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US, Iran reach preliminary deal to end war, signing for Friday

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— US and Iranian officials claimed they had agreed on a framework for ending their war, lifting the US blockade of Iran and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The preliminary accord sent ​oil prices tumbling but left the fate of Iran’s nuclear program up for further negotiations.“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now final,” US President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform about 5:30 p.m. ET local time in Washington (2130 GMT) on Sunday. His post came just after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has acted as a mediator, said a settlement had been reached early Monday local time.

The agreement of understanding will be formally signed in Switzerland on Friday.

Exact terms were not disclosed immediately. Sharif wrote on X that the deal included “the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon.”

Lebanon has been a sticking point in negotiations, with Israel and Hezbollah defying appeals from Trump and others to stop their attacks on one another in recent weeks.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretariat announced in a statement that war and military operations would be halted permanently on all fronts including Lebanon as of Monday night.

A 60-day truce period will be used to discuss a broader deal including removal of sanctions on Iran, said Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi.

The destiny of Iran’s nuclear program is another tough issue that would be discussed in those later discussions, sources previously told Reuters.

Israel, which has stated it was not involved in the US-Iran discussions, did not immediately react to the announcement.

STRAIT TO BE RE-OPENED

The Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route for global oil and gas supplies Iran has essentially locked down for months, would open on Friday, Trump announced, and he had ordered the termination of the US blockade of Iranian ports.Ships of the World, rev up your engines. “Let the oil flow!” Trump wrote.

The announcement weighed on oil prices. Brent oil futures sank 4% in early trading on Monday, with US West Texas Intermediate down more than 4.6%. Asian stock markets surged.

Matt Miller, a former State Department spokesman in the Biden administration, said Trump had made significant concessions to Iran to get the status quo before his war.”We have no guarantees that the nuclear program will ever be addressed, but Iran has shown the world that it can hold the global economy hostage and get something out of the U.S. in return,” Miller said.

Since the US and Israeli forces initially assaulted Iran on February 28, thousands have died, mainly in Iran and Lebanon. Iran has attacked Israel and Gulf states with US bases and essentially blockaded the Strait of Hormuz and pushed up global energy costs. In retaliation, US soldiers have closed Iranian ports.

The Iran war is becoming a political problem at home for Trump and fellow Republicans in Congress, with opinion polls showing Americans increasingly dissatisfied by rising petrol costs ahead of the midterm elections in November. But Trump has also under pressure from members of his own party who say Iran’s nuclear program must be entirely shut down.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a major Iran hawk, applauded the deal but said he would be “watching closely” upcoming negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.”Under our law, any nuclear deal with Iran will be subject to review and a vote by Congress,” he said. “Congratulations to everyone for getting us to this point.

In his first term, Trump withdrew the US from a multilateral Iran deal reached in 2015 by Democratic President Barack Obama, which lifted sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, including international inspections.

Iran retaliated by stepping up its uranium enrichment, producing more than 400 kg (about 900 pounds) of material at near bomb-grade purity. That eventual fate of the uranium is anticipated to be a crucial negotiating point in the next talks.‘A VERY HARD GUY’

The deal was struck even as an Israeli strike on Sunday on Lebanon was condemned by both Iran and Trump.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has clashed with Trump over requests from the US that Israel curtail its military action in Lebanon to help the US to negotiate a deal with Iran.

Israel has indicated it will maintain its freedom of operations in Lebanon while Iran has made a full ceasefire there a key part of its objectives.

During a phone chat Sunday, Trump briefed Netanyahu on progress toward a peace deal, Israel’s N12 said, citing a senior official.

In an interview with the New York Times, Trump labelled Netanyahu “a very difficult guy” and said the Israeli leader should thank him for rescuing Israel from a nuclear-armed Iran.

The declaration was welcomed by leaders beyond the Middle East, who have been watching the situation with some wariness.

The United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy said in a joint statement they were ready to relax sanctions on Iran in return for “clear, verifiable steps” to curb its nuclear program.“We are clear that toll-free freedom of navigation must now be restored in the Strait of Hormuz,” stated British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.

Before the deal was announced, a senior Iranian source told Reuters the draft would require the United States to agree to unfreeze $25 billion in Iranian assets. The Trump administration has previously suggested any release of Iranian money would be contingent on Iran meeting specific requirements in a peace accord.

A US official indicated before of the announcement that the agreement would lead to the eventual elimination of Iran’s nuclear program, with its stockpile of highly enriched uranium destroyed and removed. The senior Iranian source said the proposed accord would allow Iran, which denies wanting a nuclear bomb, to dilute its enriched uranium on its territory.

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PM Shehbaz is urged by 21 former international captains to see to Imran Khan’s medical needs.

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In a new letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, twenty-one former Test and international captains from all around the world have urged him to make sure that former Pakistani captain and former prime minister Imran Khan has a proper medical assessment and treatment.

The former captains said in their letter that the Supreme Court had ordered Imran Khan to be taken to a hospital for a medical checkup by a medical board that would include his sister, Dr. Uzma Khan, and his personal doctors, according to cricket website Cricinfo. Additionally, the court had mandated that weekly family sessions be resumed.

The former captains voiced concerns about Imran Khan’s brief hospital stay and the fact that an officially appointed team examined him rather than the Supreme Court-directed medical board, declaring him medically fit and returning him to Adiala Jail.

The former captains submitted three demands, one of which was to permit the medical board to examine Imran Khan thoroughly and impartially in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directive, namely with regard to the alleged loss of vision in his right eye.

