Iran and the United States agreed Monday to set up communications lines to keep the vital Strait of Hormuz open and end fighting in Lebanon, mediators said, after their first round of talks in Switzerland toward ending the war in the Middle East. The teams led by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ir»»»

US Vice President JD Vance said Sunday there was a chance to “turn over a new leaf” with Iran as negotiators met in Switzerland to build on last week’s interim agreement. But President Donald Trump’s renewed threats over Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Strait of Hormuz – and Israel's refusal to withd»»»

RAMALLAH: Israeli ‌soldiers shot dead two Palestinian teenagers in the occupied West Bank on Monday, Palestinian officials said, while the Israeli military said ​the two had attacked a nearby Jewish settlement with fire bombs and burning tires. There was no immediate further comment from Palestinia»»»

Dubai: Former Petrofac employees in the UAE have received a major portion of their outstanding dues, ending months of uncertainty for staff who were laid off with little notice after the company’s offshore wind contract setback pushed the group into crisis. Sign up for our daily business newsletter»»»

TYRE: 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 pre»»»

BURGENSTOCK:Iran and the United States agreed Monday to set up communications lines to end fighting in Lebanon, mediators said, after their first round of talks in Switzerland toward ending the war in the Middle East. Mediators Pakistan and Qatar said the talks took place in “a positive and constru»»»

Oil prices were mixed in Asian trading Monday as markets weighed fresh Middle East de-escalation signals against lingering supply and security risks, with WTI edging up while Brent fell sharply and Murban also slipped, as of 10:33 am Tokyo time on June 22, 2026. WTI crude was quoted at $75.91 a bar»»»

Dubai: Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz appeared to slow on Sunday as uncertainty persisted over the status of the vital shipping lane, with Washington and Tehran offering sharply different accounts of whether the waterway remains open. The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a key issue in on»»»

BUERGENSTOCK, Switzerland/DUBAI: US-Iran negotiations entered a second day on Monday as both sides sought to preserve a fragile ceasefire agreement despite fresh tensions triggered by President Donald Trump’s threats to resume military action against Tehran and disputes over the Strait of Hormuz. V»»»

Dubai: UAE consumers continue to borrow, but their choices are changing as higher interest rates, rising living costs, and economic uncertainty push households to prioritise affordability. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Bankers and financial analysts Gulf News spoke w»»»

Israel's military said Sunday that they had killed two people who threw Molotov cocktails near the West Bank settlement of Karmei Tzur. Soldiers moved against a group of people burning tyres and throwing petrol bombs towards the settlement, the military said in a statement. They killed two and neut»»»

DAMASCUS: Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa denied on Sunday that his country sought to intervene militarily in Lebanon where Israel and Hezbollah are at war, after US President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested Damascus could get involved.“We are looking for economic channels between Lebanon and Sy»»»

The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs indicated that the impact of the conflict has extended to the lives of people around the world with significant repercussions for the global economy, international trade, energy markets, and the well-being of billions of people worldwide. He noted »»»

A "technical incident" led to an explosion Sunday in Qatar's Ras Laffan industrial zone, causing some injuries, the Gulf state's interior ministry said. "An internal explosion occurred in one of the factories in the Ras Laffan Industrial Area following a technical incident," the ministry said. Get »»»

NABATIEH: Some south Lebanon residents cautiously headed back to their hometowns on Sunday after fighting paused between Israel and Hezbollah the previous evening, even as Lebanon's army warned locals to delay returns. In the southern city of Nabatieh, AFP correspondents saw just a few residents tr»»»

BEIRUT: Mourners gathered Sunday in Beirut to pay their respects to a much-loved Lebanese conservationist who died after succumbing to wounds sustained in an Israeli strike on her home on the country’s southern coast. Mona Khalil, who spent more than two decades protecting sea turtles along Lebanon»»»

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture confirmed on Sunday that no cases of watermelon virus had been found in agricultural fields in Palestine. Mahmoud Fatafta, the ministry’s spokesman, said plant diseases do not transmit to people regardless of their type, and therefore pose no threat»»»

High-level US–Iran talks in Switzerland got off to a tense and symbolic start after the Iranian delegation refused to take part in a planned handshake and joint photo-op with American officials, following fresh threats from US President Donald Trump. The move escalated diplomatic friction at the Bu»»»

Some south Lebanon residents cautiously headed back to their hometowns on Sunday after fighting paused between Israel and Hezbollah the previous evening, even as Lebanon's army warned locals to delay returns. In the southern city of Nabatieh, AFP correspondents saw just a few residents trickling ba»»»

Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Fox News that a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon cannot be reached if Iran is “trying to squeeze themselves into this conflict” via the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group. Herzog's position is largely ceremonial. He said Israel and Lebanon will hol»»»

Share: U.S. Vice President JD Vance (L) next to Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif (C) and Qatar’s PMi Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani at the start of a quadrilateral meeting between the U.S., Iran, Pakistan and Qatar in Switzerland, June 21, 2026 U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday»»»

Israel's military chief said on Sunday that Hezbollah had suffered a severe blow fighting Israeli forces and was now in a "very difficult position", as he met with troops in southern Lebanon. He spoke as the United States and Iran held talks in Switzerland after signing a preliminary agreement to e»»»

Lucerne: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani led the State of Qatar's delegation participating in the Lucerne Lake Summit and the first meeting of the High-Level Committee, with the participation of representatives of the two negotia»»»

