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US President Donald Trump at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, June 19, 2026. REUTERS President Donald Trump warned Saturday that the United States could impose tolls on the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway if negotiators are unable to complete a deal to end the war in Iran.There will be no tolls “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America, should the deal not be completed, for services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East for purposes of both past, present, and future reimbursement of costs,” Trump posted on Truth Social. Related Story Source link
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer (AFP) Britain’s Observer newspaper said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was expected to resign on Monday and set out a timetable for his departure, though a government source said Starmer remained focused on getting on with the job of governing.The threat to Starmer’s position, which has been building for months, increased sharply on Friday when his rival Andy Burnham won a seat in parliament that would allow him to launch a formal leadership challenge.The Observer report said Starmer was discussing the matter with his wife at his Chequers country residence before making a final decision, but that senior Labour figures expected a clear statement on his future as early as Monday.However, a government source said Starmer remained focused on his job and pointed to previous statements he has made to that effect.The British leader said on Friday he would fight any challenge to his position and urged Labour not to tear itself apart with infighting.More than 100 elected lawmakers in his party – roughly a quarter of all Labour representatives in the House of Commons – have publicly said they want Starmer to quit or set out a timetable for his exit. Related Story Source link
US Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on June 20, 2026. Vance is traveling to Switzerland for talks with…
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir are reportedly traveling to Switzerland to directly mediate US-Iran talks. Quoting a Pakistani government official, Al Jazeera Arabic said they will depart Islamabad Sunday. Earlier, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was in Tehran to continue talks with the Iranian leadership, which has since departed for Switzerland. Related Story Source link
Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed to vessel traffic, citing alleged violations of a ceasefire agreement by the U.S. and Israel, Iran’s Mehr state news agency reported.It said that the closure was the “first step” in response to what it described as breaches of commitments and warned that further measures would be taken if “aggression” continued. Source link
Image by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP Switzerland continues to provide a “discreet and reliable setting” at Bürgenstock to facilitate discussions on implementing a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Saturday.It added in a statement that no further details would be disclosed about participants and the content of the talks, citing confidentiality. Source link
Volunteers transfer the body of a victim, killed in twin roadside blasts, to a hospital in Bannu on June 20, 2026. Twin roadside blasts killed at…
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi were both headed to Switzerland for talks, Axios said on Friday, as a ceasefire in Lebanon appeared to revive efforts to turn an interim Iran war pact into a lasting regional deal.Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday after escalating fighting cast doubt over U.S.-Iran talks critical to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and stabilising oil supplies.That followed a 14-point memorandum the two sides signed this week to halt fighting and open a 60-day window to resolve disputes over Iran’s nuclear program, as well as other thorny issues needed to forge a more durable deal.U.S. Vice President JD Vance canceled plans on Thursday to travel to Switzerland for the talks, however, amid rising tension in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group backed by Iran.With the ceasefire in place, Witkoff is heading to Switzerland to join Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who is already there, Axios said. Araqchi plans to travel there on Saturday, it added.The development may signal that both sides intend to begin technical negotiations aimed at securing a permanent truce.The White House did not respond to questions about Witkoff’s travel.A senior U.S. official said the ceasefire took effect around 4 p.m. (1300 GMT) in Lebanon following an exchange of fire, adding that negotiators for the United States and Qatar had worked out the agreement with help from Iran.Two sources from Hezbollah and a senior Israeli official confirmed the ceasefire to Reuters.”If Hezbollah does not attack us, then for us it is not a time of war,” the Israeli official said, adding that Israel would keep its forces in southern Lebanon, where it has occupied an area along its northern border.Two Lebanese security sources said Israel had carried out a dozen airstrikes in the first hour of the ceasefire but none were recorded after 5 p.m.Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes after midnight into Friday had killed 47 people and wounded 97, while the Israeli military said four soldiers had been killed in an incident in Lebanon, without giving further details.The conflict in Lebanon could weigh on negotiations because ending fighting there is a condition for the broader U.S.-Iran accord.TOUGH ISSUES STILL UNRESOLVEDFollowing Wednesday’s signing of the memorandum of understanding, preparations for technical talks at the Swiss mountaintop resort of Buergenstock were well advanced when the White House said on Thursday that Vance would not attend.The Swiss foreign ministry said the talks had been postponed but Switzerland stood ready to facilitate them and preparatory work was continuing.The broad interim deal requires the United States, Iran and their allies to declare an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.Israel, left out of the talks, says it is not party to the deal.Araqchi, in a telephone call with his Pakistani counterpart on Friday, said the United States would be responsible for any violation of its commitments under the deal, including ending the fighting in Lebanon, his ministry said.NEW ROUND OF ISRAEL-LEBANON TALKS DISCUSSEDLebanon was sucked into the regional war when Hezbollah opened fire at Israel on March 2, prompting it to launch an offensive against the group and invade the south of the country.