They also demanded that any treatment suggested based on the medical assessment be given right away and that weekly family meetings be held without interruption.

Michael Atherton, Alex Blackwell, Allan Border, Michael Brearley, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Alastair Cook, Adam Gilchrist, David Gower, Kim Hughes, Nasser Hussain, Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Arjuna Ranatunga, Andrew Strauss, Dilip Vengsarkar, Steve Waugh, and John Wright are among those who signed the letter.

The former captains underlined that they did not aim to meddle in Pakistan’s domestic legal affairs and that they were making the request not as politicians but rather as former cricket teammates and opponents of Imran Khan.

In six months, the prime minister has received two letters from former international captains. Concerns regarding Imran Khan’s health and reports of a purported visual impairment in one eye were also voiced by 14 former captains in February of this year.

In a press conference about the former captain’s health, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Atta Tarar stated that a transparent medical examination had been carried out and that the Supreme Court’s order had been duly fulfilled.

Imran Khan’s sister and a physician from Shifa Hospital were present for the checkup, according to Atta Tarar. He said that every condition of the Supreme Court’s directive had been met.

The information minister added that all security and other preparations had been finished, and the examination was carried out in a transparent manner. He claimed that all legal requirements had been met and that the administration had made sure the Supreme Court’s order was implemented in compliance with the Constitution and the law.

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Adiala Jail inmates petition the IHC for Imran Khan’s rights.

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Citing the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding PTI founder Imran Khan’s treatment and family meetings, three inmates in Adiala Jail have petitioned the Islamabad High Court for private medical treatment and authorisation to communicate with their relatives.

Prisoners Ilyas Khan, Muhammad Ismail Khan, and Owais Altaf filed petitions, which were considered by Justice Muhammad Asif. The superintendent of Adiala Jail received a notification from the Islamabad High Court requesting a thorough response. The court postponed its next hearing until August 27.

Muhammad Ismail Khan’s attorney informed the court that his client has haemophilia and is experiencing internal bleeding. He claimed that despite the prisoner’s ten medical visits over the previous two months, his condition had not much improved.

The attorney insisted that only Shifa Hospital in Pakistan now offers comprehensive therapy for the prisoner’s illness. According to a Supreme Court ruling, he said that if a prisoner’s condition cannot be treated at a government hospital, the offender may be transferred to a private hospital, with the family covering the cost of treatment.

In the event that a government hospital was unable to provide the necessary care, the attorney asked the court to order the creation of a medical board for the petitioner and to transfer him to Shifa Hospital.

On behalf of Owais Altaf, attorney Syed Jafar made an appearance via video link. He said that his client had a cardiac issue and a fever. He contended that a prisoner’s right to appropriate medical care is fundamental and asked the court to order Owais Altaf’s transfer to Shifa Hospital in the event that a government hospital was unable to provide acceptable care.

Muhammad Ismail Khan’s attorney informed the court in a different plea that his client had spent the previous nine years behind bars in Adiala Jail. He claimed that the prisoner’s brother had not spoken to him in years and that he now resided in Dubai.

In light of the privileges granted in the Supreme Court judgement involving Imran Khan, the attorney argued that the petitioner should also be permitted family contact and asked the court to instruct jail officials to arrange a WhatsApp conversation between Muhammad Ismail Khan and his brother.

The Supreme Court’s ruling pertaining to Imran Khan’s care at a private hospital and his family gatherings prompted the filing of the petitions. Similar relief has been requested by the inmates for their family communication and medical care.

In each of the three cases, the Islamabad High Court sent letters to the superintendent of Adiala Jail and requested opinions from the jail administration. The hearing was postponed by the court until August 27.

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Two individuals are killed in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes, including a 4-year-old kid, according to medics.

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Major fighting in the devastated area was put on hold by a truce supported by the United States in October 2025, but Israeli military raids, which it claimed were intended to forestall attacks by Hamas and other Gaza militants, continued.

In a statement released late on Saturday, the military claimed to have killed Sharif Al-Hasnat, a prominent Hamas fighter, in the city of Deir Al-Balah. It stated that he was in charge of restoring the “underground infrastructure” of Hamas.

Israel is accused by Hamas of breaking the truce and impeding attempts to carry out U.S. President Donald Trump’s more comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict, which also calls for Israeli withdrawals and Hamas disarming.

According to Gazan health officials, over 1,280 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the truce went into force in October of last year, while the Israeli military claims four Israeli soldiers have died.

Drones, balloons, and kites have reportedly been launched into Israel from the Gaza Strip, according to Israel. According to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, it warned Hamas after conducting a situation assessment on Sunday that it would step up its operations in Gaza and force people to leave regions if the missiles didn’t stop right away.

Basem Naim, a senior Hamas leader, wrote on X that children launch the kites “in search of their innocent childhood amid the rubble,” rejecting Israel’s warning.

Violence at West Bank

According to police and the Israeli military, an Israeli male was stabbed and injured in the Israeli-occupied West Bank by a suspect who is thought to be a Palestinian guy.

The military released security camera footage that showed a man waiting by a car next to a major highway close to Jericho before stabbing the Israeli man as he got close to his parked automobile.

Israeli soldiers were looking for the culprit, who escaped on foot, according to the IDF.

Islam Ajjouri, a 14-year-old kid, was shot and killed by Israeli forces during a raid on the Askar refugee camp near Nablus, according to health officials in the West Bank.
The Israeli military declared that it was investigating the event.

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