DIRECT. War in the Middle East: Switzerland announces the cancellation of US-Iranian talks scheduled for this Friday

“Israel remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire,” Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said on X. The country “commits” to respecting the ceasefire in Lebanon, if Hezbollah “respects the agreement and puts an end to hostilities”.

“As of 11:30 this morning, Israel suspended all offensive operations; Hezbollah and Iran’s claims to the contrary are lies,” he also wrote.

Yechiel Leiter assured that he wanted Lebanon and Israel to live in peace, but this will only happen, according to him, “when Hezbollah, a murderous Iranian proxy, is destroyed.”

Barack Obama sharply criticized Donald Trump’s handling of the war in the Middle East in an interview with NBC News.

“We have now fought a war, spent billions and billions, put our army under enormous pressure. Many people have died. And it seems that we are back to where we were before we started the war, and perhaps even in a worse situation than before,” commented the former American president.

The latter also said he was “very happy” with the signing of a memorandum.

The official account of the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, on X, indicated that he had spoken this evening by telephone with the American Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The latter “reaffirmed the support of the United States of America for Lebanon and their commitment to working for security and stability”.

Joseph Aoun took the opportunity to call for the establishment of a “global ceasefire” and stressed “the need to stop Israeli aggression on Lebanese territory”, with the aim of “advancing the Lebanese-American-Israeli negotiations planned in Washington the next week.”

The Secretary General of Hezbollah, Naïm Qassem, underlined, in a televised address, that “Lebanon is today going through the most dangerous period in its history”.

The country is, according to him, “the victim of a vast American-Israeli and international conspiracy which threatens the future of the country”. Naïm Qassem also affirmed that Hezbollah would “expel” all Israelis “from its soil, down to the last one”.

The emergency operational center of the Lebanese Ministry of Health has updated its toll, now reporting 3,980 dead and 12,001 injured since the start of the war between Hezbollah and Israel.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry announced that a meeting had been agreed between the mediating countries (Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt). It will be held this Sunday in Cairo.

The four countries will discuss “the regional situation and will exchange their points of view on peace, security and stability”, specified the Pakistani ministry in its press release.

An Israeli army strike today targeted the town of Sejoud, in southern Lebanon, after the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, reported the Lebanese national information agency (Ani, official).

The agency also reported drone flights over villages near the large southern city of Tyre, while an AFP correspondent reported hearing continuous artillery fire in the town of Nabatiyé.

Asked about the meeting with the Americans initially planned for today in Switzerland, the spokesperson for the Iranian government, Esmaeil Baghaei, said there was “no urgency” to meet the representatives of the United States.

“Given that the signing of the text took place electronically on June 18, there is no urgency to hold the said meeting in Switzerland,” declared Esmaeil Baghaei. The Iranian nevertheless indicated that a meeting should be held “in the coming days”.

Israeli strikes in recent hours in Lebanon have left 47 dead, including two children, and 97 injured, according to a new report from the Ministry of Health.

A previous official report showed 21 dead and 39 injured during the night from Thursday to Friday in the south and east of Lebanon.

The Ministry of Health specifies that its new report concerns “intensive Israeli strikes carried out between midnight and until this afternoon”.

Israel and Hezbollah have agreed on a ceasefire, announced an American official and a Gulf diplomat, after a surge in violence in Lebanon which jeopardized the new agreement between the United States and Iran.

The truce, which has already entered into force, was negotiated by American and Qatari mediators following discussions with Israel and Iran, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Donald Trump claims on his social network that Iran is “finished”, indicating that it was Tehran which met the United States “out of desperation” and not the other way around.

“The war has diminished Iran! It no longer has an air force, a navy, anti-aircraft equipment, radar, or practically anything else,” he assures.

He adds that Tehran will not receive any money in compensation for the war, “not even ten cents.”

Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, criticizes the words of Itamar Ben Gvir who affirmed that we must “burn all of Lebanon” after the death of four Israeli soldiers.

“This is not a diatribe from a random genocidal lunatic. It is a public publication by the minister of national security of the Israeli regime”, he denounces, believing that the Israeli government “is a threat to all humanity” and that “its only interest is permanent war.

The Iranian authority, recently created and responsible for supervising the Strait of Hormuz, unveils directives to ships concerning the crossing of the maritime passage.

“All applicants intending to transit the Strait of Hormuz are hereby informed that, during the period specified in the Memorandum of Understanding, vessels which submit their requests for passage to the PGSA in accordance with the following points will be permitted to pass expeditiously,” it said in a statement.

Among the five detailed points, the authority requests in particular to have requests for passage 48 hours before entering the zone.

The Lebanese president condemned on

Joseph Aoun believes that Israel’s strikes undermine efforts to stop the war after the Iranian-American agreement.

“However, this will not dissuade us from working towards achieving a comprehensive ceasefire as quickly as possible, which I recommended to the Lebanese delegation during the next negotiation in Washington,” he assured.

Hezbollah indicates that it “will remain vigilant” against Israel, after the strikes which left around ten people dead in Lebanon.

Israeli Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that Israel will stay in southern Lebanon “as long as necessary”, confirming a previous statement by his Defense Minister, Israel Kartz.

