Iran’s army says it attacked US military assets at the Al Minhad airbase in the UAE.

In a statement reported by Iranian news agencies, the army’s public relations department said dozens of drones were launched at the base starting “early in the morning”.

The army said the attack targeted ⁠locations where US forces ⁠and helicopters were stationed at ⁠the base.

The attack, it said, was revenge for members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and civilians who were killed in a US strike on Iran’s Larak Island, the statement said.

Iran has further said that it will respond decisively to any further military aggression, and that the US and parties supporting its actions bore full responsibility for any escalation.

In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that the country’s armed forces struck US military bases in Jordan in response to a US attack on Larak Island.

The ministry said the US bases in Jordan had been used to launch and support the attack on Larak that killed and wounded members of Iran’s armed forces and civilians. (Al Jazeera)

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The Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee on Sunday approved a provision in a draft law allowing Tehran to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The official IRNA news agency said the committee continued its review of the proposed “Strategic Action Plan to Ensure the Security and Development of the Strait of Hormuz.”

Committee spokesperson Hassan Qashqavi said members approved Article 3 of the bill after its consideration was postponed at a previous meeting.

The provision allows fees to be charged for navigation and environmental services, fuel supplies in special cases, insurance, security and other services provided in the strait, he said.

Qashqavi said the fees would be collected from vessels belonging to countries permitted to pass through the strait and paid in Iranian rials or another currency designated by Tehran.

He maintained that the draft legislation takes into account the rights of states bordering the Strait of Hormuz.

The text recognizes freedom of maritime navigation under international law and regulations while emphasizing respect for the security and sovereignty of coastal states and the protection of their rights, he added.

The Strait of Hormuz has been a major sticking point in efforts to end the US-Israeli war on Iran that began in February.​​​​​​​

Before the war, there was free passage through the strait, a critical export route for Gulf oil and gas, but Iran now insists on retaining control and charging fees, something the US rejects.

Legislative process

For the proposal to become law in Iran, its provisions must first be debated and approved by the relevant parliamentary committee.

The committee’s report is then submitted to the full parliament, which votes on the individual provisions and the bill as a whole.

If passed, the legislation is referred to the Guardian Council to determine whether it complies with the Constitution and Islamic principles.

Any objections would send the bill back to parliament, while the Expediency Council could intervene if the dispute remains unresolved.

Once approved by the Guardian Council, the legislation is promulgated by the president and enters into force. (Anadolu Agency)

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US President Donald Trump on Monday (Jul 27) voiced optimism at the prospects for a negotiated peace deal with Iran, as the two sides held their fire for a third consecutive day.

Fighting between the longtime foes has been paused since Friday after 13 nights of renewed US strikes on the Islamic Republic sparked by a breakdown in diplomacy over Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

But the US leader expressed hope that renewed diplomacy could bring an end to the war that began in late February with a wave of US-Israeli strikes, rattling both the region and the global economy.

“I have a lot of patience … We’ll see what happens,” he said aboard Air Force One. “I think there is a good chance that something could happen.”

Tehran had earlier denied that there were any talks with the US to end the conflict.

“Mediators may convey messages from the American side to us regarding current developments in the region. But at present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the United States,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.

But Trump insisted during a speech in Michigan that “right now, they’re talking to us about making a deal”.

Aboard Air Force One, the US president had earlier said that if the new efforts failed, “we go back to doing what we were doing” before the pause in fighting.

On that subject, he dismissed concerns that US ammunition stockpiles were running low nearly five months after the war began.

“We have a lot of ammunition. We have a lot of the mid-level stuff too, more than we could ever use no matter what,” he said. 

SAUDI ARABIA ATTACKED

Despite the recent lull, Saudi Arabia came under attack on Monday, with its defence ministry saying it had intercepted several drones fired by Iran-linked groups in Iraq targeting oil facilities.

No group claimed responsibility, but Riyadh called on Baghdad to prevent such attacks from being launched from its territory.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi later called for an investigation into Saudi Arabia’s allegations.

Pakistan, which has been mediating a resolution to the Middle East war, condemned the drone attacks, saying they “pose a grave threat to peace and stability” in the Middle East.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels also said they launched drone attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure in response to incursions by the kingdom’s drones. Riyadh is yet to comment on the claim.

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations accused pro-Iran militias in Iraq of launching waves of attacks on their territory during the conflict’s earlier phase, but the groups have not claimed any attacks in the region since the resumption of hostilities.

Elsewhere, the Israeli military, which has not joined the recent fighting, said it had intercepted two drones near the Jordanian border and was investigating where they had been launched from. (AFP/CNA)

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Pakistan has asked the United States for a $10 billion exchange stabilization facility, according to two sources briefed on the matter, which, if approved, could provide a lifeline ​for the cash-strapped South Asian economy.

