West Asia war LIVE updates: India welcomes U.S.-Iran peace MoU, says Hormuz opening will boost energy supplies – The Hindu

Home Latest News West Asia war LIVE updates: India welcomes U.S.-Iran peace MoU, says Hormuz opening will boost energy supplies – The Hindu
West Asia war LIVE updates: India welcomes U.S.-Iran peace MoU, says Hormuz opening will boost energy supplies – The Hindu

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June 23, 2026e-Paper
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June 23, 2026e-Paper
Updated – June 24, 2026 12:47 am IST
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on June 22, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters
Tehran alone will decide how to use its frozen assets once they are unfrozen under a U.S.-Iranian deal towards ending the West Asia war, an Iranian ambassador said on June 23, 2026, contradicting U.S. claims.
“Iran is the only country who will decide what to do with its assets, which are going to be defrozen and so I reject any claim by [Washington] about that there should… be any role for any other country to have an influence on those decisions or on those processes,” Ali Bahreini, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, told reporters.
Also read: West Asia war updates on June 22
Lebanon heads into a new round of talks with Israel on Tuesday (June 23, 2026) in Washington, with Beirut determined to press ahead ‌with direct negotiations even as they appear to be overshadowed by Iran’s decision to make Lebanon part of its negotiations with the United States.
Technical talks between Iran and the United States in Switzerland have concluded, with negotiating groups to be set up on nuclear issues and sanctions, Iran’s state media reported on Tuesday (June 23, 2026).
Also read: ‘Will do what I have to do’ if Iran does not stick to deal, asks Trump
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said that Tehran will administer the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported on Tuesday (June 23, 2026), following talks pushing to end the U.S.-Israeli war on the Islamic republic.
U.S. ‌President Donald Trump ⁠on Tuesday said ‌his administration ‌was ‌trying ⁠to ⁠work out a ‌fair deal with Iran and ‌that the U.S. ⁠and Iran ‌were getting along well.
Reuters
Three stranded supertankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, while seven ‌empty Qatar-linked liquefied natural gas tankers have entered in recent weeks in an early sign Gulf gas shipping may be resuming, ship-tracking data showed. Iranian-linked tankers also continued to transit the vital waterway, ⁠according to the data, with traffic picking up on Monday as U.S.-Iran talks progressed.
The first round of talks, which began on Sunday, concluded a day later with both sides agreeing on a roadmap toward a permanent deal within 60 days. The U.S. also announced ‌a waiver until August 21 on sanctions, easing concerns over global oil and LNG supplies and pushing prices lower. More crude oil cargoes stranded in the Gulf since the start of the war are expected ‌to make their way out now, analysts say, while a growing number of sanctioned tankers have been plying the ‌strait ⁠to load and export Iranian oil after the U.S. waived sanctions.
Two Trafigura-operated Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), each ⁠carrying 2 million barrels of crude, exited the strait on Tuesday.
One, Dubai Energy, was chartered by Taiwanese state energy firm CPC, and the second, Legio X Equestris, was chartered by TotalEnergies, LSEG and Kpler data showed.
Another VLCC, Universal Glory, chartered by South Korean refiner GS Caltex, also left ‌the Strait on Tuesday with 2 million barrels of Saudi crude onboard, the data showed.
Two sanctioned Suezmax tankers — Sobar and Sarak — were heading into the strait on Tuesday, the data showed. Each of them can carry 1 million barrels of oil. U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday ‌that 19 million barrels of oil flowed out of the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
CPC, TotalEnergies and Trafigura were not immediately available for comment, and GS Caltex declined to comment.
Reuters was not able to independently verify that number.
– Reuters
Lebanon and Israel began a new round of ‌talks on Tuesday in Washington, with Beirut determined to press ahead with direct negotiations even as they appear to be overshadowed by Iran’s decision to make Lebanon part of its talks with the U.S.
Lebanese ⁠officials have insisted that face-to-face negotiations with Israel are the only way to secure an end to the war raging since March 2, when armed group Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of Iran and triggered Israeli air and ground attacks that have killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon.
But ‌four rounds of Lebanese-Israeli talks since April have failed to produce a durable ceasefire.
