War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Windward, a maritime AI company that shares maritime updates, says that recovery in the Strait of Hormuz has “stalled”, AlJazeera reports.

In a social media post on X, it has said that on June 29, Strait of Hormuz traffic remained “well below pre-war levels”, reporting low transits and dark activity.

“Multiple sanctioned tankers moved through, including a second Iranian vessel in a week identified flying a false European flag,” it says, adding that “for now, only the US-assisted southern corridor under Project Freedom is keeping limited safe passage open.”

It reported that 16 cargo ships were inbound, and 23 outbound.

Iranian state television cuts short the broadcast of an interview with Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator in talks with the United States, drawing criticism from his team, AFP reports.

“This discussion was delivered to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) more than 2 hours before the broadcast time; but unfortunately, the broadcast of this discussion was stopped in the middle of it,” says a statement by the parliament media centre.

“This is despite the fact that this discussion was recorded and the least duty of the IRIB officials was to coordinate it with the parliament’s media centre if they decided not to broadcast part of the discussion contrary to procedures,” the statement adds.

The state broadcaster argued that the interview was cut into two parts and the second section will air on Wednesday night.

The parliamentary media centre notes that the parts that have been cut included the topics of UN nuclear watchdog inspections, the country’s frozen assets, and a 300-billion-dollar reconstruction credit.

Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says 10 of 11 Thai-flagged vessels and vessels chartered by Thai operators stranded in the Strait of Hormuz since late February have safely passed through the waterway, Al Jazeera reports.

It said one vessel, the Hatthaya Naree, remains in the area while awaiting cargo loading and is expected to depart as soon as possible afterwards.

The sound of explosions heard from morning until noon in Bandar Abbas is due to the destruction of munitions left over from the war, IRIB reports.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he has spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian about “recent developments” in West Asia, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement on X, Modi said he welcomed the progress in negotiations with the US and “expressed hope that continued efforts will lead to lasting peace in the region”.

He added that he “reiterated the importance of freedom of navigation in the Hormuz Strait for India and the World”.

India imports about 40 percent of its oil and about half of its gas through the Strait of Hormuz, according to experts.

Malaysia may spend up to 40 billion ringgit ($9.8 billion) on fuel subsidies this year if energy prices remain elevated, more than double its initial budget allocation, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said, according to Reuters.

Malaysia had set aside about 15 billion ringgit for fuel subsidies in its budget for 2026.

In a written parliamentary reply, Anwar said the government had spent about 800 million ringgit in each of the first two months of the year on subsidies for diesel and the RON95 transport fuel, before the figure jumped to about 5 billion ringgit in March and April after the outbreak of the war in Iran.

“The government’s priority is to ensure that the people continue to be protected if this crisis continues, especially those most affected by the cost of living pressures and rising global prices,” Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said.

The global oil market is set to swing back into oversupply as the impact of the Iran war fades and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz recovers, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Bloomberg reports.

While purchases of crude to replenish strategic reserves are expected to tighten the global market to some extent, they would only partially offset the anticipated glut, Samantha Dart, co-head of global commodities research, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television.

US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib says that she will vote for an amendment in the House to block $3.3 billion in military funding for Israel.

In a social media post on X, she has said: “This week, the House will vote on an amendment that would block $3.3 billion in military funding for the Israeli apartheid regime. I will vote yes.”

“We should not spend another cent arming a military that is committing genocide in Palestine, ethnically cleansing Lebanon, and committing war crimes in Iran,” she adds.

She further says that a majority of Americans and a supermajority of Democrats “support ending military aid to Israel. It’s time their representatives listened”.

The Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TTFC), a joint US and Gulf initiative, has sanctioned parts of Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure including 16 individuals and five entities, AlJazeera reports.

The US Department of Treasury said the targets include Al-Qard Al-Hassan, Bayt al-Mal as well as their senior leaders.

Al-Qard Al-Hassan is a quasi-banking institution that offers interest-free loans to people and is one of the many charity organisations run by Hezbollah, including schools, hospitals and low-price grocery stores.

The US vice president JD Vance has been making several media appearances to tout the Iran MoU, Al Jazeera reports.

He told Fox News that the Trump administration was in a “great position” regardless of how the talks pan out.

The US “obviously” wanted the talks to succeed, Vance said, but added that his country was “still in a much stronger position” than Iran even if they fail. He insisted that Tehran’s nuclear programme and military had been “destroyed” and warned that Trump had made clear that any Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz would prompt a US military response.

Vance again said Iran would be “permanently transformed” if negotiations aimed at securing a lasting settlement are successful.

South Korea’s Oceans Ministry said on Wednesday the cargo vessel Namu, operated by HMM, would exit the Strait of Hormuz in mid-July at the earliest once the damage sustained in an attack in May was repaired, Reuters reports.

