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Iran: Rutte puts the brakes on Italia. Trump: The Strait of Hormuz is open
The fifth round of talks between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by the US, will continue today in Washington
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Summary by points
Meloni-Macron summit: the Prime Minister says, ‘We did not take part in the conflict in Iran; Rutte has confused the authorised flights’
from our correspondent in Antibes Manuela Perrone
“Italia did not take part in the conflict in Iran; otherwise, the US President’s disappointment would be inexplicable. Rutte got the type of authorised flights wrong, corrected himself and then clarified the matter.” Giorgia Meloni speaks at the conclusion of the 36th Italy–France intergovernmental summit taking place in Antibes.
EU experts: ‘Oil flows from the Gulf have resumed, but it will take time for supplies to resume’
The EU oil coordination group met yesterday in Brussels, noting a “slow recovery in trade flows” from the Gulf region following the memorandum of understanding signed between Iran and the US, but warning that “it will take some time before supplies from the region reach Europe”. According to EU representatives from the Commission and Member States, the EU oil market has remained “solid and resilient” in the face of the crisis, whilst the jet fuel market “has managed to limit the impact of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by partially replacing the volumes with imports from other sources and through an increase in production within the EU”. As for crude oil, the group – according to a statement – noted that the situation is stable for the time being, largely thanks to the drawdown of global stocks in recent months.
26 June 2026
Lebanese President: France and Italia’s efforts to form a coalition following UNIFIL are welcome
The Lebanese President, Joseph Aoun, has welcomed the efforts of Paris and Rome to form a coalition to take over from the UNIFIL mission, whose mandate is due to expire in December. Yesterday, Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni announced during the summit in Antibes that France and Italia intend to create a multinational ‘coalition’ at the end of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), scheduled for December, with the aim of strengthening “sovereignty in Lebanon”.
La premier Giorgia Meloni e il segretario della Nato and NATO Mark Rutte REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo REUTERS
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26 June 2026
Iran rejects US-Gulf States statement: ‘Provocative’
Iran has rejected the joint statement issued by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, describing it as “interventionist, irresponsible and provocative”. The Iranian Foreign Ministry made this statement in a note released by the Fars news agency, referring to yesterday’s joint communiqué.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic has argued that the positions set out in the statement constitute interference in regional affairs and has warned against the continuation of “hostile and interventionist behaviour” in the region.
In the joint statement, the United States and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council welcomed the US-Iran memorandum of understanding of 17 June and acknowledged the mediating role played by Pakistan and Qatar.
The ministers stressed, however, that a lasting peace must prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and address “the full spectrum” of threats attributed to Tehran, including ballistic missiles, drones and support for regional proxies.
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26 June 2026
Hezbollah leader: ‘Israel must withdraw from Lebanon unconditionally’
Israel must withdraw all its forces from Lebanon “unconditionally”, according to a statement by the leader of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, who, in a live televised speech, also described the memorandum currently under discussion between the US and Iran as “a defeat for the United States and for Israel”.
26 June 2026
Iran, military command: Israeli flights over neighbouring countries are a dangerous move
- Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters has warned that any Israeli military flights heading towards Iran via the airspace of neighbouring countries would constitute a “dangerous move” and a threat to Tehran.
In a statement, the Iranian military command stated that the Islamic Republic reserves the right to respond to such movements, asserting that it will not tolerate the transit of Israeli aircraft over its territory unless the United States prevents Israel from carrying out such actions.(
26 June 2026
Iran, Grossi (IAEA): ‘An extremely advanced verification system is urgently needed’
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stated today during a press conference in Japan that an “extremely advanced” verification system is urgently needed in Iran to ensure that the country does not develop nuclear weapons.
“I believe that the aim of the agreement between the United States and Iran is to ensure that there will be no development of nuclear weapons in Iran. The Iranian government has clearly stated that this is not its intention, but obviously intentions are not enough,” added Grossi, according to the Israeli newspaper Ynet.
26 June 2026
Iran, Grossi (IAEA): ready for further nuclear inspections
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) intends to begin inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities as soon as possible. This was stated by the IAEA’s Director General, Rafael Grossi, speaking at a press conference in Tokyo.
“We have not yet begun this verification process,” explained Grossi. “We have only just started discussions with Iran to determine the arrangements,” he added, clarifying that the discussions concern the frequency, the sites to be visited and other operational aspects of the inspections.
Grossi noted that initial talks took place last weekend in Burgenstock, Switzerland. “I expect this work to resume soon,” he said.
26 June 2026
Iran denies US claims regarding purchases made with released funds
Iran has denied claims that the United States will use unfrozen Iranian assets to purchase American goods for Tehran. This was stated by the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
On Wednesday, Fox News reported, following an interview with US President Donald Trump, that Washington would purchase at least $500 million’s worth of goods from US companies for Iran, using Iranian funds that were no longer frozen.
“America falsely claims that our unfrozen assets will buy up their agricultural sector. Interesting,” Ghalibaf wrote on X. “The only harvest we are reaping is the one you have sown: decades of mistrust. It’s organic, plentiful and home-grown. But apparently the US only exports GM soya, broken promises and rubbish talk.”
However, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Abdolnaser Hemmati, has stated that Tehran sees no problem in purchasing goods from the United States, provided that the price and quality are acceptable to Iran.
Hemmati added that there are no restrictive measures on purchases made using the released funds.
On the night of 18 June, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum remotely, providing for an end to the military conflict that began on 28 February. The document also sets deadlines for the lifting of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports and for Iran to restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
26 June 2026
Trump assures that ‘the Strait of Hormuz is open’
The Strait of Hormuz “is open”: 19 million barrels of oil passed through it yesterday; “crude oil prices are plummeting and the stock markets are rising”. This was stated by US President Donald Trump at the White House, during a dinner for US farmers. Trump then gave assurances that the United States would help Venezuela, “which has been hit by a terrible earthquake”.
26 June 2026
Lebanon: Talks with Israel continue today in Washington
The fifth round of talks between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by the US, will continue today in Washington, rather than concluding today as planned. This was announced by the US State Department.
“Discussions between Israel and Lebanon are still ongoing, and we are continuing to facilitate them. The two sides will resume talks tomorrow at 9 am to continue their work towards an agreement,” the State Department told AFP. This corresponds to 3 pm Italian time.
The negotiations are continuing as Hezbollah has once again accused Israel of a “flagrant violation” of the ceasefire, following a drone attack that left three people dead. The Israeli army has stated that it killed fighters from the pro-Iranian Shia group
26 June 2026
Iran: Rutte says Italia has done what was required under its agreements with the US
Italia “has not done more”, but “what is provided for in the bilateral agreements” with the United States. This was stated by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who clarified to the Atlantic Council the meaning of his remarks on the US’s use of Italian bases in the military campaign against Iran.
26 June 2026
Iran: IAEA: ‘After the war, very rigorous nuclear verification will be necessary’
After the war, Iran needs a “very robust” verification system to ensure that the country does not develop nuclear weapons. This was stated by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi. “I believe the aim of this (recent agreement between the United States and Iran) is to ensure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. The Iranian government has stated quite clearly that this is not its intention,” added Grossi whilst speaking to journalists in Japan. “But of course, intentions are not enough. We need to have a very robust verification system in place as soon as possible.”