“As I clarified unequivocally, including yesterday: Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary to protect the northern settlements,” Benjamin Netanyahu says on X.

The Israeli minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, affirms that he will make Hezbollah “pay a very heavy price” after the recent attacks which left four dead and several injured within the Israeli army present in southern Lebanon.

“My directive is clear: Israel will not tolerate attacks against our soldiers or against our territory, and it will make Hezbollah pay a very heavy price for these attacks,” the Israeli Prime Minister wrote on X.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel will remain “in the security zone” in southern Lebanon and respond “with considerable force” to any attack.

“We will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers and civilians, and any violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah will be responded to with great force,” the Israeli minister declared on X.

Relations between Israel and the United States are “good,” Donald Trump said on the show The Axios Showbroadcast last night.

“But we have to help him (Benjamin Netanyahu) to keep his head on his shoulders,” said Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized the Israeli Prime Minister for weakening the peace agreement with Iran.

Asked how he would prevent Israel from attacking Lebanon again, Donald Trump responded: “They (the Israelis) have a lot of respect for me, and they will do what I tell them.”

On the show The Axios Showbroadcast last night, American President Donald Trump estimated that without his intervention, Israel would have been “annihilated”.

“Bibi Netanyahu and I worked well. But he will tell you: we are the ones who have the weapons, we are the ones who hold the reins. We are the ones who have the B-2 bombers, etc. Without Donald Trump, Israel would have been annihilated,” declared the American president.

The Israeli army indicates on X that it has struck “more than 80 targets” belonging to the Islamist movement Hezbollah in Lebanon since last night.

“Moreover, during the strikes, dozens of terrorists from the terrorist organization Hezbollah who operated in these same HQs were eliminated,” specifies the Israeli army.

A rally against the executions of opponents in Iran, planned for tomorrow in Paris, has been banned, according to an order from the Paris police headquarters (PP) published yesterday evening, causing incomprehension among the organizers.

The PP justifies this ban by a “particularly tense national and international context” and the “serious risk that during this demonstration clashes will take place between activists with antagonistic opinions likely to seriously disturb public order”.

The organizers denounced a ban “under unfounded pretexts” and pronounced “a few hours after a telephone conversation” between the foreign ministers of the two countries.

A total of 25 commercial ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, after an agreement allowing its reopening the day before, a volume not seen since mid-April, according to data from the maritime monitoring platform AXSMarine published this morning.

This is the highest number of boats in a single day since April 18, which coincided with a brief reopening window, after Iran’s announcement that the strait was then open to commercial traffic on this strategic artery for the global trade.

“We signed it at Versailles”: beyond the symbol and pomp of the signing of this agreement, what is the future of the Strait of Hormuz?

The head of the Iranian negotiating team, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, insists on the need to respect Iran’s “red lines” in future talks with the United States.

“As we have demonstrated throughout the previous negotiations, we remain firm in respecting the conditions and red lines set, and in defending the interests of the Iranian nation,” declared the influential Mohammad Ghalibaf, quoted by the Irna agency.

“If the enemy proves excessive” in its demands, “we have proven that we are ready to retaliate and that we will not hesitate to inflict a scathing response,” adds the man who is also the president of Parliament.

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The Israeli army announces that five officers and non-commissioned officers were injured this morning in strikes attributed to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Following the impact of an explosive drone in southern Lebanon, an IDF reserve officer was seriously injured, while three reserve non-commissioned officers and one non-commissioned officer were lightly injured,” the army wrote Israeli on X.

“Hezbollah has demonstrated this on numerous occasions: it does not want a ceasefire, but the destabilization of the region,” maintains the Israeli army.

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is calling for a harsh response after the deaths of four Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.

“We must make the fire speak (…) Open the gates of hell”, he declares on X, without explicitly mentioning Lebanon but alluding to the deaths of the soldiers.

The Israeli army announces that it has struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in retaliation for the attack on its soldiers.

During the night, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon left 18 dead and 33 injured, according to a provisional report from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, despite the conclusion of the Iranian-American protocol which provides for a cessation of hostilities.

This is the heaviest toll published since the announcement of the conclusion of the agreement on Monday, which provides for a ceasefire “on all fronts, including in Lebanon”.

Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir threatens to “burn” Lebanon after the death of four Israeli soldiers in the south of the country.

“For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must cry. The whole of Lebanon must burn!”, he wrote on X.

“With all due respect to the Americans, Israel must clarify to the whole world that the blood of our sons and the security of our citizens are not to be taken lightly (…). Enough ping-pong. In the Middle East, we do not win with measured responses and restraint”, criticizes the minister.

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The Israeli army announces the death of four of its soldiers in clashes with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.

These are the first deaths on the Israeli side since the peace agreement signed between the United States and Iran supposed to end the war on all fronts.

The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, affirms that the mission initiated by France and the United Kingdom is “ready” to secure the Strait of Hormuz which, according to the agreement signed by Iran and the United States, must reopen within 30 days.