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the latest Israeli attacks but said the escalation would not hinder efforts to reach a comprehensive ceasefire.The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Aoun and reiterated the need to disarm Hezbollah, while reaffirming U.S. support for a “fully sovereign” Lebanese state.It said they also discussed holding a next round of Israel-Lebanon negotiations in Washington from June 23 to June 25. The Lebanese presidency said a comprehensive ceasefire was a fundamental pillar for these talks.TRUMP DEFENDS INTERIM DEALThe Iran war, which began on February 28 with U.S. and Israeli air attacks on Iran, has killed at least 7,000 people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon. It also pushed up energy prices, stoking inflation worldwide.Brent crude ticked higher on Friday, but was set for a weekly fall of about 8% after the Lebanon ceasefire, and oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz picked up after the signing of this week’s deal.The strait carried nearly a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before it was blockaded by Iran during the war.The body set up by Iran to manage the strait said on Friday it would waive planned fees during the interim deal’s negotiation period.The MoU foresees relief for Iran from economic sanctions, the unfreezing of assets worth tens of billions of dollars and immediate U.S. waivers for its exports of oil. It also provides for a $300-billion reconstruction fund for Iran and other financial incentives.Trump again defended the deal after criticism in Washington, including some from Republican allies in Congress who question whether he conceded too much to end a war unpopular with most Americans ahead of midterm elections in November.”The War has diminished Iran!” he wrote on social media on Friday, adding, “We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did. They are FINISHED! We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not 10 cents!” (Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Timothy Heritage, Gareth Jones, David Brunnstrom and Nathan Layne; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani, Alistair Bell and Clarence Fernandez) Related Story Source link
Image Source: Mohsin Naqvi on X Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi departed for Tehran on Saturday for meetings with senior Iranian officials, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.IRNA said Naqvi would discuss the progress of negotiations between Iran and the United States during his visit, without providing further details Related Story Source link
As the funeral drew to a close, distraught guests were aghast as regional Ethiopian forces stormed the gathering and arrested young attendees, bundling them into vans destined for army training camps.Witnesses and NGOs have denounced a forced recruitment campaign by the authorities in Tigray, the northern Ethiopian state, which has fought the federal government in recent years and again looks on the verge of conflict.’We were suddenly rounded up and detained,’ said Abel, a man in his 20s, now in hiding after he escaped by bribing a guard.Abel is not one to shirk a fight: he volunteered in 2020 when the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) began a bloody two-year war against the federal government that claimed at least 600,000 lives, according to African Union estimates.A 2022 ceasefire has never been fully implemented, and now both sides accuse the other of preparing a new offensive, with troops massing on the region's border, according to security sources.NGOs allege that forced conscription is once again happening in Tigray, with young men snatched from their homes and the streets in preparation for the war.Human Rights First-Ethiopia said there were indications that ‘forced military recruitment is taking place across most areas of Tigray’.The NGO interviewed 27 witnesses, including 35-year-old Gebre, who said he was arrested in March in northern Tigray as he was opening his shop.’They informed us that we were entering the military,’ he said, describing how he managed to escape by jumping out of a window.Gebre now lives in hiding, missing his five-year-old son.Kinfe, 36, who fled to the federal capital, Addis Ababa, said forced conscription was not new in Tigray.During the recent civil war, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the dominant political party in the region, went door-to-door to check each family had contributed at least one son. If not, Kinfe told AFP, the parents had to volunteer.This time, the TPLF has blockaded roads, trapping and detaining young people, before transferring them to a compound and then a camp.Alem, also hiding and near-destitute in the capital, said conscription had begun in his area roughly a month ago.’At first it seemed to be targeted operations, but progressively it came to target all young people,’ he said.’I saw security forces unleash warning shots into the air to stop young people fleeing,’ he added.Amanuel Assefa, TPLF vice-president, told AFP military recruitment was usually ‘only based on consent’.However, he added there are ‘exceptional provisions’ because ‘every Tigrayan has to defend the territory against an existential threat’.Federal authorities did not respond to AFP's requests for comment.Ethiopia's constitution forbids arbitrary detention and forced recruitment.The trauma and exhaustion of the previous war lingers in Tigray, discouraging many from re-joining the military.’Nearly every family lost a family member,’ said Kinfe.Many were bitter at how their leaders behaved after the war.’They kept their comfort while forgetting the martyrs,’ he said, making many believe any future war will only benefit the ‘few’ on top.’The war shouldn't happen, it has to be solved politically. Firing bullets solves nothing,’ he said. Source link