Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian:
If we did not have our missiles, which are for our self-defense, Israel and America would have plowed through Iran the way Gaza was plowed through, and they would have shown no mercy to the old or the young.
They speak of human rights. It is a great lie.
If we could not defend ourselves, they certainly would not have shown mercy to our country and would have destroyed our power.
Therefore, we will never, under any circumstances, negotiate with anyone over our defensive capabilities.
A victory today would be the biggest in the history of Iranian football. The match is against Belgium, one of the best teams in the world, and a win would guarantee a place in the knockout stages.
It is extremely important that the fans become our twelfth player so that we can make history.
I am honoured to announce that the historic ‘Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding’ has been electronically signed today between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Memorandum has been signed by honourable Presidents of both the countries and also endorsed by me as the mediator. The signing of this agreement at the highest level of the respective governments demonstrates the commitment of both sides to a diplomatic resolution of the conflict. Islamabad MoU shall enter into force with immediate effect and as a first step, Islamic Republic of Iran will instantly reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States of America will immediately lift the naval blockade.
I offer my heartfelt congratulations and sincere appreciation to the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump whose steadfast commitment to diplomacy and preference for peaceful resolution have once again helped end a conflict that could have led to devastating consequences for the region and beyond. I also commend the dedication and tireless efforts of the United States negotiating team, including J.D. Vance, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, for their invaluable contributions to this achievement.
I express my profound respect and appreciation to His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran and President Masoud Pezeshkian for their wisdom, foresight and statesmanship in embracing the cause of peace. I also wish to recognize the efforts of the Iranian negotiating team, including Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Abbas Araghchi and Eskandar Momeni, whose patience, perseverance and commitment to constructive engagement were instrumental in bringing this agreement to fruition.
I would especially like to acknowledge the sincere efforts and constructive engagement of the leadership of the State of Qatar in helping reach this point. I also highly commend the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Türkiye and the Arab Republic of Egypt for their indispensable role and invaluable contributions in this regard.
I would also like to make special mention of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, whose tireless efforts, selfless dedication and instrumental role were critical in facilitating this breakthrough and advancing the cause of peace and regional stability.
May this Memorandum of Understanding serve as an enduring foundation for greater understanding, mutual respect and shared prosperity for the complete region.
@realDonaldTrump@JDVance@SecRubio@SteveWitkoff@SEPeaceMissions@drpezeshkian@mb_ghalibaf@araghchi
🚨🇮🇷 BREAKING — World Cup “Disaster”
Mohammad Mohebi and Mehri Taremi Say:
“Not to Make Excuses but This Is Not a Fair Competition.”
Iranian Players argued they should arrive 2 days before matches instead of traveling, training, and playing while exhausted by 5 hours in Immigration Controls and Transit.
NEW: The reported 14-point draft Iran–US memorandum proposes:
Immediate and permanent ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon.
US commitment not to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs.
End of the naval blockade and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days.
US military withdrawal from areas surrounding Iran.
Suspension of oil-related sanctions and restoration of Iran’s access to its revenues.
$300 billion in reconstruction plans/funding from the US and allies.
60 days of negotiations toward a final agreement focused on Iran’s nuclear program and broad sanctions relief.
Iran reaffirms it will not develop nuclear weapons under the NPT.
No new US troops or sanctions during negotiations.
Release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets during the negotiation period.
Creation of a monitoring mechanism and UN Security Council endorsement of the final deal.
Missile programs and Iran’s support for regional allied groups would be excluded from the talks.
Source: Mehr
🇮🇷 NEW: Iranian media have published the full text of a statement from the Secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Iran’s highest security body, announcing the finalization of a memorandum of understanding with the United States to end the war.
🔸The statement from the body says the text of the agreement, described as the product of months of “difficult and intensive negotiations” was finalized on the evening of June 14.
🔸It says “the war and military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon,” will end immediately and permanently beginning tonight, and that “the naval blockade against Iran will be lifted immediately and in full.”
🔸According to the statement, the memorandum will be formally signed on Friday, June 19, while negotiations on a final agreement will only begin after “the other side” has fulfilled its commitments under the MOU.
