Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
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President Donald Trump says Iran deal bars buclear weapons
- Iran ties US peace deal to Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon
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US-Iran deal ‘very general’ JD Vance says, but international nuclear inspectors will be allowed back in Iran
Here are the latest developments on the Iran war on Tuesday, June 16.
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Skip next section Trump says unhappy with ‘the way Israel handled itself with Lebanon, Hezbollah’06/16/2026June 16, 2026
Trump says unhappy with ‘the way Israel handled itself with Lebanon, Hezbollah’
President Donald Trumpsaid US agreement with Iran explicitly prohibits the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“The only thing that really matters to me is Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and it says it loud and clear,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian, France.
Trump also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be “more responsible” in dealing with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Lebanon was pulled into the war in March when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, prompting Israeli strikes and a ground invasion.
“I’m not happy with the way Israel has handled itself with Lebanon and with Hezbollah,” he said.
He added that he suggested Israel allow “Syria to take care of Hezbollah.”
Iran’s nuclear program and the broader regional implications of the conflict involving Iran remain key issues in efforts to reach a final peace agreement.
Trump also said that “Iran has rational leadership now.”
https://p.dw.com/p/5FVGFSkip next section Vance says interim deal to end war in Iran is ‘very general’06/16/2026June 16, 2026
Vance says interim deal to end war in Iran is ‘very general’
US Vice President JD Vance said the interim deal aimed at ending the war is a “very general document.”
He admitted the deal kicks the thorniest issues, especially Iran’s nuclear program, down the road.
“The MoU is about a page and a half, so it is a very general document,” Vance told CNN.
The unpublished agreement calls for the “immediate” reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the blockade, a senior US official said, separately, Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the outline.
Vance later told Fox News that US President Donald Trump may decide to release the agreement before Friday.
Vance will travel to Geneva, where he and Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will sign the deal ending the war.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, quoted on state television, said “the next round of negotiations will begin immediately after the signing of the agreement.”
He added that it includes issues around Iran’s nuclear program. Vance said that after the MoU is signed, Iran will allow international nuclear inspectors back into the country.
https://p.dw.com/p/5FUmlSkip next section Iran demands Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as part of US peace deal06/16/2026June 16, 2026
Iran demands Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as part of US peace deal
Iran says any peace deal with the United States must end the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.
“The end of the war in Lebanon is an inseparable part of complete end of the war,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, according to Iranian state television.
“Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they occupied during this war, the war has not fully come to an end,” Araghchi said, adding that further Israeli attacks on Lebanon “will be considered by us a violation of the Memorandum of Understanding” with the US.
Tehran and Washington have announced a tentative agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
However, details of the interim deal remain unclear, as it has not been released publicly.
Araghchi’s remarks come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces will remain in areas they now control in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza “as long as necessary.”
https://p.dw.com/p/5FUXXSkip next section Welcome to our coverage06/16/2026June 16, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Louis Oelofse | Rana Taha Editor
The interim agreement between Washington and Tehran got a warm reception on Monday. But by Tuesday, it was already clear that the hard work is only just beginning.
Both sides have acknowledged as much. US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi have both said publicly that more talks are needed before anything resembling a full peace deal can take shape.
Those talks are set to begin Friday, when the signing of a memorandum of understanding in Geneva will open a 60-day window for the two sides to work toward a broader agreement.
Plenty of thorny issues remain on the table, among them, the future of Iran’s nuclear program and the ongoing Israeli military operations in Iran targeting Hezbollah.
We’ll be tracking all of that here.
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