Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire, a senior U.S. official has said. Hezbollah has released a statement saying Israel must leave southern Lebanon. Israel has said it agrees to the ceasefire, but has said its armed forces won't leave Lebanon and will resume hostilities if attacked.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is travelling to Switzerland for the first round of talks with Iran on a potential nuclear deal, Axios reported on Friday, citing a U.S. official.
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner is already in Switzerland, Axios added.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is planning a trip to the Middle East next week and is expected to visit Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain, Axios reported on Friday, citing two sources.
The next round of talks between Lebanon and Israel will be held between 23 and 25 June in Washington, the U.S. State Department has said.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by telephone earlier in the day.
Rubio "reiterated the need to disarm" Hezbollah and reaffirmed U.S. "support for the Government of Lebanon’s efforts to create a fully sovereign Lebanese state that is at peace with all its neighbours," State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
A comprehensive ceasefire is a fundamental pillar for Lebanese-U.S.-Israeli talks in Washington next week, Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun has told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement.
Hezbollah's information wing has posted a video, including excerpts of a speech by the militant group's Secretary-General Naim Qassem, saying that Israel has to leave southern Lebanon.
Qassem affirms that there will be no pilot zones for Israel in southern Lebanon, a reference to a concept introduced in the U.S.-Iran ceasefire proposal earlier this week.
The so-called "pilot zones" were conceived as areas of southern Lebanon which the Lebanese Armed Forces would exercise exclusive control over, with non-state actors such as Hezbollah excluded.
Arrangements are underway for talks with the U.S. in the coming days, Iran's Foreign Ministry has said.
It comes after a planned meeting between officials from Tehran and Washington on Friday was postponed.
The Ministry said the meeting was no longer urgent because a memorandum of understanding on ending the war had already been signed digitally between the two sides.
Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei, said that negotiations on a final agreement would depend on the start and continued implementation of specified terms outlined in the memorandum.
A senior Israeli official has said that Israel agrees to the ceasefire with Hezbollah. The official said that Israel will keep its forces in Southern Lebanon but warned that they will resume hostilities if attacked by Hezbollah.
Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire that is set to come into force at 4 pm local time on Friday, according to a senior U.S. official.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified in southern Lebanon, with over 18 people reported killed in Israeli strikes and four Israeli soldiers also dead.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “extract a very heavy price”, while Lebanon’s president warned the violence threatens the U.S.–Iran deal, calling for a halt to fighting.
Talks on a broader ceasefire are still expected to continue in Washington.
Iran has condemned Israeli attacks on Lebanon, warning they risk undermining regional stability and holding the United States directly responsible for the escalation.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding includes a ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon.
He added that Tehran would take “all necessary measures” to protect its interests and allies if the agreement is not upheld.
Israel will not tolerate attacks on its soldiers or territory, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.
Netanyahu warned that the country would "exact a very heavy price from Hezbollah."
Earlier, Israel's military said it had struck "Hezbollah targets" in Lebanon's Bekka Valley.
France's Foreign Ministry has denied it has asked for the ban of an Iranian opposition rally that had been due to take place on Saturday in Paris.
The Paris-based National Council Resistance of Iran (NCRI) earlier said that police had banned their rally at the last minute and linked it to a call between France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Aragchi on Thursday
"This allegation is false. The minister did not mention this protest or request its cancellation," the Ministry said in a statement.
The NCRI is an Iranian political opposition coalition established in 1981 that advocates for a democratic, secular, and non-nuclear republic in Iran.
China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Cong, has called on Israel to stop violating the Gaza ceasefire, according to state media.
Speaking at a UN Security Council session, he said Beijing was seriously concerned about the expansion of Israeli military activity and urged all sides, particularly Israel, to fully comply with the agreement.
A Japanese-linked oil tanker carrying three crew members has safely passed through the Strait of Hormuz and exited the Gulf, Japan’s foreign ministry said.
The vessel, owned by Kyoei Tanker, had been stranded during the recent Iran conflict and is now heading back to Japan after coordinated passage with Iranian authorities.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tokyo will continue diplomatic efforts to ensure safe navigation, adding that 37 Japan-linked vessels are still waiting to transit the strait.
French Foreign Minister Jean‑Noël Barrot has said the Iranian population has been the main casualty of the recent conflict, urging the international community not to overlook earlier crackdowns on protesters.
Speaking to Franceinfo TV, Jean‑Noël Barrot said civilians were caught between state repression and military escalation.
“It is the biggest victim of this war, caught between repression on one side and bombings on the other,” he said.
He also referred to protests earlier in the year, condemning the authorities’ response.
