Iran, U.S. agree on ceasefire on all fronts

TEHRAN | Xinhua |  The U.S. naval blockade against Iran will be lifted as of tonight and the immediate and permanent end of the war and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, is announced, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said early Monday.

Gharibabadi said Iran and the United States will sign the finalized draft of a peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Switzerland on June 19, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Tasnim also cited a source as saying that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen following the signing ceremony in Switzerland.

Meanwhile, The Israeli military struck a Hezbollah headquarters on Sunday in the Dahieh district, south of Beirut, triggering warnings of retaliation from Iran and casting new uncertainty over an emerging U.S.-Iran deal.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that Hezbollah militants used the headquarters to promote “terrorist” attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that the attack followed Hezbollah firing into Israeli territory, adding that “Israel will not tolerate firing into its territory.”

Lebanon’s National News Agency said the Israeli attack killed at least three people and injured 15 others.

The attack came after Israel carried out strikes in southern Lebanon earlier this month, prompting Iran to launch missile attacks against Israel and triggering the most serious escalation between the two sides since the ceasefire reached in April.

On Monday, Iran warned that any further Israeli “aggression and malicious acts,” including in southern Lebanon, would trigger a much more “severe and crushing” response from Tehran.■