Washington DC [US], June 26 (ANI): US Vice President JD Vance confirmed that the US and Iran have agreed to set up a direct deconfliction channel with military representatives from both countries, reported Al Jazeera. The arrangement involves representatives from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the US Army's Central Command (CENTCOM) being stationed in Doha, Qatar.
Vancouver [Canada], June 26 (ANI): Belgium winger Jeremy Doku and star striker Romelu Lukaku are not ready for full 90 minutes of action, said head coach Rudi Garcia ahead of their all-important final league stage FIFA World Cup match against Belgium scheduled for Thursday.
Santa Clara (California) [US], June 26 (ANI): Australia head coach Tony Popovic hailed his side's qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 as a 'wonderful achievement' after the Socceroos played out a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Paraguay in their final Group D fixture in Santa Clara, California.
Sanctioned ICC judges sue Trump in US over 'attack on judicial independence' Submitted by Sondos Asem on Fri, 06/26/2026 - 13:06 Three serving members of The Hague-based court say asset freezes and travel bans tied to investigations in Palestine and Afghanistan are punishment for doing their jobs Canadian ICC judge Kimberly Prost is among three judges bringing the case against the Trump administration (ICC official photo) Off A federal court in New York has summoned US President Donald Trump to respond to a lawsuit brought by three sitting judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), who accuse his administration of punishing them with sweeping sanctions for their work on investigations involving Israel and the United States . The summons, issued on Thursday by the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, requires the government to respond within 60 days to a complaint filed a day earlier by judges Kimberly Prost of Canada, Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda and Reine Alapini-Gansou of Benin. The case names Trump as the lead defendant, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Pretoria maintains relations with China, Russia, and Iran in pursuit of national interests and constructive global engagement, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended Pretoria's non-aligned foreign policy during questions in Parliament. Tension with US persists over relations with China, Russia, and Iran, as well as trade.
UAE and Iranian foreign ministers discuss Hormuz and MOU UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke over the phone on Friday with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Emirati state media has reported. The Emirati minister stressed to Araghchi the importance of protecting maritime corridors and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran had said it must control shipping going through the crucial chokehold. Al-Nahyan said every part of the MOU signed between Iran and the US must be adhered to, and said that diplomacy and dialogue were the best way to solve regional difficulties, Emirati state media reported.
MASHHAD (Tasnim) – Thousands of mourners gathered at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad on the eve of Ashura, holding solemn ceremonies to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) during the month of Muharram.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser on international affairs to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, lashed out at the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council for its recent joint statement with the US against Iran, emphasizing Tehran’s key role in regional maritime stability.
Israel bans call to prayer at Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque for fifth day Submitted by Lubna Masarwa on Fri, 06/26/2026 - 13:48 Palestinians say latest measures deepen Israeli control over occupied West Bank site A woman looks through an iron gate at the Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, on 16 June 2026 (Hazem Bader/AFP) Off Israeli forces have banned the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron for a fifth consecutive day, in the latest escalation against Palestinian presence at the site. The Israeli army has also issued orders barring the mosque's director, Sheikh Mutaz Abu Sneineh, and the head of its custodians, Hammam Abu Murkhiya, from entering the site for 12 days. The call to prayer, known in Arabic as the adhan, has been prohibited since Sunday, a Palestinian source told Middle East Eye.
Italy rejects Rutte claims of 'massive' support for war on Iran Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has rejected comments by Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte that Rome allowed US aircraft to use Italian air bases during the war on Iran. Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, Rutte pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s statements that several EU allies had failed to support the US-Israeli assault, saying Italy had allowed “500 US planes” to take off from Italian bases. “Country after country, ally after ally after ally have made their bases available for Epic Fury,” Rutte said, suggesting that some 4,000 to 5000 planes had taken off from European bases during the war.
Moscow [Russia], June 26 (ANI): The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed its assent in approving the resolution on the final US-Iran deal at the United Nations Security Council, noting that Moscow would take part in the process once final agreements between Washington and Tehran are reached.
Beirut [Lebanon], June 26 (ANI): Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem has declared that Israel has 'no option' but to fully withdraw from all Lebanese territory, asserting that the regional conflict has entered a transformative new phase marked by the collapse of the 'Israeli-American project.
