Iran war updates: Tehran warns of ‘harsh response’ over Lebanon attacks

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• Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s actions in Lebanon, stating that the Israeli prime minister “has to be more responsible”, and adding, “I’m not happy” with how Israel has handled its invasion and the conflict with Hezbollah.
• Hezbollah said that Iran, its ally, has given it guarantees that Tehran will insist on a pullout of Israeli forces from Lebanon during the upcoming stage of negotiations with Washington.
• Beijing has cautioned that the upcoming round of talks between the US and Iran will face greater hurdles. During a conversation with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that “it is foreseeable that, compared with the first stage, the second stage of negotiations will be more difficult” for both nations.
• Combined strikes by the US and Israel on Iran have killed at least 1,265 people and injured 2,800 more in the country’s capital, Tehran, according to Mehdi Babaei, who chairs the City Council Safety Committee.
• Lebanese health officials have updated the casualties from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, stating that 3,826 people have been killed and 11,851 injured since March 2.

A new poll from Israel’s public broadcaster Kan has found low support for the agreement reached between the US and Iran.

Of 555 Israelis surveyed on Tuesday, just 18 percent said they supported the agreement, while 55 percent said they opposed it.

Seventy percent said they “still fear the Iranian threat”, even after the recent US-Israeli attacks, which reportedly extensively targeted Iran’s military infrastructure.

Forty percent of those surveyed said that they still think Trump will be “considered a ‘great friend of Israel’, even after the signing of the agreement”.

About 32 percent said they thought the US president’s “position in relation to Israel will change”.

Australia has ⁠relaxed its travel advice for Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar ⁠and the United Arab Emirates after the US ⁠and Iran reached an interim deal to end the war.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the advisory moved to “reconsider your need to travel” from “do not travel”, but added that Australians ⁠should continue to ⁠delay non-essential travel to the Gulf states.

“While the security situation across ⁠the Middle East could deteriorate rapidly ⁠with little warning, ⁠the [government] has assessed current conditions in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the ‌UAE as appropriate to move to [the lower level],” ‌Wong said.

The Australian Centre for International Justice (ACIJ) has welcomed an Australian investigation into “allegations of violence, sexual assault and other mistreatment by Israeli authorities” against Australian activists participating in a recent Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

Rawan Arraf, principal lawyer at the ACIJ, said the announced probe to be conducted by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) was a “welcome and significant step”.

“The AFP must ensure that these allegations are investigated for what they are: allegations of grave international crimes, including war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Arraf said.

She added that Australia’s probe should not treat what happened to the detained flotilla activists as an “isolated incident”.

“We call on the AFP to open a broader structural investigation into Israel’s unlawful blockade and siege of Gaza, and to identify the Israeli military and civilian officials responsible for its design, authorisation and enforcement,” Arraf added.

She also called for Australia to coordinate its investigation with Italy and France, which have both announced similar probes.

The maritime tracking service TankerTrackers reports that two Iranian supertankers have successfully bypassed a two-month-old US Navy blockade, marking Iran’s first crude oil exports in two months.

According to the tracking group’s statement on X, automated identification system data, corroborated by satellite imagery on June 15, 2026, confirmed that the National Iranian Tanker Company’s (NITC) supertankers, Diona and Hero 2, exited the US Navy blockade perimeter “carrying a combined total of 3.8 million barrels of Iranian crude oil between them”.

TankerTrackers also reported that a third NITC vessel, Stream, “is approaching the blockade line from the EEZ [exclusive economic zone] of Pakistan; where it spent the past 7 weeks waiting to enter Iran”.

BREAKING: CRUDE OIL DEPARTS IRAN FOLLOWING A TWO MONTH LONG NAVY BLOCKADE

According to AIS data which we corroborated yesterday (2026-06-15) by satellite imagery, at least two National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) VLCC supertankers named DIONA (9569695) and HERO2 (9362073) have… pic.twitter.com/tSesQTcC6K

— TankerTrackers.com, Inc. (@TankerTrackers) June 16, 2026

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) has said that ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains “significantly reduced”.

The Royal Navy-led agency said in its latest update that “mining in and near” the route that ships usually take to navigate the strait remains a “threat”, and interference with satellite navigation systems remains “consistent”.

“Vessels transiting the area are advised to navigate with extreme caution,” it said.

Commercial vessels are still taking a path to the south through Omani territorial waters, the UKMTO added.

The UKMTO’s agency also reported that a container ship and an oil tanker both reported being approached by a small “skiff” with armed crew on board on Monday, between 11 and 14 nautical miles (20-25 kilometres) from Yemen’s coast.

