TOP STORIES
U.S. and Iran Agree to Halt Days of Fighting over Strait | Wall Street Journal
“The U.S. and Iran have agreed to end days of back-and-forth fighting around the Strait of Hormuz and resume peace talks, said officials from the U.S. and other countries involved in the negotiations. . . . The U.S. offered to hold talks with Iran at a summit in the Qatari capital of Doha, some of the officials said. The summit details have yet to be finalized, some of the officials said, but it could take place as early as Tuesday and would focus on Hormuz, which has again come to the fore of the conflict.”
“Iran’s president said Monday that $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets would be released by Qatar, as negotiations with the United States were challenged by attacks across the Persian Gulf this weekend.”
“A report by a foreign intelligence agency shows how Qatar has aided Iran economically and militarily for years, including by providing rocket fuel and material to build drones, according to a Tuesday report. . . . Qatar also holds some $6 billion of frozen Iranian funds that are due to be made accessible under the deal Trump is now negotiating with the Islamic Republic. That sum, according to the report, is meant to fund Iran’s terror proxies rather than economic development.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Iran Nuclear Deal Hinges on IAEA Access to Long-Blocked Atomic Weapon Sites, Experts Say | Fox News
“Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told Fox News Digital that ‘Iran should be made to come clean and allow inspections not only at declared nuclear sites—especially the ones damaged during Operation Midnight Hammer—but also at universities, military bases and other state organizations that have been used to engage in dual-use research which is applicable to the development of a nuclear weapon should there be a leadership decision to do so. Inspections on Iran’s nuclear weaponization program were not part of the original 2015 JCPOA, which was one of its weaknesses.’ . . . Brodsky stressed that ‘Any new agreement should include more robust inspection powers. Iran’s denial of inspections at the damaged nuclear facilities since June 2025 violates its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.’”
Interview of UANI Advisor on Iranian Human Rights and LGBTQ Issues Omid Iravanipour | CBC News
“[A]t least for the Iranian queer community, this match [Iran vs. Egypt in the World Cup] and the fact that this match is a pride match and FIFA’s reaction to this match being a pride match—it is a little bit conflicting and confusing for U.S. Iranians, especially Iranian queers. Looking at it from a queer perspective, this is such a good opportunity to show the inclusivity for the LGBT community . . . But when we see the exclusion of the Iranian national flag, the ban that has been put on it, a reaction that seems like FIFA is aligning their views with the Islamic Republic rather than the people of Iran—all of this raises the question: Is this really a celebration of inclusivity and visibility and being able to identify as who we are, is pride again being used as a platform for shallow celebrations and advertisements?”
“Iran’s World Cup match against Egypt has become a test not only of FIFA’s approach to inclusion but also of whether LGBTQ+ Iranians can claim visibility on one of the world’s biggest sporting stages. The game has been designated as the tournament’s ‘Pride Match\’ by local organizers to acknowledge and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. The designation has no official standing with FIFA and was determined by Seattle’s local organizing committee. Still, the Iran Football Federation objected, as did Egypt’s. Iran’s football chief labeled the match’s designation an ‘irrational move that supports a certain group.’ That opposition is unsurprising. It represents a continuation of the Islamic Republic’s efforts to erase our community and deny our existence.”
Tanker Hit in Hormuz, Threat Level Raised | Seatrade Maritime News
“A Panama-flagged tanker Kiku has been struck in the Strait of Hormuz the second attack since the 60-day accord was signed between US and Iran. . . . United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI) Senior Advisor Charlie Brown posted a chart of the two-lane southern corridor and mined area in the Strait which can be seen below.”
“This attack is the 51st maritime incident involving commercial vessels since the start of the conflict on February 28, according to data from the organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI).”
MILITARY MATTERS & STRAIT OF HORMUZ SITUATION
U.S. Military Attacks Iranian Targets After Commercial Tanker Hit in the Strait of Hormuz | CNBC
“The U.S. military attacked a number of Iranian targets after a commercial tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was reported to have been struck by a projectile on Saturday. . . . The U.S. military launched strikes on Iranian targets in the region, including ‘military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities,’ according to an online statement late Saturday from the U.S. Central Command.”
Iran Attacks Bahrain and Kuwait Following US Strikes and Threatens to Halt Talks | Associated Press
“Iran again launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday following new U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic Republic, and threatened a ‘complete halt’ in negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks.”
