TRUMP ANXIOUS TO PUT IRAN ‘IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR’: It says a lot that President Donald Trump doesn’t want to release the text of his deal with Iran until after it’s formally signed and the 60-day negotiation window opens Friday.
Various drafts were circulating on the internet yesterday, all purporting to be the final version that was digitally signed earlier this week. Canada’s Mark Carney said he’s seen it, “We have our sources, just like you,” he told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. Axios and the Wall Street Journal also said they had reviewed copies. And this morning, CNN posted what it said was the full 14-point memorandum of understanding obtained from a U.S. official.
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At the G7 summit in France yesterday, Trump said he has “no problem” making the document’s text public, stating he would “like to get a formal setting first before we do that.”
“It’s a good document. Here’s what it says. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. That’s what it says. It won’t have one to buy, to develop, they will not have a nuclear weapon. And I would say that’s about 99.9% of what I wanted,” Trump said. “Now, in addition to that, the Strait is going to be open toll-free. And it’s toll-free beyond the 60 days.”
“I’ll not only release it, I’ll probably have a press conference and read it to you word by word so that the press covers it accurately,” Trump said at one of several interactions with reporters on the sidelines of the G7 meeting, indicating he’s anxious to put the war behind him. “We were focused on Iran. That’s going to be in the back, in the rearview mirror.”
TRUMP HAILS ‘GREAT RELATIONSHIP’ WITH QATAR AS IT CEMENTS ITS TRUSTED NEGOTIATOR ROLE
MOU READS LIKE AN IRANIAN WISH LIST: While the leaked document states that Iran reaffirms its long-standing pledge never to produce or acquire nuclear weapons, it says the “fate of enriched material and all other mutually agreed nuclear-related issues, including Iran’s nuclear needs, will be adequately addressed in a final agreement.” Furthermore, pending a final agreement, “Iran will maintain the status quo on its nuclear program, and the U.S. will not impose new sanctions on Iran or strengthen its forces in the region.”
The MOU specifies that the war is over, not to begin again, declaring an “immediate and permanent end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and commits that from now on they will refrain from the threat or use of force against each other.”
The memo says Iran will receive immediate economic relief in the form of waivers to sell its oil, and that the U.S. commits, together with its regional partners, to create a “comprehensive plan” for “rehabilitation and economic development of Iran,” ensuring financing of at least $300 billion.
“The leaked text of the agreement, if accurate, indicates that Iran has emerged from the conflict in a stronger strategic position,” the Institute for the Study of War wrote in its latest assessment. “The MOU reportedly grants Iran significant economic relief, which Iran would likely use to try to reconstitute its missile, drone, and nuclear programs, as well as the Axis of Resistance.”
US SUPPORTS GULF COUNTRIES CONTRIBUTING TO CONDITIONS-BASED $300 BILLION IRAN FUND WITHOUT PLEDGING
VANCE: DON’T GET ALL CAUGHT UP IN THE ‘FINE PRINT’: In anticipating how bad the deal looks on paper, administration officials have been furiously downplaying the significance of the language.
“You see, the propagandists are saying, here are all the things Iran gets, and the fine print,” Vice President JD Vance said on Fox News. “Actually, the big print in the actual agreement is they don’t get any of that stuff unless they totally transform themselves as a country.”
There doesn’t appear to be any language about “transforming themselves as a nation,” but White House officials have been telling reporters that has been made clear behind the scenes.
“‘People shouldn’t read too much into the language of the MOU,’ one US official told me, describing the agreement as a ‘political document,’” CNN White House Correspondent Alayna Treene posted on X. “What’s more important than the actual document is the understandings we have with each other.”
“The officials described the text of the MOU as incredibly vague, mainly intended to create a more favorable environment for the highly technical, in-person talks to come,” Treene posted. “They added that the framework is aimed at providing Iran the ability to sell it politically to their internal audience.”
Trump himself has been lowering expectations of what constitutes a victory after 110 days of war. “Now, you talk about regime change. I never cared about regime change,” he said at the G7. And the near bomb-grade uranium, which is buried or stored in Iran?
“The whole mountain is collapsed on top. We have cameras on it. You could make the case, why are you even bothering? Because it’s not really valuable. It’s, you know, it’s probably half a million dollars worth. It’s not very valuable stuff,” Trump said. “But I think psychologically we’ll want to get it.”