🔸The statement also thanks Pakistan and Qatar for their mediation efforts and describes the agreement as having been reached under a resolution of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
🇮🇷🇺🇸 Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi on the deal:
“Once the memorandum is signed, our assets will be released, and none of our assets can be frozen again.
That is entirely clear. Considerable resources will be injected into Iran’s economy for reconstruction.”
In short: Iran is getting its frozen money back permanently plus a fat reconstruction payout.
Source: INRA via WarFront Witness / Writer: Oliver
The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer. Pending its finalization, the media should refrain from entering speculation about its content.
In line with our responsible and transparent approach, all details will be shared with the public in due course.
"The game can bring people together."
🇮🇷 Iran's Alireza Jahanbakhsh tells ESPN how his national team feel about playing in the United States, amid ongoing conflict between the two nations. #WorldCup
Water is the pulse of life — and the U.S. is deliberately targetting the lifeblood of the Iranian people.
As part of its aggression against Iran, the U.S. military has deliberately struck vital civilian water infrastructure in Sirik, Hormozgan, destroying two reservoirs with a combined capacity of 2,500 cubic meters.
These facilities supplied drinking water to more than 20,000 residents across ten villages.
This is not collateral damage — it is a calculated war crime and a flagrant violation of human rights and international humanitarian law.
The U.S. must be held accountable for committing such systematic brutal attacks on civilian life-sustaining infrastructure.
Four important legal points on @PeteHegseth's remarks:
1) The rationale offered for striking Iran - "to set the terms for a deal" - is a direct violation of the UN Charter. It is an attempt to extract concessions through bombardment, which is the textbook definition of coercive, and therefore unlawful, force. Article 2(4) forbids not merely the use of force but the very threat of it against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, and force wielded as bargaining leverage serves none of the narrow purposes the Charter permits.
2) U.S. officials should not be permitted to recast the operation after the fact - whether in subsequent Article 51 letters to the Security Council or in War Powers reports to Congress - as an act of "self-defense." The legal character of a resort to force is judged in significant part by the purpose its authors avow at the time, and the purpose avowed here is coercion, not the repelling of an armed attack. A self-defense rationale assembled later cannot retroactively cure an act that was openly announced as an instrument for forcing a deal.
3) Military strikes carried out for the purpose stated by the Secretary of War @PeteHegseth violate U.S. domestic law.
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution vests in Congress alone the power to declare war. The President's authority as Commander-in-Chief extends to repelling sudden attacks on the United States, not to launching offensive strikes designed to wring diplomatic concessions from another state. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 permits the introduction of U.S. forces into hostilities only pursuant to a declaration of war, specific statutory authorization, or a national emergency created by an attack on the United States. Congress has provided none of these with respect to Iran: although the administration initiated military action against Iran on February 28, 2026, and reported to Congress under the War Powers Resolution, Congress has neither declared war nor enacted any specific statutory authorization for that campaign. The administration's position that it does not require congressional authorization, asserting that the War Powers Act is "unconstitutional," does not survive the constitutional text. A fresh round of strikes openly justified as leverage for a "deal" would fall outside both the constitutional and the statutory bases for executive war-making, restart the Resolution's 60-day clock without authorization, and constitute precisely the unauthorized use of force that a bipartisan majority of the House voted to end on June 3, 2026
4) Article 52 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties provides that any agreement procured by the threat or use of force in violation of the Charter is void. A "deal" whose terms are dictated by bombing would therefore be legally null from the moment of its conclusion. The strategy is, in this sense, self-defeating as a matter of law, as the very means chosen to secure the agreement would strip that agreement of any binding force.
@mtgreenee@FmrRepMTG@TuckerCarlson@mehdirhasan@AnaKasparian@cenkuygur@aaronjmate
This is deeply troubling. The discrimination and unfairness that #TeamMelli continues to face is unacceptable, and this entire process has been a mess. FIFA is failing in its duty. These players overcome incredible obstacles and hardships just to compete — that should never be