Iran Asserts Sole Control of Hormuz, Warns Challenges Will Bring More Violence | Wall Street Journal
“Iran has the exclusive right to manage traffic in the Strait of Hormuz under the preliminary peace deal signed with President Trump, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday, adding that attempts to circumvent its authority risk triggering more clashes like those seen in recent days.”
US Military Conducted Strikes Against Iran | Reuters
“The U.S. military conducted strikes against Iran on Friday, Central Command said in a statement, adding that U.S. aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites after Tehran's attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iran Warns Ships Not to Bypass Its Chosen Hormuz Route | Channel News Asia
“Iran's top diplomat warned Sunday (Jun 28) that any attempt by shipping to bypass its preferred route through the Strait of Hormuz would ‘increase tensions’ in the Middle East, as US and Iranian forces again traded attacks across the vital seaway. . . . Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Sunday they were taking measures to control traffic in the strait and that vessels in violation of those measures would be dealt with more firmly than before.”
“Iran has ‘no choice’ but to develop a nuclear bomb, a media outlet linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said—the latest threat to the peace deal. . . . ‘To achieve the peace and calm that Iran needs, it must absolutely reach nuclear deterrence to ensure that the rest of the issues can be resolved through negotiation,’ thunders the piece, before comparing Iran’s situation with the US to that of China in the 1970s.”
Ships Pull Back Amid Heightened Risk from U.S.-Iran Strikes | New York Times
“Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped significantly over the weekend, as a four-day exchange of attacks between Iran and the United States left some shipowners deciding it was too risky to transit. Before the attacks, shipping traffic through the strait had risen to its highest levels since March 1, days after the start of the war. Many ships were taking a U.S.-backed route that bypassed Iranian waters. But on Thursday, Iran reiterated its demand that ships use its waters and obtain permits to go in or out of the strait, a critical shipping route for oil and gas, warning that other routes were ‘unacceptable and extremely dangerous.’’
Iran, Oman Hold First Joint Hormuz Committee Meeting | Iran International
“Iran and Oman held the first meeting of their joint Hormuz committee in Muscat to discuss the future management of the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian deputy foreign minister said on Monday.”
“About 115 vessels and 2,500 sailors have been evacuated from the Persian Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz since Tuesday, the head of the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization said Friday.”
Trump Says Iran Has ‘Some’ Military Capability | Al Jazeera
“Donald Trump says Iran has ‘some [military] capability, not much.’ . . . ‘They’re not winning or anything.’”
Iran Is Winning the Battle of Hormuz | Wall Street Journal Editorial
“The best selling point for President Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran was that at least it opened the Strait of Hormuz. Well, now the regime is trying to nullify those terms by using force against commercial vessels, Gulf states and U.S. bases. All of this violates the deal and calls into question why Mr. Trump signed it. . . . In the bigger strategic picture, the regime is leaving the President a choice: surrender Hormuz to Iranian terror or fight for it, like he always should have once he started the war, and reopen the Strait by force.”
DIPLOMACY
Vague Language of U.S.-Iran Deal Comes Back to Haunt Peace Efforts | New York Times
“The ambiguities in the language that U.S. negotiators agreed to in their interim cease-fire agreement with Iran appear to be coming back to haunt them, less than two weeks after the two sides signed the deal. . . . The memorandum that the two sides agreed to calls for Iran to ‘make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels’ through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days. Crucially, it leaves ‘arrangements’ and ‘best efforts’ undefined. Iran appears to have interpreted that language to mean that it can determine which route ships must take. Hours before its attack on the container ship, Iran had warned ships that the only route through the strait was through its waters, trying to stop vessels from using an alternate, U.S.-backed route on the southern side of the strait that hugs the coastline of Oman.”
Trump Claims Iran Has Requested Meeting, but Officials Say Nothing Scheduled | Associated Press
“President Donald Trump said Monday on social media that Iran had requested a meeting with U.S. counterparts, though Iranian officials said no such meeting was scheduled.”
Behind the Scenes: How Shared Fear of Iran Led to an Israel-Lebanon Deal | Axios
“Four days of nonstop negotiations in Washington this week between the Israeli and Lebanese governments were propelled by one clear shared interest: weakening the influence of Hezbollah and Iran in Lebanon, according to U.S., Israeli and Lebanese officials. . . . Tframework brokered by the Trump administration is the most significant political agreement between Israel and Lebanon in four decades—but all parties involved know the vision of peace it lays out may never materialize. Mixed with the skepticism is deep concern that the deal could lead to a violent response from Hezbollah that could throw the country back into civil war.”
