KOCHI l thursday l june 18, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION U.S. officials reveal text of Interim agreement with Iran Senior American officials dictated the memorandum of understanding with Iran to journalists Wednesday after days of secrecy Iran to open strait, dilute enriched uranium $300 bn fund for Iran reconstruction The interim agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow Iranian oil sales. The US will waive, but not eliminate, some wide-ranging sanctions against Iran. As for the issue of enriched uranium, Iran has agreed to down blend its stockpile. Down blending or diluting involves mixing enriched uranium with depleted uranium to reduce its radioactivity ■ ■ Another key point is that the United States and its allies would make plans for a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran Ending uncertainty over Lebanon, the deal calls for “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.” Israel has continued to bomb Lebanon in recent days 60 days How long the U.s. and Iran have to strike a final deal CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Telegram moves HC amid govt pushback Modi urges max priority to seafarers’ safety in bilateral talks with Trump Stresses strategic importance of keeping Hormuz open; trade deal very close, says US President U d aya n K is h o re & R a kes h K u m a r @ New Delhi The Centre on Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that there are “shocking activities” happening on Telegram after the messaging platform moved the court seeking a stay on the government order temporarily restricting access to the messaging app ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-exam. Telegram argued that the government should order the blocking of specific channels or groups rather than banning the entire platform, which has around 150 million users in India. “Just because some things are bad, you cannot block the entire platform,” the counsel said, adding the company has been fully cooperative with the authorities. Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta countered Telegram’s argument, saying that simply blocking individual channels is ineffective. “If the court posts the matter tomorrow, then there is something shocking I can show. One channel starts, it is prohibited, and then another is started. And with a QR code, you can make a payment. This is continuous,” he said. Mehta told the court that the government had repeatedly warned Telegram about “shocking activities” happening on the platform. The court listed the matter for hearing on Thursday . 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express Indo prefix axed from name of US Pacific Command J a v a ri a R a n a @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Donald Trump during a bilateral meet on the sidelines of the G7 Summit | AFP J aya nt h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday placed the safety of Indian seafarers at the centre of discussions on restoring peace and stability in West Asia, saying he was confident the issue would receive the “highest priority” in implementing a new agreement between the US and Iran aimed at ending the recent conflict, during his first bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump in 16 months on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. “You are aware that across the world, Indian seafarers and hundreds of thousands are working and performing their duties across global maritime trade routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, and their safety is of utmost importance to us,” Modi said. The PM linked the protection of seafarers directly to the implementation of the agreement between the US and Iran. “You made tremendous efforts to- infra upgrades under way Shoranur-M’luru section on track to hit 130kmph S h ya m P V @Palakkad WORK IN PROGRESS Train journeys along Kerala’s busy northern rail corridor could become faster and more efficient, with the Palakkad railway division pressing ahead with major multiple infrastructure upgrades aimed at increasing the maximum permissible speed on the Shoranur-Mangaluru section from 110 kmph to 130 kmph, hopefully in two years. As part of the ongoing capacity augmentation programme, the division is constructing six loop lines in as many locations and four holding yards along the Shoranur-Mangaluru section. Railway officials said the work is intended to improve train handling capacity, facilitate crossings and overtakes, and support the broader programme to raise the maximum permissible speed on the route from the present 110 kmph to 130 kmph. “Southern Railway has been undertaking extensive track, signalling and safety upgrades on the route to enable higher- Railways aims to increase maximum permissible speed to 130 kmph on the Shoranur–Mangaluru section 6 new loop lines and four holding yards to be developed at several locations as part of capacity enhancement work Upgrading of RoBs, double distance Ties expanding on multiple fronts Trump said bilateral relations were expanding across multiple fronts, highlighting economic growth and investment flows between the two countries. “A lot of things are happening between the US and India. And the US is doing the best we’ve ever done.” wards reaching this understanding and this agreement,” he said. “I’m confident that the issue of seafarers will receive the highest priority during the implementation of this agreement,” Modi said in the backdrop of mounting concerns over the safety of Indian seafarers in West Asia, including the deaths of three Indian nationals in a US strike on a tanker off the Oman coast. Asked about the deaths of Indian sailors in US Navy strikes, Trump said: “It’s a rough pro- fession. This has been happening throughout time. I love all of those people,” Trump said. Modi also stressed the strategic importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. The waterway is among the world’s most critical energy and trade chokepoints, carrying 20% of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. Trump praised Modi as a “very tough negotiator.” Responding to questions on how close are two countries in finalising a trade deal, Trump said, “Very close. We have been there for a little while. He is a very tough negotiator; one of the toughest.” He then added, “He is the most beautiful looking man, he looks so nice, he is like an angel. But actually he is just tough, he is a killer… He looks so good, he gets you by surprise.” Trump said the US would support India in the event of an attack, even without a formal mutual defence treaty, while describing bilateral defence ties as strong. The Trump administration has renamed its largest unified military command