Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 18 (ANI): Deputy Chief of Mission (Deputy Ambassador) at the Embassy of Israel in India, Fares Saeb hopes that Israel's concerns on Hezbollah and Iran's nuclear program will be addressed in the 60 days of negotiations between US and Iran. Saeb, in a conversation with ANI, said that Israel will not accept Iran's nuclear program and financing of Iranian proxies against Israel.
Bhalu (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 18 (ANI): Rajesh Sharma, the father of deceased seafarer Aditya Sharma, on Thursday acknowledged the Prime Minister's diplomatic constraints during his meeting with US President where the isssue of seafarer safety was raised. Speaking to ANI, Rajesh Sharma appealed to the government to ensure the safety of Indian seafarers in international waters.
Trump told Erdogan he is attending Nato's Ankara summit 'just for him' Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 12:04 Sources say Erdogan’s role as host helped persuade Trump to attend as tensions grow between Washington and European allies US President Donald Trump greets Recep Tayyip Erdogan outside the West Wing as he arrives at the White House on 25 September 2025 (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/AFP) Off US President Donald Trump told his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, last month that he would attend the forthcoming Nato summit in Ankara just to please the Turkish leader, according to several sources familiar with the phone call who spoke to Middle East Eye. Tensions between the US and its European allies have been steadily rising, and the July summit is seen as a potential breaking point, where both sides are expected to reveal their positions and attempt to chart a path forward together. “Many European countries say that the fact that the meeting will be held in Turkey , hosted by our president, is the most important factor that made President Trump’s participation in the summit possible,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters on Thursday.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Tajik President Emomali Rahmon congratulated Iran on the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the US marking the end of the war of aggression against Iran, describing the MoU as an important step toward regional and international stability.
Tehran [Iran], June 18 (ANI): Iranian ships have entered ports without issue, and cargos have also been unloaded from ports without hindrance, spokesperson of the country's foreign ministry Esmaeil Baqaei, said on Thursday as per the ISNA news agency. Baqaei said that when the presidents of both US and Iran- Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian- had signed an agreement, the cost of breaking it will be higher.
'This was not easy': Trump and Iran sign interim ceasefire deal in France Submitted by Ayse Betul on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 09:24 The 14-point memorandum of understanding affirms reopening of Hormuz and a 60-day window to negotiate a permanent peace treaty involving nuclear down-blending Videograb from the X account of French President Emmanuel Macron shows Trump and Macron during the signing of the deal with Iran in Versailles, Paris 17 June 2026 (X) Off US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to end a war that has devastated the Middle East since late February. The White House has confirmed the digital signing, noting that an initial phase of the agreement was signed on Sunday by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with President Trump witnessing. Trump had previously announced that both sides had agreed on the deal on 14 June.
Hormuz vessels must still coordinate with IRGC navy, Iranian state TV says The transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz still needs to be done in coordination with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy, Iranian state television said on Thursday. Vessels have begun moving through the strait following the signing of a deal to bring the US war on Iran to a close.
Israel accuses EU's top diplomat of 'blood libel' and severs ties Israel's foreign minister has launched an extraordinary attack on the European Union's top diplomat, accusing her of "acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness toward the State of Israel" and severing all ties with her. Gideon Saar said on Thursday that Kaja Kallas had "compared Israel to the racist apartheid regime that existed in South Africa", a comparison he referred to as a "blood libel". "I am grateful to the many European elected representatives who condemned this grave statement," Saar posted on social media.
Iranian press review: Conflict revived Iran’s regional power, says anti-war analyst Submitted by MEE correspondent on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 11:05 Meanwhile, new details emerge of US missiles used for first time, first motorcycle licences issued for women, and economist warns of hyperinflation risk A man in Tehran reads the Iranian daily newspaper Hamshahri bearing an image of the US president and the headline 'Gone with the wind', on 18 June 2026 (AFP) Off War renews confidence in regional alliances Iranian analyst Mehrdad Ahmadi Sheikhani said the recent US-Israeli war on Iran has renewed support for one of the country's key regional policies of expanding its strategic depth. Since the end of the Iran-Iraq war in 1988, Tehran has built ties with armed and political groups across the Middle East that share its ideological views. Iranian political and military leaders have long argued that these alliances help the country deter attacks by Israel .
Hegseth: US can reimpose blockade if Iran doesn't fulfil commitments The United States will restart military action and reimpose a blockade if Iran does not fulfill its commitments under its agreement with the US, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters on Thursday. “The president has pointed out that we will be prepared to recommence if underneath the timeline of these talks, Iran does not do what it says it's going to do,” Hegseth said in Brussels after meeting Nato defence ministers. Hegseth said the deal came from a position of US strength.
Colombia stopped energy exports to Israel - so why did South Africa and Brazil not do so? Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 08:40 Members of the Hague Group condemn the genocide in Gaza but continue supplies of crude oil and coal Colombian President Gustavo Petro waves a national flag as he delivers a speech during a May Day (Labor Day) rally in Bogota on May 1, 2024 (AFP) Off In July 2025, Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered his navy to block all coal supplies to Israel in response to the genocide in Gaza. Only hours earlier, coal-laden vessel, the Maltese-flagged Fortune headed out from Puerto Drummond , taking supplies, mined by US company Drummond, to the Israeli port of Hadera, despite a decree Petro had issued in 2024, banning all exports.
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The foreign ministers of Iran and Italy stressed the importance of making use of the opportunity created by the Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the US to reinforce peace, stability, and regional cooperation.
Israel's Ben Gvir set to attend UN policing conference in New York next month Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 06/18/2026 - 11:04 National security minister is a staunch critic of UN and celebrated destruction of UN refugee agency for Palestinians Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir (C) at the site of a suspected shooting in the town of Tzur Yitzhak in central Israel on 7 June 2026 (AFP/Jack Guez) Off Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel ’s national security minister, will travel to New York next month to attend a UN conference on policing, Haaretz reported this week. The minister is expected to head up a delegation from the national security ministry to attend the annual UNCops summit. Under the title “Investing in Peace”, the conference will take place between 7 and 8 July and will see security ministers and police chiefs around the world discuss “strengthening international peace, security and development for all" through national and transnational police forces.
* Analysts increasingly view the United States as the principal source of uncertainty within the G7. * The G7 summit concluded without issuing a final communique, marking the second consecutive year that the bloc has failed to produce a unified closing document, following a similar outcome under Canada's chairmanship in 2025.
Israeli military: Our forces are operating in southern Lebanon The Israeli military said on Thursday that its forces were operating in what it described as a security zone extending about 10 km into southern Lebanon, despite a provision in the interim US-Iran agreement calling for an immediate halt to military operations in Lebanon. The military said the deployment was dictated by operational needs and that troops remained stationed in their designated area of operations, Reuters reported.
Donald Trump has agreed a peace plan with Iran to end hostilities. The memorandum of understanding was signed at the Palace of Versailles shortly before a dinner hosted by the French president. Trump has suggested that if he had not struck a deal, the strait of Hormuz would never have opened, triggering a 'worldwide depression' Trump signs Iran peace plan, claiming deal averts ‘worldwide depression’ Middle East crisis – live updates Continue reading...
Trump brands critics who think he's been too soft on Iran 'stupid' US President Donald Trump has branded critics who think he's been too soft on Iran "fools". In a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday morning, Trump wrote: "These fools, who think I haven’t been tough enough on Iran, when the Stock Market Just Hit A RECORD HIGH, and Oil prices are 'tumbling' down, are either jealous, bad people, or stupid.
