Latest war news. Trump: ‘Tehran assures us there will be no tolls in the Strait of Hormuz; if this is false, negotiations will be halted’. The Rutte case

“The type of support that Secretary-General Mark Rutte was referring to relates to logistics or technical assistance.” The NATO spokesperson clarified this in response to Rutte’s comments to Fox News.

“Those stirring up controversy should be aware that we are talking about the technical management of agreements handled by the Ministry of Defence’s technical departments, and not about political decisions that are subject to change.” So said Defence Minister Guido Crosetto in a statement, in response to remarks by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who claimed that 500 US aircraft had taken off from American bases in Italia to support Operation Epic Fury in Iran.

US President Donald Trump told Fox News that the United States is prepared to unfreeze around $500 million of Iranian funds, which will be used to purchase US products such as agricultural goods and medical supplies.

The frozen funds will be placed in an escrow account to be overseen by the United States and Qatar, Fox News reported, citing US officials.

Talks aimed at reconciliation between Iran and the Gulf states are to take place in Saudi Arabia, according to diplomatic sources. The Prime Minister of Qatar travelled to Oman today to prepare for talks between the Gulf states, Iraq and Iran on the Strait of Hormuz, a diplomat familiar with the negotiations told AFP. These talks are separate from the negotiations between Washington and Tehran, the diplomat clarified, asking to remain anonymous.

“Iran has informed the United States that, despite the inflammatory fake news reports to the contrary, there will be no ‘tolls, insurance costs or any other charges of any kind demanded or collected by Iran from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz’.” Donald Trump made this statement on Truth Social, adding, however, that if Tehran had provided Washington with “false information, the negotiations would end immediately”. “Furthermore, no money has been given to Iran, nor have any of their funds been released by the United States,” he continued. “We will release part of their money – which is entirely under our control – to our farmers and livestock breeders for the purchase of wheat, maize, soya and other crops. There is a desperate need for grain in Iran, and it will be purchased exclusively from the US.”

“Only technical and logistical activities – not kinetic ones – have been authorised, within the framework of the procedures set out in existing agreements. On the occasions when a request was made that fell outside this scope, as is well known, Italia did not grant authorisation”. This is the clarification provided by the Ministry of Defence, which, responding to the statements made by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, also specifies: “A more thorough investigation at source would have been sufficient to obtain an accurate picture of what has happened and what happens every day.”

Higher inflation and weaker growth: S&P’s latest forecasts paint a picture of stagflation due to the crisis in the Middle East, which ‘continues’ to affect the macroeconomic outlook. Overall, S&P has revised its inflation forecasts for 2026 upwards by an average of 0.7 percentage points (pp) and has lowered its growth forecasts for 2026 by 0.3 pp in European countries. Nevertheless, S&P still expects only one further rate rise by the European Central Bank and no more than one rate rise by the Bank of England (BoE) in the third quarter of 2026. Italia’s GDP growth, in the best-case scenario, could slow to +0.4% this year; under a medium-risk scenario, it would fall to +0.3%, whilst in the worst-case scenario it would slip into recession at -0.5%, in line with the eurozone average and with France and Spain. According to a report by S&P. As for inflation, in the baseline scenario it is set to rise to 3.2% in Italia this year; 3.1% in the eurozone.

“Rutte’s words are extremely serious and expose Giorgia Meloni as a liar. Meloni has deceived the Italian people and Parliament: 500 US military flights have taken off from NATO bases in Italia in support of ‘Epic Fury’, Trump and Netanyahu’s war against Iran. Giorgia Meloni’s support for Trump has never wavered and, at this stage, it is reasonable to assume that the exchange of accusations between her and the US President was a charade designed to cover up the military support provided by Italian bases to US aircraft. “Meloni must immediately clarify what has happened and report to Parliament and the Italian people.” So said Angelo Bonelli of AVS.

The bases in Italia played a “massive” role in supporting Operation Epic Fury in Iran, with 500 US aircraft taking off from Italian territory, as part of a European effort that saw between 4,000 and 5,000 flight missions. This was stated by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte during an interview on Fox News today.

Rutte said he understood US President Donald Trump’s “disappointment” regarding a few isolated cases, but emphasised that the overall picture shows a much greater contribution from European allies. “Country after country, ally after ally, have made their bases available for Epic Fury,” he said.

Pakistan, which is acting as a mediator on the peace memorandum between the US and Iran, says that technical talks between the two countries will resume next week.

- The United Nations Maritime Agency has launched an operation to evacuate more than 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz after the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran brought the war to an end. The strait, which had been closed by Iran since the end of February, had left vessels stranded for months.

Further reading

From Obama to Trump: the differences between the two agreements with Iran

18 June 2026

Qatar is preparing to resume normal production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) following the signing of an interim agreement between the United States and Iran. This was stated to the Financial Times by the Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. Qatar is the world’s second-largest producer of LNG and halted production in March following an Iranian drone attack on its Ras Laffan plant. “Production will return to normal within a few weeks, with the exception of the damaged plant,” he added. “Our teams have been mobilised for several weeks now. QatarEnergy is preparing to resume normal operations as soon as the situation in the Strait of Hormuz returns to normal.”

“No country is authorised to impose tolls or charges on an international waterway. This is an international waterway. This is the international law in force.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made this statement on his arrival in the United Arab Emirates, adding that no country is authorised to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has sought to charge ships in transit. “I don’t think there’s anyone here we need to convince on this matter. I think all the countries in this region would agree with us,” he added. During his tour of the Gulf, the US Secretary of State will visit, after the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain – both of which host US military bases – to discuss the agreement with Tehran. Speaking from Abu Dhabi, Rubio stated that if Iran decided “it wanted to be a country, rather than a revolutionary movement”, it could benefit from new economic opportunities, including investment. “They would have the opportunity to do incredible things in Iran,” he added. “I’m not promising that this will be the choice they make. I’m simply saying that, if that is the choice they make, then there will be opportunities, and these opportunities could include investment, as you have seen in other countries in this region, which have benefited from foreign direct investment. But it won’t be our investment,” he clarified. “It won’t be our government’s money.”

Oman has announced a temporary maritime corridor for traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, according to The Times of Israel. The Arab country says it has coordinated with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to provide a temporary maritime corridor for ships seeking to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

Ships wishing to use the temporary corridor must coordinate with the IMO on the basis of the coordinates announced by the organisation and the Omani authorities. The measure is designed to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait in accordance with international law and the law of the sea, which uphold freedom of navigation without imposing transit fees.

To shift focus away from Iran and concentrate on the economy and domestic policy issues that matter most to Americans. The White House wants to change the narrative ahead of the mid-term elections, no easy task given the conflicting reports on the Iran deal and the tensions in Lebanon. According to Politico, the White House’s plan is to refocus attention on the President’s economic achievements in order to allay fears about inflation. Over the coming weeks, Trump will be travelling around the country, returning to the campaign trail and highlighting the tax cuts and the rally on Wall Street.

“So, I have Iran on the ropes, on the verge of collapse, willing to give us practically anything, and which, for the first time in decades, respects the United States and its President, ME, and the US Senate decides to hold an ill-timed and senseless vote on the War Powers Act, telling the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism that the United States does not like what I am doing to them, and that I must stop, and in so doing I have provided aid and comfort to the enemy”. US President Donald Trump wrote this on Truth following the Senate vote which approved a resolution committing him to withdrawing US military forces from the conflict with Iran. “Four losing Republicans voted with the Democrats. These senators have just made my job more difficult, but I will get it done, one way or another, because I always do!”, he added.