Instead, the longest lull in fighting came this week after Iran and the U.S. agreed on a memorandum of understanding that stipulated fighting would ‌halt across all fronts, including Lebanon.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday rejected Israel’s occupation of south Lebanon and other foreign interference, alluding to Iran, as a fifth round of Israel-Lebanon talks began in Washington.
“We accept nothing less than an end to the Israeli occupation and at the same time, the fall of foreign tutelage, because our only option is our national sovereignty and our sole wager is on the Lebanese state,” Mr. Aoun said, according to his office.
He also expressed hope that the new round of talks would be “decisive along the path of achieving what we seek for the good of our nation and people”, namely “the full restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty over every grain of its soil”.
– AFP, Reuters
India on Tuesday welcomed the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on ending hostilities in West Asia, with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval saying it will stabilise global energy security and remove supply chain bottlenecks for key commodities and fertilisers.
The opening of the Strait of Hormuz is a very welcome move for global energy security, Doval said, addressing a meeting of NSAs of BRICS nations. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian NSA Sergei Shoigu, Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ghadir Nezamipour and other top BRICS security officials attended the meeting chaired by Mr. Doval.
In his televised opening remarks at the BRICS NSAs meeting, Mr. Doval, touching upon the impact of “geopolitical uncertainties and economic strains”, underlined the need for the grouping to play a significant role in addressing the challenges.
“India welcomes the MoU reached between the US and Iran. We have got cautious optimism, and we hope that it will work. It will help energy security,” Mr. Doval said.
– PTI
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected in the UAE on Tuesday, the first stop on a tour of Gulf states aimed at showing solidarity with key allies hit hard by the West Asia war.
The delicate mission comes with Gulf countries having paid a heavy economic price for the U.S. and Israel’s decision to go to war with Iran against their wishes, prompting Tehran to lash out at its regional neighbours.
Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz cut off the majority of Gulf states’ oil and gas exports, while its drone and missile attacks shattered their sense of safety and undermined the status of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in particular as stable, peaceful havens for business and tourism.
It will be the first visit by a senior U.S. official to the region since the signing last week of an initial deal between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the war for good.
U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance has taken the lead on those negotiations, which began over the weekend in Switzerland, with Mr. Rubio yet to comment.
The diplomat is expected to arrive in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday evening, before heading to Kuwait on Wednesday and Bahrain on Thursday, where he will attend a meeting of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council
– AFP
The Israeli military said Tuesday its forces opened fire on four alleged Hezbollah militants who entered the so-called “security zone” it has established in southern Lebanon, the second such incident within hours.
The army said the militants entered the zone on a bulldozer and a motorcycle and that the soldiers initially fired warning shots as they approached troops deployed there.
“After the terrorists continued to approach and failed to comply with the soldiers’ calls, additional fire was conducted in order to remove the threat. Hits were identified,” the military said, the second incident of the day in the zone, which extends roughly 10 km (six miles) into Lebanese territory.
– AFP
President Donald Trump has heralded the peace talks with Iran as a win for U.S. farmers, saying that the unfreezing of sanctioned Iranian money will be tied to that country buying American-grown corn, soybeans and wheat.
“These are things that are desperately needed by Iran,” Mr. Trump posted on social media. “This is a humanitarian crisis, and I feel it is necessary to help.” But Iran is unlikely to start buying a vast amount of U.S. farm products.
“I don’t expect that trade would be very large in the short run,” said Joseph Glauber, a research fellow emeritus at the International Food Policy Research Institute.
Mr. Glauber noted that Iran was “unlikely” to abandon its other trade partners on food for America. He said Iran’s major suppliers include Brazil, India, Turkiye, the European Union, Canada, Australia and Argentina and that Trump’s demand to buy from the U.S. would “create some hard feelings with some of our competitors.
– AP
Iran announced on Tuesday three days of public holidays in the capital Tehran for the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral ceremonies, the State television reported.
“The farewell ceremony and prayers for the martyred leader’s body will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 4th and 5th, in Tehran’s Grand Mosalla, and the funeral will be held on Monday, July 6th, and Tehran province will be off for these three days,” IRGC commander Hassan Hassanzadeh, in charge of the funeral ceremonies, was quoted as saying.