Eastern Libyan government releases Gaza convoy activists after month of imprisonment Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Fri, 06/26/2026 - 12:25 Members of the Global Sumud Convoy were allowed to leave country after Khalifa Haftar's forces stopped them near Sirte Members of the 'Sumud 2' land convoy prepare to leave for the Gaza Strip, from the staging and coordination camp in the Joud Daem, about 30km west of Tripoli on 15 May (AFP/Mahmud Turkia) Off Authorities allied with Khalifa Haftar's administration in Libya have released 10 activists who were detained in the Libyan desert en route to Gaza in late May after a month in captivity. The detainees - including activists from Spain, Poland, the United States , Argentina, Uruguay, Portugal, Tunisia and Italy - were held by the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), loyal to Haftar, after being arrested as part of the Global Sumud Convoy. The convoy had been stopped near the city of Sirte while attempting to travel east to reach Gaza.
Israel will remain in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza 'without time limit' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz have said that troops will maintain an indefinite presence in southern Lebanon , Syria and the Gaza Strip. They were both speaking at a graduation for combat officers in southern Israel on Thursday. “We dominate southern Lebanon, from the summit of the Beaufort, and we will remain as long as required in the security zone,” Netanyahu said.
Italy's Meloni rejects Rutte claims of ‘massive’ Italian support for Iran war Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 06/26/2026 - 12:15 Nato's secretary general said '500 US planes' had taken off from Italian bases during the US-Israeli war on Iran Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Chigi Palace, in Rome, Italy, 7 May 2026 (Reuters/Remo Casilli) Off Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has rejected comments by Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte that Rome allowed US aircraft to use Italian air bases during the war on Iran. Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, Rutte pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s statements that several EU allies had failed to support the US-Israeli assault, saying Italy had allowed “500 US planes” to take off from Italian bases. “Country after country, ally after ally after ally have made their bases available for Epic Fury,” Rutte said, suggesting that some 4,000 to 5000 planes had taken off from European bases during the war.
Infantino’s Middle East playbook: How Fifa boss uses geopolitics on the World Cup stage Submitted by Daniel Tester on Thu, 06/25/2026 - 11:32 The soccer supremo has been criticised for interfering in the award of tournaments to Morocco and Saudi Arabia, as well as not banning Israel from international competition Fifa President Gianni Infantino speaks during the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 28 October 2025 (AFP) Off Football’s biggest World Cup is under way in the US , Mexico and Canada , as 48 teams battle through 104 matches to decide sports’ most prestigious title. At the centre of the six-week event is the Swiss-Italian Gianni Infantino , head of Fifa and a multi-billion dollar commercial and sporting empire that is rivalled only by the Olympics. Infantino has long insisted that “politics should stay out of football and football should stay out of politics".
The United Nations’ maritime agency said on Friday that it had successfully evacuated about 2,500 stranded seafarers from the Persian Gulf before suspending the operation, after an attack on a commercial vessel exposed uncertainty over who can guarantee safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian deputy foreign minister warned that maritime transit in the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed without coordination with Iran as the coastal state, stressing that parallel arrangements or external decision-making frameworks are not valid.
America's 'independence' celebrates 250 years of jingoism and genocide Submitted by Joseph Massad on Thu, 06/25/2026 - 12:49 The myth of US freedom, retold by nationalist historians, politicians and corporate media, erases the slavery, dispossession and white supremacy on which the republic was built A view of the "UFC Freedom 250" event hosted by US President Donald Trump on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on 15 June 2026 (Saul Loeb/Pool via Reuters) On American jingoism remains the ruling ideology of the United States , on the right as well as the left and centre. The upcoming 250th anniversary of independence, which the country will celebrate on 4 July 2026, is yet another occasion to express America's ultranationalism and rewrite the country's sordid history of oppression and genocide as a story of "freedom". President Donald Trump , the hero of white supremacists and conservatives, has declared that "With a single sheet of parchment and 56 signatures, America began the greatest political journey in human history.
Many Iranians are using the Shiite mourning period of Muharram to commemorate those killed in January's nationwide protests rather than take part in state-backed religious ceremonies, according to messages sent to Iran International and videos from across the country.
