War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Al Jazeera correspondents in southern Lebanon are reporting Israeli drone strikes on the towns of al-Majadel and al-Kawthariyah al-Saida.

Hezbollah claims it fired an air-to-air missile to intercept an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over the Iqlim al-Tuffah area.

The group further claims it fired missiles at a concentration of Israeli military vehicles in Jdeidet Mays al-Jabal and targeted an Israeli command centre near Yahmor al-Shaqif, with what it described as a “diving drone”.

The Israeli military has not immediately commented.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says that the country’s 12-day war against Israel last year “proved that, beyond any taste or perspective, whenever our dear Iran is at stake, we are one nation, one clenched fist, and one beating heart”.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has discussed efforts to end the Iran conflict during a phone call with US President Donald Trump, Reuters reports citing 10 Downing Street.

Starmer has welcomed progress made so far and reiterated that Britain stands ready to support the implementation of any peace agreement and work with international partners to ensure its success.

The two leaders have also agreed on the need to restore freedom of navigation to ease global economic impact.

US Central Command (Centcom) says American forces have redirected 141 commercial vessels and disabled nine others as part of a naval blockade of Iranian ports.

US President Donald Trump says that a deal with Iran will be signed tomorrow, according to a post on Truth Social.

“The deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is open to all,” he writes. “Our relationship with Iran is a much different and better one than previous administrations have had.”

Trump adds that no money will exchange hands and that “At the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the nuclear dust … and downblend and destroy it, whether in Iran, or the United States,” referring to Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.

“We look forward to working with Iran and the entire Middle East, long into the future. Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly. If it doesn’t, we have the ultimate alternative, hopefully never to be used again!” he adds

A senior US official has called an emerging agreement on Iran a strong deal and says that the United States will participate in the de-mining of the Strait of Hormuz once the accord is sealed, according to Reuters.

US President Donald Trump will meet with Middle Eastern leaders during the G7 summit in France next week, Reuters reports citing senior US administration officials.

They says Trump will meet separately with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, France and India.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says Iran currently has no plans for its negotiating team to travel to Geneva or Islamabad in the next day or two to sign an agreement, Al Jazeera reports.

He does, however, note that the possibility of the memorandum of understanding being signed in the coming days is high, Iran’s IRNA news agency reports.

“We must wait for the exact time of the signing,” he adds.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 3,756 people from March 2 to June 13, Al Jazeera reports citing the country’s health ministry.

It adds that 11,632 others have been wounded in the attacks.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has received a phone call from Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who has paid tribute to the premier and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for playing an instrumental role in steering the diplomatic efforts, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“The prime minister expressed his deep appreciation for Qatar’s strong and steadfast support for Pakistan’s peace efforts throughout the Gulf crisis and stated that a peace deal was ready for signatures by the relevant parties very shortly,” the PMO says.

Al-Thani has assured PM Shehbaz that Qatar is proud to extend its support to Pakistan and hopes that this agreement will bring lasting peace to the region.

Both leaders have agreed to remain in close contact in the coming days.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, have welcomed the final stage of negotiations between the US and Iran, according to a Foreign Office (FO) statement.

“They welcomed the US–Iran negotiations in their final stage, with the electronic signing ceremony scheduled for tomorrow, and expressed the hope that this important development will contribute to lasting peace and stability in the region,” the FO says.

During the phone call, the Saudi foreign minister appreciated Pakistan’s “consistent and sustained efforts in support of mediation and dialogue throughout the process”.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar about recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz, the State Department says in a statement.

According to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, the two officials have discussed the evolving security situation in the strategic waterway.

Rubio stresses that all commercial vessels must immediately comply with orders issued by US forces as they work to maintain peace and stability in the region.

He also underscores that violations of what he describes as US enforcement measures, including the illicit transport of Iranian oil, will not be tolerated.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Galibaf has stressed that “enforceable commitments” must accompany any possible understanding between Tehran and Washington, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reports.

The exact timing of the signing of the Islamabad memorandum will not be on Sunday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says, Reuters reports citing state media.

Baghaei adds that the possibility of signing the memorandum in the coming days cannot be ruled out, but added that caution is needed regarding any comment on the signing date due to the hesitation of the other side.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif says that the expected peace deal between the US and Iran will be presented as the “Islamabad Pact”.

“Pakistan was able to convince both parties to stay at the table, so that talks continue and reach a positive conclusion,” he tells Geo News.

“On several instances, Israel adopted a negative role,” he adds, referring to military campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza.

“It was in their interest to keep this conflict going and keep America engaged in this region,” Asif says. “The US administration demonstrated that it was judicious and behaved and led the way a world leader should do.”

The minister adds that Iran has marked a new chapter in its 5,000-year history “with bravery … and love for their homeland”. He further says that both parties have shown sound judgment.

“The Gulf countries applied a great deal of restraint,” he adds.

Marking the anniversary of last year’s 12-day war, Iran’s parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has accused the US and Israel of targeting civilians and pledged that Tehran would remain steadfast, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement, Ghalibaf writes: “They murdered innocent children and refrained from no crime or cruelty.

“Inspired by the heroic and oppressed martyrs of the 12-day war, we stand firm until the end for the glory and ultimate victory of our dear Iran,” he declares.

The United Arab Emirates has “categorically denied” media reports claiming that it would transfer $3bn to Iran, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

The ministry has “affirmed that these allegations are entirely false and unfounded, stressing that no frozen Iranian funds have been released, transferred, or facilitated through the UAE”.

It has also called on media outlets to “exercise accuracy, rely on official sources, and refrain from publishing or circulating unverified information and unfounded allegations”.

A tanker has been struck by an unknown projectile in its port bow off the coast of Oman, Reuters reports citing the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre.

UKMTO says the incident occurred on Friday, six nautical miles east of Oman. The crew are reported safe and there is no reported environmental impact, while the tanker continues to its next port of call.

The peace deal between Iran and the United States is expected to be finalised in the next 24 hours, PM Shehbaz Sharif says in a post on X.

“We are closer to a peace deal than ever before.”

The premier said that Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal and technical-level talks would follow afterwards.

“We would like to thank United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran for their ongoing commitment during the negotiations, and we extend our sincere appreciation to our brothers in the region for their support.”

“We are confident that this historic peace deal will form a strong foundation for lasting peace,” PM says.

Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, will begin in Tehran on July 4 and conclude with his burial in the northeastern city of Mashhad on July 9, according to Iranian state media, Reuters reports.

Khamenei was assassinated in Israeli and US strikes on Iran in February. His death marked the end of more than three decades at the helm of the Islamic Republic.