President Donald Trump has signed an agreement with Iran that calls for Tehran to dilute its and waives U.S.-backed , immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, .
The White House had planned a signing ceremony on Friday in Switzerland, but its fate is now uncertain, with conflicting information from the U.S., Iran and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Thursday, announcing a six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe whose outcome will depend on how fast the Europeans for their own security.
Here’s the latest:
White House sends Iran agreement to Capitol Hill
Lawmakers on national security committees received the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States on Thursday morning after asking for it for several days.
The Trump administration still hasn鈥檛 briefed lawmakers though, even members of leadership 鈥� a highly unusual delay.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday morning that he anticipates a briefing 鈥渆arly next week.鈥�
Iran gets promises for the future
The draft agreement calls for Iran鈥檚 highly enriched uranium to be 鈥渄ownblended鈥� 鈥� or diluted 鈥� under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The two sides will work out the details during their negotiations as well as generally discuss Iran鈥檚 enrichment program, which it says it has a right to continue.
Iran developed the material in response to Trump鈥檚 with world powers that prevented it from enriching uranium to high levels. He criticized the deal for giving Iran a huge windfall. But the interim deal outlines even more lucrative incentives if Iran reaches a new nuclear agreement.
One is the eventual lifting of all international sanctions, which would seem to go further than the 2015 accord. That agreement lifted sanctions related to Iran鈥檚 nuclear program but kept others in place over what the U.S. alleged were Tehran鈥檚 support for terrorism and rights abuses.
The interim pact also promises a $300 billion fund for postwar reconstruction. It鈥檚 not clear where that money will come from 鈥� but Trump said the U.S. would not contribute.
Under the interim deal with the US, Iran will be able to sell oil freely
The deal immediately waives, but doesn鈥檛 eliminate, on Iran鈥檚 oil exports, allowing it once again to sell its crude on the world market and restoring a revenue stream worth billions.
Last year, Iran earned an estimated $45 billion from oil sales. But it had only one major buyer, China, and had to ship its crude through a shadow fleet of tankers to elude sanctions, eating into its profits. Under the blockade since April, its exports have nearly ground to a halt.
With the waiver, Iran will likely be able to find more customers and sell its oil for higher prices.
Hegseth says US military 鈥榬eady to go鈥� if Iran falters on deal
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the military will help 鈥渆nsure Iran does the right thing at the table with this deal,鈥� he said before boarding a plane.
鈥淭here鈥檚 not a lot of trust,鈥� he said of the two sides, and Washington would be verifying that Tehran upholds its end of the peace.
鈥淚ran鈥檚 going to have every opportunity to cut the kind of deal they should at the table, and if they don鈥檛, the War Department will be right here ready to go,鈥� he said after a meeting the NATO headquarters in Brussels where for not supporting the U.S. military to wage war on Iran.
鈥淲hether it鈥檚 our military posture or it鈥檚 the carrots that exist to ensure Iran never has a nuclear weapon 鈥� all performance based,鈥� Hegseth said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be the big stick behind the negotiations that never existed under President Obama.鈥�
Ships are using side routes in the strait
Phillip Belcher, marine director of Intertanko, a trade group for global independent tanker owners, said the main central route of the Strait of Hormuz is still closed and has an estimated 80 mines that need to be cleared.
But ships have been passing through the smaller Northern route, which goes through Iranian waters, and the Southern route, which goes through Omani waters.
鈥淭his is like a highway where the road in the middle is closed and you鈥檙e using that hard shoulder,鈥� Belcher said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 now being used as the main route. We need to get back to having the highway open.鈥�
Ships are moving in the Strait of Hormuz
Major shipowners have begun moving vessels through the Strait of Hormuz since the memorandum of understanding was signed Wednesday, according to maritime data company Lloyd鈥檚 List Intelligence.
In a media briefing, Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of Lloyd鈥檚 List, said for the first time in 110 days, ships owned by major companies are transiting the strait after effectively being marooned there since February.
They did not give data on how many ships have passed through the strait as of Thursday. Tankers controlled by major ship owners Grimaldi Group, Cosco, Knutsen and NYK have passed through the strait. And two Iran-flagged, National Iranian Tanker Company-owned, sanctioned crude oil tankers have entered the strait, according to Lloyd鈥檚 List.
Pakistan postpones planned visit to Switzerland for signing ceremony
Pakistan has postponed a planned visit to Switzerland鈥檚 resort near Lucerne, where Islamabad was to host a ceremony for the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, two senior officials said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and top officials were expected to travel to Switzerland for the ceremony.
The officials said the visit was postponed because the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding had already been signed electronically, entered into force, and moved into the implementation phase.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
They said the next phase would proceed through separate technical-level tracks covering multiple issues under the comprehensive framework. Pakistan remains fully engaged in supporting the agreement鈥檚 implementation and ensuring sustained diplomatic follow-through, the officials added.
鈥� Munir Ahmed
Vance, skeptical of foreign wars, becomes the face of Trump鈥檚 tentative deal to end war with Iran
JD Vance was supposed to be spending the week the kind of event a potential presidential candidate like the vice president typically uses to speak to a wide audience about his life and values ahead of a campaign.
Instead, the rollout of Vance鈥檚 second book, has been largely crowded out by something else he鈥檚 put his name on: .
The Republican vice president has embraced the role of chief defender of the agreement he and President Trump signed with Tehran, giving a series of interviews touting the memorandum of understanding as a success and .
It鈥檚 a striking emergence for a politician who was known for his skepticism of foreign military interventions and when Trump launched it in late February.
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Families of kids with disabilities warn Education Department changes could break a flawed system
For months, and sometimes longer, parents of kids with disabilities say they鈥檝e waited for the Education Department to make progress on their complaints of bullying or other discrimination.