Mediators Set up De-Escalation Channels Ahead of US-Iran Talks, Source Says | Reuters
“Iranian and U.S. technical teams working on the implementation of an interim peace deal are expected to meet in Doha in the coming days, a source told Reuters on Monday, after tit-for-tat weekend strikes threatened to derail the fragile accord. Mediators have established communications channels to de-escalate any incidents, and technical talks are set to continue, the source, with knowledge of the discussions, added. . . . A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Monday that there would be a meeting in Doha on Tuesday, but unlike previous technical talks between Tehran and Washington in Switzerland, the focus would be on managing the Strait of Hormuz and de-escalating tensions.”
IRGC Denies US Claims of Direct Tehran-Washington Line over Hormuz | Iran International
“IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi denied what he called US officials’ claims that a direct line had been established between Tehran and Washington over the Strait of Hormuz, saying the report was ‘a complete lie.’ . . . He added: ‘The Strait of Hormuz is Iranian territory and has nothing to do with the United States.”
America Wins ‘Either Way’, Vance Claims amid Shaky Ceasefire with Iran | Guardian
“Hours before fresh military strikes were exchanged in the strait of Hormuz, vice-president JD Vance continued to reiterate the administration’s triumphant line on the war with Iran. ‘If we make the final deal, then great,’ the US vice-president told HBO’s Bill Maher. ‘If we don’t make the final deal, their nuclear program is still destroyed. They’re still much weaker as a country, so my attitude is America wins either way.’”
TERRORISM & PROXY WARS
Hezbollah Rejects US-Brokered Israel-Lebanon Security Deal as ‘Surrender’ | Channel News Asia
“Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected a US-brokered security agreement between Lebanon and Israel on Saturday (Jun 27) a day after it was signed, describing it as a surrender to Israel. . . . In a statement, Qassem called it ‘null and void,’ and accused the Lebanese government of making unilateral concessions and undermining Lebanon's sovereignty. . . . The group would continue its armed resistance, he added: ‘We did not leave the battlefield in the most difficult circumstances, and we will not leave it.’”
Lawmaker Says Hezbollah Must Fight Israel to Keep War from Iran | Iran International
“Hezbollah must continue fighting Israel in Lebanon to prevent the conflict from reaching Iran, Alireza Salimi, a member of the Iranian parliament's presiding board, said on Saturday. ‘Iran has not been alone in this war, and Lebanon is part of the war. Lebanon is our strategic depth,’ Salimi said in remarks broadcast by state television. If Hezbollah did not fight in Beirut, he added, Iran would have to confront Israeli soldiers ‘on the borders of Tehran and Kermanshah and elsewhere.’”
“Iraqi security forces arrested dozens of officials in Baghdad on Sunday, including figures linked to Shia parties close to Iran, sources told Iran International, in a sweeping operation tied to a corruption case involving alleged smuggling of Iranian oil. . . . A journalist in Baghdad told Iran International that the arrests included current and former members of parliament.”
German Court Tries Two Men over Alleged Iran-Backed Anti-Jewish Plots | Asharq al-Aswat
“Two men went on trial in Germany on Friday accused of planning attacks on prominent pro-Israel public figures and spying on Jews on behalf of Iranian secret services. Danish national Ali S. is charged with espionage, attempted murder, attempted arson and sabotage, while his alleged Afghan accomplice, Tawab M., is accused of attempted murder, AFP reported. Ali S. allegedly spied on the head of the German-Israeli Society, the former Greens MP Volker Beck, as part of plans to assassinate him, according to prosecutors. He is also accused of spying on the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, as well as two Jewish grocers in Berlin as part of plans to carry out arson attacks. Prosecutors say Ali S. in early 2025 took orders from the Quds Force, the foreign operations branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Trump’s U-Turn on Iran Sanctions Would Unravel Decades of Curbs | Bloomberg
“The Trump administration’s effort to unwind decades of sanctions as part of a deal to end the war with Iran has created a head-spinning situation for governments, banks and other companies as they contemplate a shifting patchwork of new permissions and old restrictions. . . . the pace and scale of the effort has stunned longtime sanctions observers. The US has already authorized the sale of Iranian oil and fuels and pledged to unlock billions in frozen funds. . . . Amid the uncertainty, some Iran hawks are pushing the administration to shift from cash payments for Iranian oil sales to one requiring funds be placed in an escrow account where US officials can ensure it doesn’t go to proxy groups such as Hezbollah or Hamas, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Deal with Trump Hands Iran Economic Lifeline as Leaders Eye Postwar Gains | Washington Post
“The preliminary peace agreement between the United States and Iran, a broad framework still taking shape in early rounds of talks, hands Iran’s leadership a major economic lifeline as Tehran looks to consolidate strategic gains after months of war with Israel and the United States. Sanctions waivers that allow Iran to sell oil in U.S. dollars and commitments to unfreeze Iranian assets could grant Iran’s government access to billions of dollars in desperately needed hard currency. . . . [C]ritics of the deal argue the relief will ultimately allow Iran to rebuild its military and support allied armed groups, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Trump administration says it is requiring Iran to spend some of its unfrozen assets buying food from U.S. farmers, but Tehran’s oil revenue is not similarly restricted.”
