US secretary of state Marco Rubio has dismissed concerns raised by the UAE over an Iranian toll on the Strait of Hormuz as “semantics”.
“You can call it a toll, you can call it a fee, at the end of the day it’s all semantics,” Rubio said during a visit to Bahrain, where he is meeting the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
The UAE’s presidential adviser Anwar Gargash had previously warned that “geopolitical facts” cannot be imposed on Arab Gulf states as a result of “treacherous aggression against them”.
He said this would “sow seeds of discord and conflict for the future”, adding that this “is precisely what applies to the Strait of Hormuz”.
Washington has sought to reassure the region that no country, including Iran, will be allowed to charge tolls for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that Tehran had told the US that no tolls were being sought from ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil prices dropped to pre war levels ($72.24 per barrel) on Thursday after Trump threatened abandon talks with Iran if it tries to impose tolls on shipping through the strait.
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Key Points
- Rubio dismisses UAE concerns over Hormuz toll as 'semantics'
- Israel withdraws from some Lebanese territory, says US State Department
- Brent crude price falls below pre-Iran war levels
- Trump claims he has brought 'peace to Middle East'
- Middle East allies of the US sceptical about proposed peace deal with Iran
- Israel, Lebanon meet in Washington to discuss US-backed proposal for Israeli forces to pull out
Some 57 ships with 1,100 sailors pass through Strait of Hormuz - UN
11:44 , Alex CroftSome 57 ships carrying an estimated 1,100 sailors have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since June 23 under a United Nations evacuation plan launched this week, data from the UNs shipping agency showed on Thursday.
These are the first numbers to be released by the UN's International Maritime Organization for the initiative, which will enable hundreds of ships with 11,000 sailors to leave the strait.
According to current IMO data, 12 ships sailed through during the morning of June 25, 32 during June 24 and 13 during June 23.
Bhrain welcomes Oman corridor for Strait of Hormuz vessels
11:21 , Alex CroftWe’ve heard from Bahrain's foreign minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, who on Thursday welcomed Oman's announcement of a corridor for the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
Al Zayani made the remarks as he chaired a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting during U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to the country.
Watch: Tucker Carlson says Iran war is the end of Trump and MAGA has 'no future'
11:03 , Alex CroftIsrael withdraws from some Lebanese territory, says US State Department
10:40 , Alex CroftIsrael has withdrawn from some of the southern Lebanese territory it has occupied in its war with Hezbollah, a US State Department official said on Thursday.
Lebanon's armed forces should now step in, the official added.
There was no immediate comment from Israel. A senior Lebanese security official said they were unaware of any withdrawal of Israeli troops from Israel's so-called "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon.
The State Department official did not say how much territory Israel withdrew from or where exactly the pullback occurred. Israel and Lebanon have been holding US-brokered talks in Washington aimed in part at halting fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.
"Israel has already taken a concrete step by pulling back from a part of its buffer zone. This is a significant demonstration of good faith toward Lebanon’s legitimate government," the official said.
"The (Lebanese Armed Forces) should now move in and verifiably clear out terrorist weapons and infrastructure. This model will be repeated across South Lebanon, enabling the safe return of displaced families, reconstruction of the south, and the restoration of full Lebanese sovereignty," the official added.
Rubio dismisses UAE concerns over Hormuz toll as 'semantics'
10:19 , Alex CroftWe’ve heard from US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who during a trip to Bahrain has dismissed concerns raised by the UAE over an Iranian toll on the Strait of Hormuz as “semantics”.
“You can call it a toll, you can call it a fee, at the end of the day it’s all semantics,” Rubio said during a visit to Bahrain, where he is meeting the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
The UAE’s presidential adviser Anwar Gargash had previously warned that “geopolitical facts” cannot be imposed on Arab Gulf states as a result of “treacherous aggression against them”.
He said this would “sow seeds of discord and conflict for the future”, adding that this “is precisely what applies to the Strait of Hormuz”.
Washington has sought to reassure the region that no country, including Iran, will be allowed to charge tolls for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump shouting match shows Iran war weighing on Republicans ahead of midterms
09:41 , Alex CroftAs we earlier reported, Trump is said to have engaged in a shouting match with Republican senator Bill Cassidy during a behind-closed-doors meeting with several of the GOPs senior members.
