Iran-US war live: Trump’s proposed deal would reopen Hormuz and end war in Lebanon, says Tehran – UK Times

Donald Trump has said that Iranian claims regarding a peace deal bear “no relation to the truth”, as peace talks descend once again into chaos.

It is the latest in a long cycle of claims and denials by both Trump and Tehran regarding the status of the peace talks, and the potential terms included in a draft agreement being negotiated.

“The terms that Iran leaked out to the Fake News have NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing,” in a post on Truth Social.

“What they said, including their weak and pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth. Very dishonorable people to deal with.”

He added: “With them, there is no such thing as dealing in good faith. AMAZING! Also, their totally rebuffed Drone attack last night against Indian Ships leaving the Hormuz Strait is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. They better get their act together, and FAST!”

Hezbollah is confident that Iran will insist on Lebanon being included in a deal with the United States, a leading Hezbollah politician said on Friday, as hopes grew for an agreement between Tehran and Washington.

Hezbollah, founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982, entered the regional conflict in support of Tehran on March 2, opening fire at Israel and prompting an Israeli offensive that has killed thousands of people in Lebanon.

Iranian officials have repeatedly insisted on an end to fighting in Lebanon as part of any wider agreement.

“If the agreement happens, we have complete confidence in the Islamic Republic … we have confidence that it will insist on any agreement including the file of Lebanon,” Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah politician, said in an excerpt of a speech broadcast by the group’s al-Manar TV.

Britain’s economy has contracted for the first time in eight months amid signs that the Iran war is beginning to take its toll on some sectors.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said gross domestic product (GDP) declined by 0.1 per cent in April in a sharp pullback from growth of 0.3 per cent in March and 0.4 per cent in February.

The decline was driven by a 0.2 per cent fall in services, which was partially offset by a 0.1 per cent rise in construction and 0.4 per cent growth in manufacturing.

In the three months to April, GDP grew by 0.7 per cent, according to the ONS.

Liz McKeown, ONS director of economic statistics, said: “The economy grew in the latest three months as a whole, reflecting strong growth in February and March.

“This was despite April showing a small fall.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves acknowledged the war in the Middle East was hitting the economy.

She said: “Before the conflict in the Middle East, growth was higher than expected and inflation was falling. This is not a war we wanted or joined, but one that will have an impact at home.

About half of evangelical Christians – a core component of President Donald Trump’s political base – believe his administration’s approach to the Iran war and immigration enforcement is not in line with their understanding of Christianity, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

Evangelicals helped power the Republican’s 2024 election victory, and Trump and his top officials including defense secretary Pete Hegseth have regularly used religious language in describing their goals and policies. Republicans will be counting on them in the November midterm elections, when they will be defending thin majorities in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Some 54% of evangelicals in the June 3-8 poll said Trump’s use of the military in Iran was not in line with their understanding of Christianity, while 41% said it was in line with it. Some 51% of evangelicals said the administration’s approach to immigration policy was not in line with Christian values, with 44% saying it was.

Overall, Trump’s approval rating among evangelicals stood at 52% in the latest poll, down from 61% in August but well above his 35% approval rating among all U.S. adults.

His approval rating has broadly fallen in recent months as the unpopular Iran war pushed gasoline prices sharply higher.

India summoned the US deputy chief of mission in Delhi on Friday to protest against US military strikes on commercial vessels off the coast of Oman, an Indian source said.

It was the second time in three days New Delhi has expressed its displeasure.

Three Indian seafarers were killed in a US strike on the Settebello tanker off Oman on Wednesday while 20 crew members were rescued after a strike on another vessel, Jalveer, on Thursday.

A memorandum between the US and Iran to halt the war in the Gulf could be signed as soon as Sunday, a Western source told Reuters news agency on Friday.

Geneva has emerged as the likeliest venue for the signing of a peace deal.

The source said language in the memorandum was still being finalised and Iran was sticking to its position that the deal must also end fighting in Lebanon, where Israel has been battling against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.

The aim was to finalise the wording by Saturday so the agreement could be signed by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf. No venue had been established but Geneva was emerging as the likeliest.

A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Friday that the draft would waive sanctions on Iran’s oil, unfreeze billions of dollars of its funds, and require a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon.

Nuclear issues would be set aside for later talks. Washington wants a deal to ensure that Iran never develops a nuclear weapon; Iran says it is not seeking one.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement after the Israeli leader and Donald Trump spoke that Israel was not a party to the memorandum of ‌understanding with Iran.

Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for ​Trump’s commitment to securing a deal that includes removing enriched nuclear material, dismantling enrichment ‌infrastructure, limiting missile output and ending support for regional proxies, ​the summary showed.

Tehran has been demanding an end to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, where fighting has continued in a parallel war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.