The bulk carrier’s hull was hit near the stern in the attack, which Seoul claimed on May 27 probably involved an Iranian anti-ship missile, summoning the Iranian ambassador to share the results of its investigation and lodge a protest.

Saeed Koozechi, Iran’s ambassador to South Korea, denied Tehran’s involvement, the Yonhap news agency reported, and South Korea later said it could not conclusively determine who was responsible or whether the attack was intentional.

There are currently two vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, including Namu, with 35 crew members on board, Nam Jae-heon, vice oceans minister, told a press briefing.

Israeli police have arrested a 20-year-old US citizen on allegations of spying for Iran, including taking photos and videos of “sensitive sites” in Israel, AlJazeera reports, citing media reports.

The man maintained contact with a Tehran-linked agent and allegedly received tens to hundreds of dollars for each task, the Times of Israel and the Jerusalem Post reported, citing a police statement.

They said he was arrested by the Jerusalem District police on June 9 and that a prosecutor’s declaration has been filed against him, signalling he will be formally charged in the coming days.

Gold prices extend losses after falling to a seven-month low in the previous session, as fading prospects of a permanent US-Iran peace deal have heightened inflation concerns and bolstered expectations of Federal Reserve rate hikes, according to Reuters.

Spot gold down 0.6 per cent at $3,981.69 per ounce, as of 0112 GMT, after hitting its lowest level since last November in the previous session.

US gold futures for August delivery lost 1.1pc to $3,994.40.

Traders are pricing in roughly a 67pc chance of a rate hike in September, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, reflecting firming expectations of tighter monetary policy.

Oil prices rose in early trade as investors responded to news that Iran will not be meeting with US envoys, a further strain on the interim ceasefire agreed between the two in the four-month-long war, Reuters reports.

Brent futures rose 50 cents or 0.69 per cent to $73.45 a barrel at 1208 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed 63 cents, or 0.91pc, to $70.13 a barrel.

US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Doha for what the White House described as “high level” talks, but Iran and host Qatar said they would meet with mediators, rather than the Iranians themselves.

Current meetings held by Iran are aimed at fulfilling MoU commitments and we will not enter further negotiations until conditions of the MoU signed between Iran and the United States are met, Iran’s Top Negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said in an interview with state TV, Reuters reports.

Iran has sovereignty in the Strait of Hormuz along with Oman and it will never compromise on its rights in the Strait of Hormuz, Qalbaf said, adding passage without cost in the strait is only for 60 days per the MoU.

Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that Iran was prioritising diplomacy with the United States, but remained ready for war, AFP reports.

“We are pursuing dialogue, but if the dialogue is not implemented, we are also prepared for war and will respond accordingly,” Ghalibaf said in an interview on state television, as Iranian and US delegations were due to hold separate discussions in Doha.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has assailed US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin over comments he made about the Iranian football team’s exit from the FIFA World Cup, which is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Araghchi has attached a news headline which claims that Mullin did a “happy dance” when Iran was knocked out of the tournament’s group stage.

“‘Mission accomplished’ Mr Mullin,” Araghchi writes on X. “You also accomplished something else: proving to the world that you have no business hosting an international tournament. Your conduct has been a masterclass for how to squander the dignity that comes with being a host.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi says there is “no evidence” that recent attacks against Gulf nations originated from Iraqi territory, Al Jazeera reports.

“We will not accept dictates from outside our borders, neither from the East nor the West,” he adds.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says in a post on X that Iraq is also preparing for the funeral of late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“Like Iran, Iraq is preparing for a mass funeral for Grand Ayatollah Khamenei — an event that will undoubtedly be remembered by history and further strengthen the bonds between our two nations,” he writes, adding that during a visit to Baghdad, he met the Iraqi president, prime minister, foreign minister and other senior officials.

Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), says mandatory tolls or any system that undermines free navigation through international waterways would be illegal under international law, while suggesting a voluntary fund for the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reports.

Dominguez says he discussed “management of the strait” with Omani officials, including talks about the existing arrangement in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.

The trilateral framework involving Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore has operated since 2007, funded largely through voluntary contributions from user states and the shipping industry rather than compulsory tolls, to support navigational safety and environmental protection in the busy waterway.

“It’s learning from something that already exists, that is being tested,” he explains, adding that the aim is to find practical solutions to the crisis triggered by regional conflict, and that he intends to present various options to IMO member states “to see what is viable”.

The US Treasury Department has announced joint sanctions by the Terrorist Financing Targeting Centre (TFTC) against five entities and 16 individuals it claims are linked to Hezbollah’s financial network, Al Jazeera reports.

The TFTC, a multilateral body co-chaired by the US and Saudi Arabia that includes Gulf Cooperation Council member states, has established coordinated measures to target the al-Qard al-Hassan Association, which the Treasury alleges masquerades as a non-governmental organisation while providing financial services similar to an unlicensed bank.

The actions also target Bayt al-Mal, described by US officials as the group’s unofficial treasury and investment arm.