The request, which is being reported for the first time, follows Pakistan’s role in brokering talks over the Iran war, which raised ‌its diplomatic profile and stirred hopes that it could seek economic gains from Washington and other partners.

Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb made the request in a letter delivered during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, on Tuesday, a U.S. official said.

In it, Islamabad asked for creation of a Bilateral Exchange Stabilization Support Facility between the U.S. and the Pakistani government worth $10 billion with maturity of up to five years.

The facility, if agreed to, would bolster ​Pakistan’s reserves, ease pressure on the rupee and reduce its reliance on multilateral financing, even as Islamabad undertakes tighter fiscal and monetary policies in line with its International Monetary Fund ​program.

The U.S. Treasury declined to comment on the request. Pakistan’s finance ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment outside of Asia ⁠business hours.

During his meeting with Bessent, Aurangzeb raised the vulnerability of the country’s economy to regional geopolitical developments, his ministry said in a statement that did not mention the request.

“Senator Aurangzeb sought greater ​U.S. support for Pakistan’s road to market, underpinned by improved access to international capital markets, higher foreign exchange reserves, and enhanced sovereign credit ratings,” it said, adding that both sides reaffirmed their commitment ​to deepening bilateral economic cooperation, promoting greater U.S. investment, and advancing strategic projects.

Pakistan remains under $7 billion IMF discipline that has required politically unpopular tax increases, spending restraint and reforms.

Exchange stabilization facilities are rare U.S. Treasury backstops, usually routed via the Exchange Stabilization Fund, that provide dollars, swaps or guarantees to support reserves and steady currencies.

These facilities are different from the permanent standing dollar swap lines that the U.S. Federal Reserve has with some major central banks ​and act as an international supply line of U.S. dollars to underpin financial stability.

A 2025 Argentina package was the first new foreign-government exchange stabilization facility operation since Uruguay in 2002, aside from ​Mexico’s long-standing swap line, dating to the 1940s and now sized at $9 billion.

Pakistan narrowly avoided default in 2023 with a $3 billion IMF standby deal and later secured a $7 billion Extended Fund Facility, along with a separate $1.3 billion ‌loan to ⁠build up its resilience to climate change and natural disasters. But its reserves still depend on official financing, rollovers and deposits from China and Saudi Arabia.

That leaves Islamabad exposed to shifts in bilateral support and IMF disbursement delays. That vulnerability was exposed in April when Pakistan repaid about $3.5 billion, one-fifth of its reserves, to the United Arab Emirates with Saudi Arabia providing $3 billion in fresh support.

Pakistan’s central bank said in January that reserves could return to near their 2021 record, reaching $20 billion by the end of 2026.

RECASTING TIES WITH WASHINGTON

A U.S. exchange stabilization facility would carry weight as both a liquidity ​backstop and political signal, easing pressure on reserves ​and the Pakistani rupee, while reducing the ⁠South Asian country’s dependence on IMF tranches and ad hoc rescues.

IMF-backed reforms have stabilized the economy at a political cost, including higher taxes, spending restraint and limited room for development or welfare spending.

Ratings agency Fitch said in April that Pakistan’s adherence to its IMF program has supported the country’s funding ​capacity, while rebuilt foreign exchange buffers provide a cushion against economic shocks from the Middle East conflict.

But deeper constraints remain. Fitch cautioned that ​rising energy costs and potential ⁠supply disruptions could sharply erode the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

Foreign investment in Pakistan has remained thin, deterred by recurring external crises, policy uncertainty, security risks, past profit-repatriation curbs and a narrow export base, while the country’s credit rating remains deep in speculative-grade territory, keeping borrowing costs high and market access limited.

Pakistan has sought to use its ties to the Trump administration to address some of these issues, with economic cooperation ⁠that has so ​far spanned crypto, real estate and mining.

Pakistan has signed a stablecoin agreement for cross-border payments with an affiliate of World ​Liberty Financial, the main crypto business of President Donald Trump’s family.

It has also pursued a memorandum of understanding to redevelop the closed Pakistan International Airlines-owned Roosevelt Hotel in New York with the U.S. government, and courted U.S. mining investment, including ​in Reko Diq, where the U.S. Export-Import Bank has announced $1.25 billion in financing. (Reuters)

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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps  (IRGC) says it has hit US fighter jets stationed in Jordan, Iranian state TV reports.

Iranian state media reported that US military communications systems and fuel storage tanks at the Azraq military base in Jordan had been targeted. 

The Jordanian army said it shot down three Iranian missiles targeting the country.

Iran has also claimed to have destroyed High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) platforms and missiles in attacks on Kuwait at several locations, where Tehran said American forces and Israeli-backed fighters are stationed.

