8220;the possibility of releasing frozen funds, sanctions relief&#8221; and a potential &#8220;$300 billion fund to rebuild their country.&#8221;
Vance on Tuesday <a href="https://x.com/ericldaugh/status/2066992646053085361" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rejected reports</a> that the agreement would immediately provide Iran with hundreds of billions of dollars in benefits, saying &#8220;Not a single cent of American money under any circumstance, no matter what the Iranians do, goes to Iran.”
The administration has presented that approach as a key distinction from the JCPOA, which Trump argued provided Iran with significant economic relief before securing lasting changes in the regime&#8217;s behavior.
<h3>Iran’s Missile Program</h3>
The JCPOA: Trump repeatedly criticized Obama for failing to address Iran&#8217;s ballistic missile program, arguing that restricting uranium enrichment alone was insufficient if Tehran continued developing them as a means to deliver a nuclear weapon.
&#8220;Not only does the deal fail to halt Iran&#8217;s nuclear ambitions, but it also fails to address the regime&#8217;s development of ballistic missiles that could deliver nuclear warheads,&#8221; Trump said when announcing the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement.
Trump argued that any future agreement should eliminate &#8220;the threat of Iran&#8217;s ballistic missile program&#8221; alongside the nuclear threat itself.
The Trump Plan: Administration officials have not publicly detailed whether the memorandum requires limits on Iran&#8217;s missile program, leaving one of Trump&#8217;s most persistent criticisms of the JCPOA unresolved for now.
Iran says that maintaining its ballistic missile program is non-negotiable. But Israel continues pushing for strict limits. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that although Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding, it expects any final agreement to restrict missile production, dismantle enrichment infrastructure, remove enriched material, and halt Iran&#8217;s proxy support.
Meanwhile, Trump appeared to soften his tone on Iran&#8217;s missiles during a<a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/iran-hormuz/card/trump-appears-to-soften-stance-on-iran-s-missile-program-9cbjwlCEq4WHfoImcgOC" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> May radio interview</a> with conservative host Hugh Hewitt. When asked if requiring Iran to cap its missile program and permit intrusive inspections constituted a strict red line, Trump signaled flexibility.
“Look, missiles are bad, but yeah, and they do have to cap it, but this is about they cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
<h3>Terrorist Proxies</h3>
The JCPOA: According to Trump, Obama failed to address Iran&#8217;s broader behavior throughout the Middle East, including funding its terrorist proxy groups.
He criticized the agreement for failing to constrain Iran&#8217;s support for groups such as Hezbollah, other regional proxies, and its involvement in conflicts in Syria and Yemen, arguing that sanctions relief enabled Tehran to expand those activities.
&#8220;Once sanctions were lifted, the regime used its new funds to build nuclear-capable missiles, support terrorism, and cause havoc throughout the Middle East and beyond,&#8221; he said in 2018.
The Trump Plan:
Senior administration officials said Monday that any agreement with Iran would pair economic incentives with broader changes in Tehran&#8217;s behavior, including curbing its support for terrorism and regional instability.
During a call with reporters, a senior administration official said Trump is willing to &#8220;reset the relations&#8221; with Iran and give the country an opportunity to reach its &#8220;full potential,&#8221; but only if Tehran &#8220;verifiably cut[s] out the pathways that they&#8217;ve been pursuing towards nuclear weapons, funding terrorism, and causing regional instability.&#8221;
Vance offered a more specific example Tuesday, indicating that Iran&#8217;s support for Hezbollah could jeopardize any economic benefits contemplated under the agreement.
