Iranian

Boarding of M/T Wen Yao in Gulf of Oman comes as expanded airstrike campaign hits five bridges in southern IranAmerican forces boarded a ship in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday as part of the renewed blockade of Iran’s ports that began earlier this week, the US military said.US Marines boarded the M/T Wen Yao “to ensure full compliance with the ongoing US naval blockade,” US Central Command (Centcom) said in a post on X. Continue reading...

• India summoned a senior Iranian diplomat to lodge a formal protest following attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. • The diplomatic action follows the death of an Indian seafarer during the maritime incidents, prompting India to demand accountability. • The move underscores India's commitment to ensuring the safety of its citizens and maintaining secure maritime navigation in a volatile region.

Plane bringing Houthi delegation home from Tehran had to divert after Yemeni government bombed Sana’a airportMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesIranian flights to and from Yemen are an unacceptable violation of the country’s sovereignty, the vice-president in Yemen’s Saudi-backed, UN-recognised government has said.Abdullah al-Alimi said in an interview that the planes contained equipment for the Houthi movement, which he said had transformed from merely a domestic threat into a regional and international threat to global security and the global economy. Continue reading...

Residents in Bandar Abbas and Sirik regions describe communities in fear and ‘feeling abandoned’ after US launch fresh strikes over two-day periodResidents in southern Iran have described two nights of fear this week after explosions shook coastal communities as the US launched fresh strikes on targets including the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik.US Central Command confirmed the attacks, saying they were carried out to “further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the strait of Hormuz”. Continue reading...

• Iranian missiles reportedly struck two commercial ships in the Gulf, according to a U.S. official. • The attacks occurred amid a fragile cease-fire, though Iranian officials have not yet issued an official comment on the strikes. • This escalation threatens critical global energy flows and tests the stability of regional diplomatic agreements.

Up to 30 million people expected to attend delayed events for Ali Khamenei, killed at start of war with US and IsraelThe funeral of the former Iranian supreme leader has begun as the gates of the sprawling Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran let in thousands of mourners early morning who had been waiting through the night to enter the grounds.Iran is staging mass funeral processions for Ali Khamenei – whose ⁠37-year reign was brought ⁠to an ​end in February by the first airstrike of the war launched by the US and Israel. Continue reading...

• Internal power struggles are intensifying within the Iranian regime as various clans compete for control following the elimination of Ali Khamenei. • The vacuum of leadership has created a volatile environment where competing factions are vying for dominance over the state's political and military apparatus. • This instability is significant because it threatens the regime's cohesion and increases the likelihood of open internal conflict.

• U.S. and Iranian negotiators are entering high-stakes talks to end the current conflict and secure a favorable deal for both nations. • Key points of contention include the release of billions in frozen assets, the status of a $300 billion reconstruction fund, and the ambiguity of Iran's nuclear program. • The negotiations follow U.S. and Israeli strikes last summer that targeted critical Iranian facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

Judge says Pouria Zeraati was targeted outside Wimbledon home because of his criticism of Tehran regimeTwo Romanians who took part in a “targeted” knife attack on a television journalist in London “on behalf of the Iranian state” have been jailed.Pouria Zeraati, who worked for the Persian language channel Iran International, which is critical of the Tehran regime, was left bleeding in the street after being stabbed three times outside his home in Wimbledon. Continue reading...

• U.S. and Iranian officials are scheduled to hold "indirect" talks in Doha today to discuss regional tensions. • Iranian spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei clarified that the Iranian negotiating team has no plans for direct face-to-face meetings with the American delegation in the immediate future. • Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to discuss West Asian developments, welcoming the progress made in these negotiations.

Two sides yet to have face-to-face meeting since signing deal to reopen strait of HormuzTalks at an indirect level between US and Iranian officials over unfreezing at least $6bn Iranian assets will recommence on Wednesday in Doha, Iran has said. The two sides are yet to have their first face-to-face meeting since signing a deal to extend the ceasefire and reopen the strait of Hormuz.US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were in Qatar on Tuesday for talks covering regional issues including the Iran ceasefire and Lebanon, but Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman, Majed Al-Ansari, stressed these were with Qatari mediators. “They are not here for their negotiations with the Iranians,” he said. Continue reading...

