Iran hails ‘progress’ as first day of talks with US conclude after shaky start

• Iranian Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf announced that the United States will release $12 billion in frozen Iranian funds. • Donald Trump claimed the released funds would be used to purchase U.S. produce, a statement that Tehran immediately rejected.

• Qatar has established itself as a premier global mediator, leveraging diplomacy rather than military power to facilitate peace agreements across various conflict zones. • The nation has successfully brokered deals in multiple countries, including Libya, Syria, Somalia, Chad, Djibouti, and Eritrea, while managing critical prisoner exchanges and humanitarian evacuations.

• On Tuesday, June 23, 2026, Donald Trump asserted that Iran "will agree" to permit international weapons inspections amidst ongoing conflict. • The statement comes during a period of heightened military tension involving a combined US-Israel war effort against Iran.

• The US and Iran concluded a high-level summit in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, resulting in a 60-day peace roadmap to stabilize relations. • The agreement includes the implementation of maritime safeguards to prevent conflict and ensure the safety of shipping lanes.

The Iranian ambassador to the UN in Geneva described Israeli attacks on Lebanon as a red line in negotiationsHello and welcome to our live blog of the Middle East.The Iranian ambassador to the UN in Geneva has just warned that Tehran’s red line in negotiations with Washington is that Israel will cease attacks on Lebanon, including the capital of Beirut. The ambassador added that Iran “will respond” if Israel violates the memorandum of understanding established on Thursday in any way, including with attacks on Lebanon and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.JD Vance said the talks with Iran created a “good foundation for a successful final deal” to end the war. “The final deal is the house,” the US vice-president told reporters. “We set the foundation. We haven’t built the house, but we’ve laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people.”When asked how soon IAEA inspectors could come to Iran, JD Vance said nuclear inspectors were called at 2am last night – but no one picked up the call. “As you can expect, not many people are answering their phone at two in the morning,” the vice president said.US secretary of state Marco Rubio will begin a trip to three Gulf countries on Tuesday amid negotiations with Iran to end the war in the Middle East, his spokesperson said. Visiting the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain, Rubio will discuss “the memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure full and free safe transit through the strait of Hormuz, and the importance of peace and stability in the region,” state department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement.Tehran ⁠did not negotiate on its nuclear ⁠programme ⁠and did ​not accept any ⁠new commitments in Sunday’s talks with the ⁠US in ​Switzerland, ‌foreign ministry spokesperson ‌Esmaeil Baghaei told ‌the official IRNA news agency on Monday. Iran’s interaction with the International ‌Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will continue in ​accordance with current procedures, subject to the approval ⁠of Iran’s parliament ​and the decisions ​of ​the Supreme National ​Security ‌Council, ​Baghaei added. Continue reading...

Sharper, who pleaded guilty or no contest to raping women in four states, was transferred to a halfway house in May Convicted serial rapist and former National Football League champion Darren Sharper has registered as a sex offender in his home state of Virginia, after being transferred from federal prison to a halfway house there, according to official records.With a projected 2028 release date nearing, the US Bureau of Prisons (BoP) recently confirmed that the 50-year-old Sharper had been moved on 27 May from a federal correctional institution near Elkton, Ohio, to either home confinement or a facility colloquially known as a halfway house overseen by the agency’s residential re-entry management office in Baltimore.Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Democratic primary elections to test strength of party’s left flank as old guard faces string of challengesNew Yorkers were voting on Tuesday in a slate of Democratic primaries poised to reveal the strength of the party’s left flank and shape the battle for control of the US House of Representatives in November.Voters in Maryland and Utah will also nominate congressional candidates on Tuesday, while South Carolina holds a series of runoff elections for candidates who did not receive a majority of the vote earlier this month. Continue reading...

Independent senator says Anthony Albanese is preparing to announce an AI copyright plan in JulyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe independent senator David Pocock has challenged the Albanese government to rule out letting tech giants use Australian content to train AI models, as cabinet considers proposals to change copyright rules for the rapidly developing technology.Pocock used Senate question time on Tuesday to ask the government about intense lobbying from AI proprietors over possible new rules and regulations for Australian-made content – including suggestions Labor would create a new “carve out” or extend existing licensing arrangements. Continue reading...

Reform leader says it is ‘purely private matter’ and it is not hypocritical to criticise Keir Starmer for receiving glassesUK politics live – latest updatesNigel Farage has said his £5m gift from a crypto billionaire is “not any of your business”, saying the cash from the British Thai-based businessman Christopher Harborne was “a purely private matter”.The Reform UK leader also said it was not hypocritical of him to attack Keir Starmer for receiving donations of glasses and suits, because Starmer had been “the leader of the opposition and I was a presenter on GB News”. Continue reading...

Hastie tells colleagues home affairs minister did not disclose the threats made against him, but he has been targeted online for his views on Ben Roberts-SmithFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie is set to receive extra security in what he believes is a response to a One Nation-fuelled campaign against him, including over his stance on the Ben Roberts-Smith war crimes allegations.At a partyroom meeting on Tuesday, Hastie told colleagues that the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, had advised him that he had been identified for security measures at his home and electorate office. Continue reading...

Withdrawal of TPS designation puts workers who fill vital role in peril – and risks further shortages in US health systemWhen Dolores Jacoby’s doctor told her there was little she could do to treat her acute myeloid leukemia, a deafening silence filled the hospital room, where she was surrounded by her family. Dolores had only recently been diagnosed with the rare aggressive cancer. Her beloved nursing assistant, Janeth, was standing just outside her room. After the doctor left, Janeth entered with a tray containing each family member’s favorite beverage. “If there’s anybody who can recover, it’s your mother,” she told John Jacoby, Dolores’s son, before leaving the room as inconspicuously as she had arrived.It was 2012. More than a decade later, John still remembers that day in his mother’s hospital room in the San Francisco Bay Area clearly. “We had just heard the worst news of our lives, and Janeth injected life into my mom, into her veins, into the atmosphere, you know, for all of us,” he said. Continue reading...

Chief secretary to the prime minister is backed by MPs who point to his ‘economic and national security experience’UK politics live – latest updatesDarren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, is being urged by MPs to run against Andy Burnham to spark a Labour leadership contest and avoid a “coronation”.The MP for Bristol North West is understood to be reluctant to run but sources said he would look at Burnham’s economic plans first, including plans for public control of utilities. Continue reading...