Trump says agreement with Iran 'largely negotiated'

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1:03Look at me. Take a deep breath. No, I'm good. So good. Get a commercial auto insurance quote today at Geico.com and see how much you could save. It feels good to Geico. This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Nick Miles, and in the early hours of Sunday, the 24th of May, these are our main stories. President Trump says a deal with Iran has been largely negotiated, but Tehran warns that key issues like the Strait of Hormuz are far from settled. A man who opened fire near the White House in Washington has died after being shot by Secret Service agents. And the Democratic Republic of Congo says more than 200 people have died now in the latest outbreak of the Ebola virus.

1:50Also in this podcast, a sceptical take on the Pentagon's latest release of UFO files. I think this has been released for political reasons. Really is a shiny object to distract people from what's going on elsewhere. More from him later on.

2:09It has been six weeks now since a ceasefire began between the US and Iran after a month of intense bombing by Washington. After multiple rounds of face-to-face talks to find a resolution, is there now the prospect of a lasting peace agreement? Well, in a post on his Truth Social site, Donald Trump says one has been largely negotiated. It reflected the optimism his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, displayed earlier on Saturday when he spoke to reporters during a trip to India. There's been some progress made. Even as I speak to you now, there's some work being done. There is a chance that whether it's later today, tomorrow, in a couple of days, we may have something to say.

2:48But this issue needs to be solved, as the president said, one way or the other. Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. The straits need to be open without tolls. They need to turn over their highly enriched uranium, need to address the issue of enrichment. These are the president's points consistently, and his preference is always to deal with it in a diplomatic way. For his part, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Bakay, gave this assessment of where things stand.

3:16Our initial intention was to draft a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement comprised of 14 clauses. This memorandum of understanding will address the essential points for ending the imposed war, as well as the fundamental issues for us. Within a reasonable period, the details will be discussed and a final agreement will ultimately be concluded. We are currently in the final stages of finalising these memoranda of understanding. Our correspondent in the US, Peter Bowes, has been telling me more about the US president's take on the negotiations? President Trump says he has spoken and he posted his truth social message, he said, from the Oval Office after speaking to the leaders of several Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, as well as the United Arab Emirates and several others.

4:06And he said that as a result of that, that there was a memo of understanding pertaining to peace. Now, He said this was an agreement that had been largely negotiated, and I think this is the crucial line subject to finalisation between the US and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Another line towards the end of the post caught my eye, in which he says that in addition to many other elements of the agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened. although we're already getting from Iran a contradictory line on that. And they'd previously said that the strait and indeed nuclear weapons were not part of this current round of talks.

4:47But in response to the president's post, Iran making it clear that as far as they're concerned, the strait will remain under their control. And Peter, bearing in mind that this is subject to negotiation with Iran, it seems to me as if we're really not much closer to finalising this, given what you've just been saying about Tehran. That is crucial. Clearly, we could possibly expect that there would be an understanding between the Gulf states and the president in terms of what they would like to see in moving forward. But crucial to this is an agreement with Iran. And we continuously go back to the central argument of President Trump that Iran can never get nuclear weapons.

5:31And then we've got the other issues of what's been happening over the last few weeks in the Strait of Hormuz, the fact that it has really stopped the movement of ships from around the world. It has sent crude oil prices sky high and affected fuel prices for people around the world and especially and significantly here in the United States. All of those issues are linked and it doesn't look as if from what this post is saying that there's any sort of total agreement with Iran to move forward in a way that's acceptable to President Trump. And Peter, earlier on Saturday, Donald Trump said, I will only sign a deal where we get everything we want or we will hit Iran harder than they've ever been hit before.

6:14We're also hearing that the president, the US president, is weighing up his military options still speaking to officials at the White House today. I think the president's been weighing up his military options for weeks now, but significantly over the past week. Remember back on Monday, the president said it was just one hour before he was about to give the command for another attack, a series of strikes on Iran on Tuesday. That didn't happen. And he said that that had occurred because of his talks with Gulf leaders. And clearly, if there were to be another attack by the United States and Iran were to retaliate, it would be those Gulf states that would potentially suffer pretty harshly.

6:53So what those leaders have been saying, I think, have been hitting President Trump quite hard. And he has, I think, been listening to them. But as to whether what they're arguing now and what he wants to see in terms of the long term future are enough to come to some sort of agreement with Iran, with all the caveats that I've just mentioned, it's difficult to see that. Peter Bowes. The opening of the Strait of Hormuz is a crucial component of any eventual deal, because as we've been hearing, the blockage has meant a surge in the price of oil and gas around the world. Nearly 40 commercial ships have now been hit in and around the strait since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.

