Vance: I ‘feel confident’ Israel will join the US-Iran deal ‘further down the road’
Trump says Iran agreed to 'never have' nuclear weapon, denies payout to Tehran * His top aides were reportedly surprised by news of deal * CIA director said to warn Iran won’t make promised concessions
The Times of Israel is liveblogging Tuesday’s events as they unfold.
Trump’s top aides were surprised by news he signed deal with Iran — report
Senior aides to US President Donald Trump were surprised by his social media post that he had reached an agreement with Iran, the Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the report, Trump’s post on Truth Social on Sunday saying that the “deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete” came after Trump digitally signed the document in the White House soon after 5 p.m. local time (midnight Israel time).
But Trump’s own top aides were caught off-guard by his posts on the deal, which they thought was still being negotiated, the Journal reports.
The text of the agreement, which is said to be a page and a half long, has not been made public. During a press conference yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding and does not yet know the full details of the agreement.
The Journal reports that Trump inked the deal while speaking to journalists, allies and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone, and as he prepared to attend the cage fights being held on the White House lawn in honor of his 80th birthday that day.
Strait of Hormuz transit will take weeks to resume, largest tanker operator says
Shipowners will not resume transit through the Strait of Hormuz for weeks until they are confident that the US-Iran deal is “material”, the chief executive of Japan’s Mitsui OSK Lines tells the Financial Times in an interview published today.
“What will have to come in place is not just a simple agreement between the relevant countries, but it has to be material and translated into the real situations in the Strait of Hormuz, so that shipping lines can make themselves comfortable to go through,” Mitsui OSK’s Jotaro Tamura says.
World Cup official says twitch caused gesture resembling white supremacist sign; FIFA: no breach
A World Cup video review official says his hand gesture resembling a white supremacist sign was caused by an involuntary twitch, and a FIFA committee concludes the Australian didn’t breach the sport’s disciplinary code.
FIFA’s discrimination monitor had called for Shaun Evans to be removed from the tournament.
Evans worked Germany’s opening 7-1 win over Curaçao on Sunday as an assistant to the video assistant referee, based at the World Cup broadcast center in Dallas.
When the official broadcast cut before the game to show the video review officials, Evans made an “OK” symbol with his right hand in front of his right leg.
“I did not intentionally make a hand gesture or symbol to communicate a message, affiliation, game or belief of any kind,” Evans says in a statement released Monday by FIFA. “The only explanation I can offer is that the movement was an involuntary, subconscious twitch and I was unaware I had done it at the time. Images taken later during the match showed that I repeated this movement many times while holding a pen between my fingers.”
In 2019, the gesture — with thumb and forefinger touching in a circle and other fingers outstretched — was designated a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League.
“Advice from our experts is that the gesture used clearly resembles an upside down ‘OK’ hand symbol used as a ‘white power’ symbol in global far-right circles,” says the Fare network, a long-time partner of FIFA and European soccer body UEFA that monitors racist and discriminatory chants, flags and symbols at international games.
“Clearly this official should have no further role to play in this World Cup,” Fare says in its statement, describing the gesture as “neo-Nazi.”
Evans is working at his second World Cup, and it was his first game of this year’s tournament.
“FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee can confirm that, after looking into the matter involving support video assistant referee Shaun Evans, it has found no evidence of breaches of the FIFA disciplinary code,” the FIFA panel says in a statement. “The disciplinary committee has also taken note of Mr. Evans’ statement.”
IDF to hold military drill in northern West Bank today
The IDF says it will be holding a military drill starting this morning through the afternoon in the northern West Bank area.
The military warns residents to expect significant movement of security forces in the area as well as the sounds of explosions, but assures them that it is not due to a security incident.
Iran begins fraught World Cup with 2-2 draw with New Zealand
Iran twice battles back for a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in its frenetic opening match of a World Cup campaign that has been utterly overshadowed by war, politics and protests.
At last able to focus on the soccer, the Iran players twice found themselves trailing to the tournament’s lowest-ranked team, thanks to goals from New Zealand striker Elijah Just.
But with a vocally pro-Iran crowd drowning out planned protests by anti-government demonstrators, equalizers from Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi spared Team Melli any further blushes.
Many inside the stadium sported anti-government emblems, nonchalantly flouting FIFA rules against political messaging, and the Iran anthem received boos and cheers.
The game’s final half hour saw Iran on the front foot, but unable to grab a winner due to a combination of sloppy finishing and dogged New Zealand defending.
