Washington DC [US], June 30 (ANI): US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is en route to Doha, Qatar, according to CNN, as diplomatic efforts involving the United States and Iran continue amid heightened regional tensions. Citing two US officials, CNN reported that Witkoff is currently travelling to the Qatari capital.
Only Iran will demine Strait of Hormuz, minister says Iran’s deputy foreign minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, said the Islamabad MoU allows only Iran to carry out demining in the Strait of Hormuz and that the country will not allow any other country to participate in the process. He was reacting to French president Emmanuel Macron’s message that “we have decided to collaborate with our partner on demining the strait to secure maritime routes”. On Sunday, in accordance with the Islamabad MoU, Gharibabadi held talks with his Omani counterpart on the future management of the Strait of Hormuz.
"Big problems lie ahead": Trump warns US fuel retailers over high prices The US president has warned fuel retailers that “big problems lie ahead” if they do not start charging customers less. “Gasoline Retailers must get their Prices down, IMMEDIATELY! They’re too high considering that Oil is now at $68 a Barrel, and heading south,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
HRF challenges Lithuania's refusal to probe Israeli soldier's 'war crimes' The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has submitted a complaint to Lithuania’s Constitutional Court, challenging the country’s refusal to investigate alleged war crimes by an Israeli soldier, Sean Gor. The complaint said HRF evidence suggests that Gor, an Israeli national studying dentistry at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, participated in the military's attacks on UNRWA headquarters and the Al-Shifa medical complex in March-April 2024. Gor was part of the Israeli Army’s Vampire Empire Company of the 52nd Battalion in the 401st Brigade, which is alleged to have been involved in the murder of Hind Rajab, her family, and two paramedics in Gaza on 29 January 2024.
Israeli study flags Ukraine-style drone threat from Hezbollah Hezbollah's growing use of explosive drones could overwhelm Israel’s defence system unless it adopts fundamental changes to counter the threat, a study has warned. Citing the findings of the study, conducted by the Reichman University's Institute for Counter-Terrorism Policy, Al Jazeera reported that small, low-cost drones have become one of the most serious threats facing Israeli forces and civilians. It says their ability to fly at low altitude, operate in swarms and, in some cases, use fibre-optic guidance makes them difficult to detect, jam or intercept.
Talks with Iran could fail and diplomacy may not succeed, Rubio tells Congress US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress that the Trump administration has no illusions about the difficulty of negotiations with Iran and recognises that the talks could fail, according to sources cited by MSNOW (formerly MSNBC). Rubio said the administration nevertheless wanted to give diplomacy an opportunity to succeed. "There was a possibility that the negotiations would fail, but we wanted to give the diplomatic track a chance," he told lawmakers, according to the report.
Centcom commander meets Lebanese president, US troops The commander of US Central Command (Centcom), Adm. Brad Cooper, has met senior civilian and military leaders in Israel and Lebanon during an ongoing trip to the Middle East, as Washington pushes ahead with implementing a new Israel-Lebanon framework agreement. In Beirut, Cooper held talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Lebanese Armed Forces commander Gen.
Iran's World Cup campaign ended on Saturday after a 1–1 draw with Egypt and results elsewhere confirmed Team Melli's elimination from the tournament.
Witkoff says nuclear negotiating team has left for Qatar US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff told lawmakers that the technical team responsible for nuclear negotiations with Iran has left Switzerland for Qatar, according to Politico, citing sources familiar with the discussions. The report said Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also confirmed that Iran has not received any funds under the memorandum of understanding signed between Washington and Tehran. Rubio and Witkoff reportedly stressed the need to negotiate an agreement that would prevent Iran from retaining highly enriched uranium, a key issue in the ongoing talks.
Violence continues in Gaza and West Bank, UN warns The situation in Gaza and the occupied West Bank remains "volatile" despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreed to in October, according to Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN's deputy special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and resident and humanitarian coordinator. Addressing the UN Security Council, Alakbarov said the ceasefire must be respected and fully implemented to address the needs and aspirations of Gaza's population. He said that more than 1,000 people in Gaza had been killed since the agreement took effect, while violence in the occupied West Bank has intensified amid Israeli military raids and settler attacks.
