Iran says signing of Islamabad memorandum will not take place on Sunday
The exact timing of the signing of the Islamabad memorandum will not be on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, according to state media on Saturday.
Baghaei said the possibility of signing the Islamabad memorandum in the coming days could not be ruled out, but added that caution was needed regarding any comment on the signing date due to the hesitation of the other side.
Tanker struck by unknown projectile 6 nautical miles east of Oman, UKMTO says
A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile in its port bow off the coast of Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
UKMTO said the incident had occurred on Friday, 6 nautical miles east of Oman. The crew were reported safe and there was no reported environmental impact, while the tanker was continuing to its next port of call.
Pakistan PM says US-Iran peace deal signing expected within 24 hours
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose government has mediated between Iran and the United States to end their war, said a peace deal would “likely” be finalised within 24 hours.
“We are closer to a peace deal than ever before. With finalisation 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,” he said in a post on social media platform X.
Lebanese army withdraws from southern village after Israeli troops advance nearby
The Lebanese army withdrew its troops from a base in a southern Lebanese village after Israeli troops advanced in an area nearby, a military official said.
The departure from the army barracks in Kfar Tebnit came as the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for about 20 locations, including the southern city of Nabatieh and nearby villages.
Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei to be buried July 9
Iran’s slain former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for nearly 37 years before being killed by Israeli and US airstrikes on February 28, will be buried on July 9, state television reported Saturday.
The burial in his hometown, the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, initially scheduled for March but postponed due to the war, will follow three days of funeral ceremonies in capital Tehran beginning July 4 and another in the holy city of Qom on July 7, it said.
🎥 Iran peace deal looms while new military action flares near Strait of Hormuz
The United States and Iran signaled on Friday that an agreement to end their war was close, with a senior US administration official saying both sides had agreed on a text and that Washington expects to sign an initial deal in the coming days.
UAE to unlock billions of dollars for Iran, sources say
The United Arab Emirates has agreed to unlock billions of dollars for Iran, four sources said, in a tactical shift after weeks of Iranian attacks on the wealthy Gulf Arab state during the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.
Word of the move by the UAE to seek de-escalation, which has not been previously reported, coincides with the final stages of broader negotiations between Tehran and Washington on ending the war – talks that diplomats say could involve the release of tens of billions of dollars in Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks under US sanctions.
In the past month, the UAE, which was heavily targeted by Iran at the height of the war, has been spared fresh strikes, while Iran has trained its missiles and drones on Kuwait and Bahrain.
The last known direct attack by Iran on the UAE was more than a month ago – a May 4 strike on the Gulf state’s Fujairah port on the Gulf of Oman.
📷 Lebanon reports Israeli strikes in south after Israeli warning
Lebanese state media reported Israeli strikes on the country’s south shortly after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning for 20 locations including the city of Nabatieh ahead of raids there.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli airstrikes in several areas covered by the evacuation warning, including the villages of Rihan and Sujud, located not far from Nabatieh.
Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Nabatieh on June 13, 2026. © Stringer, Reuters
Israeli military warns of imminent strikes on south Lebanon
The Israeli military warned of imminent strikes on south Lebanon, telling residents of 20 towns and villages including many near Nabatieh city to evacuate despite a ceasefire in its war with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
“For your safety, you should evacuate your homes immediately and move to the north of the Zahrani River,” the military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X.
“Anyone who is in the vicinity of Hezbollah installations or means of warfare is endangering their lives,” he added, accusing the movement of violating the truce.
🎥 US, Iran peace agreement looms
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday an agreement “has never been closer” in a post on X. US President Donald Trump, who has said multiple times in recent weeks the countries are on the cusp of a deal, shared Araghchi’s post on his own social media.
FRANCE 24’s correspondant in Tehran Reza Sayah has more ⤵️
🎥 US and Iran ‘close’ to signing peace deal
The news around a US-Iran peace deal continues to evolve at pace. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said nuclear talks with the United States will only take place later, and depend on implementation of an interim agreement that he insisted is nearing.
Multiple sources say a final text is agreed in principle, with Pakistan confirming both sides are coordinating next steps and US officials expressing confidence a signing could come within days.
FRANCE 24’s Jean-Emile Jammine spoke to international negotiator Nomi Bar-Yaacov for her analysis of the situation ⤵️
US says it ‘downed’ multiple Iranian drones targeting commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz
US forces have “downed” several Iranian drones targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the military said late Friday.
“Iran launched multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees operations in the region, posted on X.
CENTCOM insisted that the strait “remains open for transit”.
US forces shoot down Iranian drones near Strait of Hormuz
US forces shot down multiple Iranian one-way attack drones heading towards the Strait of Hormuz, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday, in the latest military flare-up even as Washington and Tehran cite progress in peace talks.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the drones had posed a threat to commercial traffic.
US President Donald Trump had warned Iran earlier on Friday against firing more drones at ships attempting to transit the Strait, saying Tehran “better get their act together, and FAST!”
Aragchi wants deal to allow Tehran to charge trips for passage through Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran wants a deal that allows Tehran to charge ships “for services rendered” when they transit the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has imposed a toll system during the war, which the US and other nations say violates international law.
“There will be costs involved,” Araghchi said, “and those costs must be paid.”
Israeli and Palestinian groups met in France to appeal for two-state solution
Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups delivered an appeal in France on Friday to urge the international community not to abandon a two-state solution, as Paris seeks to keep the issue alive amid the Middle East war.
The meeting brought together foreign ministers and senior officials from dozens of countries alongside civil society groups. It marks one year since the UN-backed New York Declaration, which set out a roadmap towards Palestinian statehood and prompted around a dozen countries, including France, Britain and Canada, to recognise a Palestinian state.
“We could find every reason in the world to give up. But you are here! Your testimonies alone are grounds for hope and action,” France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told 250 civil society representatives from both sides.
“France refuses to let the side of war prevail over the side of peace.”
Araghchi says US-Iran deal could happen ‘in the coming days’
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that upon finalisation, a draft deal with the United States would be signed “remotely”, which could happen “in the coming days”.
“As soon as the final stages of our negotiations are completed, this agreement will be signed and announced. The signing will initially take place digitally. Each side will sign remotely. After that, it will be announced that this memorandum of understanding has been signed by both parties,” Araghchi said in an interview with state television.
“This could happen in the coming days. I am very hopeful.”
This story originally appeared on France24
