{"id":496604,"date":"2026-06-17T02:44:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T02:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/496604\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T02:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T02:44:11","slug":"us-iran-deal-said-set-to-halt-regional-hostilities-including-in-lebanon-lift-blockade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/496604\/","title":{"rendered":"US-Iran deal said set to halt regional hostilities, including in Lebanon, lift blockade"},"content":{"rendered":"

The US-Iran memorandum of understanding, expected to be signed in person on Friday, provides for a full cessation of hostilities by Iran, the United States and their allies \u2014 including in Lebanon, where Israel has been battling Tehran\u2019s proxy Hezbollah, several outlets reported Tuesday. Among them was Israel\u2019s Channel 12 news, which cited a senior US official, and Saudi Arabia\u2019s Al Arabiya, which published what it said was a copy of the 14-point agreement\u2019s full text<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The framework reportedly sees Iran reaffirm its commitment not to develop or acquire nuclear weapons, while Washington and Tehran work to resolve the issue of Iran\u2019s existing stockpile of enriched uranium and to hold talks on future enrichment and the Islamic Republic\u2019s civilian nuclear needs.<\/p>\n

Under the reported terms, the US will lift its naval blockade, refrain from imposing new sanctions or reinforcing military forces in the region during the negotiations, and grant Iran sanctions relief for oil sales. Iran, meanwhile, will maintain the status quo regarding its nuclear program and take steps to ensure commercial navigation at pre-war volumes through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days of nuclear talks.<\/p>\n

The reports said the memorandum will also make Iran\u2019s frozen assets available upon implementation and, if a final lasting agreement is reached, will lead to a US withdrawal of forces deployed to the region and the lifting of all sanctions on Iran. A final deal would also reportedly include a $300 billion fund for investment and reconstruction in Iran.<\/p>\n

According to Channel 12, senior US officials were divided over the proposal, with Vice President JD Vance and envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff supporting it, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe expressed doubts that Iran would uphold its commitments.<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, Israel has yet to be briefed on the agreement\u2019s official terms, the network said, adding that\u00a0Jerusalem requested to review the memorandum, but Washington declined, reportedly out of concern that the details would be leaked.<\/p>\n

Channel 12 further reported, citing senior Israeli officials, that Israel fears Iran will use the 60-day nuclear negotiation period to fast-track its nuclear program and make progress towards developing a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n

The network said Israel assesses that Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has no intention of reaching a final nuclear agreement and approved the MOU primarily to open up the Strait of Hormuz and secure economic relief for the regime.<\/p>\n

Israeli defense officials reportedly warned the government that Tehran \u201cwill drag out the process, and the 60 days of negotiation will turn into much more.\u201d<\/p>\n

One senior Israeli official told Channel 12 it would be surprising if Iran did not use \u201call its efforts and tricks to shorten the timeline to nuclear breakout under the cover of negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA woman holds a portrait of Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, during a ceremony honoring the armed forces and those killed in the war with Israel and the US at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran, on May 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi)<\/p>\n

US moves to offer Iran sanctions relief, despite insisting it would be conditioned on performance \u2014 officials<\/p>\n

A US official and a Mideast diplomat told\u00a0 The Times of Israel on Tuesday that the US is readying to begin offering Iran sanctions relief in the form of a waiver allowing Tehran to export its oil.<\/p>\n

The US has insisted that the MOU conditions any sanctions relief for Iran on Tehran\u2019s willingness to make concessions in subsequent talks on the Islamic Republic\u2019s nuclear program and its conduct in the region.<\/p>\n

But the up-front US sanctions waiver on Iranian oil sales would indicate that Iran is not in fact required to make further concessions in order to have some of the economic restrictions against Tehran lifted.<\/p>\n

A senior US official briefing reporters on Monday seemed to hint at the sanctions waiver, saying the US would make \u201csome small gestures\u2026 in the beginning,\u201d but said those would be conditioned on \u201csmall gestures\u2026 that show they\u2019re willing to meet their commitments.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the sanctions waiver earlier Tuesday but was unclear as to whether it was already in effect.<\/p>\n