Iranian attacks eliminated “a large number of anti-revolutionaries and American special forces [and] the tit-for-tat operations are ongoing,” the IRGC said in a statement. (Al Jazeera/ Reuters)

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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claims it has destroyed the command and control centre, naval support management centre, warehouses, and fuel tanks at the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain in a “crushing response” this morning.

The IRGC warned that oil and gas export routes serving the US and its allies could be targeted if the conflict continues.

In a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB, the IRGC said energy exports from the region should be “either for everyone or for no one”, signalling the possibility of further action against regional shipping and energy infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the US military says it has completed an additional round of strikes against Iran at 10pm EST on July 14 (02:00 GMT on July 15).

It said it hit “dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas”.

“US fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels launched precision munitions against Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, and coastal defense systems” during the seven-hour operation, US Central Command said.

The military said that the strikes were designed “to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping and civilian crews”.

The action took place the same day US forces “resumed the naval blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas”, which “went into effect at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday [20:00 GMT on July 14]”, it said. (Al Jazeera)

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Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has forcefully denied explosive claims that Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad attempted to recruit him as part of an alleged plot to topple Iran’s leadership, dismissing the reports as “Hollywood-style” fabrications. 

In a statement issued on Monday (July 13), Ahmadinejad’s office rejected reports that he had been secretly approached by Mossad, offered support to become Iran’s future leader, and later placed under house arrest after the alleged operation failed. 

The office said the allegations, published by The New York Times, “did not merit a denial”, describing the newspaper as one that is “known for publishing fake news and fabricating lies.” It also accused the US daily of being willing to publish “fabricated articles and reports in exchange for payment”, while insisting that Ahmadinejad remained politically active and was continuing his daily work.

The denial came after The New York Times, citing American and Iranian officials familiar with the matter, reported that Mossad had spent years attempting to cultivate ties with Ahmadinejad as part of a broader regime change strategy.

Israel spent years cultivating former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as part of a failed plan to install him as Iran’s new leader during this year’s war, the New York Times reported, citing American, Israeli and Iranian officials familiar with the operation. 

According to the report, the yearslong effort to groom the former Iranian president as an intelligence asset culminated in a dramatic effort to take him to a Mossad safe house in Iran in the early days of the war. But the plan fell apart.

In early 2024, the rector of a university in Budapest received a startling request from a top Hungarian government official.

The official told the rector, Professor Gergely Deli, that Ludovika University of Public Service should hold a climate change conference and extend an invitation to an unlikely guest: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the widely reviled former president of Iran.

Even more shocking was the reason. The official told Mr. Deli that the conference was merely a front for Mr. Ahmadinejad to have secret discussions in Budapest with intelligence operatives from Israel, Mr. Ahmadinejad’s avowed enemy.

Mr. Deli knew that the invitation could tarnish both his own reputation and that of the university. But, he said in an interview, he believed he might be playing a role in saving lives.

“You have two enemies, and if these enemies want to talk with each other, then it’s best to do what you can to make them talk,” he said.

Mr. Ahmadinejad’s 2024 visit to the university and a second one the following year were part of a yearslong Israeli effort to groom him as an intelligence asset who, when the time came, could be installed as Iran’s new leader, according to both American and Iranian officials familiar with the operation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive intelligence.

Recruiting Mr. Ahmadinejad was of such priority for Israel that the country’s then-spy chief David Barnea even traveled to the Hungarian capital in 2024 to meet with Mr. Ahmadinejad personally, according to former American officials. 

Soon afterward, they said, Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, notified the C.I.A. that it had been in contact with Mr. Ahmadinejad.

Israel’s decision to build a regime-change plan around Mr. Ahmadinejad is an extraordinary twist in the saga of the country’s relations with the former president, who was known for accelerating Iran’s nuclear program, calling regularly for the destruction of Israel and denying the Holocaust.

In recent years, according to American officials, Israel secretly paid money to Mr. Ahmadinejad for housing and travel, and Israeli operatives met him abroad on several occasions, including during his trips to Budapest.

The effort culminated in late February of this year — during the first days of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran — with an audacious operation to relocate the former leader, who had been living under strict surveillance in Tehran. The goal: to set in motion the plan to topple the current regime and install Mr. Ahmadinejad.

The plan failed.

On Feb. 28, an Israeli airstrike hit Mr. Ahmadinejad’s compound, targeting the building of his bodyguards and his armored vehicle. After the strike, according to four senior Iranian officials, a black Peugeot car arrived, picked up Mr. Ahmadinejad and whisked him away at high speed from the chaotic scene.

American and Iranian officials with knowledge of the operation said the car had been driven by Mossad operatives, who took Mr. Ahmadinejad to a secret safe house in Iran.

But the former Iranian leader was upset about the frantic rescue operation, and he appeared to be disillusioned about the Israeli plan to return him to power, according to people with knowledge of what occurred.

