UKMTO says skiff opened fire on tanker off Yemen

A US blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect pending completion of a ceasefire agreement with Iran scheduled for June 19, the US military said in an advisory note on Monday.

“A military blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect restricting all traffic inbound and outbound from these ports,” the advisory said.

“Do not attempt to cross until explicit direction is given,” it added.

President Emmanuel Macron said France and the United Kingdom were ready to lead a multinational mission to help reopen and ensure safety in the Strait of Hormuz if the US-Iran agreement holds.

In an interview with French broadcaster TF1, Macron said France would be ready to send planes, a frigate, deminers and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.

He said the forces would be ready for deployment in the next two or three days so the reopening of Hormuz "can be done in a peaceful way that it lasts."

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington was a source of pride not only for the country, but for the whole region and Iran’s regional allied groups.

"If all provisions of the memorandum of understanding (with the US) are properly implemented, it will be regarded as an honorable document for the country," Pezeshkian said on Monday.

He said more than 90 percent of Supreme National Security Council members backed the move.

US forces must withdraw from areas surrounding Iran 30 days after a final agreement is reached, IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported, citing an informed source who said the requirement was included in Article 4 of the Iran-US memorandum of understanding.

According to Tasnim, the source said under Article 9 of the memorandum of understanding, no additional US forces would be deployed to the region during the 60 days of talks toward a final agreement, and Iran would not carry out nuclear activities during that period.

Tasnim cited the source as saying that under Article 9, Washington had committed not to impose new sanctions during the 60 days of final-agreement talks.

Under Article 7, if a final agreement is reached, the United States has committed to lifting primary and secondary sanctions, as well as UN Security Council sanctions and Board of Governors measures, the report said.

The source said that under Article 11, after the memorandum of understanding is signed on June 19, sanctions waivers related to the sale of oil, petrochemicals and derivatives in the areas of transport, sales, insurance and oil-sale transactions would take effect.

The source said that under Article 8, the two sides would hold talks during the 60-day negotiation period, which can be extended, on nuclear issues including enrichment and stored nuclear material.

Iran was preparing to attack Israel and suspend the signing of an agreement with the United States after an Israeli strike near Beirut threatened to derail last-minute diplomacy, The New York Times reported, citing officials.

Iran’s lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Qatari mediators that Tehran planned to attack Israel and suspend the signing of the agreement, the report said.

President Donald Trump then intervened, urging Iran to hold back and promising that once the deal was signed, Israel would halt attacks on Lebanon, the report added.

The report said Qatar had mediated messages between Tehran and Washington during the final hours of negotiations after the strike, which Iran had treated as a red line because it targeted Lebanon.

Ghalibaf and Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Geneva to sign the agreement with US Vice President JD Vance, the report added.