New Delhi, Jun 19: The United States has lifted its naval blockade of Iran following the signing of an agreement aimed at ending the conflict in West Asia.

The US Central Command confirmed on X that the blockade had been terminated “in accordance with the President’s direction”, while noting that some American naval vessels would remain in the region.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei publicly endorsed the agreement for the first time, saying he had approved the deal despite holding a “different view” on the matter. Khamenei said he agreed after receiving assurances from President Masoud Pezeshkian that the government would “protect the rights of the Iranian nation”.

Khamenei accused US President Donald Trump of using “all kinds of leverage” to secure the agreement but stressed that future face-to-face negotiations with Washington would not amount to accepting the US position.

The agreement, formally known as a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), contains 14 key provisions, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a commitment that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon, and the creation of a USD 300 billion reconstruction and economic development fund for Iran.

The deal also sets a 60-day deadline for negotiating a final settlement, with the possibility of extension by mutual consent.

US Vice President J D Vance said the agreement had already come into force, triggering the 60-day negotiation period.

He indicated that further technical talks between US and Iranian representatives would likely take place in Switzerland.

Vance defended the accord amid criticism from some US lawmakers.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy described the agreement as the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades”, arguing that Iran’s nuclear ambitions had not been sufficiently curtailed.

However, Vance maintained that Iran would receive no financial benefits or sanctions relief unless it fulfilled its commitments, including destroying its stockpile of enriched uranium and ending support for proxy groups in the region.

The vice president also criticised members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet who have opposed the deal, saying they should “wake up and smell the reality”.

He warned that civilian casualties resulting from attacks in Lebanon were “not acceptable” and said Israel must respect the peace process with Iran.

Despite the agreement, tensions remain high.

Both Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement have reportedly continued exchanging strikes, including attacks in Lebanon that reportedly killed three people on Thursday.

Israel has maintained that its conflict with Hezbollah is separate from the war with Iran, while Hezbollah has rejected the terms of the US-Iran agreement.

The deal marks the most significant diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Tehran in years and is being closely watched as both sides begin negotiations on a comprehensive settlement.

Rome, Jun 19: The Italian government closed ranks on Friday to slam US President Donald Trump over his claim that Premier Giorgia Meloni had “begged” for a photo with him during the recent G7 summit, a pushback that suggested the longtime US ally had had enough of Trump’s boasting.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani abruptly cancelled a planned trip to the United States this weekend, calling Trump’s claims “serious and offensive” toward Meloni and all of Italy.

Meloni for her part posted a video calling Trump’s claims “completely fabricated” and expressing astonishment that he would invent such things about an ally. She concluded: “Italy and I do not beg.”

Trump had made the comments in an interview broadcast Friday morning on the La7 network. The La7 correspondent had asked Trump about Ukraine, but Trump raised Meloni and the conversation turned to their meeting during the just-concluded G7 meeting in Evian-les-Bains, France. Meloni and Trump were filmed speaking at several moments, including alone on a small sofa.

According to La7, Trump said Meloni had “begged” him for a photo-op. Trump said he wasn’t obliged to do it but that he felt sorry for her and agreed, La7 said. The broadcaster has a dubbed version of the conversation online, not the original English audio.

Meloni is astonished and defiant

In her video, Meloni said she was responding to Trump’s claims because “certain things deserve an immediate response.”

“Donald Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I am frankly stunned,” she said. “I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way toward his own allies. After all, this isn’t the first time this has happened.”

It was an apparent reference to an interview Trump gave to Italian daily Corriere della Sera in April in which he criticised Meloni’s refusal to back the US-Israel war in Iran. Meloni didn’t respond publicly at the time.

By Friday, it appeared she had had enough of his boasts and broadsides.

“I can only say that it’s a shame he doesn’t show the same resolve toward the enemies of the West, toward the enemies of the United States — toward leaders with whom he, on the other hand, is much more accommodating,” Meloni said Friday. “But there’s one thing he must remember: Italy and I do not beg.”

The White House did not return an immediate request for comment on Meloni’s remarks.

Meloni had initially sought to build on longstanding strong US-Italian ties when Trump began his second mandate, and had positioned herself as a “bridge” between Washington and the European Union. She was the lone EU head of state to attend his inauguration.

But relations have frayed over the US war in Iran, which Meloni has said was illegal, and Trump’s position on Ukraine, which Italy strongly supports. Trump’s tariffs and strong US support of Israel over its war in Gaza have been other points of contention.

Italian officials close ranks around Meloni

By Friday afternoon, solidarity with Meloni had poured in from across the government and political spectrum, and included a call from President Sergio Mattarella, Italy’s widely respected head of state.

“Whoever attacks @GiorgiaMeloni attacks all of us,” posted Transport Minister Matteo Salvini.

Justice Minister Carlo Nordio referenced the sacrifice of American troops in World War II in underlining the harm to US-Italy relations caused by Trump.

“The thousands of crosses marking the graves of American soldiers who died to free us from Nazi-Fascist dictatorship did not deserve such a painful blow to our fraternal ties,” Nordio said on X.

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said he didn’t believe Meloni would ever beg someone for a photo, “not even under threat.”

“I can, however, imagine how much it cost her to set aside what Trump had said weeks ago, to serve the interests of Italy, of Europe, and of the West,” Crosetto posted on X. “Jokes of this kind do no good to anyone: neither to the USA, nor to Italy, nor to the alliance.”