NUCLEAR PROMISES, UNFROZEN FUNDS, AND LIFTED SANCTIONS PART OF US-IRAN DEAL: REPORT
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ZELENSKY BIG WINNER AT G7: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received the royal treatment at the Group of Seven summit at Evian-Les-Bains, France, given a seat at the table by French President Emmanuel Macron, a pull-aside one-on-one meeting with President Trump, and a renewed pledge to provide money and air defenses.
The leaders issued a strong statement at the end of the summit that addressed Zelensky’s key request for more U.S.-made Patriot missiles and for a license to produce them in Ukraine. “We agree to increase the delivery of air defense capacities, additional systems and interceptors, and long-range capabilities. We are also ready to consider extending to Ukraine the benefit of licenses to allow for an increase in Ukraine’s military production,” the statement said.
“The G7 Summit in France delivered important results for Ukraine. Most importantly, we agreed on additional strengthening of Ukraine’s air defense,” Zelensky said on X. “Our partners will ensure support for our defense and energy resilience.”
There was a palpable feeling at the summit that the winds of war were now blowing in Ukraine’s favor as its state-of-the-art drones have stymied Russia’s ground offensive and struck oil infrastructure deep into Russia, causing fuel shortages and panic. “We commend Ukraine for its resilience and progress on the battlefield in recent months and emphasize there is now a new momentum,” the statement said.
“We, the Germans, the U.K., the French, all are of the view that the tide has turned in this war. It is a matter of time,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told CNN. “Putin is going to lose this war, and from now until the point where he realizes that, or accepts that, it is absolutely senseless slaughter.”
Even President Trump seemed willing to blame Russia for not making peace, instead of pressuring Ukraine. “Look, Russia should make a deal. Russia’s lost tremendous amounts of people, and so has Ukraine,” Trump said. “I spoke with President Putin on Sunday, and it’s sort of the same thing. I mean, they just keep going, fighting, losing soldiers.”
TRUMP SAYS HE HAD A ‘VERY GOOD MEETING’ WITH ZELENSKY AT G7
THE GROWING TRUMP-NETANYAHU RIFT: Given that the first point on the MOU calls for an “immediate and permanent end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon,” the agreement has put Trump at loggerheads with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made clear that, given Israel was not a part of the negotiations or the final agreement, he does not feel Israel is bound by it.
Trump admonished Netanyahu in language that a father might use to reprimand a wayward child. “Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,” Trump said. “I’m not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah. They should have been able to do the job faster. It just goes on forever.”
Trump blamed Israel’s heavy-handed tactic of throwing “a negative light” on the big deal with Iran. “Israel’s fighting Hezbollah for 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, that I can tell you,” he said before suggesting that Israel step aside and let the new government in Syria take over the fight.
“I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah because, to be honest with you, I think they’d do a better job of doing it,” Trump said. “I was very responsible for Syria, and the man that’s running Syria now is a person that I put there,” he said. “He’s not a Boy Scout, but he’s done an amazing job of pulling it together, and he is very good with Hezbollah —does not like them.”
TRUMP USING SYRIA TO FIX HEZBOLLAH PROBLEM IS ‘MISGUIDED’: EX-PENTAGON OFFICIAL
‘ANY PRIME MINISTER WOULD DO WHAT NETANYAHU IS DOING’: “I can understand perhaps that Israel would oppose many aspects of this deal,” Michael Oren, former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., said on CNN. “So it’s not as if Israel wakes up in the morning and decides to attack Lebanon.”
“[Israel] is being shelled by Hezbollah daily. Thousands of people have been displaced,” Oren said. “They’re doing this for self-defense. And if the protocol, if the draft of this agreement between the United States and Iran does not address the fundamental issue of Iranian support for what they call proxies, which are terrorist groups, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Hamas, that’s a great problem for the state of Israel. If it doesn’t address Iran’s ballistic missile program, which has devastated Israeli neighborhoods, that is a ‘major problem.’”
“We understand that the Iranians have succeeded in making the Lebanon issue one of the crucial issues in the peace negotiations with the United States. But that can’t bind the state of Israel. And Israel will under this government or any government will say that this agreement is between the United States and Iran, not between Israel,” Oren said. “Israel is not party to it. So we’re not even part of the negotiations and we won’t be obligated by it.”