Now that the department is offloading , some parents and advocates warn a process that鈥檚 largely been stalled since Trump took office will see only more chaos and roadblocks.
鈥淚t鈥檚 to the point I don鈥檛 even check in anymore with the attorney,鈥� said Nicole May, an Ohio mother. May filed a complaint in spring 2024 with the department鈥檚 Office for Civil Rights, alleging her teenage daughter was bullied over her hearing aids and was getting in trouble in class because she couldn鈥檛 hear her teachers. More than two years later, the case lacks a resolution.
Under the changes announced Tuesday, the Department of Justice will take over civil rights enforcement in schools, and the Department of Health and Human Services will oversee special education. The moves help fulfill Trump鈥檚 campaign promise to the Education Department. Linda McMahon, the education secretary, pitched the changes as a way to get to families of kids with disabilities.
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US gas prices now average less than $4, but still 25% higher than last year
Prices fell below $4 a gallon on average Thursday, but just barely.
It鈥檚 the first time since March that the average cost for a regular gallon has been that low. Prices fell overnight after President signed an agreement with Iran that calls for Tehran to dilute its and waives U.S.-backed .
Gas prices are at $3.999 on average in the U.S., according to motor club AAA.
But fluctuations in gas prices remain across the country. In California, gas prices are averaging $5.64 per gallon, while in South Carolina it鈥檚 $3.58 per gallon.
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Trump pushes back against Iran deal detractors
Trump, soon after returning to Washington early Thursday morning from the G7, took to social media to push back against critics of the Iran deal.
鈥淭hese fools, who think I haven鈥檛 been tough enough on Iran, when the Stock Market Just Hit A RECORD HIGH, and Oil prices are 鈥榯umbling鈥� down, are either jealous, bad people, or stupid,鈥� Trump posted on Truth Social.
Macron deploys Versailles鈥� gold, mirrors and history in a high-stakes courtship of Trump
explained the appeal in one sentence: 鈥淰ersailles is not gold leaf 鈥� Versailles is the real deal.鈥�
For , that was precisely the point.
On Wednesday night, the French president threw open Louis XIV鈥檚 palace to his U.S. counterpart for a private reception, show and dinner marking . At for the trans-Atlantic alliance, it could help Macron keep a personal channel open as the two navigate differences over Iran, Ukraine and tariffs.
It already kept Trump from leaving a early, as he did last year in Canada.
鈥淚鈥檓 a fan of beautiful places,鈥� he told reporters, saying he had planned to leave earlier until 鈥渁 very nice man鈥� invited him to dinner.
After posing in front of Versailles鈥� golden doors, Trump enjoyed a private tour of the chateau鈥檚 glittering interior. And in a surprise move over a dinner of lobster, caviar and vanilla ice cream, he signed a memorandum on at a venue steeped in
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Trump administration to buy back another energy company鈥檚 offshore wind leases for 4 more projects
The Trump administration said Wednesday it鈥檚 buying back another energy company鈥檚 U.S. offshore wind leases for four more wind projects, as it seeks to in favor of fossil fuels.
The latest deal brings the total amount spent on these agreements to nearly $2.6 billion.
Chicago-based Invenergy has agreed to end its four offshore wind leases that were very early in development in exchange for reimbursements of lease fees totaling $765 million. The company had already canceled the largest of the four in November, Leading Light Wind off New Jersey鈥檚 coast. The others are off the coasts of Maine and California. It will invest that money in natural gas and geothermal ventures that can be built more quickly instead.
By buying back leases, the Republican administration is stopping offshore wind farms that Trump does not support and redirecting the money to fossil fuel projects that he does. It adopted this strategy after to stop offshore wind development through executive action. Trump has frequently talked about his and calls turbines ugly.
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Pentagon chief lashes out at NATO allies and announces a review of US forces in Europe
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at NATO allies on Thursday, announcing a six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe whose outcome will depend on how fast the Europeans for their own security.
鈥淭his will be a real review. It will be designed to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe,鈥� he told his NATO counterparts in Brussels.
Hegseth lambasted European allies for failing to provide U.S. forces access to to launch attacks on Iran, calling it 鈥渟hameful.鈥�
鈥淭hese allies, they put America鈥檚 sons and daughters, our sons and daughters, at risk by denying them the predictable access, basing and overflight that never should have been in question at all,鈥� he said.
Taking the microphone at the top of the meeting, Hegseth also railed against migration and gender equality policies in Europe, in remarks reminiscent to those of in February last year that angered many Europeans.
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Read the transcript of the deal
Senior U.S. officials on Wednesday read the memorandum of understanding with Iran to journalists after days of secrecy over what is in the document.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to read the deal before a formal signing ceremony set for Friday. Iranian state TV later released text that largely tracked what the U.S. put out.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has been mediating between the sides, later said the leaders of the U.S. and Iran had signed the deal and it 鈥渟hall enter into force with immediate effect.鈥�
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US and Iran sign initial deal to end war, ease sanctions and open strait as nuclear talks continue
President Donald Trump signed an agreement with Iran on Wednesday that calls for Tehran to dilute its and waives U.S.-backed , immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, according to details released by both countries.
The initial deal to end the war takes 鈥渋mmediate effect鈥� after leaders from both countries signed it, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate the agreement, said online.
The agreement calls for a permanent end to hostilities and starts a 60-day negotiating clock to reach a final deal on the future of Iran鈥檚 nuclear program, though Trump left the door open to resume attacks. It appears to offer Iran several benefits up front while extracting little in return.
The deal has been shrouded in secrecy and confusion for days. The White House had planned a signing ceremony on Friday in Switzerland, but its fate is now uncertain, with conflicting information from the U.S., Iran and Pakistan.
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