7:35That's according to a maritime intelligence firm. A sailor who was on board the very first ship to be hit has spoken to the BBC about his frightening ordeal when the ship was attacked, killing two crewmates, including the captain. The BBC has found that the ship was not insured at the time of the strike, meaning the families of those killed are very unlikely to be compensated. Kaylian Devlin has been speaking to Sunil Paneer about what he remembers about the day when the blast happened. I felt the entire ship shake. I thought it was a fault in the engine or the generator or something. But as soon as I left my room to see what was happening, there was another explosion.

8:18Sunil Punea is 26 and this was his first job working on a ship. He was recruited onto an oil tanker called Skylight, which was setting sail for Oman and was right near the straits when it was hit by a missile on March 1st. It became the first commercial ship to be struck after the US-Israel war with Iran erupted. Then there was a complete blackout. and smoke was spreading all over the place. Everyone was having trouble breathing. As he went upon deck, he saw a chaotic and dangerous situation unfolding around him. Oil was scattered on the deck, and the fire started spreading and coming closer to us.

8:59Before the fire could reach us, we jumped overboard and into the sea out of fear that we would not be able to save ourselves. Nearly 40 commercial ships had been struck in the strait. According to the International Maritime Organization, 11 seafarers have been killed so far. Two of those deaths happened on the ship Sunil was on. After jumping into the sea, the Oman Navy sent a ship in to rescue people who had been on board. Yet as Sunil was pulled to safety, he realised his friend Dalip was missing. At that time, everyone was screaming and crying. I was very scared. I didn't know where he was and how he was going to get out.

9:41It hit me. If anything happens to him, what will I say to his family? Dalip, alongside the captain of the ship, did not survive. The ship Sunil was working on, Skylight, was sanctioned by the US in December 2025 for transporting Iranian oil. The BBC has found that after the sanctions were imposed, the vessel lost its insurance. This means the ship had no insurance when it was hit, despite international maritime rules requiring ships to have cover for deaths and injuries. Sunil says he wasn't aware of any of this before boarding. And for the family of those killed, Dalip and the captain, it means compensation is going to be difficult to obtain.

10:27Michelle Bachman is a maritime intelligence analyst at Windward. That's an absolutely horrendous situation for those families to be in. And you're left to the ship owner's conscience. Can you find the ship owner? Usually in these cases, they're nowhere to be seen and they deliberately have structured the ownership company so they're hidden behind layers of Byzantine networks in countries where it's not possible to identify who the person is behind the ship. We tried to contact the owner of the ship, but the email address bounced back and the calls went unanswered. The company also do not appear to have a working website.

11:05Months later, Dalip's family are still waiting for answers. Here's Dalip's cousin, Dabendra. It's been more than two months. We are yet to receive his death certificate, let alone compensation. He says Dalip's mother has taken the news badly. She's also in a state of shock. She doesn't speak much. She just keeps saying, I want my Dalip back, bring my Dalip back. And you can hear more on this story in the podcast currently under fire in the Strait of Hormuz. It's available now wherever you get your podcasts. Back now to the United States. And there's been a big security operation after multiple shots were heard near the White House.

11:49Donald Trump was in residence at the time. The CBS journalist Aaron Navarro was reporting outside when the first shots were heard. President Trump promises the prices will go down. But his grip on Republican support on Capitol Hill is weakening. Well, a suspect was shot by Secret Service agents and later died in hospital. A bystander was also hit by gunfire, but it's not clear how badly that person was hurt. The BBC's Carl Nasman spoke to Aaron Navarro, who we just heard from, when it was safe. To set the scene for the shooting, it happened on the intersection of 17th and Pennsylvania Avenue, right outside the White House grounds.

12:29And there is a gate as well as a security post along with several Secret Service cars in that area. It appears that U.S. Secret Service agents were fired at, though unsuccessfully, and then returned the fire from the shooter that is right outside the White House grounds. I was here on the North Lawn preparing for a live shot when you could hear about 20 to 30 gunshots at points sounding like they were coming from different guns just outside of the grounds. We know that the FBI is on the scene. The FBI Director, Kash Patel, put a statement out on X saying that we will update the public as we are able.

13:06What was the reaction then within the White House grounds? How did authorities then begin to kind of assess the situation? We were in covered tents in an area known as Pebble Beach. It's where all the other TV outlets do their live shots with the White House right behind us. As soon as we heard it, we ducked down and I started to see other reporters starting the run. And you shortly heard Secret Service officers saying, get inside, get inside. We were locked down in the press briefing room for about 30 minutes. Right outside those doors was a Secret Service officer. And then on the north lawn were other Secret Service officers with guns roaming as they were surveying the scene.