He eventually left the safe house under circumstances that are still unclear. Mr. Ahmadinejad was not seen in public again until last Monday, when he made a brief appearance at the funeral procession for the slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

His current status remains uncertain. But four senior Iranian officials said that Mr. Ahmadinejad was in the custody of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ intelligence wing, under house arrest now that Iran has learned about much of his interactions with Israel.

Israeli officials have not commented publicly about the plan to install Mr. Ahmadinejad as Iran’s leader, which was part of a broader attempt to topple the government in Tehran. Another element involved arming and training Iranian Kurdish opposition forces based in northern Iraq to cross into western Iran, hold territory there and eventually move toward the capital Tehran, an effort that never manifested.

The regime-change plan involved a “sequence of special operations, very, very unique, that was supposed to happen,” Tamir Hayman, a former head of intelligence for the Israeli Defense Forces, told the PBS talk show “Firing Line” in May, after The New York Times first revealed details of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s role in the plan. “And Ahmadinejad was part of that sequence.”

Mossad officials did not respond to requests for comment.

Ali Akbar Javanfekr, a spokesman for Mr. Ahmadinejad, declined to comment.

Read more : https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/13/us/politics/israel-mahmoud-ahmadinejad-iran.html (New York Times/ WION)

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Iran’s Nour News Agency reports that the Iranian Army and the IRGC have launched “large-scale missile and drone attacks” on “enemy bases in the region”.

Citing an Iranian military official, the agency said the operation was launched in response to the US’s continuing attacks on Iran and targeted sites identified following “enemy movements” over the past 48 hours.

Iran claims attack on Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa airbase

The IRGC says it targeted several facilities at the Sheikh Isa airbase in Bahrain in the second phase of its retaliatory operation.

In a statement, the IRGC said its aerospace forces struck helicopter maintenance facilities, a hangar housing a P-8 aircraft and a US military drone command-and-control centre.

The IRGC added that its retaliatory attacks were continuing.

Iran claims attacks on Kuwait airbases

The IRGC says it has “completely destroyed” fuel tanks and Patriot air defence systems at the Ali Al-Salem airbase, as well as a strategic FPS radar system at the Ahmed Al-Jaber airbase.

In a statement, the IRGC said the attacks were carried out by its aerospace forces during the third phase of its “eye-for-an-eye” operation in response to US military action against Iran.

The IRGC said the operation was continuing.

It also warned against further US involvement in the Strait of Hormuz, saying that Iran would not allow continued foreign military interference in the waterway.

Iran claims attacks on Jordan’s Prince Hassan airbase

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it targeted the Prince Hassan airbase in Jordan with missiles and drones, setting fire to several fuel depots and ammunition storage facilities.

In a statement, the IRGC said the US attacks followed an operation by the IRGC Navy to stop two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which it accused of “switching off their tracking systems, travelling illegally and endangering navigation”.

The IRGC said its retaliatory operations are continuing and that the results would be announced in subsequent statements. (Al Jazeera)

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A railway bridge in northern Iran was damaged in a strike early Thursday, Iranian media reported, as authorities assessed the extent of the damage.

Mehr News Agency said the Aq Tekeh Khan Bridge in Golestan province was hit by a projectile. Emergency crews and relevant authorities were dispatched to the scene to assess the damage, with no further details immediately available.

The Neynava Corps, a provincial operational unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces stationed in Golestan, later said the bridge was struck by a US cruise missile.

The IRGC’s Golestan branch said the attack caused no casualties and vowed a “crushing” response. 

The incident came amid a new wave of reported US strikes late Wednesday targeting several locations in southern and southeastern Iran.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) later said American forces had launched additional strikes against Iran aimed at further degrading its ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. (Anadolu Agency)

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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it hit dozens of US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait overnight in response to US strikes, in a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB.

“In an initial response to this aggression, the IRGC Navy and Aerospace Force carried out a joint missile and drone operation, striking 85 key US military facilities” in the two countries, while also shooting down an MQ-9 drone, the statement says. (Israel Times)

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Iran’s former president has appeared at the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei despite having been reported killed at the start of the war.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was one of millions of mourners who poured into Tehran dressed in black on Monday to escort the slain supreme leader’s coffin through the capital.

The former hardline president, who governed from 2005 to 2013, was declared dead by several Iranian state-affiliated media outlets on the opening day of the war, when Israeli and US strikes killed Khamenei and much of the country’s leadership.

It was thought he had been killed when a missile struck near his home.

He was never seen or heard from in the months that followed, and no official confirmation or denial of his fate was issued, leaving his status among the many uncertainties of the war’s chaotic first days.

On Monday, however, he was seen in public for the first time since the war, moving among the mourners in a jacket with a mask pulled down to his throat.