“We are not forgetting the massacres of January, when state violence indiscriminately targeted peaceful protesters,” Jean‑Noël Barrot added.
His comments come as diplomatic efforts continue to stabilise the region following recent fighting and a fragile agreement between Iran and the United States.
At least 15 people were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, Lebanon's state news agency reported, as Israel said it was targeting Hezbollah positions in response to alleged ceasefire violations.
The Israeli military said four soldiers were killed during combat operations in southern Lebanon, as fighting with Hezbollah intensified despite efforts to uphold a regional ceasefire.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned that any violation of Iran's rights or interests would be met with a stronger military response, according to Iranian state media.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said UN sanctions on Iran will not be lifted without France's approval, while also calling on Israel to halt its military operations in Lebanon.
Barrot said the United States should use its influence to pressure Israel to end hostilities, as tensions continue despite the wider Iran-U.S. ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli military said it carried out overnight strikes on Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure in southern Lebanon, saying the attacks were in response to repeated ceasefire violations by the Iran-backed group.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said reopening the Strait of Hormuz is solely Iran's responsibility under the ceasefire agreement with the United States, warning that outside intervention would only complicate the process.
Baghaei also said Tehran would maintain direct consultations with Oman on managing shipping through the strategic waterway.
Iran said commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz will receive transit authorisations free of charge for 60 days under the ceasefire agreement with the United States.
Tehran said the measure is being implemented under Article 5 of the memorandum, adding that ships seeking passage through the strategic waterway must apply to the Persian Gulf Strait Authority.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held calls with his counterparts from Cyprus, China, Italy, France and Kuwait, as discussions focused on the Iran-U.S. ceasefire agreement and next steps in the diplomatic process.
China and France were among the countries to publicly confirm the contacts.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held calls with the leaders of Qatar, Pakistan and Tajikistan, thanking Doha and Islamabad for their role in helping secure the Iran-U.S. ceasefire agreement.
Pezeshkian also stressed the importance of expanding bilateral ties with Tajikistan, according to Iran's presidency.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have welcomed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's support for ceasefire talks with the United States.
In separate messages, the three said Khamenei's guidance would help steer Iranian negotiators during upcoming peace talks with Washington.
Planned U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland on Friday will no longer take place, Swiss authorities said, after Vice President JD Vance withdrew from a scheduled trip to meet Iranian negotiators.
The White House said earlier that negotiations remain complex and unpredictable, but technical talks are expected to begin as soon as possible.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) has instructed customers to resume loading crude oil from its Das and Zirku island export terminals, according to a Bloomberg report.
The move is the latest sign of improving conditions for Gulf energy exports following efforts to restore safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran said it will introduce fast-track authorisations for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz under the memorandum of understanding agreed with Washington.
Tehran added that mine-clearing operations would be carried out, while vessels have been advised to follow designated routes and schedules through the vital waterway.
The Pentagon needs about $80 billion to cover costs linked to the Iran war and other military expenses, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The newspaper said Deputy Defence Secretary Stephen Feinberg outlined the funding need in calls with lawmakers this week, as Congress presses the Trump administration for a full accounting of the conflict's cost.
Iraq's oilfields are ready to restart production, with output set to return gradually to previous levels, Oil Minister Basim Mohammed said.
The minister said crude exports from southern ports are resuming, although the pace of recovery will depend on the safe passage of shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump is facing rare pushback from fellow Republicans over his interim Iran agreement, with some lawmakers warning it gives Tehran too much in return for limited concessions.
Senator Bill Cassidy called it “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades”, while others questioned plans to ease sanctions and release frozen Iranian assets.
Trump dismissed the criticism, saying opponents were “jealous, bad people, or stupid”.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance will not travel to Switzerland on Thursday night for planned talks on the next steps of a U.S.-Iran deal aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East, the White House has said.
A White House spokesperson said the negotiations remain complex and unpredictable, adding: “As of now the Vice President is not departing tonight.”
The spokesperson said the administration still expects technical talks to begin “as soon as possible”.
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This is the last of four articles in AnewZ's series examining how conservationists are working to protect and repair damage done to the Aral Sea which lies between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
At least 44 people have died and more than one million have been stranded due to widespread flooding and landslides across southeastern Bangladesh, authorities said on Saturday (11 July).
Turkish prosecutors have ordered the detention of 36 people, including the mayor of an Ankara district controlled by the main opposition, over alleged bribery and tender-rigging.
Temperatures above 40°C are scorching parts of Central Asia, prompting the World Health Organization to warn that extreme heat is becoming an increasing public health threat across the region.
This is the third of four articles in AnewZ's series examining how conservationists are working to protect and repair damage done to the Aral Sea which lies between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
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