Earlier, state media said Tehran would be on holiday on July 4 and 5, while the whole country will follow suit on July 6.
– AFP
Oman and Iran agreed on Tuesday to press on ‌with discussions about the future administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, ⁠including maritime services in the strategic waterway and the costs associated with them.
In a joint statement issued ‌after talks in Muscat, the two countries said a joint working group involving ‌their foreign ministries would be formed to continue ‌the ⁠discussions and that they would consult ⁠other littoral states and relevant parties.
The move appears to implement a provision of the memorandum of understanding signed last week that calls ‌for Iran to hold talks with Oman and other Gulf coastal states on the future management of navigation and maritime services in the strait, ‌a vital waterway for global oil supplies.
The agreement was announced following a visit by Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer ⁠Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who met Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and held talks with ‌Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi.
In the statement, Oman and Iran, the two states bordering the strait, reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring safe passage through the waterway in accordance with international law while underlining sovereignty over their ‌territorial waters.
– Reuters
Iran said Tuesday that the UN’s nuclear watchdog will not be able to inspect key nuclear sites bombed by the US and Israel last year, as the first round of talks to end the West Asia war wrapped up in Switzerland.
Tehran and Washington have signed a memorandum of understanding to end a war that sowed chaos across West Asia and rattled the global economy, embarking on a 60-day period to settle broader issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions relief.
Post the meet, Iran’s leader headed to mediator Pakistan, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio set off on a tour of Gulf allies, and Lebanon and Israel were due for direct talks in Washington.
But Iran denied the claim of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance that Tehran had agreed to invite International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors back, after Iran blocked them from nuclear sites struck by its arch foes in a 12-day war last year.
“We have not had a meeting with the director general of the IAEA, nor do we have any plans for the agency to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities damaged by the U.S. and Zionist military aggression,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a press briefing.
But U.S. President Donald Trump later said Iran had signed off on comprehensive nuclear inspections.
– AFP
A former Israeli Prime Minister acknowledged on Tuesday that Israel had smuggled Starlink ‌internet receivers into Iran to help anti-government protesters, though he said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government ⁠failed to follow through on the plans.
Naftali Bennett, who served as Prime Minister from 2021 to 2022, told an audience ‌at the JNS International Policy Summit in Jerusalem that he had initiated a “process of acquiring ‌and smuggling into Iran tens of thousands of ‌Starlink ⁠receptors that would allow continuity of the internet ⁠and social networks”.
Iran has previously accused Israel and the United States of smuggling in the devices ‌to undermine its security. Starlink is not licensed to operate in Iran, but Mr. Musk has previously said the service is active there.
Mr. Bennett said the devices were ‌intended to enable protesters to coordinate and ultimately topple the Iranian government.
– Reuters
Iran’s state-owned banking technology provider said on Tuesday that cyberattacks disrupted card-based banking ‌services at Bank Melli, Bank Saderat and Bank Tejarat.
This ⁠had prompted a temporary suspension of all card-related operations at the three ‌banks to prevent further unauthorised access, the company told ‌State TV, with cybersecurity ‌teams working ⁠to restore normal operations.
The ⁠company’s public relations head said ATM services, point-of-sale terminals and mobile applications linked to ‌card systems were all affected. Major banks, including Melli, Saderat, Tejarat and the Export Development Bank of ‌Iran, have faced disruptions first reported on June 14 after a cyberattack targeting ⁠a shared communication infrastructure, Iran’s banking coordination council has said.
Iranian State ‌media said those took several days to resolve.
– Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran has “fully and completely agreed” to allow nuclear inspectors to return to the country, and that the U.S. Navy forces would no longer blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
Washington has been negotiating with Tehran on critical issues such as the fate of the country’s nuclear program in the wake of a deal the two foes signed aimed at ending the West Asia war.
Mr. Trump said the negotiations, technical talks between Iran and the United States taking place in recent days in Switzerland, were “going well.”
“Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!). This will insure ‘Nuclear Honesty,’” Mr. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
“Based on this and other major concessions being made by Iran, I have agreed to allow the Hormuz Strait to remain OPEN, with no further Naval Blockade,” he added.