Asked by Megyn Kelly whether the United States would continue providing economic relief if Hezbollah continued attacking Israel, Vance said &#8220;If Iran is funding Hezbollah, we&#8217;re not going to allow a bunch of unfrozen assets to [flow] to the Iranians.”
The comments suggest the administration is seeking commitments that extend beyond Iran&#8217;s nuclear program, though officials have not publicly detailed what specific requirements related to Hezbollah, other Iranian-backed groups, or regional activities might ultimately be included in the final agreement.
<h3>Americans Imprisoned In Iran</h3>
The JCPOA: Trump slammed the Obama administration for failing to secure the release of Americans detained in Iran, arguing that the United States should have used its negotiating leverage to obtain their release.
Five American prisoners were released on the day the JCPOA was implemented on January 16, 2016, including Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post’s Tehran bureau chief, though the releases were not directly in the JCPOA.
The United States also granted clemency, commuted sentences, or dropped charges against seven Iranians, which Trump said was tantamount to paying a ransom for American prisoners.
The Trump Deal: It is unclear whether the agreement addresses the Americans currently detained by Iran.
At least six American citizens or permanent residents are believed to be imprisoned in Iran, including journalist<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-iran-talks-offer-hope-for-an-american-journalist-in-tehrans-most-notorious-prison" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Reza Valizadeh</a> and New York jeweler Kamran Hekmati. The State Department designated Hekmati as wrongfully detained earlier this year.
<h3>Where Things Stand</h3>
One major difference between today&#8217;s negotiations and those that produced the JCPOA is the state of Iran&#8217;s nuclear program.
While Trump has repeatedly said his primary objective is ensuring that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, Iran has long insisted that its nuclear program is peaceful and has frequently cited a fatwa issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declaring nuclear weapons forbidden under Islamic law.
Yet Tehran has repeatedly faced accusations from Western governments and international watchdogs of concealing aspects of its nuclear activities and pursuing capabilities that could shorten its path to a bomb.
When the JCPOA was signed in 2015, Iran agreed to cap uranium enrichment at 3.67% purity and limit its stockpile to 300 kilograms. In the years that followed, however, Tehran significantly expanded its nuclear activities.
A February 2025 report from the International Atomic Energy Agency <a href="https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/2025/03/iran-non-proliferation-private-meeting.php#:~:text=In%20its%20most%20recent%20quarterly,significantly%20during%20the%20reporting%20period%2C" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that Iran’s uranium stockpile is enriched to 60 percent purity — close to the 90% level considered weapon-grade. The total enriched uranium stockpile now stands at approximately 8,294 kilograms, vastly exceeding the deal’s cap of 300 kilograms.
Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/blinken-iran-one-two-weeks-away-from-producing-enough-material-for-nuclear-weapon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> warned</a> in 2024 that Iran could produce enough weapons-grade fissile material for a nuclear weapon in roughly one to two weeks, although American officials said there was no evidence Iran had assembled a bomb.
The exact extent to which recent American and Israeli military operations have degraded Iran&#8217;s nuclear capabilities remains unclear.
That history of mistrust has loomed over the current negotiations. Senior administration officials said Trump personally signed the memorandum of understanding to demonstrate his commitment to the process and to signal the seriousness with which he views reaching an agreement.
Whether Trump&#8217;s agreement ultimately differs in substance from the deal he spent years criticizing will depend not only on its final terms, but on whether Iran can be trusted to follow through on its commitments.