His reappearance came a day after the country’s other living former presidents – Mohammad Khatami and Hassan Rouhani – were absent from the ceremonies, to which critics said they had not been invited.

Mr Ahmadinejad emerged into one of the largest funerals in the country’s history. Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister, joined the crowds too, photographed riding on the back of a motorbike to move through the crowd.

Along the route, mourners strung up an effigy of Donald Trump and waved banners calling for his death.

Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin, and those of family members killed alongside him on Feb 28 sat atop a truck decorated to resemble the ornamental grating around an imam’s shrine.

Helicopter footage on state television showed the crowd stretching for miles in central Tehran.

Authorities predicted the event could draw as many as 20 million people.

Mr Trump had hoped the war would topple the Islamic Republic, but the sea of mourners showed the extent to which he had been misled about the mood inside Iran. 

The demand for revenge was everywhere in Tehran.

A banner several metres long declared: “We will kill Trump,” and red flags – the colour of revenge in Shia tradition – rippled through the throng.

The coffins were driven from Damavand Street through Imam Hussein Square, down Enghelab (Revolution) Avenue and on to Azadi (Freedom) Square, past a towering monument of Khamenei’s clenched fist erected in Revolution Square.

The monument’s base was inscribed with the names of schoolgirls killed when American missiles hit their school during the war.

Along Enghelab, organisers had lined the avenue with portraits of the dead – the fallen of two recent wars and of the “resistance” allies Iran backs across the region.

The procession moved at a crawl as the truck repeatedly slowed or stopped, mourners surging to touch it and shower it with flowers.

In Azadi Square, the vehicle halted entirely so more people could reach it.

Some tossed scarves for guards to brush against the coffin – a gesture seen as a blessing – while crews on firetruck ladders misted water over the crowd against the July heat.

Officials on loudspeakers urged people to walk slowly, not to push and to keep to the edges of the street, wary of the dangers of such a vast crowd.

Hasan Hasanzadeh, the Revolutionary Guard general overseeing the procession, said the coffins would travel a 12-hour route through Tehran to Mehrabad International Airport.

Much of the senior leadership walked in the procession, including Masoud Pezeshkian, the president, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the parliament speaker, Gholam-Hossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary chief, Sadegh Larijani, head of the expediency council and Esmail Qaani, the Quds Force commander, along with a large slate of cabinet ministers.

Still absent was Iran’s new supreme leader. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen since he was chosen to succeed his father.

His three brothers – Mostafa, Masoud and Meysam – took their places in the front row at the funeral prayer on Sunday, their faces streaked with tears as they appeared in public for the first time since their father was killed.

The mourning began on Saturday and is to end on Thursday with Khamenei’s burial at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace, after ceremonies in Qom and the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala. (Telegraph)

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US and Iran agree to halt strikes and hold talks in Qatar on Tuesday over Strait of Hormuz tensions, US media reports.

The United States and Iran have agreed to halt their military strikes and will hold high-level talks in Qatar on Tuesday in an urgent effort to rescue their fragile peace agreement, American media reported, citing senior US officials.

The breakthrough comes after days of escalating military exchanges that threatened to derail an interim memorandum of understanding signed on 17 June, which aimed to end the conflict that began in late February and disrupted shipping through the vital waterway.

Under that agreement, Tehran committed to allow safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz while Washington agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports.

‘Ships can pass freely, for now’

“We decided to stop all the kinetic activity,” a senior US official told media outlet Axios on Sunday, using a military term for strikes.

A second American official told Axios both sides will stand down “for now” and that “vessels can move freely” as talks are set to continue.

Both US officials and a third source with knowledge confirmed Tuesday’s meeting in Qatar, Axios said.

CNN reported matching comments from a Trump administration official, confirming that the two sides have agreed to meet in Doha on Tuesday for further discussions.

Venue moved from Switzerland to Qatar

US President Donald Trump has maintained a firm stance throughout the friction. On Saturday, Trump repeated his warnings of total military action if Iranian attacks on shipping resume, stating that Iran would “no longer exist” if the US is “forced” to restart the war.

According to diplomatic sources, Tuesday’s meeting was originally scheduled to take place in Switzerland to address broader issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme. However, following the dangerous spike in military confrontations over the weekend, the venue was shifted to Qatar, and the agenda was narrowed specifically to the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz. (Euronews)

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Sri Lanka has welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran establishing an immediate ceasefire, hailing it as a significant step toward de-escalation and long-term regional and global stability.

The Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the agreement, which includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz and creating a framework for continued negotiations, reflects the power of diplomacy in resolving disputes peacefully.

“Sri Lanka strongly supports the peaceful resolution of disputes through diplomacy and remains optimistic that this step will foster sustainable peace across the region,” the statement noted.

