VFI News Trump Announces Largely Negotiated Iran Peace Deal; Strait of Hormuz to Reopen

Trump announces a largely negotiated peace deal with Iran — and the Strait of Hormuz is set to reopen. Here's what's in the agreement, who signed on, and what it means for Israel right now.

Trump's announcement on Saturday, May 23 marks the most significant diplomatic movement since the war began — but critical questions remain unanswered. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain are all named as part of the emerging accord. The Strait of Hormuz reopening is confirmed, but the full terms of the deal are still being finalised.

Meanwhile, a senior Israeli official confirmed that President Trump told Prime Minister Netanyahu he will not sign any agreement that falls short of Iran's complete nuclear dismantlement and the removal of all enriched uranium. Israel is keeping its freedom of action on every front — including Lebanon, where the IDF struck Hezbollah weapons compounds in the Beqaa Valley and Tyre just hours earlier.

Senator Ted Cruz added a sharp warning to the mix, calling the emerging framework a potential "disastrous mistake" if Iran is left enriching uranium while receiving billions in sanctions relief.

We also pause to honour Memorial Day — and share Barry Segal's moving tribute to his father's World War II service.

This is a fast-moving situation. Stay close, stay in prayer, and share this update with those who are watching and praying for Israel.

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This Memorial Day, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to the United States. We honor their sacrifice, remember their courage, and pray for comfort and peace for all who mourn.

Wishing our US readers a meaningful Memorial Day.

US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday, May 23, that a peace agreement has been “largely negotiated” among the United States, Iran, and several Middle Eastern nations, signaling a potential turning point in the conflict that has gripped the region. The framework remains subject to finalization, but it marks the most significant diplomatic movement since the war began. Trump said the final aspects of the deal were still being discussed and would be announced shortly.

The countries Trump named as part of the emerging accord include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain. He described the understanding as a memorandum of understanding pertaining to peace, reached following a joint call with the leaders of those nations. Among the elements already confirmed is the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime corridor through which a large share of the world’s energy supplies flow.

Trump added that he had separately held a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that, he said, “likewise, went very well.” The remaining provisions of the agreement are still being worked out, and a fuller announcement is anticipated in the days ahead. For an intercessory community watching the region closely, the development invites both hope and careful discernment as the terms come to light.

(JPost/VFI News)

Heavenly Father, we lift up the negotiations surrounding Israel and her neighbors, asking that any agreement reached would bring true and lasting peace rather than a false and fragile calm; grant the leaders involved wisdom, discernment, and the courage to protect the innocent; guard Israel from every scheme of those who wish her harm; and let Your perfect will be accomplished throughout the region for Your glory. In Yeshua’s Name we pray.

The Israeli military struck a Hezbollah underground compound in Lebanon’s Beqaa region late on Friday night, May 22, targeting a facility that terrorists had used to manufacture weapons intended for attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers. In the same operation, forces also hit Hezbollah infrastructure in the southern city of Tyre.

The sites in Tyre served as bases from which Hezbollah operatives planned and carried out attacks against Israeli troops. Before striking, the military said it took deliberate steps to limit harm to civilians, including issuing advance warnings, employing precise munitions, and conducting aerial surveillance of the targets.

“The IDF continues to operate against threats posed to Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers, in accordance with the political echelon,” the military stated. The strikes came as wider negotiations over the region’s future moved forward, a reminder that Israel remains willing to act decisively against the terror group’s war-making capacity.

(INN/VFI News)

“Blessed be the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.” – Psalm 144:1

A senior Israeli official said that President Donald Trump, in a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held on Saturday night, May 23, made clear he will not sign a final agreement with Iran unless it brings about the complete dismantling of the regime’s nuclear program and the removal of all enriched uranium from Iranian territory. Washington, the official said, is keeping Jerusalem updated as the negotiations proceed.

During the conversation, Netanyahu stressed that Israel will preserve its freedom of action against threats on every front, including in Lebanon — a principle the official said the president reaffirmed. The United States is keeping Israel informed on talks over a memorandum of understanding aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and advancing toward a final accord on the issues still in dispute.

Trump emphasized that he would “stand firm” on his longstanding demand for dismantlement and would not put his name to any deal that fell short of those conditions. Netanyahu, for his part, voiced appreciation for the president’s “longstanding and exceptional commitment” to Israel’s security. The exchange came amid ongoing debate in Israel and abroad over the terms of the emerging framework.

(INN/VFI News)

Father, we thank You for raising up steadfast friends who stand with Israel in her hour of need, and we ask that any final agreement would see Iran’s capacity for destruction completely and permanently removed; grant the leaders of Israel and her allies the resolve to hold firm and to refuse every dangerous compromise; preserve Israel’s freedom to defend her people on every front; and let the threats arrayed against it come to nothing. In Yeshua’s Name we pray.

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, on Saturday, May 23, expressed deep concern over the emerging agreement between the United States and Iran, warning that it would be a grave error to permit Tehran to keep developing nuclear weapons while still ruled by radical Islamists. In a series of posts on social media, Cruz wrote that he was “deeply concerned about what we are hearing about an Iran ‘deal,’ being pushed by some voices in the administration.”

Cruz praised the president’s earlier decision to strike Iran as “the most consequential decision of his second term,” crediting the operation with destroying the regime’s missiles and drones and sinking its navy. He warned, however, that the outcome would become a “disastrous mistake” if the result were an Iranian regime still chanting “death to America” yet flush with billions of dollars, free to enrich uranium, and holding effective control over the Strait of Hormuz.

“The details are still coming out — and I pray the early reports are wrong,” Cruz wrote, urging the president to hold the line and enforce the red lines he has repeatedly drawn. He affirmed that Trump “believes in peace through strength” and argued that the president’s strong leadership had already made America much safer. Cruz’s comments arrived just hours after Trump announced that the final details of the agreement would be revealed shortly.