Khamenei Trump Obama

How Does Trump’s Iran Deal Compare To Obama’s? Here’s What We Know.

JD Vance

Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)

One of America&#8217;s most decorated military minds lit into the reported Iran nuclear deal Monday night, and the verdict was brutal: we&#8217;re getting played by a regime that has been lying, killing, and terrorizing its way through history for decades — and now we may be about to reward them for it.
Retired four-star Army General Jack Keane is not a man whose warnings should be taken lightly. This is a soldier who bled in the jungles of Vietnam as a platoon leader and company commander, earning the Silver Star for gallantry in combat. A career paratrooper who rose to command two of the most legendary warfighting organizations in American military history — the storied 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the XVIII Airborne Corps. A man who was inside the Pentagon when the planes hit on September 11, 2001, and who stayed to help oversee the initial wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
He served 37 years in uniform, capping his career as the 29th Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and briefly as Acting Army Chief of Staff. In 2018, he became the first military leader ever to receive the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award. In 2020, President Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation&#8217;s highest civilian honor.
His chest bears the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, two Defense Distinguished Service Medals, five Legions of Merit, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Ranger Tab.
When Jack Keane speaks about threats to America, you listen.
And what he said Monday night on Fox News should stop every American cold.
&#8220;There&#8217;s not a scintilla of evidence to indicate that this regime has made any fundamental change,&#8221; Keane declared flatly to host Sean Hannity. &#8220;What they are masters at is telling a story about willingness to make a deal and make change &#8230; They say all of those things, but then they do something completely different. And the history supports what I&#8217;m saying.&#8221;
Keane reminded viewers that even during the current ceasefire, Iran hasn&#8217;t stopped the bloodshed for a single day. &#8220;The last two months we&#8217;ve been under a ceasefire — and what have the regime&#8217;s actions been? They&#8217;ve been attacking in the Strait of Hormuz with drones and missiles &#8230; They&#8217;ve attacked U.S. bases. They&#8217;ve attacked our allies and partners. All under the ceasefire.&#8221;
And it gets worse. Iran&#8217;s Hezbollah proxies have been systematically pounding northern Israel throughout the supposed pause in hostilities. &#8220;There is 300-plus wounded Israelis. Kids aren&#8217;t going to school, and the people have all had to vacate their homes. Towns and villages are completely empty because of the systematic firing that&#8217;s been going on.&#8221;
Meanwhile, Tehran continues hanging its own citizens — mostly young protesters — week after week.
The man who commanded the 101st Airborne and spent a lifetime studying America&#8217;s enemies praised Trump as the only president in eight administrations with the guts to actually confront the Iranian menace.
&#8220;This has been going on most of my adult life,&#8221; said Keane, who began his military career in 1966 fresh out of Fordham University on a ROTC commission. But that storied perspective is precisely why the reported deal terms are so alarming.
Keane said he takes the president at his word that military action remains on the table. &#8220;I believe the president at his word. The evidence is clear — he just did it last week. He bombed two nights, he threatened a third.&#8221;
But then came the gut-punch: &#8220;I can&#8217;t square some of the things that are coming out of the administration from reliable sources. That&#8217;s what I find so disturbing.&#8221;
The reported concessions are staggering. According to Keane, administration sources — not Iranian spin doctors — are saying Iran gets to keep its uranium enrichment infrastructure, merely &#8220;downblending&#8221; its nuclear stockpile rather than eliminating it. Centrifuges stay. Cascades stay. A 10-to-20-year moratorium — just like former President Barack Obama&#8217;s disastrous JCPOA. And a $300 billion investment fund from Arab states and Qatar to boot.
&#8220;Who cares where the money comes from?&#8221; thundered the general who fought in Vietnam. &#8220;When we recovered Germany and Japan, the Nazis weren&#8217;t in charge. The Japanese imperialists weren&#8217;t in charge. Here, the Iranians are in charge. The killers and thugs are still in charge &#8230; They&#8217;re going to recover everything we&#8217;ve taken away from them &#8230; You know that you can&#8217;t trust these people.&#8221;
His prescription? Simple. &#8220;Let&#8217;s release it and let people see what&#8217;s out there so we stop debating about something none of us has seen.&#8221;
This is a man who earned his Silver Star in the Mekong Delta, commanded America&#8217;s finest warriors, and stood in the smoke-filled corridors of the Pentagon on the worst day in a generation. When Jack Keane says he smells a bad deal, believe him.
The mullahs are smiling. Jack Keane is not.
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MixCollage-16-Jun-2026-10-18-AM-2344

‘You Know That You Can’t Trust These People’ Four-Star General Tears Into Reported Iran Deal

