U.S., Iran on Verge of 60-Day Cease-Fire Extension, Per Trump
The United States and Iran have reportedly agreed to extend their ceasefire for an additional 60 days while negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program continue, according to numerous reports.
The agreement, first reported by Associated Press, follows weeks of heightened tensions that included U.S. military strikes against Iranian targets and a series of military exchanges involving Iran and several Gulf states.
As of now, there is no public indication that Tehran has accepted President Donald Trump’s central demand that Iran permanently abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions.
Nevertheless, the ceasefire extension suggests that both sides currently see greater value in continued negotiations than in returning to open warfare.
For the moment, the arrangement largely preserves the existing situation: a fragile ceasefire punctuated by diplomatic talks, periodic military tensions, and continued disagreement over Iran’s nuclear activities.
The broader conflict began in late February following joint U.S.-Israeli military operations that targeted senior Iranian leadership and military infrastructure, dramatically escalating tensions across the Middle East and triggering months of instability throughout the region.
President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he is heading to the White House Situation Room to make a “final determination” — apparently on the memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
White House officials stated yesterday that US and Iranian negotiators had struck a memorandum of understanding (MoU), but Trump has yet to give his final approval.
Iran has denied granting the final approval, and Israel thinks Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not signed off on the MoU.
“Iran must agree that they will never have a nuclear weapon or bomb. The Hormuz Strait must be immediately open, no tolls, for unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
The president referenced the reported terms of the MoU, which the White House confirmed yesterday.
“All water mines (bombs), if any, will be terminated (we have removed, through detonation, numerous such mines with our great underwater mine sweepers. Iran will complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of any mines that are left, which will not be many!)” Trump continued.
“Ships caught in the Strait due to our amazing and unprecedented naval blockade, which will now be lifted, may start the process of ‘heading home!’” Trump added.
Trump suggested that he has already made a decision to lift the blockade, even though that was only supposed to happen once the MoU was signed, according to the terms leaked to the press and confirmed by the White House.
It wasn’t clear if Iran had since demanded that the blockade be lifted in advance in order to move forward.
The MoU stipulates that the sides will hold subsequent negotiations during the 60-day ceasefire extension on Iran’s nuclear program, including its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.
Trump insisted that this “nuclear dust” will be “unearthed” and destroyed by the US in close coordination with Iran and the UN’s nuclear energy agency.
Tehran has yet to show any indication that it is prepared to accept these terms.
“No money will be exchanged, until further notice,” he added, ostensibly referring to the sanctions relief Iran is supposed to receive from the US as part of the MoU once it is signed.
“Other items, of far less importance, have been agreed to. I will be meeting now, in the Situation Room, to make a final determination,” Trump added.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Israel Will Continue Operations in Lebanon Despite Ceasefire, Defense Minister Says
The Israeli military also advised against residents of southern Lebanon returning to their homes as they continue to target Hezbollah in the region.
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Smoke billows from southern Lebanon, following Israeli strikes, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, June 3, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Guy Birchall
6/4/2026|Updated: 6/4/2026
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Israel will continue its operations on the ground in southern Lebanon despite agreeing to a ceasefire, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on June 4.
Israel and Lebanon announced on June 3 that they had agreed to implement a ceasefire.
Katz said Lebanese residents who had been forced to leave their homes in the area by the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF’s) ongoing mission would not be allowed to return.
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His comments came a day after Lebanon and Israel agreed to implement a ceasefire during talks in Washington, with the deal contingent on a cessation of fire from the Hezbollah terrorist group.
“The declaration of principles between Israel and the Lebanese government in Washington includes a declaration on the goal of disarming Hezbollah throughout Lebanon and condemning Iran’s involvement in Lebanon and the region,” Katz said, according to Israeli media outlet Ynet.
“The ceasefire is conditional on the early removal of Hezbollah terrorists from the entire area south of the Litani (river) and the creation of a demilitarized zone, with the IDF continuing its fire and activity in the area at this stage; the IDF remaining in the security zone in Lebanon up to the yellow line, including in the Beaufort area and without the return of the population.”
