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Iran live updates: Vance says US is pushing for MOU text to be released

PHOTO: Vice President JD Vance appears on The View, June 16, 2026.
Live
SPECIAL REPORT: President Trump speaks at G7 summit
By David Brennan, Nadine El-Bawab, Kevin Shalvey
Last Updated: June 17, 2026, 3:26 PM

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan in April failed to reach a peace deal. Trump later announced the open-ended extension of the ceasefire and the continuation of a U.S. blockade until negotiations concluded.

On Sunday, Trump announced that the U.S. and Iran had reached a "great deal," which he said would be signed on Friday.

Key Headlines

  • Vance says US is pushing for MOU text to be released
  • Trump says he wants Israel to 'use good judgment' in Lebanon
  • Trump says 'we defeated Iran,' is confident US will reach a deal
  • Trump describes MOU as 'not final,' threatens to restart bombing
Here's how the news is developing.

Jun 17, 2026 3:26 PM

Vance says US is pushing for MOU text to be released

Following his comments on Tuesday that the administration was delaying the release of the memorandum of understanding text at the request of the Qataris and the Pakistanis, Vice President JD Vance told CBS News that the administration is now urging its release on Wednesday.

"Yeah, so there are some, frankly, diplomatic protocols that I don't fully understand. The Qataris and the Pakistanis, who have been helpful in mediating this agreement with the Iranians, they've asked us not to release the full text for a little while, that it'll come out at the latest on Friday," Vance said.

"We're actually trying to push them to get it out today, because we want to tell the American people what's in this deal. It's fundamentally a good deal for the American people, but it's, it's also very simple, and I've also seen some, some misrepresentations about it," Vance said.


Jun 17, 2026 2:42 PM

Trump says he wants Israel to 'use good judgment' in Lebanon

Asked about whether he wants Israel to stop bombing Lebanon, President Donald Trump told reporters, "I want Israel to be able to protect itself, but I do want them to use good judgment."

On Tuesday, Trump said he was “not happy” with Israel’s recent attack on an apartment building in Beirut.

"Israel is fighting Hezbollah too long, and too many people are being killed, and you don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they're not all Hezbollah,” he said.

“I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah,” Trump added.

Trump added that he still enjoys “a great relationship” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Without me, there would be no Israel, because no other president was willing to do what I did. I've had a great relationship with Bibi, but now Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,” Trump said, of Netanyahu.


Jun 17, 2026 2:40 PM

Trump says 'we defeated Iran,' is confident US will reach a deal

President Donald Trump said the U.S. "defeated" Iran in the first week of the war, saying the U.S. naval blockade on Iran was "100% effective" and Iran now wants to come to an agreement to end the war.

"They want to sign, they want to get back to a normal life. You know, we hit them very hard," Trump told reporters while speaking at the G7 Wednesday.

"This is a memorandum of understanding, but it's a very strong one. This isn't just like a two-paragraph. This is a longer, pretty detailed memorandum that goes into a regular contract," Trump said.



Jun 17, 2026 12:08 PM

Trump describes MOU as 'not final,' threatens to restart bombing

President Donald Trump said the text of the memorandum of understanding with Iran announced earlier this week was not final, and that if he didn't like it, the U.S. would "go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head."

"No, it’s not final. It’s a memorandum of understanding, and if I don't like it, we'll go back to shooting at them, dropping bombs on their head,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday, during a bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the sidelines of the G7 in France.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with Egypt's President on the sidelines of the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 17, 2026.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with Egypt's President on the sidelines of the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France, on June 17, 2026.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

He added, "If I don't like it, if they don't behave, we'll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head, OK? Because they misbehaved for 47 years."

-ABC News' Fritz Farrow


Jun 16, 2026 4:51 PM

Israel requested to see MOU but US denied

Israel asked the U.S. to see the memorandum of understanding, but the request was denied, according to an Israeli source and a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

The officials confirmed that the Israeli government has been thoroughly briefed on the MOU's contents.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Shannon K. Kingston


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