Israeli court says comptroller overstepped authority in 7 Oct attack probes Israel's High Court of Justice has ruled that state comptroller Matanyahu Englman exceeded his authority in several probes into the failures leading to the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack, barring him from completing and publishing his examinations of eight key issues. The Times of Israel reported that the court found Englman had no jurisdiction to investigate four areas: Israel's transfer of Qatari funds to Hamas before the attack, Gaza border defences, the conduct of intelligence agencies and government in response to information about a possible Hamas assault, and the response of the government, intelligence agency Shin Bet and the military during the attack. The court said the state comptroller's role is to review government actions against prevailing norms, not conduct investigations to establish the factual reality of events.
CPJ board member removed as it undertakes review of journalists killed in Gaza The publisher of Drop Site News is no longer on the board of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), implying that she was removed after she questioned the organisation's exclusion of certain Palestinian journalists from its Gaza death toll, Nika Soon-Shiong revealed on Monday. "I have been informed that I'm no longer a member of the Committee to Protect Journalists board," she wrote on X , attaching the original email of concern she shared with fellow board members. When asked about whether Soon-Shiong's removal from the board was related to the review being undertaken at the organisation, CPJ told Middle East Eye in an emailed statement that her "five year board term ended in June 2026".
Iran's Pezeshkian says US talks hinge on mutual commitments Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said US-Iran talks depend on both sides honouring their commitments, saying "mutual understanding is a bilateral matter. " “If the American side adheres to the memorandum of understanding, we will also fulfil our obligations,” he wrote on X. “Our approach to unreasonable boasting and unfounded threats is to rely on rationality and human dignity in decision-making and decisive and fearless defence when taking action.
The Grayzone editor-in-chief says Israeli strikes aim to undermine the fragile US-Iran ceasefire by opening a new front Israel will continue trying to escalate the conflict in Lebanon after failing to "break Iran's deterrence," Max Blumenthal, editor-in-chief of The Grayzone, has said.
UN official condemns Israeli attacks on Gaza, occupied West Bank Ramiz Alakbarov, deputy special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said the situation in Gaza and the occupied West Bank remains “volatile" and called on the US-brokered “ceasefire” in October to be respected. “The legitimate needs, concerns and aspirations of the people of Gaza must be addressed through the full implementation of [that resolution],” Alakbarov told the UN Security Council. “Instead, the situations in both Gaza and the West Bank have remained volatile.
Iran is preparing an unprecedented security operation for the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, seeking to prevent a repeat of the deadly crowd crushes that marred the burials of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989 and General Ghasem Soleimani in 2020.
CPJ board member removed as it undertakes review of journalists killed in Gaza Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 06/29/2026 - 19:42 Nika Soon-Shiong asked why some Palestinian journalists are excluded from the Committee to Protect Journalists' death toll The sister of Al Jazeera video journalist Ahmed Wishah, who was killed by an Israeli strike, mourns over his shrouded body at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, on 21 June 2026 (Eyad Baba/AFP) Off The publisher of Drop Site News is no longer on the board of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), implying that she was removed after she questioned the organisation's exclusion of certain Palestinian journalists from its Gaza death toll, Nika Soon-Shiong revealed on Monday. "I have been informed that I'm no longer a member of the Committee to Protect Journalists board," she wrote on X , attaching the original email of concern she shared with fellow board members. When asked about whether Soon-Shiong's removal from the board was related to the review being undertaken at the organisation, CPJ told Middle East Eye in an emailed statement that her "five year board term ended in June 2026".
In photos: Palestinians mourn their dead following Israeli attacks Mourners attend the funeral of 13-year-old Palestinian girl Alin Al-Farra, who was reportedly killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on 29 June 2026 (AFP) A man comforts a child du
Israeli strikes kill at least five people in Gaza on Monday Gaza health officials said Israeli strikes killed five people, including a child, in the Palestinian territory on Monday. "Three people were killed and several injured when an Israeli drone struck a group of civilians," Al-Aqsa Hospital said in a statement, adding that one of the victims was a child aged eight years old. Gaza's civil defence agency said the strike hit an area in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
Iran leaves World Cup with dignity despite unprecedented political pressure and logistical hurdles Iran’s World Cup 2026 campaign is over, but the team’s farewell has sparked an outpouring of support that stretches far beyond the results on the pitch. Team Melli exited the tournament unbeaten after three draws, including a 1-1 result against Egypt in Seattle. But Iran’s goodbye came with a final moment of heartbreak: defender Shoja Khalilzadeh appeared to have scored a stoppage-time winner that could have transformed their qualification hopes, only for VAR to rule it out for offside.
