Good morning! Today is Saturday, June 13th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. President Trump publicly disputes Iran's leaked terms of the so-called Islamabad Memorandum as a Geneva signing looms, while Gulf leaders reportedly pressed him to cancel planned strikes on day one hundred five of the war. Germany's stunning UN Security Council defeat reflects global backlash against Berlin's unconditional backing of Israel's war in Gaza, with Eldar Mamedov arguing moralistic posturing has hollowed out German credibility. Britain's ban on livestreamers Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur exposes how vague Home Office powers are turning the UK into a nation-sized safe space, even as illegal Channel crossings go unchecked. and now for the details. We begin with the latest from the Iran war, now in its one hundred and fifth day. President Trump is publicly disputing the reported terms of a potential U.S.–Iran agreement, just one day after he cancelled planned strikes and said discussions had been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership. On Truth Social Friday morning, the president wrote that the terms Iran had leaked to the press bear no relation to what was agreed in writing, calling Tehran's negotiators "dishonorable" and accusing them of not dealing in good faith. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by urging the media to refrain from speculation, saying the so-called Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer to completion. Pakistan has been mediating the talks. According to Iranian state media, the memorandum would require the United States to lift secondary sanctions, withdraw forces surrounding Iran, end the war on all fronts including Lebanon, and lift the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, while leaving nuclear issues for a later round. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday that Israel will not withdraw from security zones in Lebanon, Syria, or Gaza, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons on his watch. As Harrison Berger reports for The American Conservative, Politico has revealed that the leaders of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan's defense chief personally called Trump to urge him to cancel the planned strikes. Reuters now reports a deal could be signed in Geneva as early as Sunday, with Vice President J.D. Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Baqer Ghalibaf as the signatories—though Iranian media deny that timeline. Brent crude slipped to eighty-seven dollars Friday, and the national average gas price stands at four dollars and eleven cents. Turning to Europe, Germany has suffered a striking diplomatic defeat at the United Nations. Berlin's campaign for a rotating seat on the UN Security Council failed this week, with Germany securing only one hundred and four votes, well short of the two-thirds majority required. Portugal and Austria took the two Western European seats instead. This marks the first time since the 1970s that a German bid for the Security Council has failed. As Eldar Mamedov writes for The American Conservative, the result reflects mounting international frustration with Berlin's unconditional support for Israel's war in Gaza, even as UN rapporteurs and the International Court of Justice have raised the prospect of genocide. Mamedov notes that Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul acknowledged Germany's "historical responsibility" to Israel cost it votes, but blamed Russia for organizing opposition—ignoring the contradiction of arming Ukraine to defend the UN Charter while shielding Israel as it tears that same charter apart. Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Mamedov writes, has cheered Israeli and American strikes on Iran and dismissed calls to lecture allies on international law. Mamedov argues the Greens share the blame from their time in government, and points out that Austria, equally pro-Israel, still won its seat—suggesting Germany's moralistic posturing grated more than its policies alone. Domestically, only eleven percent of Germans say they are satisfied with the Merz coalition, and the nationalist Alternative for Germany now leads the polls at twenty-nine percent, in part by taking foreign policy positions—opposition to the Iran war, openness to Russia and China—that align with broad public sentiment. According to Pew, seventy-three percent of Germans now view Israel unfavorably. Those are today's highlights. For the full stories and more, visit theamericanconservative.com. Thank you for starting your morning with us.
