West Asia war LIVE: Iran says no technical meeting expected with U.S. in coming days

Qatar advised on Monday the ⁠temporary suspension of sailing and fishing boats until ‌further notice, but said commercial shipping ‌and vessels ‌subject ⁠to international conventions were ⁠exempt.

The transport ministry said the precautionary measure includes jet skis ‌and all other maritime vessels. A spokesperson said commercial shipping ‌was exempted.

The ministry did not give a reason ⁠for the measure, but it comes a ‌day after Qatar said one of its nationals was killed after sustaining injuries from shrapnel ‌due to “military operations in the region” after his vessel went ⁠missing.

– Reuters

The removal of mines from the Strait ‌of Hormuz is to be carried ⁠out solely by Iran according to the Islamabad ‌MoU between Tehran and Washington, ‌Iran’s Deputy Foreign ‌Minister ⁠Kazem Gharibabadi said ⁠in a post on X on Monday (June 29), in response to ‌French President Macron’s comments on the subject.

Emmanuel Macron said on Monday ‌that France and Oman are working together to de-escalate ⁠tensions in West Asia and will ‌cooperate with their partners on clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz. The situation is sensitive ‌and complex; we strongly advise France not to complicate it ⁠further with its provocations, Gharibabadi ⁠added. 

– Reuters

The Lebanese army said its chief and a senior U.S. military commander discussed on Monday (June 29) implementing a U.S.-Lebanon-Israel agreement signed last week that aims to halt hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s Rodolphe Haykal received Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander responsible for U.S. troops in the West Asia, with the discussions addressing “the latest developments in Lebanon and the region”, a Lebanese army statement said.

Haykal and Cooper also discussed “the importance of successfully implementing the security annex of the framework agreement”, as well as ways of strengthening future cooperation, the statement added.

– AFP

Iraq’s government has given pro-Iran armed groups in the country until September 30 to disarm, coinciding with the end of the U.S.-led anti-jihadist coalition’s mission, its spokesman said on Monday (June 29).

The announcement comes ahead of a visit to the United States by new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, with Washington exerting pressure on Baghdad to ensure the factions turn in their weapons.

“All the armed groups have been informed of a specific date that marks the end of this issue (of disarmament)… which is September 30, which also marks the end of the international coalition’s presence,” government spokesman Haidar al-Aboudi said in a weekly press conference.

– AFP

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told the U.S. Central Command chief on Monday (June 29) that he was committed to extending the State’s control through its military up to the border with Israel, where Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah maintains a strong presence.

He reaffirmed to Admiral Brad Cooper “the Lebanese State’s determination to extend its authority, through its armed forces, to the southern border”, the presidency said in a statement, adding that the pair discussed preparations for implementing a framework agreement between Lebanon, Israel and the U.S..

– AFP

President Donald Trump said Monday (June 28) on social media that Iran had requested a meeting with U.S. counterparts, though Iranian officials said no such meeting was scheduled.

The U.S. President has tried to preserve an increasingly fragile interim deal as hostilities have mounted in the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, which could cause oil prices to rise and undermine Mr. Trump’s claims to voters that inflation in America was easing.

Trump says Iran requested meeting, but Iranian officials say nothing scheduled

Trump claims Iran requested a meeting amid rising tensions, but Iranian officials deny any talks are scheduled.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied reports that Iranian and American technical teams will meet in the coming days to discuss the implementation of the deal to end the West Asia war.

Both sides have traded fire in the Gulf in recent days, testing their fragile ceasefire.

“No technical meetings of the working groups are planned for this week,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said, quoted by state TV, referring to the Iranian week ending on Friday.

Citing U.S. officials, American news site Axios reported on Sunday that Tehran and Washington would hold a meeting in Qatar on Tuesday (June 30, 2026) to resolve their dispute over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

CNN reported similar comments from a Trump administration official, though the White House has not issued an official statement.

– AFP

Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a key ally of Hezbollah, today slammed a U.S.-brokered agreement between Lebanon and Israel, warning it could lead to attempts to divide Lebanese and said it would not be implemented.

In comments ⁠to Lebanon’s al-Akhbar newspaper, Mr. Berri described Iran-U.S. negotiations as the only realistic opportunity to secure Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and that any attempt to separate Lebanon from the U.S.-Iran track would prolong Israeli occupation.

– Reuters

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said that $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets would be released by Qatar as negotiations with the United States were challenged by attacks across the Persian Gulf this weekend.