(INN/VFI News)

In this poignant audio recording, Barry Segal recounts the remarkable journey of his father, a brave soldier who served in World War II as part of the Allied forces. Barry's father opened up about his war-time memories and experiences later in life, offering a unique perspective on the challenges and triumphs faced by the courageous soldiers. With Father's Day approaching, join us in paying tribute to the extraordinary sacrifices and bravery displayed by fathers like Barry's, as we honor their indomitable spirit.

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sharply criticized the emerging deal between the United States and Iran late on Saturday, May 23, likening it to the diplomatic approach of a previous administration. Pompeo, who served during President Trump’s first term, charged that the agreement being floated appeared to come “straight out of the Wendy Sherman–Robert Malley–Ben Rhodes playbook,” and accused it of paying Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps to build a weapons program and terrorize the world.

“Not remotely America First,” Pompeo wrote, laying out an alternative course: open the strait, deny Iran access to money, and degrade enough of Tehran’s capability that it can no longer threaten regional allies. He called such steps “overdue.” His intervention added a prominent former official to a growing chorus of Republicans questioning the wisdom of the proposed framework.

The White House pushed back forcefully, with Communications Director Steven Cheung dismissing Pompeo’s criticism and insisting he was not privy to the actual negotiations. Other Republicans echoed Pompeo’s worries, among them Senator Ted Cruz, who voiced his own alarm over reports of the deal. The warnings landed only hours after Trump announced that an agreement had been largely negotiated and that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened.

(INN/VFI News)

“A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; the simple pass on and are punished.” – Proverbs 27:12

Hezbollah announced on Saturday, May 23, that it had received assurances from Tehran that the impending US-Iran agreement would extend to the Lebanese terror group as well. In a statement, Hezbollah said its secretary-general, Naim Qassem, had received a message from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi pledging that Iran “will not give up its support for movements demanding justice and freedom, foremost among them Hezbollah.”

The group claimed that Iran’s latest proposal, which seeks a permanent and stable end to the war, emphasized the demand to include Lebanon in any ceasefire. The pledge came even as Hezbollah continued to violate the truce it reached with Israel in April. On Saturday, May 23, an Israeli soldier was killed, and two others were wounded by a Hezbollah drone that penetrated Israeli territory, while sirens warning of infiltrating drones sounded throughout May 22 and 23.

Since the start of the ceasefire, nine Israeli soldiers have been killed by Hezbollah, with additional troops wounded — a toll that reveals the group’s contempt for the very agreement it now seeks to benefit from. Arab leaders were said to be pressing Trump to accept Tehran’s offer even if it fell short of American demands. Skeptics, including Senator Roger Wicker, cautioned that a lengthy ceasefire premised on Iranian good faith would only squander hard-won gains.

(INN/VFI News)

Dear Lord, we ask for Your hand of protection over the soldiers and citizens of Israel who stand watch against those who break every promise of peace; strengthen and alert the defenders of the land so they can intercept every threat that comes against them; comfort the families who grieve and bind up the wounds of the injured; and expose the deception of all who seek shelter for terror while pretending to seek justice. In Yeshua’s Name we pray.

Slovenia, long counted among Europe’s most hostile governments toward Israel alongside Spain and Ireland, elected a new prime minister over the weekend of May 23–24, 2026: Janez Janša, a known supporter of the communities of Judea and Samaria. In a joint video message recorded with Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, Janša sent warm greetings to the residents of the region, deliberately using the term “Judea and Samaria.”

The gesture marks a striking reversal for Ljubljana. In May 2025, the country officially recognized a Palestinian state, and over the following summer, it imposed an unprecedented ban on imports from Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as well as on arms trade with Israel, becoming the first European nation to adopt such an official boycott. As recently as mid-May 2026, Slovenia’s public broadcaster boycotted the Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation.

Dagan and Janša first met more than a year ago during Janša’s visit to Israel and have stayed in contact since, recently holding a quiet, below-the-radar meeting in Ljubljana to discuss future cooperation. Dagan welcomed the prime minister-elect’s public embrace of the region, telling him he was “choosing the right side of history.” For residents long accustomed to European hostility, a warm word from an incoming European leader stood out as a rare and pointed show of support.

(INN/VFI News)

“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” – Genesis 12:3

A mysterious ancient stone tunnel has been discovered near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel on the southern outskirts of Jerusalem, uncovered during preventative excavations ahead of the construction of a new neighborhood. The Israel Antiquities Authority announced the find on Thursday, May 14, reporting a rock-hewn passage that measures roughly 50 meters (164 feet) long, five meters high, and three meters wide.

“We were excavating in relatively rocky and exposed terrain when suddenly we discovered a natural karstic cavity,” said excavation directors Dr. Sivan Mizrahi and Zinovi Matskevich. “To our amazement, as the excavation progressed, this cavity developed into a long tunnel. Parts of it are still collapsed, so the tunnel has not yet revealed all of its secrets.” After descending an ancient staircase from the surface, the team reached the hewn opening, which had filled with sewage over the course of hundreds or even thousands of years.

The directors marveled at the craftsmanship, noting that whoever carved the passage “invested tremendous effort, careful planning,” and clearly commanded significant resources. Its age remains uncertain, since not a single dating artifact was recovered from within. The site sits only a few hundred meters from two notable landmarks — a First Temple–period public building in the city’s Arnona neighborhood and Tel Ramat Rachel, leaving its true origin a quiet riddle in the hills of Jerusalem.

(JPost/VFI News)

“For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, and show favor to her dust.” – Psalm 102:14

The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.

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