The report noted that an Iranian oil tanker was allowed to cross the US blockade today, in an indication that the waiver is at least partially in place.<\/p>\n

While lifting its curbs on oil exports offers some much-needed relief to Iran, it is seen as one of the more minor steps that the US can take in the realm of sanctions relief.<\/p>\n

Washington even signed such a waiver during the recent Iran war, temporarily lifting sanctions on Iranian oil for 30 days, in order to ease pressure on global energy supplies and lower oil prices.<\/p>\n

$300 billion reconstruction fund<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a source with direct knowledge of the deal told Reuters that the $300 billion private fund designed to trigger investment into Iran is indeed outlined in the US-Iran framework agreement, adding that more than half that sum has already been committed.<\/p>\n

The fund is designed to give both sides an economic incentive to conclude a final deal, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan has not yet been announced as Washington and Tehran prepare to formally sign it on Friday, having already digitally signed it on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The new fund is a private investment vehicle, not a reconstruction or reparations program, and will not include any government money or grants, the source said, adding that companies based in the US, the Gulf Arab states, Asia, South America and Africa have agreed to commit financing.<\/p>\n

Investments pledged span energy, logistics, manufacturing and transportation, the source said.<\/p>\n

A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Tehran had originally sought $400 billion as compensation for war damages from the US, but Washington had said it would not provide it.<\/p>\n

The idea for the fund, which is to be named the Reconstruction and Development Fund, had then emerged.<\/p>\n

The mechanism envisages regional countries contributing in various ways, the Iranian source said. These include securing loans, establishing credit lines or directly financing the reconstruction of sites damaged in the war, including facilities such as the Mobarakeh Steel complex, refineries, airports and, more broadly, infrastructure affected by the conflict.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tBackdropped by ships in the Strait of Hormuz, damage, which according to local witnesses caused by several recent airstrikes during the US-Israel military campaign, is seen on a fishing pier in the port of Qeshm Island, Iran, April 13, 2026. (Asghar Besharati\/AP)<\/p>\n

Iran, one of the Middle East\u2019s largest economies, has attracted almost no significant foreign direct investment in the past four decades, frozen out of global capital markets by successive waves of US and international sanctions.<\/p>\n

The country has the world\u2019s second-largest proven natural gas reserves and the fourth-largest proven oil reserves.<\/p>\n

It also has a young, educated population of more than 92 million people, a diversified industrial base and significant untapped potential in sectors ranging from petrochemicals and mining to tourism and agriculture.<\/p>\n

The investment fund is entirely separate from a parallel negotiating track over the lifting of US sanctions and the release of Iranian sovereign assets frozen abroad, the source said, describing the two as distinct financial mechanisms with different purposes and timelines.<\/p>\n

The fund will not be created or become operational until a final and satisfactory deal is concluded.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll only be created once the final deal is signed,\u201d the source said. \u201cDuring these 60 days, the fund administrators will work with Iranians and investors to plan and scope projects.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Iranian foreign ministry and Pakistan\u2019s foreign ministry, which helped mediate the investment fund deal, did not immediately respond to requests for comment, though Iran\u2019s top Joint Military Command warned Israel should expect a hard response from the Iranian armed forces if it did not stop striking Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n

A White House spokeswoman pointed to a CBS interview with Vance on Monday in which he said that Iran could gain access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund backed by Gulf states if it complies with an \u2060agreement with \u200bWashington, including dismantling its nuclear program, eliminating its stockpile of enriched material, and accepting a \u200bstringent inspection and enforcement regime.<\/p>\n

The source would not say how the fund will be administered or by whom, noting that key details were still to be worked out.<\/p>\n

The source named companies from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and the United States among those that had made commitments, but declined to provide a comprehensive list.<\/p>\n

The 60-day memorandum is a framework, not a final agreement, and US and Iranian negotiators are expected to work across multiple tracks during that period, covering nuclear, sanctions and regional security issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The US-Iran memorandum of understanding, expected to be signed in person on Friday, provides for a full cessation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":496605,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[190507,85,46,1486,43,207495],"class_list":["post-496604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-2026-us-israel-war-with-iran","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-memorandum-of-understanding","tag-news","tag-us-iran-relations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/496605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}