Qatari negotiators head to Tehran ahead of deal signing between US, Iran – report

Author: Rhonda Published: June 14, 2026

Pakistan is now preparing for an electronic signing expected within the next 24 hours, followed by technical-level talks next week, according to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ahead of an exceptional meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the first in-person meeting of Gulf leaders since their states became a front in the Iran war, in Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2026.

(photo credit: Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy Saudi Royal Court/Reuters)

ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

JUNE 14, 2026 10:37

Qatari negotiators have flown to Tehran to help finalize a deal between the US and Iran, a source told CNN on Sunday morning.

Following Trump’s announcement on Saturday that a deal would very likely be signed “within 24 hours,” Qatari mediators, in coordination with the US, have headed to Tehran to help facilitate the process.

If a memorandum of understanding is signed between Washington and Tehran, it would start a new 60-day period of negotiations on implementing the framework, according to US officials.

Plans for an in-person signing of the deal were scrapped due to logistical issues. It will instead be signed virtually, in the hopes of avoiding delays that could derail negotiations.

Pakistan is now preparing for an electronic signing expected within the next 24 hours, followed by technical-level talks next week, according to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, however Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei denied that the Islamabad memorandum would take place on Sunday, according to state media.

An Iranian flag flutters in the wind as ships remain anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on May 16. Negotiations between the US and Iran over opening this critical waterway have largely stalled. (credit: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Comparison of this deal to the JCPOA

Trump emphasized that the deal was significantly different than that of the Obama administration, which he described as “an easy, beautiful, smooth road to a Nuclear Weapon, which Iran would have had six years ago, and would have used long before now.”

“My Agreement with Iran is the exact opposite, A WALL TO NO NUCLEAR WEAPON!” said Trump. “In fact, they no longer want a Nuclear Weapon, nor will they have one, either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement.”

He added that “no money will exchange hands,” attempting to further differentiate the deal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with Trump accusing then-president Barack Obama of paying “Hundreds of Billions of Dollars” to Iran, “including 1.7 Billion Dollars in green, cold cash.”

US strikes Iran for second day, hitting military surveillance capabilities, air defense systems

Author: Rhonda Published: June 11, 2026

“Those strikes that will happen tonight will be strong and clear, and if they have to happen tomorrow night they will be strong and clear,” Hegseth asserted, adding that US CENTCOM will be “busy.”

Two US Air Force F-35A stealth fighter jets fly over the Middle East during a patrol in a photo shared by US Central Command on June 7, 2026.(photo credit: SCREENSHOT X/ @CENTCOM) ByGOLDIE KATZ, JERUSALEM POST STAFF JUNE 11, 2026 00:40Updated: JUNE 11, 2026 08:13 US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it launched “self-defense strikes” against multiple targets in Iran at the direction of US President Donald Trump in a post on X/Twitter on Wednesday. According to Iranian state media reports, after the strikes were announced, explosions were heard in western Tehran and the southern Iranian cities of Sirik and Minab. CENTCOM stated that it targeted Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communications systems, and air defense sites across Iran with precision munitions. The sites targeted posed a threat to US forces in the region and commercial ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, according to the US military. “The strikes are in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression,” CENTCOM asserted, adding that “US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready.”

Iran claims Strait of Hormuz closed in response to strikes

According to Reuters, Iran’s top joint military command announced that the Strait would be closed in response to the strikes and that any vessel attempting transit through the waterway will be shot at. Iranian state media then claimed that two “violating ships” were hit by Iran’s navy.

A drone view shows vessels anchored at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, May 30, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/Stringer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

CENTCOM denied that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed, asserting that “commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out of the Strait” in a post on X/Twitter.

US to ‘hit Iran hard,’ Hegseth warns

The strikes were announced shortly after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, during a security cabinet meeting with Trump, stated that the US was “going to hit Iran hard” on Wednesday, according to an Axios report. “Those strikes that will happen tonight will be strong and clear and if they have to happen tomorrow night, they will be strong and clear,” Hegseth asserted, adding that CENTCOM will be “busy tonight.” Hegseth clarified that the strikes on “key facilities” in Iran would be intended to “set the terms for a deal” rather than to restart the war. He stated that Trump is prepared to make a deal and that “Iran would be wise to take it.” “If we need to negotiate with bombs, we will negotiate with bombs,” Hegseth added.

Second consecutive night of CENTCOM strikes

CENTCOM conducted similar strikes against Iran on Tuesday after a US Army Apache Helicopter was downed near the Strait of Hormuz. In Tuesday’s strikes, the US targeted Iranian air defenses, ground control stations, and radar sites with precise munitions, according to a CENTCOM statement at the time. Reuters and Danya Saperstein contributed to this report.

Antisemitic offenses in Spain rise 86% amid record hate incidents

Author: Rhonda Published: June 11, 2026

Spain reports 86% rise in antisemitic incidents, as Interior Minister takes aim at ‘xenophobia.’

Shira Li Bartov, JTA

Published: Jun 11, 2026, 8:11 AM (GMT+3)

Spanish Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska, June 9, 2026.Jesus Hellin/Europa Press via Getty Images

Antisemitic offenses in Spain rose 86% last year amid the country’s highest total hate incidents on record, according to a report from the Spanish government.

Jews were targeted in 69 hate crimes and incidents in 2025, up from 37 in 2024, according to a report released last week by Spain’s Interior Ministry. Islamophobic attacks also increased from 15 to 35 incidents.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said in a video posted on Facebook that his office documented 2,417 total hate incidents last year, the highest figure since it began recording in 2014. Spain is home to about 70,000 Jews, according to the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain.

The ministry defined antisemitism as any act of hatred, violence or discrimination directed against Jews or “nationals of the State of Israel.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has become one of Europe’s sharpest critics of Israel and its military action in Gaza, which he alleges constitutes genocide. Spain imposed a total arms embargo on Israel in 2025 and permanently withdrew its ambassador in March, following Israel’s withdrawal of its ambassador to Spain in 2024.

The Interior Ministry said hate crimes motivated by racism and xenophobia accounted for the largest number of offenses at 934. Grande-Marlaska called out “public officials” for rhetoric and policies that he said inflamed xenophobic sentiment.

Grande-Marlaska released his report as Spain’s far-right, anti-immigration Vox party advocates for a “national priority” policy that favors Spaniards over others in access to public aid and benefits, such as subsidized housing and healthcare. Vox recently struck deals with the conservative People’s Party to insert the “national priority” clause into coalition agreements in the regions of Extremadura, Aragón and Castile and León.

“The national priority is xenophobia,” Grande-Marlaska said. “It is institutionalized xenophobia, protected and promoted by public officials who legitimize and amplify hate speech that, in the past, would have been condemned when it entered the public sphere.”

Vox is strongly supportive of Israel, whose government has allied with the party despite a history of neo-Nazis in its ranks. Vox leader Santiago Abascal visited Israel in 2024 to show his support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Sánchez recognized a Palestinian state.