Jack Keane

Iran executed two men Tuesday identified as leaders of the early 2026 anti-government unrest, the latest deaths in a sweeping campaign of state killings that belies any notion the Islamic Republic has moderated its repression of dissent.
The judiciary&#8217;s news outlet Mizan <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-executes-two-men-over-role-january-2026-protests-judiciary-news-outlet-says-2026-06-16/">reported</a> that Javad Zamani and Abolfazl Saedi were put to death in Shahrud County after being convicted of &#8220;moharebeh&#8221; — waging war against God — along with corruption on earth, damaging public and private property, and crimes against national security. The head of the judiciary in Semnan province <a href="https://www.c14news.com/article/1467168">said</a> the two had used weapons and acted against &#8220;public order and security&#8221; during what authorities labeled the &#8220;armed unrest&#8221; of early 2026.
The executions drew immediate condemnation from human rights observers who noted the charges are the same religious and security statutes the regime has long deployed to criminalize protest and silence opposition. The convictions rely on charges rooted in Islamic penal law — a framework critics say is routinely weaponized to justify executions of political opponents while insulating the regime from accountability.
Tuesday&#8217;s hangings are far from isolated. According to a report from <a href="https://iranhumanrights.org/2026/04/irans-execution-machine-political-hangings-surge-as-dozens-face-imminent-death">the Center for Human Rights in Iran</a> at the end of April, at least 22 political prisoners were executed between March 17 and April 27 alone — roughly one every two days — the majority following proceedings marked by torture, forced confessions, and the complete exclusion of independent lawyers. Ten of those executed had been arrested during the January 2026 nationwide protests.
The scale of the crackdown has prompted comparisons to the Islamic Republic&#8217;s bloodiest period. &#8220;The use of the death penalty as a political tool on this scale has not been seen since the 1980s in Iran,&#8221; said Esfandiar Aban, director of research at the Center for Human Rights in Iran.
Among those reportedly awaiting execution are a 45-year-old mother of two, a 50-year-old carpenter who wept during his televised trial, a young man sentenced to death reportedly for a private phone conversation containing an alleged insult to a religious figure, and at least three teenagers — two of them 17 years old — whose death sentences have reportedly been upheld by Iran&#8217;s Supreme Court in apparent violation of international law.
The executions continue as some Western governments have explored diplomatic re-engagement with Tehran, operating on assumptions that the regime may have evolved. Rights advocates argue the evidence points in the opposite direction. Since Iran launched military operations on February 28, at least 4,000 additional arrests have been recorded, lawyers have been systematically blocked from representing defendants, and death sentences have in some cases been carried out before appeals could even be filed.
&#8220;Young people who took to the streets to demand their freedom are now being marched to the gallows,&#8221; Aban said. &#8220;This is retaliatory state violence, carried out methodically, one life at a time, in the hope that the world is too distracted to act.&#8221;

IRGC Rally, And The Little Soldiers Of Ayatollah Khomeini

Iran Executes Two More Protest Leaders As Regime’s Killing Machine Grinds On

Death

executions

Human Rights

Former President Barack Obama says he does not expect any deal made with Iran to be an “improvement” from the deal he negotiated, which was scrapped by President Donald Trump.
Obama made the comments in an interview with ABC News that was recorded before Trump announced on Sunday that a deal with Iran had been reached. Trump withdrew from Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran during his first term in May 2018, arguing that it would pave the way for Iran to build nuclear weapons. 
“It is doubtful that any agreement that arises is going to be significantly different or a significant improvement from the deal that we had in the first place, and had worked for a long stretch of time before we, the United States, pulled out of it,” Obama said. “So I&#8217;m hopeful that bombing stops and ordinary people are no longer suffering as a consequence of the war.”
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In an exclusive interview, former President Barack Obama spoke with ABC News’ Robin Roberts sharing his thoughts on the war in Iran. <a href="https://t.co/IIMss9SxSg">pic.twitter.com/IIMss9SxSg</a>
— Good Morning America (@GMA) <a href="https://x.com/GMA/status/2066479012377948553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“In retrospect, it&#8217;s a reminder that on a lot of difficult foreign policy problems the notion that we can just bully our way or bomb our way to solutions may sometimes seem appealing,” Obama added. “You&#8217;d think we would have learned that lesson by now, but it seems like every so often we have to relearn that lesson again.”
In a post on Saturday, Trump attacked Obama’s deal, saying it “was an easy, beautiful, smooth road to a Nuclear Weapon.”
“My Agreement with Iran is the exact opposite, A WALL TO NO NUCLEAR WEAPON! In fact, they no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement,” Trump said. 
The exact terms of the deal are not yet known, but Trump said Sunday that it was “complete” and that it would involve the opening up of the Strait of Hormuz without tolls and the end of the U.S. naval blockade. 
“This Great Deal will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region. Many presidents have tried to make Peace with Iran, and all have failed before me,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “The Leaders of the Region have, for the first time, found a President who can help them achieve real Peace. With the opening of the Strait upon the signing of the Deal on Friday, for purposes of mine removal, oil will flow on both ends again for the Region, and the World!”
Vice President JD Vance plans to travel to Switzerland for the signing of the deal and Trump, who will be in Europe for the G7 summit, is considering attending as well.

US-POLITICS-RIGHTS-JACKSON

Obama Makes His Prediction For Trump’s Iran Deal

Barack Obama

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