• US CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper recently visited Israel and Lebanon, meeting with senior leaders and Lebanese Army Chief General Rodolph Haykal to discuss regional security and military cooperation. • Iranian media has reported that there are currently "no talks" occurring, despite updates regarding a potential meeting in Qatar involving Donald Trump. • In a separate diplomatic effort, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France and Oman will collaborate with international partners to demine the Strait of Hormuz.

• U.S. Navy and Air Force fighter jets conducted strikes on 10 Iranian military targets located in and near the Strait of Hormuz. • The operation, shared via video by U.S. Central Command (Centcom) on Sunday, was launched in response to an Iranian drone attack on the vessel M/T Kiku. • These strikes signal a "vigilant, lethal, and ready" posture from the U.S. military to deter further aggression in a strategically volatile maritime region.

• Renewed Iranian attacks following U.S. strikes have created tensions that may jeopardize ongoing diplomatic discussions between the two nations. • A Pakistani source reported to MS NOW that talks are currently on hold, though the Trump administration has denied that any meetings were canceled. • Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called for an urgent meeting of a newly formed "conflict control unit" involving Iran, the U.S., and Lebanon.

• Brent crude oil prices have risen as tit-for-tat military strikes between the U.S. and Iran threaten the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. • The instability in this critical waterway is hindering a return to normality for global energy shipments, driving market volatility. • In related market movements, South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix saw shares drop by approximately 5% and 4%, respectively.

• Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Tod Wolters endorsed the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and President-elect Maryam Rajavi during the Free Iran 2026 World Summit in Paris. • General Wolters characterized the Iranian resistance as a "strategic asset" for global security, noting that the movement has successfully seized "strategic campaign momentum." • The endorsement highlights the growing international recognition of the NCRI as a viable alternative to the current Iranian regime amidst volatile global geopolitics.

• Iranian forces launched two attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz this week, including a June 25 strike on the Singapore-flagged container ship M/V Ever Lovely. • The M/V Ever Lovely is operated by Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine, highlighting the risk to international shipping lanes in one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints. • These incidents heighten global energy security risks, as any prolonged instability in the region could disrupt oil and gas flows and spike global energy prices.

No immediate reports of damage after Bahrain hit by ‘number of drones’ as ship in strait of Hormuz also targetedBahrain said it was attacked by Iran with a wave of drones on Saturday, apparently in response to overnight US strikes on Iran. A ship in the strait of Hormuz was also attacked.Bahrain’s foreign ministry said a “number of drones” were launched at the country, though there were no immediate reports of damage. It condemned the attack and described it as a “flagrant threat to the security of citizens and residents”. Continue reading...

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...

• 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. • To manage the process, four working groups have been established to oversee sanctions termination, the nuclear file, economic reconstruction, and MoU implementation.

Negotiations due to continue for rest of week in Switzerland after tense start as Iranians protest against threat from Donald TrumpIran hails ‘progress’ as first day of talks with US conclude after shaky startThe first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran ended in Switzerland on Monday, mediators said, after a tense opening marked by Tehran saying it had again closed the strait of Hormuz and Donald Trump repeating his threats to resume attacks on Iran.Mediators Qatar and Pakistan said Washington and Tehran agreed to a roadmap towards ⁠a final deal within 60 days and that technical talks ​would continue for the rest of the week in the Swiss mountain resort of Buergenstock.The talks had a tense start, with Iranian negotiators walking out in protest against Trump’s threats. Iranian state media said the talks had entered a “difficult phase” and recessed after the “publication of an insulting message by the US president”. But high-level negotiations continued before concluding in the early hours of Monday, with Pakistan and Qatar saying technical talks between the two sides would continue for the rest of the week.After Trump’s threats became public, the Iranian delegation refused to return to the room where talks were held, though messages were still being traded via Pakistani and Qatari mediators, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media his country had secured waivers for oil and petrochemical ⁠exports, the release of some frozen assets and the launch of a reconstruction and development plan for Iran. The US did not immediately comment on the claims.Iran said at the weekend that it had again stopped maritime traffic through the ​Hormuz strait, in response to continuing fighting in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel, and that Sunday’s talks would not cover substantive issues such as Iran’s nuclear program.In Switzerland, US vice-president JD Vance played down the impact of the violence in Lebanon, saying progress had been made towards ending hostilities there. “These things are always a little bit messy,” said Vance, leading the American delegation.In the US, Trump threatened to resume attacks on Iran if it did not rein in its allies. “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump said on social media, apparently referring to Hezbollah. “If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”Despite Trump’s threats, Vance told reporters the US president had “asked us to turn over a new ⁠leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran”.Five vessels passed the strait on Sunday, ​a sharp drop from the 26 ships spotted a day ​earlier, data from analytics firm Kpler showed. The data may exclude vessels that switch off their transponders while travelling in the Gulf.Sunday appeared to be the quietest day in Lebanon for some time, with no reports of major violence by nightfall, after two days of heavy Israeli strikes, which killed many people including civilians, and fire from Hezbollah fighters on Israeli positions. Reuters journalists in southern Lebanon on Sunday saw some of the heaviest traffic since the memorandum of understanding was signed, with residents returning to their homes, some waving Hezbollah flags.With news agencies Continue reading...

