Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the U.S.-Iran peace deal, the United Kingdom’s new social media restrictions, and a suspected Russian attack on a Ukrainian monastery.
Signed, Sealed, (Not Yet) Delivered
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that the United States and Iran have agreed to a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending their monthslong war. The deal comes just in time for this year G-7 leaders’ summit, where the conflict in the Middle East will be at the top of the three-day conference’s agenda.
Going into the summit, foreign leaders appeared to be unsure about which version of Trump they’d be facing: a collaborative partner or a combative opponent. Throughout the war, the White House has lashed out at its European allies for failing to aid U.S. forces, including by largely prohibiting the use of their military bases to launch strikes on Iran.
However, news that a deal with Iran has been signed virtually—and that an in-person, formal ceremony will be held in Geneva on Friday—may temper fears that Trump will exacerbate geopolitical tensions during the meeting.
“It’s a very important matter for peace of the whole world,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday during a bilateral meeting with Trump. Macron added that France and other Western partners are “ready to take action very quickly” to help restore normal shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
Details of the deal remain unclear, with Trump saying that the text will likely be released “sometime after Friday,” when its terms go into effect. However, according to U.S. officials, the agreement will reopen the strait; remove the U.S. blockade on Iran; and extend the two sides’ cease-fire for another 60 days, during which negotiators will address the remaining issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear program.
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance told CBS News on Monday that Iran could have access to a reconstruction fund of up to $300 billion, funded by its Persian Gulf neighbors, so long as Tehran’s leaders “honor their end of the obligation.” Iranian officials have claimed that Washington agreed to lift sanctions, release frozen assets, and pay war damages.
Already, global markets appear optimistic, with Brent crude contracts for August hitting $83 a barrel. “That’s still a lot higher than benchmark crude was before the war but far less than the triple-digit prices reached during peak moments of the conflict,” FP’s Keith Johnson reported.
Still, as Luxembourg’s foreign minister, Xavier Bettel, noted, “It’s a long time till Friday.”
And a lot hinges on Israel. While announcing the agreement, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who helped mediate the talks, said on Sunday that the United States and Iran had “declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
But neither Israel nor Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group that Israel is fighting in Lebanon, are party to the deal. Yet Iran views that conflict as inextricably linked to the war with the United States and has previously threatened to call off negotiations with Washington over Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel intends to “indefinitely” hold the land that it has seized in Lebanon—territory that has expanded since fighting erupted in March. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that sentiment, saying that Israeli forces will remain in its so-called security zones for as long as necessary and that stopping Iran’s nuclear capabilities remains his life’s mission.
Today’s Most Read
The World This Week
Tuesday, June 16: The European Parliament is set to vote on a U.S.-EU trade deal.
United Nations chief António Guterres visits Haiti.
Wednesday, June 17: Macron hosts Trump at the Palace of Versailles for a state dinner.
Thursday, June 18: The European Council begins a two-day leaders’ summit.
Russia hosts a summit with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
NATO defense ministers convene in Brussels.
The United Kingdom’s Makerfield constituency holds a by-election.
Friday, June 19: Myanmar’s leader, Min Aung Hlaing, concludes a five-day trip to China.
Sunday, June 21: Colombia holds a presidential election runoff.
Monday, June 22: The Organization of American States begins its three-day General Assembly.
What We’re Following
Social media restrictions. The United Kingdom will bar children under age 16 from accessing social media, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday. The move, set to be implemented by next spring, makes Britain the latest country to implement an age-based social media ban; Australia was the first nation to do so.
“I am not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children, and that is why this ban must happen,” Starmer said, while acknowledging that enforcement could be a challenge. Imposing an age-based ban could prove crucial for Starmer, whose popularity remains in dire straits after his party lost several major recent elections. According to a YouGov poll conducted in December, 74 percent of British residents surveyed supported a social media ban for children.
However, the United Kingdom isn’t stopping there. Starmer also vowed on Monday to restrict minors’ access to gaming and live-streaming platforms by imposing overnight curfews and limiting infinite scrolling for users under age 18. Messaging services, such as WhatsApp and Signal, as well as platforms designed for minors, such as YouTube Kids and Google Classroom, will not be affected.
Attack on UNESCO site. Suspected Russian strikes badly damaged a roughly 1,000-year-old monastery in Kyiv on Monday, igniting fierce global condemnation. “[T]his is one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture to date,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot likened the assault to a bombing on the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, and EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas called it a “war crime.”
Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site believed to date back to 1051 A.D. Moscow has denied attacking the monastery, instead accusing expired U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems of malfunctioning and hitting the Eastern Orthodox church by mistake. Russian forces have repeatedly targeted civilian infrastructure, including cultural landmarks, since the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Monday’s overnight strikes were part of a larger aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital. According to local authorities, at least 10 people were killed, dozens more injured, and around 140,000 households left without power across the country. “This is how Russia shows the world its intention to continue the war,” Zelensky wrote on X.
Vote no. Switzerland rejected a proposed initiative on Sunday that would have capped the country’s population at 10 million people. Dubbed “Swiss Brexit,” the measure would have required Bern to crack down on asylum requests, family reunification efforts, and potentially the country’s open-border policy with the European Union.
Nearly 55 percent of voters opposed the initiative, surprising analysts who had predicted a narrower race in the days leading up to the referendum. The right-wing Swiss People’s Party (PPS), which has the most seats in parliament and backed the legislation, blamed its defeat on the gap between rural and urban voters, the latter of whom largely rejected the population cap. “The cities simply wipe the country out when it comes to forming opinions,” PPS President Marcel Dettling said.
The party had argued that stricter immigration policies would improve residents’ quality of life, capitalizing on rising anti-immigrant sentiment across Europe and growing concerns surrounding limited housing and jobs in the small nation. Yet critics had warned that a population cap would jeopardize Switzerland’s security and undermine its relationship with the EU.
Odds and Ends
It seems that airport delays are truly a universal experience. After a weeklong trip to Spain, Pope Leo XIV found himself stuck in the Canary Islands when a technical problem grounded his Iberia charter. But lucky for Leo, the stresses were quickly mitigated by Spanish King Felipe XI, who offered the pope the use of his private jet to make it home. Must be nice.