UNDERSTANDING IRAN’S INSISTENCE ON LEBANON’S INCLUSION IN CEASEFIRE WITH US
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: Nuclear promises, unfrozen funds, and lifted sanctions part of US-Iran deal: Report
Washington Examiner: Syria should handle Hezbollah in Lebanon instead of Israel, Trump says
Washington Examiner: US supports Gulf countries contributing to conditions-based $300 billion Iran fund without pledging
Washington Examiner: Trump hails ‘great relationship’ with Qatar as it cements its trusted negotiator role
Washington Examiner: Megyn Kelly presses Vance on Republican Party divide over Iran
Washington Examiner: Trump invokes Defense Production Act for munitions due to ‘conditions’ that ‘may pose a direct threat’
Washington Examiner: Trump using Syria to fix Hezbollah problem is ‘misguided’: Ex-Pentagon official
Washington Examiner: Understanding Iran’s insistence on Lebanon’s inclusion in ceasefire with US
Washington Examiner: Trump says he had a ‘very good meeting’ with Zelensky at G7
Washington Examiner: EU approves US trade deal to avert Trump tariffs
Washington Examiner: Hungary changes constitution to ban Viktor Orban reelection as Peter Magyar prepares to oust president
Washington Examiner: B-52 descended at nearly a mile a minute before crash that killed eight
Washington Examiner: ‘Prolific’ human smuggler from Mexico sentenced for role in global crime ring
AP: White House talking points claim victories in initial Iran deal but often don’t meet reality
AP: Iran Says the Deal to End the War with the US Requires Israel to Withdraw from Lebanon
Wall Street Journal: The Trump-Iran Deal Allows Tehran to Immediately Sell Oil
Axios: MAGA hawk mutiny deepens Trump’s isolation on Iran
Wall Street Journal: Trump Is Losing the Hawks Who Once Defended the Iran War
New York Times: After a Bitter Split, European Leaders Play Nice With Trump
Reuters: The US is using an Iranian smuggling tactic to sneak oil out of the Gulf
The Economist: Vladimir Putin is losing his grip on Russia
Air & Space Forces Magazine: B-52 Crash Happened During Test Sortie Supporting Radar Upgrade
Military Times: US Air Force Tanker Availability Figures May Be Inflated, Study Finds
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Eyes ‘G-Limiter,’ Other Future Upgrades for T-7
DefenseScoop: Data from ‘Half a Million Hours of Ukraine Conflict Drone Footage’ Now Available to Train AI
Military.com: Military Satellites Could Find Enemy Targets in Milliseconds Under New AI Vision
Aerospace America: Congressman Calls on Air Force to Turn Retired Aircraft into Autonomous Testbeds
Air & Space Forces Magazine: A Cyber Force With No Enlisted? Not So Fast, Some Experts Say
Defense One: ChatGPT to Debut on Pentagon’s GenAI.mil in ‘Early July’, OpenAI Says
Aviation Week: Shield AI Distances X-Bat from CCA Market Segment
The Atlantic: Opinion: Trump Does Not Understand the War He Lost
THE CALENDAR:
WEDNESDAY | JUNE 17
5 a.m. EDT (11 a.m. CET) Brussels, Belgium — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte holds a pre-ministerial press conference ahead of Thursday’s meeting of allied defense ministers https://www.nato.int/en/news-and-events
9:30 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies conference: “Border Security and Defense Cooperation in North America: Addressing Emerging Challenges.” https://www.csis.org/events/border-security-and-defense-cooperation
10 a.m. — Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “The U.S-Israel War with Iran: Is There a Way Out?” with Suzanne Maloney, director, Brookings Institution Foreign Policy Program; Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow, CEIP Middle East Program; and Aaron David Miller, senior fellow, CEIP American Statecraft Program https://carnegieendowment.org/events
11 a.m. — 1763 N St. NW Middle East Institute virtual discussion: “U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy in the Middle East,” with Colin Clarke, executive director, Soufan Center; Michael Jacobson, senior fellow of the Washington Institute Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence; MEI President Stuart James; and Jason Campbell, MEI senior fellow https://middleeastinstitute.my.site.com/Registration/s/Event
12 p.m. — Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft virtual discussion: “Lessons in Military Deterrence from the Iran War: U.S. Strategy in Contested Waters,” with Jennifer Kavanagh, senior fellow and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities; Kelly Grieco, senior fellow, Stimson Center Reimagining U.S. Grand Strategy Program; Brandon Carr, studies associate at the Quincy Institute; and Kelley Beaucar Vlahos, editor-in-chief at Responsible Statecraft and senior adviser at the Quincy Institute https://quincyinst.org/events/lessons-in-military-deterrence