The draw dents Iran’s hopes of progressing to the knockouts for the first time, though fellow Group G contenders Egypt and Belgium also drew today.
Vance: I ‘feel confident’ Israel will join the US-Iran deal ‘further down the road’
US Vice President JD Vance says that he believes Israel will become a party to the emerging US-Iran deal at some point in the future.
“What we know is this agreement is going to make Israel safer, it’s going to make the entire region safer,” Vance tells NBC News in an interview. “What I’ve seen is a lot of misinformation about this agreement — sometimes in the Iranian media, sometimes in the Israeli media.”
“We believe quite firmly that when the Israeli people understand what’s in this agreement, they’re going to see this as a pathway to a new Middle East, to peace and prosperity in that region,” Vance adds. “That’s all we can really ask for. We feel quite confident the Israelis are going to be bought in on this when we get a little further down the road.”
During a press conference this evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding and does not yet know the full details of the agreement.
Asked about US President Donald Trump’s harsh public criticism of Netanyahu in recent days, Vance said that “Israel is often a good partner, we also have aligned interests, but also sometimes we’re going to disagree on issues from time to time.”
Vance added that “that’s totally reasonable, even our closest allies, from the United Kingdom to Israel, we sometimes have disagreements.”
Hundreds protest outside Iran’s first World Cup match in Los Angeles
Iran kicks off its World Cup in Los Angeles today in front of a crowd that consists of both fans cheering them on and Iranian Americans waving symbols of protest against the Tehran government.
Around 300 to 500 protesters gather outside the stadium, waving anti-Iranian government signs and flags. They say they did not want to attend the match as it would imply support for Tehran.
Others went into the game but took with them symbols of protest, including the pre-revolutionary Iran flag, which is the same colors as the current official flag but has a different lion-and-sun motif.
Iran had threatened to halt matches if unofficial flags were brought in or slogans chanted, but the game today proceeded as planned.
Vance: Trump may release full text of US-Iran agreement before Friday
US Vice President JD Vance tells Fox News that US President Donald Trump may decide to release Washington’s agreement with Tehran before Friday.
The agreement, which was electronically signed by leaders in the US and Iran, is expected to be signed in person on Friday.
Trump declares Iran ‘has agreed to never have a Nuclear Weapon!’
US President Donald Trump declares: “Iran has agreed to never have a Nuclear Weapon!”
The president’s latest Truth Social declaration appears to refer to a reported clause in the MOU signed on Sunday by the US and Iran in which the latter commits to never obtain a nuclear weapon.
Iran has long insisted it does not seek a nuclear weapon, and made such a commitment in the 2015 deal that Trump vilified and withdrew from in 2018. Both of Trump’s administrations, along with Israel, have refused thus far to take Tehran at its word — something the president is now suggesting he is prepared to do.
Truth also writes in his Truth Social post that, “the story that the US is paying Iran 300 million Dollars is Fake News, put out” by Democratic operatives.
However, hours earlier, one of his top aides briefing reporters about the Iran deal said the US has discussed with Iran, “the possibility of releasing frozen funds, sanctions relief and a big $300 billion fund to rebuild their country,” which will be tied to concessions it makes in subsequent nuclear talks with the US.
Both the US and Iran have sought to frame the MOU as a political victory, cherry-picking purported clauses that they believe help make their case.
The top Trump aide briefing reporters on Monday said the text of the MOU would likely be released in 24 to 48 hours, contradicting the president who said it wouldn’t be released until after Friday’s signing ceremony.
US Vice President JD Vance is asked during an NBC News interview why the White House isn’t just releasing the MOU, given that it is repeatedly calling out Iran for mischaracterizing the terms of the deal.
“There are some technical details to work out — not related to the text of the MOU itself, but the implementation,” Vance responds, without clarifying further.
CIA director reportedly tells Trump Iran won’t actually make promised nuclear concessions
The director of the CIA reportedly told US President Donald Trump that intelligence findings indicate Iran is not necessarily willing to make nuclear concessions it has committed to pursuing.
A report in the Axios news site, citing three sources, says CIA director John Ratcliffe suggested to senior government officials that “the intelligence reflects that the Iranian intentions are not in line with their commitments under the deal,” a source says.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly joined Ratcliffe in expressing skepticism, as did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have expressed support for the deal.
The report says that US Vice President JD Vance, Witkoff and Kushner are slated to meet Friday with Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss the next elements of the deal that are slated to be worked out in line with the memorandum of understanding.