Good morning! Today is Tuesday, June 16th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. Trump says the U.S.–Iran peace deal is "all signed," with terms reportedly including the return of $25 billion in Iranian funds, a mutual lifting of Strait of Hormuz blockades, and a sixty-day window to negotiate Tehran's nuclear program—though Israel signals it does not consider itself bound. Hawkish commentators from Mark Levin to Marc Thiessen are in revolt over the agreement, but Andrew Day argues the deeper shift is rhetorical: Trump is reframing the Islamic Republic as a rational, normal state after a war that exposed the limits of regime-change ambitions. Brent crude slipped to $82.84 a barrel as markets weighed the prospect of a regional de-escalation, even as Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon continued and the death toll there since March 2 climbed to 3,798. and now for the details. We begin with the latest from the Iran war, now in its 108th day. President Trump told reporters in France that the U.S.–Iran peace deal announced Sunday evening is, in his words, "all signed." Vice President J.D. Vance told Good Morning America that the deal was signed digitally over the weekend, although Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said the formal memorandum of understanding is scheduled to be signed on Friday. Trump said the text would be made public sometime after Friday. According to Reuters, the terms include the United States returning twenty-five billion dollars in confiscated Iranian funds, a mutual lifting of the blockades of the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran reaffirming its longstanding position not to develop nuclear weapons. Once signed, the memorandum opens a sixty-day window for negotiations on Iran's nuclear program and other outstanding issues. Iran's Supreme National Security Council added that military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, would conclude. As Harrison Berger reports, Israel is signaling it does not consider itself bound. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel will remain "indefinitely" in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Israel is not bound by the agreement. Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon continued Monday, with Lebanon's Health Ministry reporting the death toll since March 2 has risen to 3,798. On markets, Brent crude fell to $82.84 a barrel, and AAA reported the national average price of regular gasoline at $4.07. The deal has set off sharp reactions among hawkish commentators. Fox News host Mark Levin called the agreement a "suicide pact" for Israel, since it covers the regional war, including Lebanon. Former Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen objected to the sanctions relief and reconstruction fund reportedly included, comparing it to "a Marshall Plan for Germany while the Nazis were still in power." Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies insisted he had never been more confident in the end of the Islamic Republic. As Andrew Day writes for The American Conservative, the more important shift is rhetorical. Since 1979, Iran has been portrayed in American political discourse as an implacable enemy. Even President Obama, after striking the JCPOA, did not publicly reframe Iran as a normal state. Trump now describes the Islamic Republic as "rational" and "very smart," and says, quote, "We got along very well with Iran." Day argues that Trump arrived at this reframing not through naive trust, but through a war in which Iran demonstrated real military leverage. If the regime cannot be toppled, and if global economic stability depends on Washington and Tehran getting along, then continued hostility becomes harder to justify. Day notes that Trump can swing back as easily as he swung forward, but says the president has at least opened a pathway toward a more realistic peace. Those are today's highlights. For the full stories and more, visit theamericanconservative.com. Thank you for starting your morning with us.