“However, all ships are remaining in place should it be necessary to reinstitute the Blockade, which seems, at this point, highly unlikely,” he added.
He also said that 19 ‌million barrels ‌of ‌oil ⁠flowed ⁠out of the ‌Strait of Hormuz on Monday, ‌and pointed to ⁠falling oil ‌prices.
He added that any Iranian funds unfrozen through sanctions relief or released by the U.S. Treasury would go into a Washington-controlled escrow account, which Tehran could tap to purchase U.S. food and medical supplies.
“The Money and/or Sanctions that the U.S. Treasury is releasing goes into escrow, controlled by the USA, and will be used for the purchase of food and medical supplies, exclusively from the United States, including Corn, Wheat, and Soybeans from our great American Farmers,” Mr. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
“This is a humanitarian crisis, and I feel it is necessary to help, NOW, before it is too late,” he added.
– AFP, Reuters
Eleven India-bound ships have transited through the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. and Iran finalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to end the West Asia conflict. External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said this on Tuesday.
“As of today, we have 10 Indian-flagged vessels which are still in the Persian Gulf region. In addition, two have recently arrived there,” he said at a media briefing.
“Since the signing of the MoU on June 17, 11 India-bound vessels have transited through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
The vessels include three Indian-flagged crude oil tankers, each carrying over 285,000 MT crude oil, one foreign-flagged LPG carrier, one foreign-flagged crude oil tanker and six foreign-flagged bulk carriers, carrying fertilizer cargo, he said.
– PTI
Oman and Iran will study the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz and the costs to be charged for services provided, they said in a joint statement on Tuesday, insisting on sovereignty over the vital waterway.
The two countries emphasised “their sovereignty and sovereign rights over their territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz” and “agreed to maintain their dialogue on this issue through a joint working group between the two Foreign Ministries in order to reach agreement on the future administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the services that will be provided in this regard and the costs associated with them in accordance with international standards”.
– AFP
Traffic on Monday through the Strait of Hormuz reached the highest level since the start of the West Asia war, according to maritime tracking data.
Analytics platform Kpler recorded at least 37 crossings on Monday, one week after a memorandum of understanding was reached between the United States and Iran.
AXSMarine, another shipping data provider which tracks transits by commercial vessels, including container ships, counted 42 crossings on Monday, also a record.
AFP found that 51 different vessels were transiting by cross-referencing the two lists.
This represents 42.5% of normal peacetime traffic (around 120 vessels per day) through the strategic waterway, which normally carries around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas exports.
Total figures are likely to rise further, as the platforms often identify additional crossings retrospectively, notably through satellite imagery.
– AFP
The remarks after the conclusion of the initial round of technical talks as part of the MoU, during the 16th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers in New Delhi today, aimed at ending the hostilities in West Asia between the U.S. and Iran, with both sides agreeing to establish a High-Level Committee and a roadmap towards a final agreement within 60 days.
-ANI
Iran’s Ambassador to the ⁠United Nations in Geneva on June 23, 2026, reported good progress in negotiations ‌between ‌the ⁠United States ⁠and Iran during peace deal talks in Switzerland.
“Our ‌colleagues continue to discuss in very ‌good talks yesterday at technical level,” said ⁠Ali Bahreini, adding that two ‌working groups will be established within the coming days ‌to discuss the removal of sanctions against Iran, ⁠and issues related to ⁠Iranian nuclear activities.
– Reuters
One person was killed ‌by Israeli gunfire in southern ⁠Lebanon today, Lebanon’s Civil ‌Defence and a security ‌source said, ‌in ⁠the latest ⁠deadly incident to occur despite a U.S.-brokered ‌ceasefire last week between Israel and armed group ‌Hezbollah.
Israeli soldiers opened fire at ⁠a group of people ‌near a bulldozer clearing a road in the al-Deir neighbourhood ‌of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s ⁠state news agency NNA ⁠reported.
-Reuters
Tehran alone will decide how to use its frozen assets once they are unfrozen under a U.S.-Iranian deal towards ending the West Asia war, an Iranian ambassador said today, contradicting US claims.
