Israel had to respond to Iranian missiles, ambassador says Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yehiel Leiter, said Israel was compelled to respond to Iran’s missile attacks, adding that no country could accept ballistic missiles striking its territory without retaliation. Speaking to Fox News, Leiter said the discussions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump were friendly and reflected close cooperation between the two allies. Leiter said Trump had called for de-escalation and that Netanyahu took those concerns into account, while maintaining that Israel still needed to respond to the attacks.
Trump says US will declare ‘complete victory’ over Iran within two weeks US President Donald Trump said the United States would declare what he described as a “complete victory” over Iran within the next two weeks, while expressing optimism about ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran. According to remarks reported by NewsNation and CNN, Trump said Iranian officials were seeking a “very good deal” and were prepared to make significant concessions, including foregoing the pursuit of a nuclear weapon. He also predicted that oil prices would fall sharply once the United States achieved what he called a “real victory”, though he did not provide details on what form such an outcome would take.
Iranian officials and media outlets say Tehran's missile strike on Israel in response to attacks on Beirut has established a new red line: future attacks on Hezbollah and Lebanon could trigger direct Iranian retaliation.
Global nuclear weapons spending hits record high, report says Global spending on nuclear weapons reached a record $119 billion last year, according to a report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The nine nuclear-armed states, including the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel, increased their combined spending by 19 percent compared with 2024, the report said. ICAN said the United States accounted for $69.
UN chief urges ceasefires to hold as Israel shuts Gaza crossings UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned against further escalation in the Middle East, calling on all sides to uphold ceasefires in Lebanon, Iran and Gaza. In a statement issued through his spokesperson, Guterres urged “all parties” to “fully abide by the ceasefires in Lebanon, Iran and Gaza, and to avoid any steps that could undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts”. He also condemned Israel’s move to shut crossings into Gaza, saying he was “also deeply concerned by the decision by Israel to close crossings into Gaza”.
(Photo credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images) U. S. Customs and Border Protection stopped a Somali referee selected to work the World Cup from entering the United States.
Iran says talks with US continue through Pakistan Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations says Tehran and Washington are still exchanging proposals through Pakistan as they try to reach an agreement. Amir Saeid Iravani made the comments after a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on Monday, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency. He said the US and Iran, through Pakistan, “are presenting and exchanging views and opinions to reach the final text”.
Israel says it intercepted aerial target from Yemen The Israeli army says it intercepted a “suspicious aerial target coming from Yemen” over the Eilat region in southern Israel. “A suspicious aerial target coming from Yemen was intercepted. The incident is closed.
ICC bureau suspends Prosecutor Karim Khan pending final vote on misconduct probe Submitted by Sondos Asem on Mon, 06/08/2026 - 12:29 Majority of 21 states at the executive body of the court recommend a finding of 'serious misconduct' against the chief prosecutor, but statement says the suspension is not the final outcome in the disciplinary proceedings ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan speaking last year at the twenty-third session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, at the World Forum Convention Center in The Hague (ICC photo gallery) Off The bureau of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court decided on Monday to suspend Prosecutor Karim Khan, disregarding a judicial panel’s opinion that found no evidence of misconduct against him. According to an official press release published late on Monday, a qualified majority of the 21-member bureau, the executive governing body of the court, decided to suspend the prosecutor “with immediate effect” pending the final decision of the ASP as the competent decision-maker on the matter. The decision was made under rule 28 of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, which indicates that a two-thirds majority of bureau members present and voting recommended a finding of “serious misconduct”, paving the way for a vote at the larger ASP which first needs to uphold the decision, then vote on whether to remove the prosecutor.
Israeli strikes kill seven in southern Lebanon sraeli strikes have killed at least seven people in southern Lebanon, including a child, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. The agency said two people were killed and 10 others wounded when Israeli aircraft hit the municipality of al-Marwaniyah in the Sidon district. The toll from another Israeli attack near the Red Cross centre in Tyre has also risen to five, NNA reported.
Trump urged Netanyahu to limit Iran strikes, report says US President Donald Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scale back Israel’s retaliatory attacks on Iran, warning that nuclear talks with Tehran were close to a breakthrough, The New York Times reports. Citing officials briefed on the call, the newspaper said Trump told Netanyahu that negotiations between Washington and Iran were “within days of a breakthrough”. The report points to growing US concern that Israel’s strikes could derail talks at a decisive moment.
Iran says it has ‘no trust’ in US as peace talks stall Senior Iranian official Ebrahim Azizi says Tehran has “no problem” continuing peace talks with the United States in principle, but only if Washington proves it is negotiating honestly. Azizi, who heads Iran’s parliamentary national security and foreign policy committee, told CNN that any deal depends on a change in US behaviour after months of deep mistrust. “If we could reach confidence that they are people of negotiation and that they also submit to the rules of negotiation, then the Islamic Republic, because it has the logic of negotiation, because it has the logic of dialogue, would have no problem with negotiating,” he said.
'Vulnerability exposed': War on Iran will change how the US bases troops in Gulf Submitted by Sean Mathews on Mon, 06/08/2026 - 15:48 Iran wants US to abandon its military bases in Gulf, yet the reality of drone warfare and military limits means US might have to downsize anyway A general view shows US Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar (AFP/File photo) Off In 2022, the US constructed a military base near Yanbu, on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast. Activity at the base surged during the US-Israeli war on Iran, as Iranian missiles and drones slammed into US bases closer to the Islamic Republic’s shores, current and former US officials tell Middle East Eye. “The whole point of LSA Jenkins is to support the Iran strategy by providing strategic depth beyond the immediate proximity of Iran’s shores,” Abbas Dahouk, a former US defence and army attache to Saudi Arabia, told Middle East Eye, using the acronym for the Logistical Support Area Jenkins base.
Italy investigates Israeli minister over abuse of Gaza flotilla activists Italian authorities are investigating Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over his treatment of activists seized from the Global Sumud Flotilla, Italy’s ANSA news agency reports. Israeli forces intercepted the aid boats in international waters as activists tried to break Israel’s siege of Gaza and deliver desperately needed humanitarian supplies. Video showed Ben-Gvir taunting largely foreign activists as they knelt on the floor with their arms bound.
UNITED NATIONS: The U. N. 's food agency says the Iran war is pushing millions more people into serious hunger, as it had warned would happen if the conflict worsened and oil prices stayed high.
