Iran war updates: First round of Iran-US talks concludes in Switzerland

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Here’s a recap of the day’s main developments:

• Talks between the US and Iran took place in Burgenstock, Switzerland, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar.
• Trump, who is not attending the talks, said that “we’ll hit Iran very hard again” if they don’t “immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble”.
• Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, responded on X that “we don’t count on the American threats”.
• Hussein Gurbanzadeh, ‌a member of Iran’s negotiating team, told state television that the first day of talks covered frozen assets and oil sanctions relief.
• Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces will not withdraw from the Beaufort Castle area in southern Lebanon.
• Israeli forces killed nine people in Gaza.

UK lawmakers will debate the influence of pro-Israel lobbying groups on domestic politics on Monday and discuss whether to launch a public inquiry into the issue.

A petition supporting an inquiry has received more than 118,000 signatures.

It states that the role of pro-Israel groups in UK politics needs to be examined because of the government’s lacklustre response to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and a surge in settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

In a statement in April, the UK government said it did not support a public inquiry.

Brent crude futures have risen more than $1 a barrel amid ongoing speculation about the impacts of the shaky truce between the US and Iran on oil supplies.

The international benchmark Brent crude futures rose to $81.66 a barrel by 22:06 GMT on Sunday, an increase of $1.09, or 1.35 percent, after reaching a high of $82.30 at the start of ‌trading, Reuters reported.

Crude oil prices declined last week as several tankers were able to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s acting defence minister, Majid Ibn al-Reza, has called on Islamic countries to form a regional security belt.

Al-Reza made the comments during a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart, Khawaja Asif, according to the IRNA news agency.

Countries in the Gulf region have been reconsidering their security architecture in the wake of Iranian attacks on their territory, which began shortly after the US and Israel launched their war on Iran in late February.

Iran maintains that it only targeted US interests, but Gulf leaders dispute this and say Tehran also attacked civilian infrastructure.

Israeli settlers have blocked the al-Muarajat Road linking the cities of Jericho and Ramallah, the Wafa news agency reports.

The report added that the settlers also targeted Palestinian vehicles passing through the area.

Trump has continued his criticism of NATO members not joining the US and Israel’s war on Iran, this time directing it at Italy and its prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.

“After spending Trillions of Dollars on NATO, Italy, and its Prime Minister, wouldn’t even think of becoming involved with the Islamic Republic of Iran and their very serious Nuclear Threat,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

“For decades, we defend them, but when tested, they are not there to defend us, and the rest of the World. Not good!”

Under Article 5 of the NATO treaty, members of the alliance commit to respond in the case of “an armed attack against [another] NATO member”.

Trump’s relationship with the Italian leader has appeared to sour in recent days, with the US president saying he only appeared in a photograph with Meloni at the G7 summit in France because he “felt sorry for her”.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa says Syria could play a constructive role in resolving Lebanon’s crisis by supporting the Lebanese state and helping open channels of communication among Lebanese political factions, including Hezbollah, state news agency SANA reported.

Al-Sharaa said earlier remarks on Syria’s potential role had been misunderstood, leading to inaccurate interpretations that Syria could become militarily involved.

In an interview with Al-Mashhad TV, he said Syria was seeking economic, not military, corridors with Lebanon, citing historical trade links between Damascus and Beirut and between Homs and Tripoli.

Al-Sharaa said talks with the US had focused on ending the conflict and addressing its fallout for both Lebanon and Syria.

Israeli attacks have killed nine Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 41 others in the past 24 hours, the enclave’s Health Ministry says.

Since the “ceasefire” took effect in October, at least 1,021 people have been killed and 3,249 wounded by Israeli attacks.

Defence Minister Israel Katz says Israel has no intention of withdrawing from the Beaufort Castle area in southern Lebanon.

Posting on X, he said it was “an integral part of the security zone in Lebanon and essential for the defence of the Galilee settlements and IDF forces”.

The Israeli army captured the medieval hilltop fortress during military operations in the south last month.

Iran’s Finance Minister says the MoU will lift oil sanctions, allowing the country to sell crude without restrictions and boosting foreign exchange earnings to help address the budget deficit and bring down the currency’s exchange rate.

Seyed Ali Madanizadeh made the remarks to state news agency IRNA while adding that the accord would also facilitate non-oil exports and trade.

“With this agreement, oil sanctions have been lifted, and we can sell our oil without any restrictions and return the foreign exchange to the country,” Madanizadeh said.

He added that the increased revenues would resolve a significant portion of concerns over the budget deficit.

Regarding previously blocked Iranian funds, the minister said they belong to the central bank and that their release would enable the bank to supply foreign currency to economic actors, which he said would have a “significant impact”.

The minister said that government revenues had declined, citing two wars, a siege, and political pressure in January. He said the resulting price increases that Iranians have experienced were the consequence of those costs.

Iran is grappling with a severe economic crisis, with inflation surging to 77.2 percent in May, its highest level since World War II.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says that technical issues remaining in the recently signed MoU may not be quickly resolved, and cautioned that Israel could try to derail the process.

“These are important issues. It may not be easy to immediately resolve their technical details. We may see deadlocks from time to time. We need to be prepared for that,” Fidan told the Turkish Anadolu agency.

“Secondly, of course, there is always an Israel waiting in the corner, ready to sabotage the process as soon as it finds the opportunity.”

Israel’s former PM Naftali Bennett says Israeli forces in Lebanon are being held back from acting against Hezbollah despite the deaths of five soldiers.

“The political echelon instructed them to hold their fire, and forced them to wait for approval from senior levels who aren’t in the field, in order to neutralise threats from Hezbollah terrorists who are planning to strike them,” he said, claiming that the military is being barred from deploying covering fire to protect wounded soldiers and rescue forces even after troops are hit.

Netanyahu is under pressure from all sides. Israeli politicians such as Bennett accuse him of yielding to US demands to scale back the Lebanon campaign and are calling for it to continue, while Washington is pushing him to de-escalate.

Let’s get you up to speed:

• Iran’s parliament speaker and head negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has dismissed US threats, saying Tehran is prepared to respond if necessary.⁠
• A draft has ⁠⁠been finalised regarding ⁠⁠sanctions waivers for Iranian oil, ‌‌Hussein Gurbanzadeh, a member of Iran’s negotiating team, has told state ⁠⁠media.
• Germany’s Defence Minister has blamed Trump for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
• Hezbollah has rejected the Lebanese government’s direct talks with the US, saying the negotiations would undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty and serve Israeli interests.
• The group’s chief, Naim Qassem, said Israel will not remain in Lebanon and Hezbollah will respond to any ceasefire violation.