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He said that the “continued thwarting of terrorist infrastructure on the ground” and “freedom of action for Israel, with American backing, to strike in Beirut, Lebanon, in response to fire at Israeli communities and territory,” were also conditions of the agreement.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported on June 4 that Lebanese Civil Defense Authorities had urged displaced persons to postpone their return until official statements are issued regarding their return to the southern villages.
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They also warned against approaching areas affected by airstrikes because of unexploded ordnance.
IDF Issues Warning to Residents
The IDF also issued a warning to the residents of southern Lebanon, saying that it continues to target Hezbollah facilities and infrastructure located in and near villages in the region.
Israeli soldiers operate at Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon, in this handout image released on May 31, 2026. Israeli Military/Reuters
The IDF’s Arabic language spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, said in a June 4 post on X that “fighting in southern Lebanon is ongoing” and that the IDF does “not intend to harm” those living in the area.
“For your safety, refrain from traveling south of the Zahrani River until further notice!” he said. “Anyone who travels south puts their life at risk.”
UNIFIL Says 1 Peacekeeper Killed, 2 Wounded in Shelling
A U.N. peacekeeper in Lebanon died on June 4 from injuries sustained when mortar shells hit his position near Marjayoun in southeastern Lebanon late on June 3, the U.N. peacekeeping mission UNIFIL said in a June 4 statement.
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UNIFIL, which did not say where the shells originated, said two other peacekeepers were wounded and that it had opened an investigation into the incident.
Serbian authorities confirmed that the peacekeeper was a Serbian national, the U.N. stated in an update.
“Soon after the incident that happened late last night, the critically injured peacekeeper was flown to a hospital in Beirut where he succumbed to his wounds,” UNIFIL stated.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the peacekeeper who lost his life in the service of peace. ... We also call on relevant national authorities to investigate the incident, bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure criminal accountability.”
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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a photograph at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, on Jan. 9, 2025. Fadel Itani/AFP
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on June 4 that the ceasefire agreement from the previous evening could come into force within 24 hours of all concerned parties approving it, according to Sawti Beirut International.
He did not specify which parties he was referring to, but Hezbollah is the target of Israel’s strikes.
The terrorist group’s leader, Naim Kassem, later said that Hezbollah would not abide by the ceasefire, calling it “fictitious” and saying that if his fighters were to abandon the southern front, it would amount to “surrender, defeat, and the fulfillment of the enemy’s objectives,” according to comments carried by Hezbollah-owned media outlet Al Manar.
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“It is like Satan’s dream of entering Paradise,” he said.
“We have not given anyone a commitment not to resist aggression and respond to it. As long as the aggression continues, [Hezbollah will] confront it with all the strength we possess, and we will strike wherever we decide and are able.”
Hezbollah is opposed to the direct talks and has continued firing at Israeli troops in Lebanon.
The ceasefire deal, reached after negotiations in Washington on June 3, depends on a full stop to attacks by Hezbollah and the withdrawal of all its fighters from the area south of the Litani River.
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“The two sides agreed with the guidance of the United States to swiftly advance the creation of pilot zones in which the Lebanese Armed Forces will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors,” the joint statement by the United States, Lebanon, and Israel said.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to hold further talks the week of June 22 on political and security issues to reach a lasting deal.
The two countries reached an earlier ceasefire in April. That truce was extended in May, but fighting continued.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Oval Office of the White House on June 3, 2026. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
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U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 1 that he had spoken with Hezbollah representatives, who told him that they “agreed that all shooting will stop” and that “Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel.” However, Iran viewed continued Israeli operations in Lebanon as a ceasefire violation on all fronts and briefly halted related talks with the United States.
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The current round of fighting began on March 2, when Iran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets across the border into northern Israel two days after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Israel responded with airstrikes across Lebanon and began ground operations in the south on March 16.
Iran has insisted that any final deal with the United States and Israel must also include Lebanon.