“. . . [T]he Trump administration has quietly seized on something it sees as win-win: releasing frozen Iranian money to buy American food under a humanitarian relief framing. The emerging proposal speaks to a broader Trump administration mindset about humanitarian aid. The White House’s view is that relief should do more than answer urgent need; it should also advance U.S. strategic and domestic priorities. Perhaps that is why the Trump administration is now considering the revival of a Biden-era framework that would unlock $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds for the procurement of humanitarian goods, according to the Wall Street Journal. This time, however, the Trump administration has added a new condition: Iran’s funds can only be used to purchase U.S.-origin humanitarian goods. As one U.S. diplomat described this exchange, ‘Iranians get humanitarian goods for their people, and the Iranian money is used to support American farmers.’ . . . This new arrangement, proposed by the Trump administration, carries real risks for U.S. credibility abroad and Iranian civilians at home. Any assumption that this regime can be trusted to impartially distribute aid can be checked against its extensive record of human rights abuses, including the killing of an estimated twenty thousand civilians during January 2026 protests. U.S.-provided humanitarian goods could easily become another instrument of regime control by withholding the aid from communities deemed disloyal and directing it toward those seen as politically useful. The possibility of fraud is just as serious. The Iraq Oil-for-Food program illustrates how good intentions can be easily corrupted by a brutal regime.”
CYBERSECURITY MATTERS
Iran Cyberattacks on Israel Surged in 2026, Israeli Cyber Chief Says | Reuters
“The number of Iranian cyberattacks against Israel has shot up since the launch of the U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran this year, a senior Israeli security official was quoted as saying on Monday.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran Lawmaker Tells GCC: Missiles, Drones and Hormuz Are Tehran’s Red Lines | Iran International
“The head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee warned GCC leaders that US military bases had made them less secure, saying Iran’s missile and drone power and its management of the Strait of Hormuz are Tehran’s ‘serious red lines.’ . . . [He] said the only reliable path to regional security was distancing from the United States.”
Iran Official Calls for Multimillion-Dollar Bounty to Kill Trump | Iran International
“A member of Iran’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution called for a multimillion-dollar bounty to kill Donald Trump and urged Tehran-aligned groups in the United States to prepare attacks against American officials. . . . He also called for attacks on regional oil infrastructure, saying: ‘We must hit the region’s oil.’ He argued that damage to Iran’s own oil sector would be tolerable, saying the country would face ‘one or two years’ of problems before recovering.”
Iran’s Top Clerical Body Turns on Itself over US Deal | Iran International
“A rare public dispute has erupted inside Iran’s Assembly of Experts after a majority of its members issued a statement on the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, prompting an extraordinary public rebuke from the body’s own leadership within hours. . . . The controversy began after more than 60 of the Assembly's 84 members published a statement on Saturday that ventured far beyond the body's customary role, laying out detailed positions on the memorandum, the Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon, nuclear negotiations and retaliation against the United States and Israel. The signatories thanked Iranian negotiators but warned them to learn from what they called the failures of previous talks, adding that observing Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's red lines was a religious obligation and that violating them was ‘not permissible under any circumstances.’ In one of its most inflammatory passages, the statement called for those responsible for Ali Khamenei's killing, including the US president and Israeli prime minister, to be punished, saying anyone with access to them had a religious duty to kill them. The statement also described reopening the Strait of Hormuz while Israeli operations continued in Lebanon as a ‘strategic error’ and insisted Iran's nuclear rights should be excluded from negotiations.”