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Middle East crisis live: agreement signed by US-Iran presidents; Tehran claims it will charge ships to transit strait of Hormuz | US-Israel war on Iran
Iran says it will charge ships to transit strait of Hormuz after 60 days
More on the strait of Hormuz: Iran is saying it will “not return to prewar conditions” and that Tehran will charge ships to transit the waterway after a 60-day toll-free period stipulated in the memorandum of understanding.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei reportedly said the issue of the strait would be the responsibility of Iran and Oman.
Chief Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on state television that the “strait of Hormuz will not return to prewar conditions”, adding:
Iran has the right to sovereignty over the strait of Hormuz and of course we will receive a fee for services.
Donald Trump has previously said he would not accept tolls being imposed for crossing the vital energy route, through which about a fifth of global oil and LNG supplies usually travel. But in defending the US deal with Tehran, he said that if it was not struck the strait would “never have been opened” and a “worldwide depression” would result.
Key events
Robert Mackey
When he announced that the US and Israel had launched a war against Iran on 28 February, Donald Trump said one of the reasons the attack was necessary was that Iran had been “developing long-range missiles that can now threaten our very good friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas and could soon reach the American homeland”.
“We’re going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground,” the president insisted. “It will be totally, again, obliterated.”
On Wednesday – 109 days later – Trump said it would be “unfair” for Iran to not have “some” ballistic missiles, telling reporters in Paris:
I’m saying that if other countries have them, it’s a little bit unfair for them not to have some. A ballistic missile is not the same things as what we’re talking about, when we talk nuclear. But if Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and they all have some, I would say, in relative proportion, I think it’s OK.
The US-Iran agreement calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and would waive sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, according to language released by both countries.
The deal’s text hasn’t yet been formally released but a draft read by US officials includes language that Iran agrees not to develop or procure nuclear weapons and requires that Iran’s highly enriched uranium be downgraded on site as a minimum, the Associated Press is reporting.
In return, the US will move to waive – but not eliminate – some wide-ranging sanctions against Iran.
Much of the agreement would restore the status quo before the war, including ending hostilities, reopening the strait of Hormuz and restarting US-Iran talks over Tehran’s nuclear program – and the deal appears to offer Iran several benefits up front while extracting little in return.
The US agreement to immediately allow Iran to sell its oil freely and the offer to eventually lift all sanctions represent major concessions that go beyond the terms of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, the report says. Donald Trump withdrew the US from that Obama-era pact in his first term, declaring it the “worst deal ever”.
Iran is saying talks with the US set for Friday in Switzerland are now not confirmed.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said early on Thursday, cited by Reuters:
The Friday meeting was confirmed until a few hours ago, but when it was decided that the presidents of the two sides [Iran and the US] would sign the agreement, it was decided to pause consideration of the Friday meeting for now.
Earlier it was expected that the US-Iran memorandum of understanding would be officially signed at a ceremony in Geneva on Friday. But reports quoting both sides say presidents Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian have now signed the MoU.
Analysis: Trump’s Iran deal is a result of unrealistic ambitions for an untenable war
Andrew Roth
As the adage goes: no plan of battle survives first contact with the enemy.
Donald Trump entered the war with Iran with maximalist goals: eliminating the country’s nuclear programme, destroying its ballistic missile programme and ending its support for regional military groups including Hezbollah and Hamas.
He exits it with Iran’s word not to build a bomb and to hold further nuclear discussions, no mention in writing of the ballistic missile programme and with Hezbollah celebrating a “victory” as the memorandum of understanding (MOU) instituted a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel has seized a swath of the country as a “buffer zone”.
Iran’s key asset ended up being the strait of Hormuz, the waterway that almost every previous simulation of the war predicated would be quickly cut off by Iran. To reopen the strait, the administration was forced to fold on its broader goals or face what Trump called a “worldwide depression”.
It has been clear for days that the Trump administration was skittish about putting out the text of its MOU. It was only finally read out by a senior administration official on a briefing call on Wednesday, and the White House still has not published a copy online.
The reasoning is clear: many in Trump’s own party will hate this deal. The outgoing US senator Bill Cassidy, of Maryland, called it the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades”.
The full analysis is here:
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson is also being quoted as saying that Iran must be able to sell its oil – with no problems around transport and insurance – and must receive the revenues from its oil sales.
Iran says it will charge ships to transit strait of Hormuz after 60 days
More on the strait of Hormuz: Iran is saying it will “not return to prewar conditions” and that Tehran will charge ships to transit the waterway after a 60-day toll-free period stipulated in the memorandum of understanding.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei reportedly said the issue of the strait would be the responsibility of Iran and Oman.
Chief Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on state television that the “strait of Hormuz will not return to prewar conditions”, adding:
Iran has the right to sovereignty over the strait of Hormuz and of course we will receive a fee for services.
Donald Trump has previously said he would not accept tolls being imposed for crossing the vital energy route, through which about a fifth of global oil and LNG supplies usually travel. But in defending the US deal with Tehran, he said that if it was not struck the strait would “never have been opened” and a “worldwide depression” would result.
A summary of today’s developments
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Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war with Iran, a White House official told Reuters. The text of the agreement has been officially signed by the presidents of both sides, Iran state media reported, citing foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei.
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The deal for an immediate and permanent halt to military operations on all fronts, includes Lebanon. The deal commits both sides and their allies to cease hostilities and refrain from the threat or use of force against each other – though Israel retains the right to strike back if Hezbollah attacks.
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Israel has not been shown the final text of the MOU, according to its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, though senior US officials said he had been briefed consistently on its substance.
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Iran will not receive broad sanctions relief simply by signing. Senior officials were emphatic on a press call that sanctions removal is directly tied to nuclear performance. Iran has committed to destroying its enriched uranium stockpile at minimum through down-blending under IAEA supervision – a concession officials called “a major, major win”.
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The strait of Hormuz is set to reopen for toll-free commercial passage within 30 days. Iran had already stopped firing on vessels in the strait the day before the signing call – the first such pause in 100 days of conflict. One immediate upside for Tehran does kick in upon signing: a US treasury waiver on Iranian crude oil exports. Iran said it will charge ships crossing strait of Hormuz after 60 days, AFP reported.
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Both sides have 60 days to reach a final deal to be endorsed by a binding UN security council resolution. Senior US officials said the administration would know within “days or weeks, not months” if Iran was stalling – and was prepared to tighten economic pressure significantly if talks broke down.
Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war with Iran, a White House official told Reuters.
The text of the agreement has been officially signed by the presidents of both sides, Iran state media reported, citing foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei.
The US and Iran have signed the MOU for ending war electronically on Wednesday and it is now in effect, according to website Axios.
Iran said it will charge ships crossing the strait of Hormuz after 60 days, AFP reported.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, , Iran’s top negotiator, said in an interview aired on state television: “Iran has the right to sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and of course we will receive a fee for services.”
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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