hyderabad 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 | P9 ■ ■ 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 Virasat Bhi, Vikas Bhi Banned Telegram moves HC U d aya n K i s h o r e & R a k e s 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 sought a stay on the order temporarily restricting access to the messaging app ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination. 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. “I have given examples and shared them. There are many channels. What is being projected and what is being circulated is that if you give me this much amount, I will give you 5 questions,” Mehta said. The court listed the matter for hearing on Thursday . Construction of the Grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya Transformation of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Mahakal Mahalok and Kedarnath Dham Vishwas ke, Vikas ke, Jan-Kalyan ke CBC 44101/13/0005/2627 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 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 Indo prefix axed from name of US Pacific Command J a v a r i 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 n t 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- 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- Buoyed by reaction to TPS, CM pledges one in each constituency 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 the two countries were to 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. E x p r e ss N e ws S e r v i c e @ Hyderabad SBI lays claim to land TGIIC sold for `1K cr Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday announced that Telangana Public Schools (TPS) will be established in every Assembly constituency to provide quality education and nurture sporting talent, with the aim of producing future Olympians and leaders. Inaugurating the TPS at Arutla in Rangareddy district, the chief minister said the initiative was aimed at reviving the public education system and bringing out talented students with immense potential. He also took a swipe at the opposition BRS, warning that it could lose its status as the principal opposition party in the next Assembly elections if it continued to level what he described as false allegations against the government. Revanth urged political opponents to visit the Arutla campus and assess the government’s efforts to strengthen public education. Addressing the gathering, he dedicated the school to students The SBI has approached the Telangana High Court challenging the auction of a five-acre land parcel in Hyderabad’s Knowledge City, Raidurg, which was sold by the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) last month for more than `1,038 crore. The matter came up before Justice NV Shravan Kumar on Tuesday through a lunch-motion hearing. SBI filed two writ petitions questioning the state government’s refusal to grant additional time for construction of its proposed twin-tower office complex on Plot No. 1A in Survey No. 83/1 of Hyderabad Knowledge City and the subsequent steps taken by the authorities to auction the land. The disputed property forms part of a 5.09-acre parcel in Raidurg Panmaktha that was auctioned by TGIIC on June 1 under the state’s asset monetisation programme. The auction generated `1,038.36 crore, with the land fetching about `204 crore per acre.  continued on p4 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. Uddhav Sena stares at split, issues whip P REE T HA NAIR @ New Delhi 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 was issued to all nine 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 development came amid Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut’s allegation that MPs were being offered `50 crore to switch sides. Sources said a letter signed by the six rebel MPs has already been submitted to the Speaker and a formal announcement of the merger with the Shinde-led Sena will be made later. According to sources, the six MPs are Sanjay Jadhav, Bhausaheb Wakchaure, Sanjay Deshmukh, Nagesh Patil Ashtikar, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, and Sanjay Patil. MPs from the Uddhav camp who met Birla are Arvind Sawant, Sanjay Raut, and Anil Desai. Speaking to reporters, Anil Desai said: “Rebels can’t merge with a party even if they have the support of twothirds of MPs. Only the original party can merge.”  P8 Messi threeller Kylian Mbappe further enhanced his own legacy by scoring a brace of goals in the second half against Senegal. Erling Haaland, playing his first ever World Cup match, scored a brace against Iraq. On Wednesday, DR Congo held Portugal to a 1-1 draw. T G N a i d u @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the inauguration of the Telangana Public School at Arutla in Rangareddy district on Wednesday of government institutions across Telangana and said the same spirit would benefit the 27 lakh students studying in government schools statewide. “We are strengthening government schools based on the recommendations of the Telangana Education Commission. Already 1,814 students have en, rolled in the Arutla TPS. It is a matter of pride that a govern- ment school has had to put up a ‘No Admission’ board because of overwhelming demand,” he said. The chief minister praised the school’s teachers for competing with corporate educational institutions and said the TPS initiative reflected the government’s commitment to rebuilding a neglected education system.  continued on P4 Mbappe, Haaland join party 16 Messi equalled Miroslav Klose’s all-time goalscoring record in men’s World Cups 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 impervious 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 E x p r e s s Re a d 12 booked for ragging at OMC hostel Hyderabad: An FIR was registered against 12 finalyear students of the Government Dental College and Hospital for ragging in the Osmania Medical College hostel. First-year students said they were woken up in the middle of the night and asked to fetch cigarettes and liquor, among other errands | p2 SIT to probe ‘rich kids trap’ case Hyderabad: City police commissioner VC Sajjanar has constituted an SIT to probe the Jubilee Hills ‘rich kids trap’ case. Five cases have been registered so far, with nine persons named as accused. Police found a network in which the accused projected themselves as wealthy and targeted girls from affluent families | p3