13:46And then just beyond the White House grounds where the shooting was, we eventually did see images of ambulances there. As we know that two people were rushed to the hospital. We know President Trump was in the White House. We don't know specifically what room he was in. It almost feels like it's a couple blocks away, maybe one or two, if that's the equivalent. That's the amount of distance between when you get outside the press gates here at the White House and get to the security gate where the shooting was near on that intersection of the West Wing here. It's unclear specifically where President Trump was when it was all happening, whether he even heard it, as it was a good distance.

14:23but being outside, you could definitely hear the rapid rounds that were shot. CBS White House reporter Aaron Navarro speaking to the BBC's Carl Nassman. The Pentagon has released a further batch of previously classified files on alleged UFO sightings to provide what it called unprecedented transparency to the American people. The material includes videos and documents relating to what are now known as UAPs, unidentified anomalous phenomena. But do they bring us any closer to the truth about alien technology or extraterrestrial life? David Clarke is an associate professor at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK, who specialises in the study of folklore and UFOs.

15:06What does he make of the latest tranche of documents released by the Pentagon? I think these are just bits and pieces that have been left over. So what happened was back in March, I think there was eight members of the House of Representatives that had found out that there were 51 UFO videos that were sitting in the Pentagon archive and they asked to see them. So what we're getting to see are those complete sort of melange of other files, some of them dating back to the Second World War. A lot of it has been in the public domain for decades. I think this has been released for political reasons, really as a shiny object to distract people from what's going on elsewhere.

15:44Strange objects moving fast in grainy footage captured by various military platforms. I mean, one I'd like to draw readers' attention to, one that's actually captioned, UFO shot down by F-22 fighter jet over Lake Huron in Michigan. If you Google the date of that video, it's one of the balloons that was shot down in February 2023 in the aftermath of the Americans noticing that the Chinese had flown a spy balloon over the Midwest. And you may remember the hoo-ha about that at the time, that why was it that no one had noticed that there were all these balloons that hadn't been detected by the US Air Defense System, and that's because the radars weren't configured to spot them.

16:27So what we've got here is a video completely lacking in context, labeled UFO, and it's not a UFO, because if you watch the video, it quite clearly shows a balloon with a trail, a string hanging from it. I'm not a fighter pilot, but I can see what that is, and you can see it being shot down, but clearly it isn't a UFO and yet it's been labelled UFO. I think there's a real danger of misleading people as to what they're watching. There clearly are UFOs in existence, there's no doubt about it, because all UFO means is unidentified flying objects, and a lot of the images on this release are unidentified, but they could be like we've just been talking about, balloons.

17:06David Clark of Sheffield Hallam University and the author of Space Age Folklore. Still to come in this podcast, as the curtain comes down on the Cannes Film Festival, we look back at how it went. No Hollywood films, fewer Hollywood stars. It did just feel slightly underpowered compared to recent Cannes festivals, but I do think we're coming off a bumper few years.

17:39This is the Global News Podcast. The number of people who've died in the latest Ebola epidemic in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has now risen to over 200. As cases rise there, African health officials have warned that there's a risk that it will spread to 10 countries, partly because of the porous nature of the borders in that part of Africa. Our correspondent Thomas Nadi is following events from Ghana. That is quite concerning because the African CDC, that is the Africa Centers for Disease Control, held a press conference in Kampala. That's when they warned that 10 African countries were at risk of the Ebola virus.

18:19And we know that in Uganda, three new cases were recorded on Saturday and bringing the total number of cases in that country to five. But the efforts to contain this spread has been hampered by lack of resources in terms of funding. The African CDC is appealing for about$300 million to be able to contain the spread of the virus. And Thomas, the officials in the DRC are taking steps to try to reduce that spread by banning flights in and out of a key town, aren't they? Yes, the DRC Transport Ministry issued a statement on Saturday suspending flights in Borneo, that is the capital of the Ituri province, one of the epic centres of this particular outbreak.

19:07And their reason is to prevent any cross-border spread of the epidemic and to guarantee the health and safety of passengers and airport staff. So this particular suspension is indefinite, but they've indicated that when it comes to emergency medical and humanitarian flights, it will be assessed by case by case. So it's quite rare for the government to take such an initiative or such a decision. In previous outbreaks, it was the airlines that took the decisions themselves. And a sign of quite how worried people around the world are about Ebola comes in the form of what people are saying that the DRC football team must do ahead of the World Cup in America.

19:52The US executive of the White House Task Force for the World Cup has been quoted as saying that the team will have to isolate for 21 days and they will not be allowed into the US if they fail to do so. The Congolese team is currently in Belgium training. They have their first game against Portugal on 17th in Houston. But it's important to stress that most of the professional footballers are based in Europe. It's just a few of the officials that are coming from the DRC, and they are already in Belgium for the training ahead of the World Cup. And so the officials are saying that there's no need for them to self-isolate.