3:30 p.m. 1400 L St. NW — Atlantic Council discussion: “The upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara,” with Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH); Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Andrea Mitchell, chief Washington and chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/senators-jeanne-shaheen-and-thom-tillis-on-the-upcoming-nato-summit-in-ankara/
THURSDAY | JUNE 18
Brussels, Belgium — The United Kingdom and Germany host a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at NATO Headquarters, ahead of the NATO Defense Ministerial
1:55 a.m. EDT (7:55 a.m. CET) Brussels, Belgium — Defense Secretary Pete Hegeth attends a meeting of defense ministers at NATO Headquarters, with welcoming remarks by Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Hegseth. https://www.nato.int/en/news-and-events/
8 a.m. 1800 Presidents St., Reston, Va. — Potomac Officers Club 2026 Army Summit, with Marc Andersen, assistant Army secretary for financial management and comptroller; Army Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Jeth Rey; and Jeff Waksman, principal deputy assistant army secretary for installations, energy and environment Jeff Waksman delivers remarks https://www.potomacofficersclub.com/events/2026-army-summit
9 a.m. 1750 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Peterson Institute for International Economics virtual discussion: “Ukraine’s Fiscal and Financial Challenges,” with former Ukrainian Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko, managing director of EY Parthenon; and Nicolas Veron, PIIE senior fellow https://www.piie.com/index%2Ephp/events/2026/ukraines-fiscal-and-financial-challenges
10 a.m. 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, — Hudson Institute discussion: “Deterring Russia and China: Securing America’s Nuclear Future,” with Brandon Williams, administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration; and Rebeccah Heinrichs, director, Hudson Keystone Defense Initiative https://www.hudson.org/events/deterring-russia-china
10:30 a.m. 616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “Modernizing to Meet the Future Threat,” with Lt. Gen. Eric Austin, deputy commandant of combat development and integration for the Marine Corps and portfolio acquisition executive for the Marine Corps; retired Rear Adm. Raymond Spicer; and Seth Jones, president, CSIS Defense and Security Department https://www.csis.org/events/modernizing-meet-future-threat-conversation
2 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: “The Future of Extended Deterrence: Will Japan and Korea Go Nuclear?” with Will Todman, chief of staff, CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department; Victor Cha, CSIS Korea chair; Kristi Govella, CSIS Japan chair; Michael Green, CSIS Henry A. Kissinger chair; and Heather Williams, director, CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues https://www.csis.org/events/future-extended-deterrence
2 p.m. 1211 Connecticut Ave. NW — Henry L. Stimson Center discussion: “Innovation and Adaption of UN Peace Operations,” with Lt. Gen. Cheryl Peace, acting military adviser for peacekeeping operations at the U.N. Department of Peace Operations Office of Military Affairs; and Lisa Sharland, senior fellow and director, Stimson Center Protecting Civilians and Human Security Program https://www.stimson.org/event/innovation-and-adaption-of-un-peace-operations/
2 p.m. — Middle East Institute virtual discussion: “Iraq’s Domestic Transition and Emerging Regional Role,” with Ben Connable, executive director, Battle Research Group; and Sarhang Hamasaeed, former director for Middle East programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace; and Jason Campbell, MEI senior fellow https://middleeastinstitute.my.site.com/Registration/s/Event/701Uh00000tZvS0/421-mei-panel-lebanon-between-war-and-diplomacy
3:30 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Nuclear Armed Hypersonic Missiles,” with Heather Williams, director, CSIS Project on Nuclear Issues; Tom Karako, director, CSIS Missile Defense Project; and Kari Bingen, director, CSIS Aerospace Security Project https://www.csis.org/events/nuclear-armed-hypersonic-missiles-htk
FRIDAY | JUNE 19 | JUNETEENTH FEDERAL HOLIDAY
No Daily on Defense
TUESDAY | JUNE 23
6:30 a.m. 2425 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, Va. — Association of the U.S. Army “Coffee Series,” with Gen. Ron Clark, commanding general, U.S. Army Pacific https://www.ausa.org/events/coffee-series/gen-clark
WEDNESDAY | JUNE 24
11 a.m. 2359 Rayburn — House Appropriations Committee markup of the FY2027 Defense bill. http://appropriations.house.gov
THURSDAY | JUNE 25
7 a.m. — Association of the U.S. Army daylong “Hot Topic” on Army acquisition and contracting: “Accelerating Solutions for Today’s Fight,” with Maj. Gen. Douglas Lowrey, commanding general of U.S. Army Contracting Command https://www.ausa.org/events/hot-topic/army-acquisition-and-contracting