“It is ready to be deployed very quickly in a particular context, with a return to calm, in a defensive logic, and independently of the parties to the conflict,” recalls the minister on Franceinfo.

The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, calls on the United States to maintain pressure on Israel to end the war in Lebanon.

“The first principle decreed by this agreement is the cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. The Israeli government must respect it and the United States in particular must exert all the necessary pressure on the Israeli government so that this is the case,” asserts Jean-Noël Barrot on Franceinfo. “Hezbollah must also stop all hostilities,” he adds.

While the start of talks on Iranian nuclear power remains uncertain, the Minister of Foreign Affairs believes that sanctions against Tehran are “essential” for the Iranian people and peace in the region.

“So that Iran and its regime cease to be a source of instability, a threat to their environment, it is essential that the nuclear program be treated with very strict restrictions, but also its missile program which threatens the region,” declares Jean-Noël Barrot on Franceinfo.

After the cancellation of the talks in Switzerland, Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, assures that there is no need to worry.

“The hardest part remains to be done, but this meeting in Switzerland lost part of its interest to the extent that the agreement had been signed in Versailles,” said the minister on Franceinfo.

“Once stability has returned, negotiations on the nuclear program will begin,” he assures, calling not to “overinterpret” the postponement of this meeting.

Egyptian diplomacy announces a meeting with Egyptian, Pakistani, Turkish and Saudi Foreign Ministers this Sunday in Egypt.

Israeli strikes killed at least 16 people during the night and left several injured in the district of Nabatieh, in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese National Information Agency (ANI) reported this morning, despite the conclusion of the Iranian-American protocol which provides for a cessation of hostilities.

ANI reports that “the enemy committed several massacres” during a series of airstrikes targeting homes in several localities near Nabatiyé.

These attacks left at least 16 dead, including eight in the town of Harouf. This is the heaviest toll published since the announcement of the conclusion of the agreement on Monday.

US Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg told parliamentarians that the Pentagon needed $80 billion to cover the costs of the war against Iran, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The Trump administration will have to provide a complete estimate to legislators, but among the major concerns is the army’s depletion of “precious ammunition”, underlines the American media.

While the overall cost of the Israeli-American war against Iran remains uncertain, experts estimate that this conflict could cost the American economy up to $1,000 billion.

The Israeli army continues its strikes in southern Lebanon this morning, claiming to target pro-Iranian Hezbollah targets, despite the signing of a peace agreement between Washington and Tehran.

“The army struck last night and continues to strike Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure in several areas in southern Lebanon,” the army said in a statement.

Talks scheduled to take place today between the United States and Iran at the Burgenstock mountain resort in Switzerland have finally been canceled, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said in a statement, cited by Reuters.

This announcement follows the statement, overnight, by a White House spokesperson according to which American Vice President JD Vance had canceled his visit, initially as part of the talks on the implementation of the agreement concluded between Tehran and Washington aimed at ending the war.

The Iranian Football Federation will file a complaint with Fifa, due to the “restrictions” which are “imposed” on its team during the 2026 World Cup, preventing it from calmly approaching its next match against Belgium, a selection official announced yesterday.

Already heated by the refusal of the United States to issue visas to certain members of its management for the tournament, the team now complains of being authorized to arrive in Los Angeles “only one day before the match”, instead of two as requested.

These “restrictions are contrary to the principle of equal conditions for all participating teams and risk harming preparation”, argued this official in a press release.

The pro-Iranian Hezbollah announced yesterday late afternoon clashes between its fighters and an Israeli army unit in southern Lebanon, a few hours after Israeli strikes which left three people dead.

These clashes occur despite the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran providing for the end of the war on all fronts in the region.

Since 5:30 p.m. local time (4:30 p.m. in Paris), “Islamic Resistance fighters have been engaged in clashes (…) against a unit of the enemy Israeli army which was trying to advance from the town of Arnoun towards the outskirts of Kfar Tebnit”, near Nabatiyé, specifies a press release from Hezbollah.

The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, was delighted yesterday with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran at the Château de Versailles, at the end of the G7 in France.

He “does not believe” that we can say that the war “is completely over”, insisting that Iran must not obtain the nuclear bomb nor develop ballistic capabilities.

“It is always better to have an agreement than war, especially when there may be risks of escalation. We are entering a new phase which is that of cooperation, of dialogue, which is better than war,” he declared on France 2.

The negotiations, with a renewable duration of 60 days, must be focused on the Iranian nuclear program.

They were initially scheduled to start with a ceremony on Friday in a luxury hotel in Bürgenstock, a mountain overlooking Lake Lucerne, in Switzerland.

But American Vice President JD Vance, who is due to represent his country, postponed his visit, as did Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose mediation was decisive.

Hello and welcome to this live broadcast devoted to developments in the situation in Iran and the Middle East.

Yesterday, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei endorsed, while expressing reservations, the memorandum of understanding signed overnight by Washington and Tehran to put an end to the regional conflict, with the United States announcing the lifting of their naval blockade against Iran.

“It is obvious that the face-to-face negotiations that will be held in the future do not portend acceptance of the enemy’s point of view,” said the leader, who has not been seen in public since taking office in March.