Global Hotspots: Unpacking the U.S./Iran Ceasefire Deal

This week, the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding paving the way for a ceasefire and two months of negotiations aimed at settling their conflict.

Meanwhile, Israel stated it would continue to occupy territory in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. In the Indo-Pacific, Taiwan’s opposition leader met with members of the U.S. Congress in Washington, while the U.K. and Japan agreed to boost defense and economic cooperation.

In Ukraine transatlantic relations, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a six-month review of the U.S. military presence in Europe, while Ukrainian drones continued to strike oil in Russia, including one close to Moscow.

In the U.S., lawmakers continued to debate the renewal of the Foreign Surveillance Authorization Act (FISA), which the White House has now linked to its ambitions for voter identification reform.

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Marxist Arrow by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One before departing Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to fly to Evian-les-Bains, France, for the G7 summit on June 15, 2026. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)