Araghchi hails major progress in talks on Lebanon
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Pakistan and Qatar had delivered ‘major progress’ to end the fighting in Lebanon.
In focus was a ‘deconfliction cells’ between the US, Iran and Lebanon to ensure adherence to a renewed ceasefire brought in last week.
Araghchi said this would be the first test to come from talks.
James Reynolds22 June 2026 09:00
Iran squad thanks LA hosts amid continued restrictions on US stay
Iran left a message in their SoFi Stadium locker room on Sunday thanking Los Angeles for its hospitality during the World Cup and saying they are leaving with dignity after a 0-0 draw with Belgium kept alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.
Los Angeles hosted both of Iran’s Group G matches so far, with the team returning to their base in Tijuana, Mexico between games. Iran have spent the tournament based in Tijuana commuting to the US for their matches because of restrictions surrounding their stay in the country, while a number of Iran’s team staff and officials have been banned.
Mehdi Taremi #9 of IR Iran celebrates with team mates after scoring, only to have the goal disallowed, on Sunday (Getty)
“From the ancient Persia of thousands of years ago to the civilized Iran of today, the spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast,” read the handwritten note, which was released by Iran’s football federation. “Thank you Los Angeles for your hospitality. We came to Los Angeles with pride, competed with honor, and leave with dignity.”
The note also thanked Iranian supporters who gave their “heart, voice and soul” for the team during the two matches and ended with a call for peace, respect and friendship among all nations.
James Reynolds22 June 2026 08:33
Switzerland hails progress in talks overnight
Switzerland says in a statement that they welcome the “constructive progress made during diplomatic talks” overnight betwen the US, Iran and mediators.
“Switzerland welcomes the establishment of a high-level committee by the parties on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding. This is a positive step, which will help to structure the next phase of the political and technical process,” they add.
“Switzerland particularly welcomes the agreement on a roadmap aimed at reaching a final agreement within 60 days. This roadmap creates the conditions for the immediate resumption of new technical discussions.”
Switzerland says it remains ready to have a role in supporting the diplomatic process.
James Reynolds22 June 2026 08:27
Watch: Qatar PM snubs JD Vance, greets Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif insteadQatar PM snubs JD Vance, greets Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif instead
James Reynolds22 June 2026 08:00
Israeli strikes leave Lebanon’s ancient coastal city of Tyre shaken
The dust has barely settled in Tyre after weeks of Israeli airstrikes on the ancient city along Lebanon ‘s Mediterranean coast. Despite the relative calm, life remains largely at a standstill.
A new ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group is in effect. But previous ceasefires have broken down.
Uncertainty and fear linger, even as the U.S. and Iran meet for talks in Switzerland that Lebanese residents hope will bring calm to their troubled country.
Here’s how Tyre is weathering the latest conflict as the war in Lebanon threatens to derail the peace process:
James Reynolds22 June 2026 07:29
Trump tells Iran ‘we will take over your country’ if Strait of Hormuz is closed
His latest round of threats came in response to news Saturday that Iran was once again closing the key waterway, just days after signing an agreement to ensure that traffic could flow through. Iran announced that it would close the Strait of Hormuz after Israeli forces continued an all-out assault into Lebanon aimed at dislodging Hezbollah militants.
Fox’s Trey Yingst reported Sunday that in an early morning phone call, the US president said he’d warned Iranian officials directly that “you close [the Strait of Hormuz] and you won’t have a country.”
“You won’t even make it back to your f***** country,” Yingst said the president claimed to have relayed to the Iranians, adding: “We’ll take over the rest of the country.”
Read the full story here:
John Bowden22 June 2026 06:50
Who’s who at the US-Iran talks in Switzerland?
The chief negotiators in Switzerland for the US include JD Vance, the vice president; special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the president.
Iran is represented by Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the parliamentary speaker, and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.
It’s unclear when Vance will depart Switzerland, although he told Fox News in an interview on Saturday that he anticipated only staying for a “day or two”. Kushner and Witkoff are handling much of the technical details on behalf of the US delegation.
In a joint statement, Pakistan and Qatar said the high-level talks had ended on Sunday and that technical negotiations would continue in Switzerland for the rest of the week.
JD Vance and Jared Kushner (left) are in Switzerland for a round of peace talks with Iran (AFP/Getty)
The statement said the sides had agreed to establish a “communication line” to ensure safe passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as a mechanism to bring about an end to the fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The US offered no immediate comment, while Iran praised the meditators’ work. Araghchi wrote on X that the first “real test” of negotiations would be whether the mechanism succeeded in halting the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
The senior US diplomat said among the issues discussed was Iran’s messaging as it related to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran’s military said it closed Saturday in response to continued fighting in Lebanon. US Central Command has disputed that Iran closed the strait again.
Adam Withnall22 June 2026 06:30
Swiss talks to resume despite Trump’s insults threatening to derail process
Negotiators from the US and Iran are set to engage in a second day of talks today to agree a permanent end to their war, after a first day got off to a rocky start.
Mediators Qatar and Pakistan hailed what they called “encouraging progress” made during the talks. A senior US diplomat claimed progress on multiple fronts, including the establishment of “mechanisms” to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open and that a ceasefire in southern Lebanon holds.
Yet the first full day of talks was overshadowed by blistering statements from US president Donald Trump, who from thousands of miles away from the Swiss negotiating venue was firing off comments that offended the Iranians.
Iranian state media said talks had paused after the “publication of an insulting message by the US president.” The Iranian delegation then met with Qatari mediators and left the negotiating site, state media said. The senior US diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity to brief journalists on the ongoing talks, said late on Sunday that the Iranians remained on site and the negotiations were still on.
Adam Withnall22 June 2026 05:45
Dozens hurt and 18 missing after explosion at Qatar LNG site
At least 54 people were injured and another 18 were missing after an explosion at Qatar’s core LNG processing site of Ras Laffan on Sunday, authorities said.
Qatar’s Interior Ministry attributed the explosion to a “technical accident” and said there was no leak that posed a threat to public safety.
An incident during the start-up of operations at Ras Laffan Industrial City resulted in an explosion and fire at the Barzan local gas supply facility on Sunday evening, QatarEnergy said in a statement. Emergency response teams were deployed to contain the fire, which was now under control, it said.
Search operations have begun for the 18 missing people.
QatarEnergy did not indicate whether the explosion had caused any damage to the plant, which supplies gas to the domestic market.
A Reuters witness earlier reported that a loud boom was heard in the capital Doha, south of the Ras Laffan facility.
Adam Withnall22 June 2026 05:00
Democratic senator slams Iran deal
Democratic Senator Cory Booker claimed Iran gets “all of the benefits” from the latest deal to end the war.
“When you have Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and progressives, all coming out talking about capitulation, surrender, catastrophe, you know how bad this deal is. Iran gets all of the benefits, literally billions and billions of dollars,” Booker said Sunday on NBC News’ Meet the Press.
“And America continues to hurt and see the losses from the $100 billion we’ve spent in the war to every American citizen seeing their costs skyrocket. This has been a cataclysmic failure of his making,” he added.
(Reuters)
Katie Hawkinson22 June 2026 04:00