War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says his government is committed to reform and will not compromise “on any part of the homeland, and not to be lenient in restricting weapons to the legitimate forces alone”, Al Jazeera reports.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony for Notre Dame University students, he says, “We want a state in which the citizen feels that his future is not dependent on his political and sectarian affiliation, and which has the power to decide on matters of war and peace.”

Israel’s ambassador to the United States says his country will commit to an “immediate ceasefire” in Lebanon if Hezbollah respects it, hours after a US official said the two parties had agreed to a new truce, AFP reports.

“Israel remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire,” Yechiel Leiter has posted on X. “If Hezbollah honours the agreement and ceases its hostilities, they will be met with quiet,” he adds.

Iraq expects to return oil production from its southern fields to levels exceeding three million barrels per day within one to two months, Reuters reports citing Iraq’s state news agency, which cited an oil ministry spokesperson.

Iraq normally exports a total of around 3.6 million barrels of oil per day (bpd) and before the Iran war, around 3.4m bpd flowed through its southern Basra terminals.

“There was no fixed timetable for restoring exports to previous levels because production capacity and reservoir conditions vary from one field to another,” Iraqi oil ministry spokesperson Saleem al-Rikabi says.

He adds that the ministry is currently prioritising fields producing associated gas, liquefied gas and condensates, adding that restoring export capacity and tanker activity will progress alongside production recovery.

The next round of Lebanese-Israeli talks will be held from June 23-25 in Washington, the US State Department says following a call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, according to Reuters.

Rubio has also “reiterated the need to disarm” Hezbollah and reaffirmed US “support for the Government of Lebanon’s efforts to create a fully sovereign Lebanese state that is at peace with all its neighbours,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott says in a statement.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that a comprehensive ceasefire must be secured in order for talks with Israel to progress, AFP reports.

The Lebanese presidency says Aoun thanked Rubio for US support but stressed “the need for Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory to cease through the achievement of a comprehensive ceasefire, which Lebanon considers a fundamental basis for advancing the Lebanese-US-Israeli negotiations scheduled to take place in Washington next week”.

US President Trump tells NBC News in a phone interview that he spoke with Israel on Friday and asked them to agree to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, according to Reuters.

“You just gotta calm down sometimes and use your head,” Trump is quoted as saying on X by an NBC reporter, who adds that Trump declined to specify whether he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh tells Al Jazeera the US must ensure that Israel abides by the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached between Washington and Tehran.

He says Tehran is prepared to continue the diplomatic process, adding, “We are ready to move forward step by step if the other party demonstrates the same seriousness.”

Khatibzadeh adds that Iran is seeking “peace on all fronts, including Gaza”, and explained that Lebanon had been included in the MoU because of its direct connection to the conflict.

“There will be no peace or stability in Lebanon and the region without ending the occupation and Israel’s commitment to international law,” he says.

On the Strait of Hormuz, Khatibzadeh adds that Iran will continue to provide navigation services in coordination with Oman and in accordance with international law.

He says Tehran will not impose passage fees during the 60-day period outlined by the agreement, but that a new mechanism for managing the waterway will be introduced afterwards and presented to regional countries.

Khatibzadeh also says that any future agreement must include the release of all frozen Iranian funds.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will attend the fourth meeting of the R-4 group of countries in Cairo on June 21 at the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart, Dr Badr Abdelatty, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO).

“At the invitation of Egyptian Foreign Minister Dr Badr Abdelatty, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will attend the 4th Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the R-4 Group of Countries, to be held in Cairo, Egypt, on 21 June 2026,” said the statement.

The meeting would bring together the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan to “discuss regional developments and exchange views on issues related to peace, security, and stability”.

“Building on the outcomes of previous R-4 meetings, the ministers will also discuss ways to further strengthen cooperation in areas of shared interest,” added the statement.

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Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says that consultations through mediators are ongoing on the next phase of talks with the US aimed at drafting a final agreement, after a planned meeting in Switzerland was postponed, Anadolu reports.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Baghaei says details of the next round will be announced once conditions for talks are in place.

US Senator Lindsey Graham has slammed anyone claiming Iran is stronger after the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was signed, calling it “an insult to the American military and it is delusional thinking because the Iranian economy is in shambles”.

“Mr President, continue to try to find a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions and other issues that have plagued the world since 1979,” he adds in a post on X, addressing President Donald Trump.

“The day diplomacy is off the table will present America and our allies with some very stark choices. In the meantime, as we pursue diplomacy, make it crystal clear that Israel will not have to tolerate being attacked by Iranian proxies who cause parts of Israel to be uninhabitable.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says he had a “warm and most cordial telephone conversation” with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, where he thanked him for Riyadh’s support of Pakistan’s peace efforts.

“His Royal Highness’s (Mohammed bin Salman) wise leadership and the Kingdom’s unwavering commitment to regional peace and stability remained vital guiding forces throughout this crisis,” PM Shehbaz writes, adding that he congratulated the Saudi crown prince on the signing of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding.

“We agreed that the next phase of negotiations must continue to be guided by a firm commitment to dialogue, diplomacy, and vigilance against any attempt to undermine the peace process,” the premier adds.

A Qatari delegation has met the Swiss foreign minister at Buergenstock, the city where US-Iran talks were slated for today before being postponed.

