Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi on Thursday, state media reported.
The meeting marks a significant diplomatic engagement between Tehran and the Taliban-led Afghan government, which has not been formally recognized by most countries. Iran has maintained ties with the Taliban since it took power in August 2021, while also expressing concerns over border security and water rights.
US Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper on Thursday praised American soldiers and sailors assigned to a counter-drone unit in Bahrain for shooting down 14 Iranian one-way attack drones over the past several weeks.
“Today, I was proud to recognize American Soldiers and Sailors assigned to a Joint Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) unit in Bahrain for their exceptional performance,” Cooper said in a statement posted on X. “The incredible professionalism, skill, and dedication they displayed saved lives.”
The recognition comes as tensions remain high in the Gulf region following weeks of military escalation between the US and Iran. The downing of the drones highlights the ongoing threat of Iranian attack drones to US forces and regional security.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended the government’s negotiations with Israel, saying they were not a betrayal and he would not surrender “a single inch of Lebanon’s territory.”
“It is time for Lebanon to emerge from the era of wars and tutelages, and the majority of Lebanese support this path, especially our people in the south who deserve to live with dignity and security,” Aoun said in a statement shared by the Lebanese presidency.
The Lebanese government has faced criticism from those who argue the framework deal with Israel gives up parts of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. But Aoun insisted “the provisions of the framework agreement do not conflict with Lebanese rights and principles; on the contrary, they seek to guarantee them in full.”
“Anyone who respects the principle of sovereignty must respect the state’s decision in this context,” he added.
Lebanon and Syria have signed an agreement of mutual respect and non-interference in Beirut, as both nations face ongoing Israeli attacks and occupation.
The agreement was signed after Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in Lebanon’s capital, in the presence of delegations from both sides.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported the agreement includes “principles of cooperation, including respect for the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of either state, equality between the two parties, and non-interference.”
The deal comes as Syria’s new leadership, formed after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, seeks to redefine its relationship with Lebanon. Al-Shaibani’s visit to Beirut marked the first high-level Syrian diplomatic engagement with Lebanon since the fall of the Assad regime.
Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Damascus is open to meeting Hezbollah representatives “if interests require it,” during a visit to Lebanon where he met President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally.
The visit marks a significant shift, as the former rebel fighters who now govern Syria fought against Hezbollah for years while the group was deployed to support former President Bashar al-Assad. A meeting between the two sides would be the first of its kind.
Al-Shaibani’s visit comes as Damascus insists it does not want to intervene militarily in Lebanon despite pressure from the United States to do so. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Syria could “take care of Hezbollah” while criticizing Israel’s failure to destroy the Lebanese armed group.
Iran’s army has reinforced units in border areas and stepped up security along land and maritime borders ahead of the funeral ceremony for late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the army spokesperson said on Thursday.
Mohammad Akraminia said naval monitoring by the navy and air defense surveillance had also been intensified as part of measures planned for the ceremony.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday that they killed a five-member armed team in an ambush in the border heights of Piranshahr in northwestern Iran.
The IRGC said the team had entered Iran’s northwestern border areas a day earlier, adding that bodies, weapons and equipment were recovered after the clash.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the US-sponsored deal with Israel is intended to define the path of negotiations towards a lasting settlement but is not itself a treaty.
“The phrase ‘framework agreement’ causes confusion,” Salam told Lebanon’s private broadcaster LBCI. “We are talking about a guiding framework for negotiations to define their path with the aim of reaching an agreement, not an agreement or treaty.”
Salam said Lebanon reached this stage after two wars that left thousands of victims, with the first offensive causing direct damage exceeding $7 billion, excluding economic losses estimated at around $13 billion. “We are not enthusiasts for negotiations with Israel,” he said.
The framework agreement, signed in Washington last week, is meant to pave the way for peace and the disarmament of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. However, Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have repeatedly ruled out withdrawing troops from southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces continue to clash with Hezbollah fighters.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday that the death of late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei marked the beginning of a new chapter of national unity.