France and the United Kingdom – which both declined to send military assets during the war – said this week that they will lead a mission to coordinate reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

The ISNA news agency quoted Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, as saying that “after 100 days [of the US-Israel war on Iran], they did not achieve the results they wanted, and our country is negotiating and reaching an outcome from a position of equality”.

“The lifting of sanctions and investment can be the achievements of this agreement”, due to be officially signed on Friday.

Many Lebanese are returning to their homes in the south to face the destruction that upended their livelihoods.

In Nabatieh, one woman vowed to “keep going” with the family’s butchery, opened by her grandfather in the 1950s but severely damaged in an Israeli strike this month.

Watch the video below:

The US Senate has tried and failed again to advance a war powers resolution that would halt military action against Iran, in what has become an almost weekly effort to rein in the Trump administration as it floats a new plan to bring an end to the nearly four-month-long war.

Senators of both parties have been sceptical of the emerging deal with Iran and frustrated by the White House’s refusal to share details. They are expecting a briefing from the administration, but nothing has been scheduled before Friday’s planned deadline for Washington and Tehran to sign the agreement.

The Senate vote was 47-48 – four Republicans joined most Democrats in supporting the war powers resolution – falling short of the majority needed to advance it.

“Join me in putting a check on this president’s lawless warmongering,” said Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock, who proposed the resolution, in a speech before the vote.

“The time is always right to do what’s right,” he said.

The measure was the ninth time senators have tried to advance the measure. Trump launched the war without congressional approval, and lawmakers have grown concerned about the costs, strategy and endgame.

The wedding ceremony has taken place, but the ring has yet to appear.

That’s the assessment of observers on Monday’s announcement of a breakthrough “deal-to-do-a-deal” between the United States and Iran after more than 100 days of war that began with US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on February 28.

The agreement to end hostilities and begin a 60-day negotiation process on a number of pre-agreed key issues has been welcomed in a region desperate for stability.

Gulf states can breathe a sigh of relief after months of uncertainty and Iranian bombing of US military assets and infrastructure on their territories, Lebanon has a glimmer of hope, despite continuing attacks by Israel, which has occupied nearly one-fifth of its territory, and global markets have welcomed the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and falling oil prices after weeks of disruption.

But the big story is not what has been agreed to, but rather what has been deferred.

Read more here.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised Iran’s players during a World Cup dressing room visit after the team’s 2-2 draw with New Zealand on Monday.

Watch our report below:

Pope ⁠Leo has ⁠praised the interim deal between the United States and Iran ⁠to end the war, ⁠saying “thanks be to God” that the two powers are set to formalise their accord on Friday.

Leo, who drew ‌the ire of US President Donald Trump after criticising the US-Israel war on Iran, said he hoped the deal will end the conflict for good.

“There will still be ⁠several points to settle, ⁠but it is always better to do so through dialogue, through negotiations, and not ⁠by returning to war,” the head of the Catholic Church told journalists outside ⁠his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.

“I hope that it truly is a solution ‌to the war, that the war really is over, and that ‌we ‌can move forward,” the pope said.

Overall, Trump has had good relations with the Israeli government. During his first term, he moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognised Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. He also didn’t make a big fuss about the growing illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank – unlike former US President Barack Obama.

However, Trump did get angry when Netanyahu appeared to undercut him while he was in the process of making a deal with Iran, and when Netanyahu allowed Israeli forces to strike targets in southern Lebanon and Beirut, as these actions risked the deal. Trump saw that as a much bigger problem than the fact that Israel was attacking people it perceives as enemies.

Trump has often talked about how well-liked he is in Israel. There’s been talk among Republicans who feel that the US was dragged into a war, which has been lent further credence given what US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said about Israel attacking Iran and then the US attacking it as well.

These growing voices could impact Trump’s support in Israel, given that it doesn’t like this deal. And if that support decreases, it could impact not just the relationship Israel has with this White House, but also its relationship with the US.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has emphasised that “the agreed-upon peace must now hold”.

“We are united on this as G7,” he wrote on X, adding that the US-Iran agreement is “an opportunity for the stability of the region and for the global economy”.

Merz earlier said Germany has already sent mine-clearing boats to the region ahead of an anticipated full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

An agreement between Washington and Tehran has all but ended the US-Israeli war on Iran, with both claiming victory despite the huge cost. Among that has been Iranian damage to relationships with its Gulf neighbours which it attacked.

What has Iran won and lost in this conflict?

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