“Iran is the only country who will decide what to do with its assets, which are going to be defrozen and so I reject any claim by [Washington] about that there should… be any role for any other country to have an influence on those decisions or on those processes,” Ali Bahreini, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, told reporters.
-AFP
Denmark has reopened its embassy in Tehran more than three months after closing it due to the conflict in West Asia, the Foreign Ministry announced today.
“In light of the improvement in the security situation in Iran, the embassy in Tehran is reopening its doors,” the Danish diplomatic service said in a statement.
“The Danish ambassador to Iran has been working on the embassy premises since June 19,” it added.
-AFP
Ghadir Nezamipour, Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, utilised a visual display during the 16th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers in New Delhi on June 23, 2026, presenting an image of students in Minab who were reportedly killed during the opening days of the regional conflict.
Mr. Nezamipour also displayed an image of the martyred students of Minab to draw participants’ attention to the human consequences of these acts of aggression. He said “This poster depicts children who were killed on the first day of the aggression against Iran carried out by the United States.”
-ANI
Tensions between Iran and the United Arab Emirates reached a boiling point during the 16th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers in New Delhi on June 23, 2026, as Iranian officials formally accused the UAE of direct involvement in military strikes against the Islamic Republic during the operation by the U.S. and Israel. 
In a post on X, the Iranian Embassy in India stated that Ghadir Nezamipour, Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, launched a scathing rebuttal against the Emirati delegation during the high-level security forum. 
It said that Mr. Nezamipour, addressing the gathering, rejected allegations previously levelled against Tehran by the UAE representative, pivoting instead to a direct confrontation regarding the ongoing regional conflict. “Dr. Ghadir Nezamipour, Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, speaking at the 16th Meeting of Heads of Security Agencies and National Security Advisers of the #BRICS countries in New Delhi, rejected the allegations made against the Islamic Republic of Iran by the representative of the United Arab Emirates,” the Embassy wrote.
-ANI
Iran has neither ‌held a meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael ‌Grossi in Switzerland nor ‌plans for ‌the U.N. nuclear watchdog to inspect Iran’s damaged nuclear facilities, ‌a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on June 23, 2026.
Esmaeil ‌Baghaei said there was no protocol for such inspections, adding that ‌Iran would continue its current obligations as a member ‌of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and under its safeguards agreement with the IAEA.
Reuters
The opening of the Strait of Hormuz is a very welcome move as it will help energy security, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval said on Tuesday (June 23, 2026) while welcoming counterparts from BRICS nations at a key conclave here.
Mr. Doval said freedom of navigation through the key shipping lane will benefit the countries of the region and beyond.
NSA Ajit Doval praises the opening of the Strait of Hormuz at the BRICS conclave for enhancing regional energy security and cooperation.
Lebanon heads into a new round of talks with Israel on Tuesday (June 23, 2026) in Washington, with Beirut determined to press ahead with direct negotiations even as they appear overshadowed by Iran’s decision to include Lebanon in its negotiations with the United States.
Lebanese officials have insisted that face-to-face negotiations with Israel ⁠are the only way to secure an end to the war raging since March 2, when armed group Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of Iran and triggered Israeli air and ground attacks that have killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon. 
But four ‌rounds of Lebanese-Israeli talks since April failed to produce a durable ceasefire. Instead, the longest lull in fighting came this week after Iran and the U.S. agreed on a memorandum of understanding that stipulated fighting ‌would halt across all fronts, including Lebanon. That deal buoyed Iran-backed Hezbollah and dealt a blow to the Lebanese ‌state, ⁠whose leaders, including President Joseph Aoun, had repeatedly warned that Tehran cannot negotiate on Lebanon’s behalf.
– Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump said “respect” from Iran would be key to sustaining peace after the end of the Iran-Israel war, expressing optimism about fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz to create “an oil gusher”.
“As long as they respect us, I don’t want to use the word fear because that’s an inappropriate word, but as long as they respect us, we’re not going to have any trouble,” Mr. Trump told reporters at his Oval Office on Monday (June 22, 2026).