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Sunday rejected any Israeli security zone in Lebanon, after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed his troops would remain in the country's south for as long as necessary. Israeli troops "remaining on Lebanese land is impossible. There are no security»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon "as long as necessary", while also vowing to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. "We will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary to protect the ch»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Iranian negotiation team has left the venue for talks with the US team in Switzerland after threats from US President Donald Trump, the Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday, citing a source close to the Iranian team. The move was made in protest against Trump's threats to la»»»

DUBAI: Senior US and Iranian officials met in Switzerland on Sunday for the first round of direct negotiations aimed at building on last week's interim agreement, launching what is expected to be a 60-day effort to address Tehran's nuclear programme and wider regional tensions. The talks at the Bur»»»

Share: Illustration- The Lebanese people are tired of fighting the wars of others. Their future belongs to one state, one army, and one sovereign Lebanon History has already shown that neither Syria nor Israel can impose a lasting solution on Lebanon. Only a sovereign Lebanese state can do that. BY»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Sheikh Qassem asks the Lebanese government: What has direct negotiation with the enemy achieved other than making concessions to it? 21-06-»»»

Hezbollah Secretary General, His Eminence Sheikh Naim Qassem, affirmed that the ceasefire agreement concluded on 27 November 2024 came after the Israeli occupation tried to end the resistance, noting that the balance of power imposed a different reality and foiled those attempts. Sheikh Qassem said»»»

Despite the US-Iran talks which began today in Switzerland, the Strait of Hormuz is being kept shut today by the Iranians. Tehran accuses Israel of breaching the ceasefire agreement by continuing its strikes on Lebanon. The Strait’s closure has an array of impacts on the global economy… but also on»»»

Lebanon is at the centre of the ongoing US-Iran talks in Switzerland. Israel and Hezbollah continued to exchange fire in Lebanon despite the ceasefire concluded a few days ago. Iran answered by closing the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, fighting was reported to have stopped for almost 24 hours – a fi»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Sheikh Qassem: A ceasefire that grants “Israel” freedom of action is a continuation of the aggression, and we will not accept it 21-06-2026»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Sheikh Qassem: The project to eliminate Iran and the Resistance in the region has failed, and consequently, a new phase has begun—one defin»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Sheikh Qassem: We did not accept this proposal throughout the fifteen-month period, nor after the 27 November agreement 21-06-2026 18:54 PM»»»

RIYADH: A professor of international relations says diplomacy remains the only path to lasting peace in the Middle East, as the US announced on Friday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon, hours after planned US-Iran talks in Switzerland were postponed. Appearing on the Ar»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US demand for a ban on uranium enrichment in Iran appears completely irrational, Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Sunday. "Can anyone explain why the US insists on zero uranium enrichment? It seems to be absolut»»»

U.S. Vice President JD Vance (L), Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (C), and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani speak ahead of talks between the United States and Iran at the Buergenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, Switzerland, on Sunday. Photo by Urs F»»»

US Vice President JD Vance drew attention during US–Iran talks in Switzerland after referring to his “favourite” Indian and Pakistani individuals in a remark that quickly gained traction online. The comment, made during the high-level diplomatic engagement, has sparked widespread discussion on soci»»»

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards declared the Strait of Hormuz shut again on Saturday. Meanwhile Iranian state media says high level officials have arrived in Switzerland for peace talks starting this Sunday. And after initially cancelling his trip, US Vice President JD Vance has landed to take par»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Sunday with further strikes if Tehran failed to persuade pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon to stop "causing trouble." "Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday in a surprising statement that "Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble," apparently referring to Iran-backed Hezbollah. "If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!" T»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Negotiators at the US-Iranian talks hosted by Switzerland have achieved significant progress, with additional progress expected in the hours to come, US Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday. "We have already made great progress over the last few hours, and I expect we will »»»

DOHA (Sputnik) - The parties to the talks in Switzerland said on Sunday they had established technical groups to agree on the terms of a final peace deal between Iran and the United States, which is due within 60 days of negotiations, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said. Techn»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran's focus during negotiations with the US in Switzerland will be on the implementation of provisions of the memorandum of understanding that stipulate an end to fighting on all fronts, the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil exports and unfreezing of Iranian assets, Iranian Fo»»»

Qatar-based Al Jazeera said on Saturday that an Israeli drone strike targetting a house in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed its journalist Ahmed Wishah. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the strike on Wishah and alleged he was a "Hamas terrorist", but did not prov»»»

An Iranian official warned on Sunday that the country would not enter into talks on a broader agreement with the United States unless the war in Lebanon comes to an end, adding that the ongoing conflict between Israel and militant group Hezbollah will top the agenda in talks. Follow »»»

The United States and Iran are set to start a new round of talks in Switzerland on Sunday in a bid to finalise the Memorandum of Understanding signed last week. The teams have a timeframe of 60 days to resolve some of the more difficult issues such as what will happen to Iran's nuclear program and »»»

Ahead of negotiations in Switzerland, The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has said vessels should not approach the strait of Hormuz else their security would be at risk. Iran shut the shipping lane on Saturday, saying that Israeli strikes in Lebanon constituted a breach of the preliminary ceasefi»»»

The situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains tense following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, as the countries’ delegations descend on Switzerland for follow-up discussions. Commercial shipping through the key waterway was disrupted after the US-Israeli attack »»»