Sri Lanka also extended its sincere appreciation to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the State of Qatar for their pivotal roles as mediators, and to all partners whose support was instrumental in achieving this diplomatic breakthrough. (Newswire)

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United States Vice President JD Vance pulled out of a planned trip to meet Iranian negotiators in Switzerland on Friday (Jun 19) to begin complex talks on implementing the 14-point agreement struck between Tehran and Washington to end their war, a White House spokesperson said.

The cancellation of the talks was later confirmed by the Swiss foreign ministry, which said in a statement that the meeting at the Burgenstock mountaintop resort will not take place.

US officials said this week they would hold a formal signing ceremony for the US-Iran agreement in Geneva, but Iran’s foreign ministry cast doubt on that, saying it was unnecessary after both countries’ presidents signed the agreement on Wednesday.

Iran had said it was ready to begin technical talks after the two enemies extended a tenuous ceasefire by at least 60 days with the accord.

But the semi-official Tasnim news agency said earlier on Thursday, before Vance’s announcement, that Iran’s negotiators needed to see signs of implementation of the interim agreement from the US before the next rounds of peace talks could begin, and that there was no confirmation that its delegation would travel to Geneva.

Vance and the US delegation had been ready to depart as soon as plans for the talks had been finalised, the White House spokesperson said in a statement on Thursday night. “But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable,” the statement said.

There was no immediate response from Iran’s government.

The diplomatic back-and-forth over the planned ceremony and photo-op adds to the uncertainty over whether a lasting truce can be found to a regional war that has killed at least 7,000 people, sent energy prices soaring and shaken global markets.

HORMUZ NAVAL BLOCKADE LIFTED

American forces on Thursday lifted their naval blockade of Iranian ports that had prevented ships from sailing to or from the Islamic Republic, the US military said, noting that American warships “will remain in the general area”.

Activity was still muted in the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic bottleneck for energy shipments that Iran blockaded during the conflict.

Three Saudi oil tankers left the Gulf through the strait on Thursday, maritime trackers said, as did a French vessel loaded with liquefied natural gas.

Iranian state TV, citing a statement from the country’s Supreme National Security Council, said that ships “seeking passage through the Strait of Hormuz must submit their request” to a new government body tasked with overseeing the waterway.

In keeping with the terms of the deal, it added, “no fees whatsoever will be collected from applicants for a period of sixty days”. 

ISRAEL CONTINUES FIGHT

Israel, which was not included in the peace talks and has distanced itself from the US-Iran accord, continued its fighting against the Iranian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, also raising questions about whether the agreement would hold.

In Washington, some of US President Donald Trump’s Republican allies in Congress questioned whether he had given up too much in order to end the conflict, which is unpopular with most Americans.

Trump previously wrote he would only end the war with Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER”, but the memorandum he signed with Iran instead provides relief from economic sanctions, unfreezes assets worth tens of billions of dollars and immediately provides US waivers for Iran to export its oil.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Trump had signed the deal “out of desperation” and signalled that upcoming talks over Iran’s nuclear programme, among Trump’s stated reasons for starting the war, would not be easy.

“If the American side wants to be too demanding, we will not accept it,” he said in a written message.

The deal gives negotiators 60 days to reach an agreement on the status of Iran’s nuclear programme unless both sides agree to an extension, and set up a US$300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran and other financial incentives.

Vance said Washington would also seek to limit Iran’s long-range missiles. (CNA)

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The coach of Iran’s World Cup team said it was ordered to leave the U.S. and return to its training base in Mexico only a few hours after opening its politically charged tournament by playing to a 2-2 draw with New Zealand on Monday night.

Coach Amir Ghalenoei didn’t say who ordered the Iranians to leave earlier than planned. The team had expected to spend the night in California to maximize the normal recovery process after its opening game, only to be told after the match that everyone must immediately get on a plane for the 140-mile trip back to Tijuana.

“They didn’t even give us time to recover,” Ghalenoei said through an interpreter. “After the game today, they said to us, ‘You have to leave immediately.’ It’s very important for us to have time for recovery, (but) we are asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that.”

The Iranians’ World Cup cycle has been in upheaval since the U.S. and Israel began a war against Iran on Feb. 28. Iran ultimately decided to compete even after FIFA rejected its request to move its three group-stage matches out of the U.S.

Iran captain Mehdi Taremi said the team endured five hours of travel and security checks during what’s normally a very short trip from Tijuana to the Los Angeles area on Sunday.

“We don’t know why they are returning us, to be honest,” Ghalenoei said. “I think it’s very strange. It seems like others are doing the planning for us. The decision-making for us is being made elsewhere. We were supposed to come two nights before the game, and we were supposed to stay tonight to recover and return tomorrow at lunchtime. We have no idea why.