20:33but it looks like the US authorities want to really enforce that particular directive. Thomas Nardi. The security forces in Bolivia have used heavy machinery to clear roadblocks set up by anti-government protesters and to allow food, medicines and other goods to enter the main city of La Paz. However, in some areas, protesters have regrouped and reimposed the barricades, leading to clashes with police. Our global affairs reporter, Ambrasan Etarajan, has more details.

21:07Bulldozers were deployed to clear rocks and concrete pillars from the roads to allow food trucks and ambulances to transit the highways leading to the main city of La Paz. Bolivian police and soldiers escorted some of the vehicles, which had oystered white flags. In some areas, like Senkata, clashes broke out after protesters regrouped and blocked the roads again. Protests have paralyzed the Andean nation since early May, demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz over his government's austerity measures and economic policies. The center-right president came to power in November with a promise to end Bolivia's worst economic crisis in four decades.

21:48His decision to scrap long-standing fuel subsidies to preserve foreign currency reserves has raised living costs. Trade unions have demanded wage increases and improved fuel supplies. Amrassan Etirajan, a landmark revision to Japan's civil code has come into effect and it's allowed divorced couples to share custody of their children for the first time in the country's history. Japan had stood as the only G7 nation not to recognise the legal concept of joint custody. While some parents hope the change will mean more time with their kids, Critics, including survivors of abuse, warn it could allow violent spouses a route back into their lives.

22:31Our Japan correspondent Kurumi Mori reports. I've come to an Avenger playground in a small city about an hour's drive north of Tokyo. I've come to meet John, who doesn't want us to use his real name because he's in legal proceedings. Two years ago, John's ex-partner suddenly left their home with their 8 - and 10-year-old children. And since then, he's only been able to see them once a month or once every two months. So he's hoping the new law will enable him to get joint custody and transform life for himself and his kids. This part means a lot to me and my kids. We spend a lot of time here playing.

23:10Right now, they're not here, but I can still hear their voices and I can still see their smiles. I think the kids should be able to have a relationship with the dad and the mom equally. So the new law, I think, is moving towards that direction. Parents like John see the new law as hope that their situation will change for the better. Japan is really late. Seiya Sato, a family lawyer at Setagaya International Law Office based in Tokyo, says several of his clients are now pursuing joint custody. It's a difficult legal system for the parents who cannot make agreement together. But for those who are already amicable, it's very good for them to have an option to choose joint custody.

23:56So I'm 100 % sure it's a good change to our society. But not everyone agrees with Sato. Protests flared up in March 2024, when Japan's parliament passed the changes to its civil code, allowing the option of joint custody. Some question if family courts will reliably be able to detect domestic abuse and whether or not the law could force contact with abusive partners. Chisato Kitanaka is co-head of the All Japan Women's Shelter Network. I think there are many perpetrators waiting in the wings, ready to file petitions for joint custody. In cases where there seems to be a risk of domestic violence or child abuse, we want to spread the word that it's better not to choose joint custody.

24:47Ryo Suzuki and Taro Suzuki are mother and son whose names and voices we have changed to protect their identities. Ryo says she spent years trying to shield herself and her kids from her ex-husband, describing abuse that included being choked against the wall, beaten and dragged by her hair. It's really scary. When I got so custody, I used to think it would be OK from here on out. But now there's the possibility that we might still be tied together. She fears the new law could allow her ex-husband to come back into their lives by seeking joint custody of her 15-year-old daughter, pulling her back into mediation and legal battle.

25:29Her son, Taro, is now 18 years old, which means he is no longer under his parents' guardianship. But he's worried about his father coming back into their lives and told me the abuse he says he also endured from his father has left him traumatized. I wish he didn't exist in this world. I even wish my mother and father had never met and had never been born. I really think this is a law that shouldn't exist. Now, the court's ruling on custody cases will have to strike a delicate balance between preserving a child's relationship with both parents and protecting the vulnerable. Back at the neighborhood park, John stares longingly at the playground where he once played with his kids.

26:11I want to see them grow. I just hope that we can rectify the situation just as soon as possible, so then I get to grow with them. Though his divorce is not yet finalized, John is hanging on to hope that under Japan's new law, he may once again be part of his children's everyday lives. Kurumi Mori reporting from Japan. Now let's go to the French Riviera, where this year's winner of the Palme d 'Or, one of the film world's most prestigious awards, was announced on Saturday at the end of the 79th Cannes Film Festival. It went to the Norwegian-based film Fjord and is the second time that a film directed by the Romanian director Christiane Mungu has won the Palme d 'Or.