– AP
Technical talks between Iran and the United States in Switzerland have concluded, with negotiating groups to be set up on nuclear issues and sanctions, Iran’s state media reported on Tuesday (June 23, 2026).
The negotiators “decided that four working groups would be established: Sanctions Termination, Nuclear Affairs, Reconstruction and Economic Development, and Monitoring and Implementation,” said IRNA state news agency, quoting Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.
– AFP
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio faces a delicate mission this week pitching Washington’s Iran peace deal to Gulf Arab leaders who fear excessive concessions will strengthen Tehran and ‌reshape the region’s security balance and oil flows.
Mr. Rubio will meet them in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday (June 23, 2026), before traveling to Kuwait and Bahrain, where he will meet officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council, a grouping of monarchies ⁠that also includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.
At issue are elements of a draft agreement that include no limits on Iran’s ballistic missiles, a proposed $300 billion reconstruction fund and provisions that could expand Tehran’s regional influence and control over critical oil shipping lanes.
– Reuters
Tehran stands to gain billions of dollars from a 60-day reprieve from U.S. sanctions announced on Monday (June 22, 2026), but unwinding more than four decades of restrictions poses legal, political and commercial challenges that could take years.
At issue is whether an interim ‌U.S. deal with Iran can translate into lasting economic relief, given the complexity of dismantling a sanctions regime that spans U.S. law, international measures and private-sector risk concerns.
The United Nations, the U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions and trade embargoes ⁠and have frozen assets since the late 1970s over Iran’s nuclear program, human rights violations and support for militant groups around the region.
– Reuters
Ship traffic has picked up in the Strait of Hormuz since Iran and the U.S. signed an interim deal to end a war that constricted global oil supplies and fueled inflation, but questions surrounding control of the vital waterway and whether vessels will be charged tolls to cross it could interfere with negotiations to forge a lasting peace.
Tehran and Washington clashed over the Strait of Hormuz again this past weekend. Citing Israel’s latest attacks on Lebanon, Iran declared that it reclosed the strait. The U.S. was quick to contest that. Maritime tracking data showed that dozens of ships passed through on Saturday and Sunday, though far fewer than the daily average before the war.
– AP
The Pentagon has told senators it needs roughly $80 billion, mostly to cover the cost of the U.S. war against Iran, adding to what is already a sizable military spending boost being sought by President Donald Trump.
Pentagon requests $80 billion from Congress for Iran war, amid rising defense budget and political skepticism from lawmakers.
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said that the Strait of Hormuz will be administered by Tehran, state media reported today, following talks pushing to end the US-Israeli war on the Islamic republic.
Iran and the United States agreed on yesterday to set up communication lines to keep the vital shipping route open and end fighting in Lebanon, mediators said, after their first round of talks in Switzerland toward ending the conflict that has engulfed the West Asia.
“The Strait of Hormuz will never return to its pre-war conditions and will be administered by the Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with international law,” Ghalibaf said on his return from the talks, according to IRNA.
In a video posted to Ghalibaf’s Telegram account, he said the talks at the luxury Swiss resort of Burgenstock produced “good achievements”.
-AFP
U.S. President Donald Trump said ‌on Monday (June 22, 2026) “I will do what I have to ⁠do” if Iran does not stick to its agreement with Washington.
“If Iran doesn’t ‌live up to their agreement, or if they’re not behaving, ‌I will do what I ‌have ⁠to do,” Mr. Trump told reporters. Mr. Trump ⁠and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed an interim U.S.-Iran deal last week, more than three months ‌after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran and Iran responded with its own attacks on Israel and Gulf ‌states with U.S. bases.
Read more:
Trump warns of action against Iran if it fails to adhere to the U.S. deal on food purchases.
Vice-President J.D. Vance on Monday (June 22, 2026) said his lengthy talks with senior Iranian officials in Switzerland created a “good foundation for a successful final deal” as they seek a permanent end to the war that the U.S. and Israel began in late February.
Read more:
Vice President JD Vance reports progress in talks with Iran, establishing a foundation for a potential deal to end the war.
Published – June 23, 2026 08:43 am IST
Iran / Israel-US strikes on Iran / USA / West Asia / war / Live news / Lebanon / Israel
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