“I think our team is perhaps the most oppressed in the World Cup.”

Taremi and Ghalenoei both decried the team’s lack of many important staff members – including the president of Iran’s football federation, coaching support personnel and media officials – who were denied visas by the U.S., amplifying the team’s difficult preparations.

“We have to leave Los Angeles right now, and it’s not good for us,” Taremi said about an hour after the match. “I think FIFA have to help us more than this. … Everything is like a disaster, actually, for us.”

Ghalenoei said several players developed cramps during the game, which was played in mild conditions. He attributed the injury problems to the lack of proper preparation time caused by Iran’s bureaucratic and diplomatic obstacles.

“Before the game, I said we haven’t had time to adjust because of the travel,” Ghalenoei said. “Many of our players, they had cramps, and that’s why we had to substitute them. So it wasn’t for technical reasons that we made substitutions. It was because of the injury and because of the cramp. They will be examined (Tuesday) by our technical staff, but the fact they delayed our arrivals and they are forcing us to go back early without time for recovery, they are making the situation more difficult.”

The Iranians’ remaining two games in group stage play are against Belgium in Inglewood on Sunday, followed by a trip to Seattle to face Egypt next week.

Iran opened its World Cup with a disappointing draw to a team ranked 65 places lower in FIFA’s rankings. Yet the Iranians also overcame two deficits in an exciting match, getting the tying goal from Mohammad Mohebi in the 64th minute before a strongly pro-Iranian crowd at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles, which has the world’s largest population of Iranians outside Iran.

The game was played in a crackling atmosphere created in part by a conflicted, diasporic fan base which remains furious with the current Iranian government but is still largely supportive of Team Melli.

While several hundred Iranian Americans protested the government outside, many fans from the diaspora jeered and turned their backs on the field during the national anthem. Dozens of Lion and Sun emblems – the centerpiece of Iran’s official flag before 1979 – were displayed in the crowd despite FIFA’s attempts to keep them away, while dozens more fans wore the Lion and Sun emblems on T-shirts.

Yet the vast majority of the crowd vocally supported the Iranian players once the match kicked off.

“It was an incredible atmosphere in the game, all 90 minutes,” Taremi said. “It was like at home for us.”

Elijah Just scored early in each half for New Zealand, but Iran responded twice with a pair of beautiful goals, including Mohebi’s header off a perfect pass from Ramin Rezaeian, who had scored off the side of his boot in the first half.

Mohebi appeared to mime the shooting of a gun after his goal, setting off criticism online. He also made the now-ubiquitous “ice in my veins” gesture originated 10 miles away from SoFi Stadium by Los Angeles Lakers rookie D’Angelo Russell a decade ago, before he held up a heart to the cheering fans.

“The Iranians who live in Los Angeles, they make a great atmosphere,” Mohebi said. “That celebration, it comes in the mind, and I did like this” – motioning to his arm – “for all the fans. Just a celebration.”

Players from both teams embraced and shook hands after the final whistle, with at least one jersey swap occurring. While Ghalenoei sat by himself in the dugout, his players gathered together and walked around the field applauding their remaining thousands of flag-shaking, roaring fans.

Both of Iran’s next two matches are tougher on paper, endangering their chances of getting out of the World Cup group stage for the first time. Iran, Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand have one point apiece after the opening round.

“We’re facing more hurdles, but we’re not going to let that stop us from doing our best,” Ghalenoei said. “I think today was one of the best games in the World Cup so far, and I think the fans really enjoyed it inside the stadium and outside the stadium.” (CBS News)

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Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday the first round of negotiations on a final agreement between Iran and the United States will be held after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between them in Switzerland on Friday.

Araghchi made the remarks after his meeting with members of the Iranian parliament’s economic committee in the capital Tehran one day after the MoU was reached between Tehran and Washington, the state-run IRIB news agency reported.

He said a meeting will probably be held between the heads of two sides’ delegations on Friday.

Araghchi said Iran finalized the MoU with the United States on Sunday night, noting that the implementation of part of the MoU begins as of today, and the other part will begin on Friday following the signing.

He said the negotiations on a final agreement were scheduled to take place within a 60-day period, which could be extended, stressing that Iran’s nuclear program and the removal of sanctions will be discussed during the 60-day negotiations.

He said the agreement could lead to economic breakthroughs for Iran, emphasizing that, however, “we should not tie our economy to such economic agreements through negotiations with the United States.”

Also on Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country’s negotiating team will in no way deviate from the frameworks and policies set by Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, the official news agency IRNA reported.

The United States, Pakistan and Iran early Monday announced the finalization of the MoU on ending the war following weeks of negotiations, adding that it will be officially signed in Switzerland on Friday.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz barring passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States. (Xinhua)

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Kuwait temporarily closed its airspace early Thursday and diverted flights to alternative airports as a precautionary measure, citing escalating regional tensions following Iranian strikes.

