CNN Senior International Correspondent and Anchor
Joined March 2009
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
Qalibaf spiking the football
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Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf:
“Everything we sought to achieve through military action was secured several times over at the negotiating table, in a way that cannot even be compared.”
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
🇮🇱🇺🇸🇮🇷Netanyahu fumes, allies rage over Trump's Iran deal. My story on @axios
axios.com/2026/06/18/israel-…
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
President Pezeshkian and his US counterpart Trump signed the MoU between Tehran and Washington digitally and remotely.
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
A senior US official told reporters on a call today that the US & Iran have secured a “gentleman’s agreement” about certain aspects of the negotiations.
“I think we have a lot of understandings in our discussions, and that’s what I call a gentleman’s agreement,” the senior US official said. “We will get in this weekend and try to see what that means, and if we’re able to come to a good place, and we’ll continue the discussion, so they could break off at any time.”
Jun 16
“People shouldn’t read too much into the language of the MOU,” one US official told me, describing the agreement as a “political document.”
“What’s more important than the actual document is the understandings we have with each other... We came up with language that allows (Iran) to say what they need to say for their domestic politics.”
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
The text of the Iran agreement includes a single paragraph related to Iran’s nuclear program, but the wording spells out a minimum standard by which Iran will neutralize its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
It specifies a “minimum methodology” of down-blending the near-bomb-grade uranium with lower grade material under supervision from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog.
A senior US official said that method was a “floor” in their expectations for the material.
“We will push for more than that,” the official said.
Trump has said over the past week that the US would take possession of the uranium, though the text does not specify that. via @Kevinliptakcnn
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the idea of a memorandum of understanding between the Iranian and U.S. presidents is being considered.
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Thank you, Lindsey. The President’s coalition is uniting behind his leadership and vision for a safer, more peaceful and prosperous world.
I just had a very lengthy and productive discussion with @SEPeaceMissions @SteveWitkoff about the state of play regarding Iran.
After this discussion, it is my opinion that signing the MOU will be beneficial to the United States, in as much as the Strait of Hormuz will begin to open, and the hostilities with Iran will stop.
Whether or not the United States can reach an acceptable, verifiable deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program and other issues is yet to be determined, but I see little downside to trying.
The economic stability that comes from opening up the Strait and the cessation of hostilities could create a pathway to peace well beyond the Iranian conflict.
The expansion of the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel is President Trump’s and my ultimate goal. I think that is best achieved by creating economic stability for the United States, the region and the world, as well as the cessation of hostilities. The signing of the MOU is an essential step to make that happen and thus it is worthwhile.
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
Language on the $300 billion reconstruction fund and termination of Iran sanctions within the MOU:
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
Iran’s commitment to win-win cooperation underpinned by comprehensive strategic partnership with China is resolute.
In my meeting with the Iran Chamber of Commerce, I emphasized: We are determined to translate our strategic consensus under the GDI into pragmatic outcomes.🇮🇷🤝🇨🇳
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
"One thing I observed in this conflict is in the way the US and Iran dealt with each other -- the US seemed to be much more the country that had an absolute leader rather than Iran."
@fpleitgenCNN talks Iran w/@TVietor08 on this week's Pod Save the World
crooked.com/podcast/how-bad-…
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
I also had a fascinating conversation with @fpleitgenCNN about his most recent trip to Iran (and dozens of previous visits), the impact of the war on Iranian civilians, the economic cost, what we know about the new Iranian leadership and how you set up a reporting trip to Iran.
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
Jun 17
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised "total victory" three years ago.
It looks like it's Iran that has more of a claim to "total victory" based on this text.
cnn.com/2026/06/17/middleeas…
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
Jun 17
The agreement between Iran and the US lays out the terms of the ceasefire between the bitter rivals, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, some financial relief for Iran and a reiteration from Tehran that it will never produce a nuclear weapon, according to a draft copy of the text obtained by CNN. cnn.it/3SKWuxq
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
Jun 17
We obtained a copy of the agreement between Iran and the US. The 14-point MOU lays out the terms of the ceasefire between the bitter rivals, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, some financial relief for Iran and a reiteration from Tehran that it will never produce a nuclear weapon
Read the text reporting —> w/ @Kevinliptakcnn @MostafaSalemCNN cnn.com/2026/06/17/middleeas…
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NEW: Stocks up. Oil down. President Trump says that's the clearest sign yet that the proposed Iran deal is being welcomed by investors.
Speaking about the agreement, Trump highlighted a market rally, declining energy prices, and progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz after weeks of uncertainty.
"The stock market has gone through the roof and oil has come tumbling down."
He argued the deal delivers economic stability while also keeping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
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Jun 17
RT @CNN: The agreement between Iran and the US lays out the terms of the ceasefire between the bitter rivals, the reopening of the Strait o…
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
Jun 16
Israel asked the US to see the text of the Iran agreement and was rejected, an Israeli source tells CNN
Great reporting from @talshalev1 cnn.com/2026/06/16/world/liv…
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Jun 17
This is exceptional reporting by @alaynatreene - highly recommend
Jun 16
NEW: A deeply reported look inside the internal conversations that led to the US-Iran agreement, including Trump officials' skepticism of Iran honoring its commitments, those who voiced opposition, and how much of it came to a consensus on wanting to end the war
‘We want to get this thing over with’: How Trump officials overcame skepticism of Iran to reach an agreement
cnn.com/2026/06/16/politics/…
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
Jun 16
“Losing control of the strait will be the biggest blunder of this era because it is a card the US cannot counter without going all in,” a fourth source involved with the military planning for the war said. “Now there is no way to undo the strait without amassing a massive force.”
Jun 16
Recent US intel assessments underscore the lasting impact of Trump’s decision to initiate the conflict without fully accounting for Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz & raise fresh questions about Tehran’s ability to weaponize global economy in future.
cnn.com/2026/06/16/politics/…
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Frederik Pleitgen retweeted
Jun 16
NEW: US negotiators are working to quickly release the text of the agreement between Washington & Tehran, even as they downplay the significance of the specific language in the document, US officials tell me @Kevinliptakcnn
The officials described the text of the MOU as incredibly vague, mainly intended to create a more favorable environment for the highly technical, in-person talks to come. They added that the framework is aimed at providing Iran the ability to sell it politically to their internal audience.
Inside the language cnn.com/2026/06/16/politics/…
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