U.S. Eases Sanctions on Iran’s Oil

U.S. Eases Sanctions on Iran’s Oil

In a major reversal of U.S. policy, the Trump administration announced today that it was suspending oil sanctions against Iran for 60 days. The temporary move could provide Iran with an economic boost by allowing it to increase oil exports, begin charging market prices and gain better access to U.S. currency.

The exemption was the result of “ongoing productive” peace talks in Switzerland between the U.S. and Iran, according to Scott Bessent, secretary of the Treasury. Vice President JD Vance, who has been leading the negotiations for the U.S., said that Tehran had agreed to invite U.N. inspectors back to Iran’s nuclear sites.

Vance called the development — which echoes part of the Obama-era deal with Iran that President Trump tore up in his first term — “a major milestone,” but a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Iran said that it had made “no new commitments” regarding nuclear inspections.

Here’s what else we learned from the first round of talks.

In other news from the region, Israel and Hezbollah appeared to maintain a tense cease-fire in Lebanon, where fighting had complicated U.S.-Iran peace talks.

Keir Starmer, Britain’s prime minister, announced his resignation today, acknowledging that he could no longer hold off a long-simmering mutiny inside his Labour Party. His departure from office, later this summer, will extend a period of political turmoil that began around the time voters chose to leave the European Union in 2016.

His likely successor is Andy Burnham, a popular former mayor of Manchester. Here’s what to know about him.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has restored the 2017 kidnapping and murder conviction of a man accused in the killing of Etan Patz, a 6-year-old boy whose 1979 abduction in Manhattan reshaped American childhoods.

The court’s unsigned ruling today reversed a federal court’s decision that had reopened the case against the man, Pedro Hernandez. Although the opinion of that court “appears to reflect serious doubt about the reliability of Hernandez’s confessions,” the majority wrote, the court overstepped its bounds by undoing a state court conviction. The three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — dissented.


Alan Greenspan was the pre-eminent economic policymaker of his time. He led the Federal Reserve under four presidents, from 1987 to 2006, establishing himself as a powerful and polarizing force in shaping market-friendly policies. He died today at 100; read about his life here.

Greenspan’s record remains a subject of intense debate, especially after the financial collapse of 2008, but his influence is unquestioned. In some important ways, the new Fed chair is carrying on his legacy.


  • Washington: Current and former officials said the acting director of national intelligence was planning to announce major cuts. Democrats responded with a warning.

  • Ukraine: Thousands have fled the Donbas, as Russia bombs the country’s last strongholds in the region, while Ukraine’s forces try to cut off Crimea with an air campaign.

  • Los Angeles: Months after the F.B.I. raided his home and office in connection with an inquiry into the school district’s dealings with an A.I. start-up, the superintendent resigned.

  • Colombia: Abelardo De La Espriella, a Trump-backed lawyer, appeared to win the presidential race, which could give the U.S. a bigger role in combating its drug cartels.

  • Health: A patent loophole makes a generic version of a breakthrough cystic fibrosis drug, manufactured in Bangladesh, available for a fraction of its $346,000 price.

  • Europe: Much of the continent is under high-level warnings for extreme heat. Parts of France, Spain and England could reach 104 Fahrenheit or higher.

  • Trucks: American vehicles are getting bigger. A Times investigation found that the trend has caused about 3,000 deaths from 2016 to 2024.

  • New Jersey: Lt. Ricardo Santos, a state police officer who provided security for at least three former governors, faced questions about his judgment and conduct before he became the primary suspect in a double murder-suicide.

  • Marriage: Rates of “gray divorce” — splits among those 50 and older — have risen sharply in the U.S. and now represent nearly 40 percent of divorces.

The Argentine superstar Lionel Messi entered his sixth World Cup this month with nothing left to prove. He was already considered the greatest soccer player ever, and he turns 39 this week — an age at which most top-level players are already retired. Nevertheless, Messi has been sensational.

This afternoon, in Dallas, he scored his 17th World Cup goal, a new men’s record. An hour later, he added a second goal to break the overall record held by Marta, the captain of the Brazilian women’s team. “It’s quite hard to explain,” Argentina’s manager said. “We’re still amazed by him, even though we get to see him on a daily basis.”


The National Library of France recently announced the discovery of a 44-page notebook documenting Mozart’s efforts to teach the daughter of a duke how to compose great music. Inside were seven previously unknown works for flute and harp that experts believe to have been substantially written by Mozart for her to complete as an exercise.

The pieces — described by the scholar who found them as “worthy of living” — were performed publicly for the first time yesterday. Listen to a snippet here.


Elis James is a Welsh comedian and radio host who believes he has a friend in common with just about everyone in his home country of 3.2 million people. Don’t believe him? He will try to prove it to you in just 60 seconds.

Here’s how it works: While live on the radio, James takes calls from random Welsh listeners. Then, he will ask the callers questions — how old they are, where they went to school — to find connections. Amazingly, he’s able to name a mutual friend about half the time. The bit has made James something of a household name in Wales.

Have a chatty evening.


Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow — Matthew

Eli Cohen was our photo editor.

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