US Vice President JD Vance said ships will pass through the Strait of Hormuz without tolls under a peace deal signed with Iran, while insisting Tehran must meet its commitments before receiving economic benefits. Officials said the agreement could unlock reconstruction funding, but key details remain to be negotiated. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
Iran held by New Zealand in World Cup opener overshadowed by politics
Iran twice battled back for a 2–2 draw with New Zealand on Monday in their frenetic opening match of a World Cup campaign that has been utterly overshadowed by war, politics and protests.
The Iranian team’s very presence at the Los Angeles Stadium had long felt uncertain, after months of military conflict between their nation and the United States.
At last able to focus on the football, the Iran players twice found themselves trailing to the tournament’s lowest-ranked team, thanks to goals from New Zealand striker Elijah Just.
But with a vocally pro-Iran crowd drowning out planned protests by anti-government demonstrators, equalisers from Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi spared Team Melli any further blushes.
Vance says Strait of Hormuz will reopen without tolls
US Vice President JD Vance told CNBC there was an understanding with Iran that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen “in a toll-free way for the long term, and that’s the sort of thing that we’re going to figure out in these technical negotiations.”
Trump himself said the critical strait would be “completely open” from Friday but added there was still “hunting” going on to ensure it was demined.
Welcome to the France 24 liveblog covering events in the Middle East. Catch up on yesterday’s events here.
• US President Donald Trump said a memorandum of understanding with Iran has already been signed and that the text of the deal would be released sometime after a formal signing ceremony on Friday.
