PDB Afternoon Bulletin | July 2nd, 2025: Israel Agrees To Trump's Push For A Gaza Ceasefire & Iran Suspends Cooperation With The UN's Nuclear Watchdog
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It's Wednesday, the 2nd of July. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to the White House next week, President Trump says Israel has agreed to an updated proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. But of course, the question is, will Hamas finally accept the terms? We'll have the latest developments.

Later in the show, as questions still linger regarding the status of Iran's nuclear facilities and enriched uranium stockpiles, the Islamic regime has announced that it will indefinitely suspend any cooperation with the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency. But first, today's afternoon spotlight.

We begin with an update on the war in Gaza, as hopes are rekindled for a ceasefire that could bring a permanent end to the protracted conflict. Now, I would caution that we've heard talk of rekindled hopes for a ceasefire many times in the past, and obviously, well, nothing got kindled or even rekindled. There's been no kindling of any sort.

But the Trump administration, fresh off brokering a truce between Israel and Iran, announced Tuesday that leaders in Jerusalem have tentatively agreed to an updated proposal from Qatari mediators for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. Now, the proposal would reportedly free 10 of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and allow time for broader negotiations on a more lasting accord that would bring the rest of the hostages home.

But President Trump stressed that it would be the, quote, final proposal offered to Hamas and urged the terror group to accept, warning that if they don't, quote, it will only get worse. As a reminder, there are still 50 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, though Israel believes roughly half are deceased.

Trump announced the potential breakthrough following several hours of meetings at the White House on Tuesday between Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, a close confidant, by the way, of Prime Minister Netanyahu, and White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance were also part of the discussions,

according to our report from Axios, during which Dermer said that Israel accepts the Qatari proposal and is ready to begin indirect talks with Hamas on finalizing the terms. Now, Trump took to Truth Social to deliver the news, saying, quote, Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60-day ceasefire, during which time we'll work with all parties to end the war. The president added, quote, I

I hope for the good of the Middle East that Hamas takes this deal because it will not get better."

Now, while details remain scant, an Israeli official said it would involve the partial withdrawal of IDF forces from Gaza and a surge in humanitarian aid to the territory. The proposal was handed off to Hamas officials on Wednesday morning, who said they were reviewing the terms and will meet with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo later in the day for further discussions. But, given Hamas' history of torpedoing peace talks,

It would surprise a total of no one if they reject these terms as well. Look, I'm not sure how it could be made any clearer, but it appears over the years that the only thing Hamas cares about is remaining in power. They are a guns and money operation that could care less about the people of Gaza. So, any deal that calls for their removal from power stands essentially, well, no chance of taking hold.

And Israel has been consistent and insistent that any peace deal must ensure the removal of Hamas from power. So, not to sound hopelessly cynical, but I'm hard-pressed to see why anybody's hopes are yet again being rekindled.

A senior official with Hamas said Wednesday they are, quote, ready and serious, oh, regarding reaching an agreement, but once again stressed that any deal must lead to a complete and permanent withdrawal of Israeli forces. Hamas has refused to budge from this position, while Israel continues to maintain that any agreement must remove Hamas from power, dismantle their military wing, and exile their leadership from the enclave.

Israel would reportedly like to see Gaza administered by local Palestinian officials with the backing of Arab states, including Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

But President Trump appears determined to at least try to bridge the divide. Trump's truth social statement was telling as it put an emphasis on working with both sides to permanently end the conflict. The proposal from Qatar will reportedly include assurances from the U.S. about talks to end the war, though an Israeli official said they've not committed to that aspect of the draft ceasefire.

Regardless, Trump projected optimism on Tuesday, declaring, quote, I think we'll have a deal next week. Now, the president said he'd be, quote, very firm with Netanyahu on the need for a deal, but added that he believes the Israeli leader shares his desire for a diplomatic resolution.

For his part, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated on Wednesday his call for the elimination of the terrorist organization. Netanyahu said, quote, There will not be a Hamas. We're not going back to that. It's over. We will free all our hostages, end quote. Now, a senior Israeli official also told Axios that if the current negotiations don't progress, they will significantly escalate their operations inside Gaza.

The official warned, quote, will do to Gaza City and the central camps what we did to Rafah. Everything will turn to dust. It's not our preferred option, but if there's no movement toward a hostage deal, we won't have any other choice, end quote. Up next, Iran moves to suspend any cooperation on their nuclear program with the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency. I'll be right back.

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Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. With the fate of its nuclear program still in question after US and Israeli airstrikes, Iran has announced it's now suspending any further cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency . The move risks the further unraveling of what little oversight there was of a program already enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels.

The decision was handed down today by Iranian President Massoud Pazeshkian and formalized through legislation approved by the Guardian Council, giving it the force of law. State media made it clear that the conditions for resuming cooperation were far from simple. According to Iranian television, the legislation stipulates that engagement with the IAEA will remain halted, quote, until certain conditions are met, including the guaranteed security of nuclear facilities and scientists, end quote.

The measure reportedly also had backing from the Supreme National Security Council, which Pozeshkin himself chairs. Still, regime officials insist diplomacy isn't entirely off the table. In an interview with CBS News, the Islamic Republic's Foreign Minister, Abbas Aradji, responded to President Trump's suggestion that nuclear talks could begin as early as this week.

stating, quote, I don't think negotiations will start as quickly as that, before adding that, quote, the doors of diplomacy will never slam shut. Well, those doors may not be entirely shut, but it's close. So far, the UN watchdog says it's not received formal clarification from Iran on their decision. A diplomat familiar with the agency's work says IAEA inspectors on the ground haven't been told to pack it up just yet.

Now, this isn't the first time that Iran has wielded IAEA cooperation as a tactic. But considering the June airstrikes and Tehran's political response, this latest rupture, well, feels more definite, just as murmurs of diplomatic re-engagement had surfaced. Not surprisingly, the Israeli government didn't wait long to fire back. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called Iran's suspension in a post on X a, quote,

complete renunciation of all its international nuclear obligations and urged European powers to trigger the so-called snapback mechanism. Such a move would reimpose all UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.

It's worth noting that the Islamic Republic has not withdrawn from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but nuclear experts warn that the suspension of IAEA oversight significantly raises the risk of a nuclear breakout, in other words, a sprint to build a bomb. As we've discussed here on the PDB, Iran has already stockpiled enough uranium enriched to 60% purity to make several bombs that can be quickly pushed to weapons-grade purity at 90%.

Meanwhile, recent satellite imagery from Planet Labs, PBC, and Maxar Technologies reveals a flurry of activity at Iran's bombed nuclear sites. Cranes, excavators, and transport trucks crowd the tunnel entrances, signs that the regime is assessing the fallout.

And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Wednesday, the 2nd of July. Now, if you have any questions or comments, and I hope you do, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And, of course, to listen to the show ad-free, it's very simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.