According to a report by Gulf News, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the closure took effect at 4.50am local time to safeguard air navigation and passenger safety. 

The authority confirmed flights were being redirected under established agreements and operational procedures.

The move followed Kuwait’s statement that it had been subjected to Iranian aggression, raising concerns over risks to civil aviation traffic across the Gulf. 

The DGCA said it was closely monitoring developments with relevant authorities and would reopen the country’s airspace once the security situation stabilises and threats are eliminated.

Passengers and airlines were urged to follow official updates and comply with instructions issued by the DGCA. 

The temporary closure comes as tensions in the region intensify after fresh US strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks targeting American military facilities. (Newswire)

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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out attacks against a US base in Jordan and 21 other targets in the Gulf on Wednesday (Jun 10) in retaliation for American strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported.

The clashes mark one of the biggest exchanges in hostilities since the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in April.

The Iranian strikes, which included attacks in Kuwait and Bahrain, came after the US military said on X it had targeted Iranian air defence, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the strait in response to what US President Donald Trump said was the downing of a US Apache helicopter on Tuesday.

“I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is,” Trump told ABC News on Tuesday.

The escalation in violence deepens doubts about the prospects for a deal to end the war that started on Feb 28 with joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran. Tehran responded by firing on Gulf neighbours that host US bases and all but choked off the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for oil and gas.

The latest US strikes lasted around four hours before the US Central Command posted just before 9pm ET (Wednesday, 9am, Singapore time) that they had ended. A US official said almost 20 Iranian targets had been struck.

Iran’s state media reported that Qeshm island and the port city of Sirik in the Strait of Hormuz were attacked.

Sounds of explosions were heard in nearby Bandar Abbas, and later in the vicinity of Jask, near the entrance to the strait, Iranian media reported, citing local sources and residents.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in response they had targeted four sites at the US al-Azraq base in Jordan using long-range missiles, Iranian media reported.

The Guards said the targets included F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control centre, and warned they were ready to deliver a “crushing and decisive” response to any further US attack.

Jordanian armed forces said on Wednesday they had intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from Iran toward al-Azraq. The military added that debris from the interception operation fell on Jordanian territory but caused no injuries or material damage.

The Kuwaiti army said its air defence systems were engaging hostile aerial targets and urged the public to follow official safety instructions, after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait with drones.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said earlier they attacked the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain with drones and threatened “more severe responses” if hostilities continued, according to media.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said a warning siren had been sounded and urged the public to head to safety. Air defences had repelled Iranian attacks, a media adviser to Bahrain’s king said soon after in a post on X.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial assessments showed nearly all missiles and drones launched by Iran were intercepted and they were not immediately aware of any reports of harm to US personnel or damage to US locations.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield reports. (CNA/ Reuters)

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US President Donald Trump has said a deal between Israel and Iran is close, claiming both sides could stop attacks within days.

Speaking to reporters late Monday, Trump said the United States was in the “final throes” of what he described as a “very, very good deal”, adding that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen within two to three days once an agreement is signed.

He also suggested Israel and Iran may refrain from further attacks for at least a week, following their most serious escalation since a ceasefire in April.

Trump said continued US pressure, including a naval blockade, was pushing Iran towards an agreement, claiming military strikes alone would not achieve the same outcome.

In comments to Axios, he also said he had warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the continuation of the conflict, telling him he could soon be “on your own”.

On his Truth Social platform, Trump urged both sides to stop “shooting” and said final negotiations were under way, warning that progress could be derailed by “ignorance or stupidity”.

The remarks came after renewed violence on Sunday, triggered by Israeli strikes on Beirut. Iran responded with missile attacks on northern Israel, while Israel later struck Iranian air defence systems and a petrochemical facility. Iran also hit a facility in Haifa and targeted Israeli airbases. No deaths have been reported. (Newswire)

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Iran said it has suspended military operations against Israel but warned it would resume them if strikes continue, including in southern Lebanon, where Israel is conducting ongoing operations.

“The powerful Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in support of the oppressed people of Lebanon, delivered a painful response to this regime (Israel),” Iran’s military said in a statement cited by Tasnim news agency.

“Should the aggressions and hostile acts continue – including in southern Lebanon – far more severe and crushing measures than before will be forthcoming,” it said.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a message to government ministers on Monday that Israel “will not accept the regime in Tehran’s attempt to create a new equation,” whereby strikes on targets in a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut “are met with Iranian attacks on population centres in Israel,” an Israeli official told CNN earlier.

“We will continue to operate throughout Lebanon, as required, to remove the Hezbollah terror threat to our citizens,” the message said. (CNN)

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