In a message ahead of Khamenei’s funeral, Pezeshkian said his death in US-Israeli airstrikes on February 28 was “not the end of the road, but the beginning of a new chapter of solidarity, resilience and growth.”
He said the ceremony would show the world that Iranians stood united in defense of the country, adding a large public turnout would be a firm response to “the logic of terror, violence and bullying.”
It’s the 1,000th day of war since a Hamas-led attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. Other conflicts have emerged in the region, and fragile ceasefires show scars of persistent attacks. Both Israelis and Palestinians are weary of the strain.
The fate of over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, largely displaced and living amid ruins, remains uncertain. Israeli forces controlled over half of the territory under the ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, but Israel’s government has expanded that and says it aims to hold 70%.
Few people can get in or out. Further ceasefire steps, including Hamas’ disarmament and the immense task of reconstruction, have stalled.
The crude oil tanker MT Sanmar Herald successfully berthed at Paradip Port’s Single Point, concluding a voyage from Iraq.
The vessel, carrying Basrah crude oil, safely arrived in Odisha after enduring severe operational challenges and shrapnel damage to its bridge during a hostile engagement in the Middle East.
Paradip Port Authority, in a post on X, expressed how MT Sanmar Herald operated in continuous coordination with the Indian Navy and completed its journey despite sustaining damage while transiting near the Strait of Hormuz.
Recognising the emotional and professional gravity of the mission, the Port Authority wrote, “A Journey of Courage, Resilience & Safe Arrival at Paradip Port. Today, MT SANMAR HERALD safely arrived at Paradip Port and berthed at SPM-I at 11:30 hrs on 01 July 2026, marking the successful completion of an extraordinary voyage through one of the most challenging geopolitical situations in recent history.”
The authorities added, “After loading Basrah Medium and Basrah Heavy crude oil in Iraq, the vessel encountered the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East. Operating under continuous coordination with the Indian Navy, the vessel endured prolonged delays, an attempted Strait of Hormuz transit, and even sustained shrapnel damage to its bridge during a hostile engagement.”
Commending the crew’s professional conduct, the Port Authority said, “Throughout the ordeal, the Master and crew displayed exceptional professionalism, resilience, and commitment to safety.”
Pakistan on Thursday said its mediators, along with Qatar, concluded separate meetings with the US and Iranian negotiators in Doha and reported “positive progress” on various aspects of the MoU, with the two sides agreeing to further discussions.
The US and Iran signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on June 18, aimed at restoring peace in West Asia. It was followed by technical-level talks in Switzerland on June 21, with Pakistan and Qatar as mediators.
“Qatari and Pakistani mediators concluded separate meetings with the US and Iranian negotiators in Doha today (Thursday), with positive progress made on issues related to the aspects of the Islamabad MOU, building on the Lake Lucerne Summit,” the Foreign Office said.
Though the next date of talks was not announced, it was decided to continue discussions after the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Parties have agreed to continue discussions over the coming period, with the next meeting to be set at the earliest possible time following the funeral processions of the former Iranian Supreme Leader,” it said.
Khamenei, who ruled Iran for the last three decades, was killed on February 28, the first day of massive US and Israeli air strikes on Tehran.
Iran will allow Afghan nationals to enter the country through the Dogharoun border crossing 24 hours before the funeral ceremony for Ali Khamenei, Taybad governor Hossein Jafari said on Thursday.
Jafari said special arrangements had been made to transport Afghan mourners from the border crossing to Mashhad to attend the funeral.
After the ceremony, they will be taken back to the Dogharoun crossing before returning to Afghanistan after collecting their passports, he added.
The governor said no Afghan nationals had entered Iran through the crossing so far and that visas had been issued to 2,500 people.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that Iran will not allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to access bombed nuclear sites, saying the restriction is mandated by a law passed by parliament and the Supreme National Security Council.
“Talk of IAEA inspectors’ access to bombed sites is false,” Ghalibaf said during a televised interview with IRIB.
“We ourselves passed a law in the parliament; the Supreme National Security Council has also passed a law. According to this law, access to sites that have been bombed and damaged is not allowed under any circumstances. This is the law,” he said.
