(260623) -- ISLAMABAD, June 23, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (R) and visiting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (L) review guard of honor in Islamabad, Pakistan, June 23, 2026.
President Trump appears to be describing his preferences as fully negotiated deals, in hopes of locking the Iranians in. The question is whether a succession of such disputes will sink the whole venture.
Ben-Gvir says Israel may ‘act alone’ against Iran in split with US Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Tuesday that the US would be “very naive” if it expects Iran to abandon its nuclear programme, suggesting that Israel may need to “act alone” in confronting Tehran. “The Americans are very naive if they think the Iranians will abandon their nuclear program and cancel it, and give up their dreams of destroying Israel,” he said during an interview with Israel’s Channel 7 news, adding that “it is Israel’s responsibility to confront this Iranian threat and act against it alone. ” Ben-Gvir stated that under “no circumstances” would Israel be forced to work “according to the dictates of a friend, even if that friend is truly great”.
(260623) -- ISLAMABAD, June 23, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari (R) meets with visiting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Islamabad, Pakistan, June 23, 2026.
UN report: Israel committing genocide in Gaza by deliberately targeting children A UN commission of inquiry released on Tuesday found that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza due to the deliberate targeting of Palestinian children. “The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,” said Srinivasan Muralidhar, Chair of the Commission. “Even after the October 2025 ceasefire, children continue to be killed and seriously injured, with continued disregard by Israel for the ceasefire and for the protection owed to Palestinian children under international law,” he added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Iran that no country can charge fees for ships to travel through the strait.
Opium poppy cultivation in some villages of the Zagros mountains in western Iran has evolved from a hidden, scattered practice into an essential part of the rural subsistence economy, an Iran International investigation found.
Oman announces temporary maritime corridor to bypass Hormuz blockade Oman said on Tuesday that it had coordinated with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to provide a temporary maritime corridor for vessels seeking to transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Oman's state news agency reported. It added that vessels wishing to pass through would need to coordinate with the IMO and Omani authorities.
UN report: 80 percent of Gaza living in dire conditions Nearly 1. 7 million displaced Palestinians - about 80 percent of Gaza’s population - are living with acute shortages of water, shelter and basic services, according to an assessment of displacement sites from the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. A spokesperson for the UN chief added that at least 59,000 shelters house more than eight people each, and around 38,500 people are sleeping in the open, while an estimated 600,000 people lack sufficient access to drinking water.
(Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images) Restrictions around the Iran national team's World Cup travel are being slightly loosened, with the team now permitted to travel to at U. S. game sites two days before the day of the match, the U.
Iran's ballistic missiles were 'never on the table' in US talks Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 06/23/2026 - 16:53 Pakistan says one of the main objectives of the US-Israel war on Iran was not even a topic of discussion during negotiations Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian shaking hands with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his ceremonial reception at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad on 23 June 2026 (Pakistan's Prime Minister Office/AFP) Off Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that Iran's ballistic missiles were "never on the table" during US -Iran talks, despite the US and Israel citing it as one of the primary reasons for going to war with the Islamic Republic. "This MOU does not mention ballistic missiles. It was never on the table, it was never on the agenda and the Iranian side never even wanted to discuss it.
Israeli forces demolish Palestinian home in occupied West Bank Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian home in the eastern area of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Wafa news reported. Local sources said that Israeli soldiers, accompanied by heavy machinery, knocked down a two-story building which was home to two families, including children and elderly residents, who have been left homeless following the demolition. According to Palestinian security sources, the orders were issued on the grounds that the homes lacked Israeli-issued building permits.
US Senate votes to halt Iran war The Republican-majority US Senate backed legislation on Tuesday to stop military action against Iran, reflecting the growing unpopularity of the war as peace negotiations continue. The Senate voted 50-48 in favour of the resolution, which passed the House of Representatives in early June. Polling suggests that only one in four Americans believe that the Iran war is worth the cost to the US, affecting Trump’s popularity, which has fallen to record low levels to match the worst recorded in his second term.
The Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi was punished for performing without a hijab, according to a person close to her family and state media news reports.
US temporarily eases restrictions on Iran’s world cup team The United States has eased restrictions on Iran’s football team for the World Cup, allowing them to travel into the US two days before their next match rather than one, according to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The restrictions placed on the players had led the Iranian coach to say that his country’s was “the most oppressed team in the whole World Cup”. A DHS spokesperson said that the Iranian team will still be required to leave the day the match ends.
Without missiles Iran would have ended up ‘like Gaza’, says Iranian president Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that, if Iran did not have its missile defensives, it would have ended up “razed like Gaza” in the US-Israeli war. “If the missiles we have for our defense did not exist, Israel and the United States would have razed Iran like Gaza,” Pezeshkian said, reiterating that Iran’s defensive capabilities would not be negotiated “under any circumstances”.
UN warns Palestinian children 'defenceless' amid Israeli crackdown on NGOs Palestinian children are "increasingly unprotected", as Israel forces human rights organisations to cease or curtail work across the occupied Palestinian territories, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child warned on Monday. The committee condemned Israel's designation of civil society groups as "terrorists". Labelling NGOs as terrorist entities gives Israel legal cover to obstruct humanitarian work, including military raids, travel bans, personal financial sanctions, threats of arrest, destruction of records and, in some cases, "threats of secondary sanctions against partners".
UN warns Palestinian children 'defenceless' amid Israeli crackdown on NGOs Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 06/23/2026 - 19:42 UN says Israeli measures have made it nearly impossible for rights groups to ensure the safety of children and families seeking critical assistance Palestinians look at Israeli soldiers patrolling the market in the Old City of Nablus in the Israeli occupied West Bank on 23 June 2026 (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP) Off Palestinian children are "increasingly unprotected", as Israel forces human rights organisations to cease or curtail work across the occupied Palestinian territories, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child warned on Monday. The committee condemned Israel's designation of civil society groups as "terrorists". Labelling NGOs as terrorist entities gives Israel legal cover to obstruct humanitarian work, including military raids, travel bans, personal financial sanctions, threats of arrest, destruction of records and, in some cases, "threats of secondary sanctions against partners".
The secretary of state dismissed Iran’s talk of charging ships to pass through the vital Persian Gulf portal as prohibited under international law.
ISLAMABAD, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said at a joint press conference with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday that he will visit Iran next week to pay respects to late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and reaffirm Pakistan's solidarity with Iran.