Former negotiating team member gives shock interview claiming supreme leader’s instructions were not followedMiddle East crisis – live updatesA former member of Iran’s negotiating team in the previous round of talks in Islamabad is facing the threat of prosecution and dismissal from parliament after he went on the main state broadcaster to reveal what he claimed were confidential letters from the country’s supreme leader.The interview with Mahmoud Nabavian, the deputy chair of Iran’s national security council, was eventually cut off, but only after he said he had seen secret correspondence written by Mojtaba Khamenei in which the ayatollah allegedly said Iran’s negotiating team had overstepped its mandate Continue reading...

Musicians and production team understood to be facing same punishment after livestream of patriotic songThe Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi and eight members of a production team, including musicians, have been reportedly sentenced to 74 lashes for performing in a concert livestreamed on Ahmadi’s YouTube channel in 2024.According to court documents, the criminal court of Qom province sentenced the artists to flogging, a two-year ban on leaving the country and a two-year ban on engaging in artistic activities on charges that include offending public decency through the production and publication of “vulgar and immoral content” on cyberspace platforms. Continue reading...

Joint statement welcomes Trump’s deal with Iran to end war and calls for further talks involving European leadersEurope live – latest updatesDonald Trump has backed a joint G7 leaders’ statement that welcomes the deal he has struck with Iran but says a follow-on agreement is necessary to rein in Iran’s ballistic missile programme, an issue not directly addressed in the memorandum of understanding that is due to be signed on Friday by Iran and the US.The statement says future negotiations with Iran would benefit from the involvement of a wider group of regional and international actors including the UN nuclear weapons agency, the IAEA. Continue reading...

Those in favour forced to defend themselves against claims the terms of the proposal amount to capitulationMiddle East crisis – live updatesIranian hardliners have mounted a rearguard rejection of a proposed deal with the US as backers in the regime defend themselves against charges it does not guarantee sanctions relief, compensation or control of the strait of Hormuz.“The fact that they say we won and America has retreated is a blatant lie,” the Iranian MP Kamran Ghazanfari said. Meysam Nili, the managing director of Rajanews and brother-in-law of the hardline former president Ebrahim Raisi, called the deal on the table a catastrophic capitulation. He urged Iranians not to sit quietly. Continue reading...

US president warns of further military action as both sides accuse each other of breaching temporary ceasefireMiddle East crisis – live updatesUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump has said the US will take control of Iran’s oil and gas infrastructure and launch further strikes on Iran on Thursday night, just hours after the two countries exchanged fire for the second consecutive day despite a nominal ceasefire in place.In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US would hit Iran “VERY HARD, TONIGHT”, claiming that most of Iran’s offensive capacity had been destroyed. He also said the US would seize Kharg, an island in the Gulf that handles about 90% of Iran’s oil exports and hosts vast storage facilities. Continue reading...

• Iranian-French cartoonist and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi, renowned for her graphic novel and film *Persepolis*, has died at the age of 56. • Reports indicate she passed away from "sadness," occurring just over a year after the death of her husband. • Satrapi was a significant cultural figure who recently received the 2024 Princess of Asturias Foundation award in Spain for her contributions to communication and humanities.

• Qatar has formally condemned Iranian attacks on civilian targets in Bahrain and Kuwait, labeling the actions a "grave violation" of national sovereignty. • The State asserts that these strikes breach the 1949 Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, specifically the principles prohibiting indiscriminate attacks on civilians. • This diplomatic response highlights the regional instability caused by unprovoked aggression and the urgent need to protect non-combatants from the consequences of armed conflict.