June 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war with Iran, a U.S. official told Reuters.

The memo had been signed digitally on Sunday by Vice President JD Vanceand Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and witnessed by Trump, the official said.

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Writing by Christian Martinez)

By David Brunnstrom

June 17 (Reuters) - U.N. 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.

The world body's annual report on Children and Armed Conflict recorded 38,558 "grave violations" globally in 2025, affecting 24,174 children, the latter figure a record since CAAC's mandate began in 1996.

June 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war with Iran, a White House official told Reuters.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Ryan Patrick Jones; editing by Costas Pitas)

A newly signed deal to end the Middle East war was already under strain on Friday, after talks in Switzerland were postponed and fighting flared between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The developments came after Iran's supreme leader announced he had only allowed the preliminary deal to the stop war to go ahead despite reservations, and as his top negotiator warned Washington the Islamic republic stood ready to retaliate in the event of any breach.

By Francois Murphy

VIENNA, June 17 (Reuters) - The most important issue in imminent nuclear talks between Iran and the United States is how Iran's nuclear programme will be policed, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Wednesday.

Washington and Tehran say they have reached an agreement to end their war and open wider talks on issues including Iran's nuclear programme. A senior U.S. official read out the text of a memorandum of understanding with Tehran but said the parties could still walk away until a binding deal is reached.

DUBAI, June 17 (Reuters) - Iran and the United States will end fighting on all fronts, per MoU details published by Iran's official IRNA news agency on Wednesday, adding both countries to end naval blockades in the region.

Iran's official news agency released details of the deal planned to be signed on Friday, shortly after a U.S. official released a copy of the text.

PARIS, June 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that it would be unfair for Iran not to have ballistic missiles if other countries have them.

"I'm saying that if other countries have them, it's a little bit unfair for them not to have some," Trump told reporters in Paris.

"If Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and they all have some, I would say in relative proportion, I think it's okay."

By Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON, June 17 (Reuters) - When U.S. and Iranian negotiators sit down in Switzerland on Friday after nearly four months of war, the stakes couldn’t be higher as they face an array of hurdles that could derail efforts to reach a comprehensive peace agreement.

While a breakthrough cannot be ruled out, most analysts are skeptical the two sides can forge a final settlement within the 60-day window laid out in a “memorandum of understanding” that President Donald Trump and Iranian leaders approved this week.

By Steve Holland and Trevor Hunnicutt

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France, June 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday described Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin as "neutral" during the war with Iran, saying they had notthwarted his efforts to curbTehran's nuclear ambitions.

"I just want to thank them because they made it a lot better," Trump said following the adoption of a ceasefire agreement in the conflict.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France, June 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested that sanctions on Iran would be removed once "they behave." "As far as sanctions are concerned, at some point, you know, we have sanctions which will never let them rebuild. They would have no money, they would be in poverty, the 91 million people would starve, so something will happen as soon as they behave. When they behave, we're going to let that go. We're going to have to. I put sanctions on a lot of people, and then I let them go," Trump told reporters.