Doha’s foreign ministry says both sides “reviewed the relations of cooperation between the two countries and ways to support and enhance them, and discussed the latest regional developments, particularly the diplomatic efforts being made to enhance security and stability in the region, following the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani pledged Doha’s full support for the start of negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

He further pledged support “to reach sustainable solutions to the outstanding issues through dialogue and peaceful means, in a way that enhances regional security, contributes to opening new horizons for cooperation, development, and prosperity, and achieves the common interests of the peoples of the region and the world.”

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has delivered a speech at a Central Ashura Council ceremony in Beirut’s southern suburbs, hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was reported to have taken effect, Al Jazeera reports.

Speaking at the Sayyed al-Shuhada complex in Dahiyeh, Qassem says Hezbollah remains committed to the principles of resistance and the liberation of occupied land, while maintaining that the group has operated within the framework of Lebanon’s constitution and the Taif Agreement.

He adds that Hezbollah rejects foreign domination, occupation and political dependency, and frames the group’s actions as part of a broader struggle against what it sees as injustice and external interference.

According to Qassem: “Every step in which we reject occupation counts as a victory for us, adding that when the enemy confronts us with weapons, we confront it with weapons.”

Brent crude ticked slightly higher on Friday but was still on track for a more than 8 per cent weekly decline after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire and tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz increased, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures were up 20 cents, or 0.25pc, at $80.05 a barrel by 10:55am ET (7:55pm PKT), while US West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 was up 25 cents, or 0.33pc, at $76.85 per barrel.

Trading volumes were light due to a US federal holiday.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health says intense Israeli air strikes from midnight until this afternoon have killed 47 people and wounded 97 others across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, Al Jazeera reports.

The worst attack has been reported in Harouf, where nine people, including three women, were killed and 14 wounded.

Elsewhere, six people have been killed in al-Duweir, including a child and a woman, while seven people were killed in Haboush. Three people, including a child, were killed in Arab Salim and three died in Tal Abyad near Baalbek, the ministry said.

Casualties have also been reported in al-Sharqiyah, Kfarsir, al-Qatrani, Nabatieh, Deir al-Zahrani, Kfar Rumman, Kfar Jouz, Jebchit, Qaqaiyat al-Jisr, Adshit, al-Rayhan, Abba, al-Abbasiya and Ain Bourdai.

The ministry adds that 3,980 people have been killed and 12,001 wounded in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2.

Lebanese state media reported an Israeli airstrike on the country’s south on Friday, soon after a US official said Israel and Hezbollah had agreed upon a ceasefire, AFP reports.

The official National News Agency (NNA) says the strike targeted the area of Jezzine “a short while ago”, adding that one of its journalists reported drones flying over the Tyre area.

An AFP correspondent also reports hearing continuous artillery shelling in the city of Nabatieh.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has welcomed the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, commending Pakistan’s role as a mediator.

“We look forward to the two parties reaching a permanent agreement that enhances security in the region and ensures respect for the sovereignty of states,” he says in a post on X.

“We also commend the exceptional mediation efforts exerted by our brothers in Pakistan and Qatar, as well as the sister and friendly countries, to reach this stage.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has congratulated Iran’s leadership on the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during a call with Tehran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi.

According to the Foreign Office (FO), Dar “also conveyed his best wishes for the commencement of the next phase of negotiations, expressing hope that the process would move smoothly and yield positive outcomes”.

The FO adds that both foreign ministers exchanged views on regional developments and expressed concern over ceasefire violations by Israel in Lebanon.

Araghchi expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s sustained mediation efforts, as well as for the repatriation of 30 Iranian nationals.

They have agreed to remain in close contact.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has denied reports that Tehran invited the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect its nuclear facilities, Al Jazeera reports.

He notes that, as pointed out in the MoU, Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear programme pending a final deal with the US.

“Inspections of facilities that have been carried out until now, such as at Bushehr, will continue,” he says.

Inspections of other facilities, for which the IAEA’s access was suspended due to the war, will depend on the process and outcome of the negotiations, Baghaei adds.

The UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) has reported that 265 children have been killed in Gaza since a “ceasefire” was announced in October, and more than 400 have been injured, according to Al Jazeera.

“During a period supposedly defined by restraint and protection, a child has been killed, on average, every single day for more than eight months,” Unicef spokesperson James Elder says, adding that this is an “absurd and devastating” amount.

He points out that “they were shot, they were bombed, they were struck by quadcopters” and that in “the vast, vast majority — 90 per cent plus” of cases, they were killed by Israeli forces.

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), the body which governs the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, has said in a notice that vessels intending to pass through the strategic waterway must submit transit requests “during the period specified in the MoU (memorandum of understanding)” signed by the US and Iran.

The notice adds that the vessel’s valid and accessible contact information must be provided in the submitted request and to avoid delays, transit requests must be submitted 48 hours prior to arriving at the Strait of Hormuz.

“During the 60-day period, tariffs for security, safety, and environmental services, as well as related Iranian insurances, will not be collected from shipowners and will be borne by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the PGSA adds.

It notes that due to the presence of mines in the waterway and the necessity of ensuring safe passage and preventing collisions, “coordination of the designated route and scheduled passage time for each vessel prior to moving toward the Strait is mandatory; failure to comply shall be the responsibility of the vessel owner”.