Tajani had been due to travel to the US on Sunday to take part in an Italy-US business forum in Miami during which he was to have meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, according to a US State Department announcement of the meeting.

A fantastic’ friendship frays

Meloni had long been considered one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe, trying to act as a mediator between the often conflicting interests of the US and the EU.

They had gotten off to a strong start, and the two leaders are ideologically aligned on many issues. As the head of a far-right party, Meloni backs curbing migration and promoting traditional values.

Weeks before Trump’s 2025 inauguration, Meloni met Trump at his Mar-a-Lago retreat, a visit that she said went “beyond expectations.” It was, she said at the time, “an opportunity to confirm a relationship that promises to be very solid,” adding diplomatically, “I don’t know if I can say privileged.”

In the months after, Trump had praised her repeatedly, as “fantastic,” “incredible,” beautiful and a friend.

But stark differences emerged over Ukraine, after Trump wavered in his support while Meloni kept backing Kyiv after Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

More recently, she sharply warned against US threats to take Greenland by force, saying she didn’t believe Washington would go so far and that regardless Italy would never support such a move.

Jerusalem, Jun 19: Talks between the US and Iran were called off on Friday after intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, three officials said, raising questions about a nascent agreement to end the war in Iran.

Iranian officials didn’t travel as planned to Switzerland, insisting that the fighting in Lebanon must stop before the talks can take place, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing mediation to try to get the talks rescheduled. US Vice President JD Vance also cancelled his trip.

Israel’s military struck targets in southern and eastern Lebanon overnight, and Hezbollah reported intense fighting. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said at least 21 people were killed, and Israel said four soldiers died.

The conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah is the most precarious part of the Iran deal. Neither Israel nor the militant group signed the agreement — but it is supposed to end their fighting, and Iran has signaled its willingness to risk renewed war in the region for the sake of its interests in Lebanon and its most important regional ally.

Mediators are now scrambling to reschedule the meetings, which were supposed to begin addressing how to restrict Iran’s nuclear program — the core issue over which Israel and the US went to war on February 28.

The talks are also supposed to bring about a permanent end to the conflict. The interim deal has already reopened the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, after Iranian attacks and threats all but stopped the flow of oil and natural gas through the waterway. A new Iranian authority charged with overseeing the strait issued guidance Friday calling on ships to register with it even as transits are currently free — signalling Tehran’s intent to likely start charging.

The fighting in Lebanon could unravel the deal

The Israeli military said strikes were ongoing on Friday after four of its soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed in an attack on a tank in a village near the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh. An explosive drone attack wounded another five, it added.

Israel then launched multiple strikes against “Hezbollah infrastructure sites” in Nabatiyeh and other areas, according to a military statement, which accused the militant group of “blatant ceasefire violations.”

Later, the military said it also struck targets in the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, with Lebanese media saying the village of Douris was hit.

“Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or on our territory, and it will exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah for these attacks,” Netanyahu said in a statement Friday.

Hezbollah acknowledged targeting Israeli tanks and said its attacks were in response to what it called Israel’s own violation of the ceasefire. It said the attacks came after Israeli forces attempted to reach the northern side of Ali al-Taher hilltop, a strategic point that overlooks Nabatiyeh and that Israeli troops have been trying to capture.

In southern Lebanon, many were forced to flee their villages due to the Israeli attacks.

“The situation is lawless, we couldn’t stay,” said Mustafa Zain, who had his six daughters in a pickup truck as he was leaving Akaar through Tyre.

The fighting threatens to unravel the newly signed deal. Beyond ending the hostilities in Lebanon, the agreement calls for ensuring Lebanon’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

It does not say whether that means Israel would withdraw from the large swaths of southern Lebanon it has occupied since Hezbollah joined the war in its early days by firing rockets and drones at northern Israel.

Iran has insisted Israel pull back, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that forces would remain in a “security zone” of southern Lebanon as long as “Israel’s security needs require it.”

Israel’s actions in Lebanon have created a rift between Israel and the US, with Trump becoming increasingly critical of his close ally Netanyahu. Netanyahu is also facing increasing criticism at home — and from other quarters.

Talks in Switzerland were postponed

Tehran is insisting that Israel’s attacks in Lebanon cease before they send a delegation to Switzerland, according to the officials.

The White House, however, blamed logistical issues when Vance put off his trip.

Two other regional officials, similarly speaking on condition of anonymity for the same reason, described Pakistan as being “stunned” by Iran’s decision not to go to the talks.

Much remains to be resolved

The discussions in Switzerland are expected to focus on Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran maintains it is peaceful, though it has highly enriched uranium that could be used to build multiple atomic bombs, should it choose to do so, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Those talks are expected to be extremely difficult. The 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump scrapped during his first term, took more than 18 months to negotiate.

The interim deal gives negotiators 60 days to come up with a nuclear agreement but that can be extended. It outlines lucrative incentives if Iran does reach a new agreement, including the eventual lifting of all international sanctions and a $300 billion fund for postwar reconstruction.

Already Iran has won some concessions. Following the signing of the interim deal, the US lifted its blockade of Iran’s ports and is allowing it to sell its oil freely. The deal also calls for Iran’s assets to be unfrozen — though it’s not clear how quickly.

Oil tankers began freely moving through the Strait of Hormuz this week after months of being unable to use the critical channel. More than 12.5 million barrels of oil were shipped through the waterway on Wednesday night, the US said.

Still, it is expected to take weeks or months for the normal flow of oil and gas to resume, even if traffic fully resumes in the strait.