“We do not grant any privileges beyond the access levels determined by the Supreme National Security Council. According to the law, the Supreme National Security Council is responsible for determining the level of access, and it has also specified its framework,” he added.
“Currently, they only have access to two things: one is the Bushehr power plant and the other is the Tehran reactor. Access has only been limited to that extent, and we are committed to that,” he said.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that Iran will not allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to access bombed nuclear sites, saying the restriction is mandated by a law passed by parliament and the Supreme National Security Council.
“Talk of IAEA inspectors’ access to bombed sites is false,” Ghalibaf said during a televised interview with IRIB.
“We ourselves passed a law in the parliament; the Supreme National Security Council has also passed a law. According to this law, access to sites that have been bombed and damaged is not allowed under any circumstances. This is the law,” he said.
“We do not grant any privileges beyond the access levels determined by the Supreme National Security Council. According to the law, the Supreme National Security Council is responsible for determining the level of access, and it has also specified its framework,” he added.
“Currently, they only have access to two things: one is the Bushehr power plant and the other is the Tehran reactor. Access has only been limited to that extent, and we are committed to that,” he said.
US Vice President JD Vance said that negotiations with Iran in Doha were “going well”, while warning that President Donald Trump would not hesitate to use military force again if Tehran resumed its nuclear programme or attacked commercial shipping.
Speaking to reporters before departing aboard Air Force Two after visiting Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia on Wednesday (local time), Vance said negotiators from the United States, Iran, Qatar and other countries were discussing the next steps following recent US military action against Iranian targets.
“Right now the negotiators are sitting down with the Iranians, with the Qataris and with others in Doha,” Vance said. “Right now the talks are going well. It’s still pretty early, but talks are going well.”
He said the immediate focus was to ensure commercial shipping continued moving safely through the region.
“Commercial traffic really does… It’s already started in an amazing direction. We’ve got now oil at $68. We’ve got gas prices starting to come down,” he said. “We’re worried about the nuclear issue. We’re going to start talking about that.”
Iran’s deputy foreign minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi on Thursday strongly criticised the US-led regional security summit in Bahrain, rejecting Western attempts to allegedly dictate security frameworks in the Persian Gulf and the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on X, Gharibabadi dismissed both the legitimacy of the military summit and the authority of the American command structure in the region, asserting that “Hormuz is defined under Iran’s command, not CENTCOM.” He maintained that a military summit in Bahrain cannot establish “legal order and security for the Persian Gulf”.
The Iranian diplomat emphasised that long-term stability in the Middle East cannot be achieved through foreign military coalitions, affirming that regional security must be managed internally by neighbouring states, “not under the military umbrella of America.”
“Hormuz is defined under Iran’s command, not CENTCOM. A military summit in Bahrain cannot establish legal order and security for the Persian Gulf. The region’s security will be ensured through the end of interventions and the U.S. withdrawal from the area, respect for countries’ sovereignty, and acceptance of new geopolitical realities–not under the military umbrella of America,” he wrote.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti is set to travel to Iran to pay final tributes to the country’s slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after receiving an official invitation to attend his funeral.
Mohseen Qummi, Director of the International Relations Department at the office of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has extended a formal invitation to Mehbooba to attend the solemn funeral ceremony as a distinguished guest of India.
“It is an immense honour for me and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to receive this invitation (from Iran). I will travel there to pay my last respects to the supreme leader,” the PDP chief told PTI.
In the invitation letter, it was stated that Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei was killed on February 28, and in accordance with the national period of mourning and the protocols of the Islamic Republic, a state funeral ceremony would be held in Tehran from July 3 to 6.
“In light of the profound historical and strategic ties that bind the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of India, I consider it a great honour to invite your excellency, as a distinguished guest of the Indian nation, to attend this solemn ceremony.
“Your presence would serve as a testament to the deep-rooted friendship and mutual respect between our two great ancient civilizations,” reads the letter addressed to Mehbooba.
According to the programme, the farewell to the leader will be held at Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla Complex in Tehran on July 3, with commemoration the next day and funeral procession on July 6.
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