from the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) back to the US Pacific Command (PACOM), reversing an eight-year-old designation that had come to symbolise India’s growing role in Washington’s strategic thinking. The US said on Tuesday that the command would revert to the name it carried from 1947, adding the change was limited to nomenclature. USPACOM’s area of responsibility, stretching from the US West Coast to India’s western border, remains unchanged, as does its stated mission of working with allies and partners to maintain a free and open regional order. The announcement came a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. The 2018 renaming had explicitly referred to the “increasing connectivity between the Indian and Pacific oceans.” It came as the first Trump administration was advancing its Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy amid growing competition with China. The change also coincided with the revival of the Quad. Questions over the future of the “IndoPacific” formulation had emerged last month during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where Secretary of War Pete Hegseth repeatedly referred to the “Pacific” while outlining Washington’s regional approach. India was described as a “critical anchor” in South Asia, a formulation that some observers noted differed from the broader language used by previous US administrations. Messi threeller Mbappe, Haaland join party Kylian Mbappe further enhanced his own legacy by scoring a brace of goals in the second half against Senegal. He moved to 14 goals, just two behind Messi and Klose. Erling Haaland, playing his first ever World Cup match, scored a brace against Iraq. 16 Messi equalled Miroslav Klose’s all-time goalscoring record in men’s World Cups signalling works and track sleeper renewal works also under way A substantial portion of the speed upgrading work already completed. Authorities hopeful of making ready the section for speed trial by end of 2027 speed operations and improve punctuality A substantial por. tion of the speed upgrading work on the corridor has already been completed. More loop lines and holding yards mean the tracks can accommodate more train services — both passenger and goods. The loop line at Edakkad railway station is already sanctioned and five loop lines in other locations will be sanctioned very soon,” said a senior officer with the Palakkad division.  ● More on P4 State continues with PM SHRI, but sets terms E x press N ews S ervi c e @T’Puram Despite its earlier opposition towards the central scheme, the UDF, which has returned to power in Kerala, is set to continue with the PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) scheme, albeit with certain terms. Chief Minister V D Satheesan said the government is “compelled” to continue with the PM SHRI scheme as the previous LDF administration had signed an agreement with the Union government for its implementation and already availed central funds under the programme. He said the state would implement PM SHRI on certain conditions. “We will ensure complete autonomy of the state in deciding the curriculum under the scheme. Also, the authority to select schools for the implementation of the scheme will also remain with the state government,” he said. The CPM, meanwhile, came down heavily on the UDF government for “retracting from its earlier promise”. It alleged that the move to implement PM SHRI was part of a CongressBJP deal. Briefing reporters after a meeting of the state cabinet on Wednesday, the chief minister said a cabinet sub-committee had been constituted to study matters related to the implementation of PM SHRI. The subcommittee, which will prepare the communication to be forwarded to the Union government, will have General Education Minister N Samsudheen as the convener and Higher Education Minister Roji M John, Tourism Minister P C Vishnunadh and Excise Minister M Liju as members. “Kerala is already part of the PM SHRI scheme and the state will safeguard its rights and powers under the programme without compromising on them,” the chief ● More on P4 minister said.  Uddhav Sena stares at split, issues whip P R E E T HA N A I R @ New Delhi Lionel Messi struck his first ever World Cup hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria. His wasn’t the only big performance from the big hitters on Tuesday. A look Long-ranger tops ’em all Lionel Messi was at his imperious best as he hit a hat-trick for Argentina. The attacker went through some of his biggest hits including a goal from outside the box. Today’s Group A: Czechia vs South Africa 9.30 PM, Mexico vs South Korea 6.30 AM* matches Group B: Switzerland vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, 12.30 AM*, Canada vs Qatar 3.30 AM* * IST Friday LIVE on Unite8 Sports & Zee5 express read 1 more Shigella death reported in state T’Puram: A 75-year-old woman from Malappuram, who died on Tuesday, was confirmed to have contracted Shigella infection, taking the death toll in June to six in the state. As many as 11 new cases were reported on Wednesday — three in Malappuram, two each in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Kozhikode, and one each in Ernakulam and Kannur districts. P5 KSEB to impose power restrictions Kochi: Keralites will have to endure power restrictions during evening hours for the next 15 days as the state is facing a power crisis. A review meeting chaired by the electricity minister has decided to impose power curbs between 6 pm and midnight from June 17 to 30. The storage in KSEB reservoirs has depleted to 21% and the state is facing deficit monsoon due to El Nino effect. P5 IN a rerun of the Trinamool Congress crisis, leaders of Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) as well as the rebel faction met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla separately on Wednesday, each staking claim to legitimacy . While the UBT camp urged the Speaker to prevent unlawful defections, the rebel group is learnt to have claimed the support of six MPs. As crisis deepened amid rumours of six MPs having switched to the ruling Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, a three-line whip has been issued to all nine Sena (UBT) MPs, directing them to attend a meeting of its parliamentary party on Thursday . The party may initiate disqualification proceedings against those who fail to attend the meeting, sources said. The development came amid Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut’s allegation that some MPs were being offered as much as `50 crore to switch sides. Sources said a letter signed by the rebel MPs has been submitted to Speaker and an announcement of the merger with Shinde-led Sena will be made later.