📰 General · CBS News
Live Updates: Iran says deal with U.S. requires Israeli forces to leave Lebanon - CBS News
From CBS News via USVI News: Iran's foreign minister says Israeli troops can't remain in Lebanon under the pending deal with the U.S.
Follow updates on the war in the Middle East for Wednesday, June 17, here. See earlier developments below.
What to know about the Iran war:
- President Trump criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of Israel's "minor war" against Hezbollah in Lebanon on Tuesday, voicing frustration that the parallel conflict was complicating his efforts to end the war with Iran.
- Iran's foreign minister said any Israeli forces remaining in southern Lebanon, or any Israeli strikes on the country, would constitute a violation of the U.S.-Iran deal. Israeli officials said Monday that troops would stay in Lebanon, as "Trump's agreement does not bind us."
- A signing ceremony is expected Friday in Switzerland to formalize the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, which should spark a second phase of direct talks on the future of Iran's nuclear program and other contentious issues.
Several Israeli strikes hit south Lebanon, country's news agency says
Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on several areas in south Lebanon Wednesday, Lebanon's National News Agency reported, despite a memorandum of understanding on the Middle East war that Iran insists includes Lebanon.
NNA said Israeli warplanes launched raids targeting the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area and the eastern outskirts of neighboring town Kfar Tebnit.
The Israelis also launched a drone strike on the town of Ansariyeh in the Zahrani area, NNA reported.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that the continuing presence of Israeli forces in Lebanon would be a violation of the U.S.-Iran agreement set to be signed on Friday.
On Monday, Israeli officials said troops would remain in a wide section of southern Lebanon that they have effectively occupied over the last three and a half months, forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.
"Trump's agreement does not bind us," Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said.
Iranian tankers loaded with oil exit U.S. blockade zone ahead of peace talks
The first tankers carrying Iranian oil exited a U.S. blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, a tracking website said on Wednesday, two days before Washington and Tehran launch talks under terms of a memorandum of understanding between the two nations.
The negotiations on a final settlement are set to begin Friday at Switzerland's Burgenstock mountain resort after the memorandum is formally signed.
The TankerTrackers website, which monitors oil shipments and storage, marked Iran's "first crude oil exports in two months," citing digital tracking data corroborated by satellite imagery.
"At least two National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) VLCC supertankers named DIONA (9569695) and HERO2 (9362073) have exited the U.S. Navy blockade perimeter carrying a combined total of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian crude oil between them," TankerTrackers said on X, later adding that a third tanker had exited.
The U.S. will let Iran immediately begin selling oil and fuel under the deal, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing unnamed people familiar with the agreement.
The waiver of sanctions on oil sales will take effect immediately after the signing, the Journal said.
Trump invokes Defense Production Act to boost weapons manufacturing as Iran war intensifies concerns
President Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act to address constraints in the production of munitions, according to a presidential memo released on Tuesday. The war against Iran has highlighted concerns over munitions stockpiles and rates of production.
The memo delegates the Defense Secretary to use the Defense Production Act, which can be used to jumpstart production of key items. The memo says the mechanism is warranted because fragile supply chains and production bottlenecks may "impair the ability" for the U.S. to expand the availability of munitions, missiles and equipment required for the national defense.
Graham says he's "pretty skeptical" about future Iran talks, but "it's worth a try"
This article is republished through the USVI News affiliate desk. Reporting, analysis, and viewpoints are those of the original publisher and do not necessarily reflect USVI News.