Morning update
Good morning Middle East Eye readers,
The text of the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran has been signed digitally by the presidents of the two countries.
While an official meeting was expected on Friday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that talks between Tehran and Washington on Friday in Switzerland are not confirmed yet.
Here are some of the other latest developments:
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding will "enter into force with immediate effect". As a first step, he indicated that Tehran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington immediately lifts its naval blockade on the waterway.
US President Donald Trump told his advisors that no one can handle Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to The Wall Street Journal citing a source familiar with the comments. The president added that the US president indicated that Netanyahu wants to "bomb everyone".
US senators are threatening to withhold 75 percent of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget amid increasing frustration with the Pentagon's refusal to comply with congressional requests - including information updates on an investigation into the US targeting of a girls school in Iran.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Wednesday hailed an understanding reached between Tehran and Washington as a "great victory", calling it a "pivotal point" for Lebanon.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that Israeli settler groups could be added to a global blacklist for violations against children as he voiced alarm at a "staggering" rise in violations against Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank.