Pakistan hosts the first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran in 47 years in April; the talks end without a breakthrough, but also without a breakdown
US, Iran hold high-level talks in Switzerland on June 20 after signingpreliminary agreement to end the war; hold talks in Doha on July 1, with mediators citing “positive progress”
US launches strikes on Iran on July 8 in response to attacks on ships in Hormuz, Tehran retaliates as strait heats up again
Anadolu reports that Erbil International Airport has suspended all arrivals and departures after a wave of attacks targeting city, airspace, the airport director tells the Iraqi state news agency.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has expressed gratitude for the United States’ support of his country, following his meeting in Washington with his American counterpart Donald Trump at the White House, AFP reports.
In a statement, the presidency says Aoun wrote in the White House guest book that he felt “deep appreciation for President Trump’s friendship and for the support the United States of America provides to Lebanon, its sovereignty, its legitimate institutions, and the Lebanese Armed Forces”.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has urged his US counterpart Donald Trump to maintain American support for his country’s military, warning that southern Lebanon could see a return of the chaos of the 1970s without Washington’s backing, AFP reports.
“We don’t want to see that back again. All we’re asking is, keep supporting the LAF,” Aoun tells reporters of the Lebanese Armed Forces during a White House meeting with Trump. “All we’re asking is, keep supporting the LAF … I fully trust the LAF. I fully trust the leadership of the LAF.”
US President Donald Trump says that Iran is “probably” trying to hurt his and his Republican Party’s chances in the upcoming congressional elections in November by threatening the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reports.
Trump dismisses the impact that Iran would have, saying, “I’m just going to do the right thing.”
“The election, I can’t think about that having to do with this [the war on Iran]. I think people are very impressed,” he tells reporters at the White House.
President Donald Trump says the US will be hitting the Pickaxe Mountain area, located near Iran’s heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, “pretty soon”, according to Reuters.
Pickaxe Mountain is a heavily fortified site that hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes that experts assess as beyond the reach of the most powerful bunker-buster bombs in the US arsenal. The site is linked to Iran’s nuclear programme.
US President Donald Trump has warned that Washington will strike any new sites where Iran tries to resume its nuclear weapons programme.
“We’re not leaving right now; we’re having a big impact on Iran,” he tells reporters.
“We will absolutely attack the new site that they’re talking about,” Trump adds, referring to a new site where he claims Iran will resume its nuclear activity. “Any site where they’re even thinking about nuclear, we’ll be hitting it very powerfully. Nobody knows, except the Iranians, the damage we’ve done to them.”
US President Donald Trump, still speaking at the White House with Lebanon’s President Aoun, says his military is “degrading” Iran’s military capabilities “at levels that nobody thought was possible”, Al Jazeera reports.
“They did slip something through in Jordan, and if we had other operators, that would not have happened, unfortunately”, Trump adds, without clarifying who these “other operators” might be.
US President Donald Trump has reiterated that Iran “desperately” wants to meet, but says that Washington has no interest in engaging with Tehran “unless they’re ready to meet in a meaningful way”.
Asked about Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri warning that the agreement with Israel would “cause a civil war”, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says that the framework “does not require the endorsement of parliament”.
“It is a part of our constitution; it is the prerogative of the president,” Aoun tells reporters at the White House alongside US President Donald Trump. “We are committed to it, and I think the speaker of the parliament really wants to see the end of this war; he is from the south.
“He is actually supportive of what we are doing, but we need to be careful. His position as speaker and a leader of the Shia community — we have to understand how critical his position is,” Aoun adds, emphasising that Berri is a “man of state” and is “supportive of ending the war once and for all”.
US President Donald Trump has said Washington will “see what happens” with regard to Yemen’s Houthi rebels threatening to impose a naval blockade of the Red Sea.
Fielding questions from reporters at the White House, Trump says, “If something like that happens, we take care of it. We’ve done that with the Houthis before, and we haven’t heard from them in a while … and we’ve had no problem with the Houthis and they’ve had no problem with us for a long period of time, including during this conflict.
“I think if there is something like that, we’ll just have to take care of business,” he adds.
Asked about whether Lebanon would join the Abraham Accords despite laws criminalising contact with Israel, US President Donald Trump has said Beirut has “a very important place” with the agreement, which normalises ties with Tel Aviv.
“I think you’re going to see a lot of countries joining pretty soon,” Trump tells reporters, hailing the Accords as a “tremendous success”.
US President Donald Trump, who is currently hosting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, says the latter’s country has been “a very mistreated country for a long period of time”.
“It’s been hit hard for many decades, really,” he tells reporters in the White House, alongside Aoun.
Kuwait’s foreign ministry says it has summoned Iran’s ambassador over a strike the previous day that targeted a Kuwaiti tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and wounded several people, AFP reports.
The ministry says on X that it delivered “a protest note regarding Iran’s targeting of the Kuwaiti tanker ‘Kifan’ on Monday evening, while it was passing through the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in injuries to several crew members”.
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni has called on Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, according to the military’s media wing.
“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional and bilateral security and effective border management were discussed,” Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) has said in a post on Facebook.
It adds that Momeni appreciated Pakistan’s “consistent efforts and indispensable diplomatic role in easing regional tensions, encouraging de-escalation and serving as an anchor for peace”.
The meeting has concluded with both parties affirming to maintain close coordination and cooperative mechanisms to safeguard regional security, ISPR says.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has spoken with Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to voice his condemnation of “ongoing Iranian aggressions” against Bahrain, Al Jazeera reports.
He also affirms “Lebanon’s permanent stance in support of it in preserving its security and sovereignty”, according to a statement from the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed concern over escalating tensions in the Middle East and reiterated that Pakistan will sincerely mediate between the US and Iran, according to his office.
The premier has expressed these views while hosting Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, who is on an official visit to Pakistan.
An official press release issued by the PM Office says: “The prime minister shared his deep concern over the recent escalation in the Gulf region and urged all sides to exercise restraint and refrain from actions that could further destabilise the region.
“While emphasising that Pakistan would continue to play its role as an honest and sincere mediator and facilitator, the prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s strong commitment to regional peace and stability,“ it adds.
Bahrain says its air defence systems have successfully intercepted and destroyed “a number of treacherous Iranian aerial attacks”, according to a statement posted on X.
“The General Command affirms that all its branches and units are at the highest level of readiness and fully prepared to defend and protect the kingdom,” it adds, urging civilians to exercise caution and avoid approaching debris from the intercepted projectiles.
Bahrain’s interior ministry says that air radi sirens in the kingdom have been activated and citizens have been urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.
Two oil tankers loaded with Saudi crude for China and India have made U-turns in the Red Sea and headed for the Suez Canal following a warning from Yemen’s Houthi militia, according to Al Jazeera.