Mr. Pezeshkian is the highest-ranking official within Iran to reference the release of the funds held by Qatar, a key mediator in the negotiations with Pakistan. So far, U.S. officials say no frozen Iranian assets have been released.

“Based on the plans made, $6 billion out of the total $12 billion of Iranian resources in Qatar will be released and returned to the country, and necessary follow-ups are being carried out,” Mr. Pezeshkian was cited by the state-run IRNA news agency as saying. The remarks appeared aimed at selling the Iranian public on the interim deal.

– AP

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi said that he held the first meeting of Iran-Oman Joint Committee on Strait of Hormuz.

“During the trip to Muscat, the first meeting of the Hormuz Joint Committee was held with Abdulaziz Al-Hinai, Oman’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. While reviewing current issues related to the Strait, we exchanged views on the future management of the Strait within the framework of paragraph five of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and the sovereign rights of the coastal states,” he posted on X

The number of Iranian cyberattacks against Israel has shot up since the launch of the U.S.-Israeli offensive ‌against Iran this year, a senior Israeli security official was ⁠quoted as saying on Monday (June 29, 2026).

Yossi Karadi, Director General of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, told ‌German newspaper Die Welt that in June 2025 during Israeli ‌military operations against Iran, Israel’s authorities ‌registered ⁠around 1,600 hostile cyber ⁠incidents.

During the same month in 2026, the number had jumped to some 4,800 incidents, he told the ‌paper.

– Reuters

Iran’s top diplomat warned on Sunday (June 29, 2026) that any attempt by shipping to bypass its preferred route through the Strait of Hormuz would “increase tensions” in West Asia, as U.S. and Iranian forces again traded attacks.

The exchanges underscored the fragility of a Pakistan-brokered agreement aimed at ending the war launched by the United States and Israel in February, which disrupted shipping through the strait and rattled global energy markets.

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Indian shares opened steady on Monday (June 29, 2026) after posting ‌their longest weekly winning streak of 2026, ⁠as investors weigh support from renewed U.S.-Iran diplomacy against lingering geopolitical risks.

The ‌benchmark Nifty 50 held its ground at ‌24,061.75, while the BSE ‌Sensex ⁠edged 0.06% lower ⁠to 77,055.21, as of 9:15 a.m. IST.

Nine of the 16 major sectors logged ‌gains at the open. The broader small-caps and mid-caps were flat.

Other Asian markets fell 0.4%, ‌while Brent crude prices rose 0.6% on cautious sentiment following recent tensions ⁠in West Asia.

– Reuters

Gold prices eased on Monday (June 29, 2026) as recent U.S.-Iran strikes in ⁠the Gulf pushed oil prices higher, while expectations of U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate hikes further weighed on the non-yielding metal.

Spot gold was down 0.7% ‌at $4,061.35 per ounce, as of 0242 GMT. U.S. gold futures for August delivery lost 0.5% to $4,076.40. The metal ‌was headed for a fourth consecutive monthly loss of 10.4%.

Oil prices rose after Iran launched missiles and drones at U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain early on Sunday, shortly after ‌U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to wipe out the Iranian leadership if they did not stick to the agreement to end their war.

– Reuters

Israel renewed its strikes on Lebanon on Sunday (June 28, 2026), Lebanese state media reported, two days after an agreement was signed by the two countries, which a Hezbollah lawmaker warned would lead to “internal conflict”.

Israel strikes south Lebanon despite framework agreement to end hostilities

Israel launched strikes in southern Lebanon despite a newly signed framework agreement aimed at ending hostilities between the countries.

The Israeli military has destroyed underground infrastructure used by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in a village ‌in southern Lebanon, according to a joint statement by the Israeli Prime Minister ⁠and Defence Minister on Sunday (June 29, 2026).

Israel destroys Hezbollah underground infrastructure in southern Lebanon

Israel targets and destroys Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure in southern Lebanon, informed the U.S. ahead of the operation.

“When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations,” President Donald Trump told Iranians on February 28, after the U.S. and Israel launched an all-out war on their country. He asked the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), armed forces and police to “lay down” weapons. “You will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death,” warned Mr. Trump.

War on Iran | The story of a shipwrecked hegemon

The war the U.S. and Israel launched has come to a fragile pause with a preliminary agreement between Washington and Tehran, but it has already diminished America’s presence in the region.