The lunchtime exchange shows how the war has weighed on the president ahead of November elections that will determine control of Congress.
Trump's approval rating are at its lowest since he returned to office last year, with just one in four Americans believing the war was worth its costs, a poll by Reuters/Ipsos showed.
The exchange came a day after the Senate voted to direct Trump to end the war in a separate vote on a resolution passed by the House of Representatives this month. Cassidy was one of four Republicans to back it, along with opposition Democrats.
Trump did not mention the exchange with Cassidy, who was unseated by a Trump-backed challenger in a primary election this year. Later, he criticized the Senate.
"Iran sees that, they go, 'What's that all about?'. Now you know, it's meaningless, right?" Trump told reporters at the White House.
Several hours later, the administration asked Congress for $70 billion to cover the cost of the war, adding to the U.S. military budget of $867 billion.
09:22 , Alex CroftTrump engages in shouting match with fellow Republicans over Iran war
09:00 , Alex CroftDonald Trump engaged in a shouting match with Republican senator Bill Cassidy during a behind-closed-doors meeting with several of the GOPs senior memners.
This is according to other Republicans in the room, who said Cassidy demanded the administration explain the framework deal Trump signed last week, that gives Iran financial incentives but falls short of the goals he laid out at the war's beginning.
"The American people need to know more than we are being told," Cassidy afterwards told reporters. "It does not appear, although I don't know for sure, that the course of this is going the way that we were told."
Later, in what appeared to be an effort to please the president, the Senate's Republican leaders scheduled a late-night vote to block a resolution calling for an end to hostilities with Iran.
The Senate voted by 50 to 47, largely along party lines, to block a war powers resolution that had advanced on a procedural vote in May.
"This vote puts Iran on notice," Trump said on social media after Wednesday's late-night vote, although it does not affect the earlier vote.
In pictures: Rubio arrives in Bahrain for foreign minister meetings
08:41 , Alex CroftUS secretary of state Marco Rubio is in Manama, Bahrain, where he is meeting with foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
He is later due to meet Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Here are the first
Iran-US war in numbers: Five charts that lay bare the impact of Trump’s conflict
08:23 , Alex CroftIt is nearly four months since the US and Israel launched war on Iran - a decision which had a dramatic and devastating impact stretching almost every corner of the world.
From skyrocketing oil prices, rising costs of global commodities, and deepening levels of food insecurity and poverty, normal people have been paying the price for a war involving the world’s most advanced military and the two most powerful forces in the Middle East.
But a war that many believed would be short-lived - with Donald Trump repeatedly vowing it would end “soon” with a total victory - dragged on for days, weeks, and then months, inflicting spectacular damage not only on global finances, but on the US military’s reputation as an unassailable force.
The global impact of the Iran war ranges from jet fuel prices, to the price of food, to increases in household bills.
At the centre of the global impact was Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital chokepoint through which one fifth of the world’s oil supply flowed during peacetime.
Read our ‘in numbers’ piece on Iran.
Brent crude price falls below pre-Iran war levels
07:58 , Namita SinghThe price of a barrel of Brent crude fell to $72.24 on Thursday, lower than the day the Iran war began on 28 February.
The oil prices began sliding since US and Iran began peace talks, in the hopes of achieving lasting agreement to end the conflict and unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
The vessel traffic transiting through the strait has also doubled in the last 24 hours, reaching its highest level since before the war, reported CNN citing MarineTraffic data.
Video: Trump says it is 'unacceptable for any Iran deal to include shipping fees'
07:46 , Namita SinghIsraeli military official says one soldier killed in Lebanon after vehicle overturned
07:46 , Namita SinghAn Israeli military official said on Thursday a soldier was killed in southern Lebanon after a vehicle had overturned.The official described the incident as an accident.
Earlier, the military said a soldier had died during "operational activity”.
Five more South Korean ships exit Strait of Hormuz, ministry says
07:00 , Namita SinghFive more South Korea-operated vessels exited the Strait of Hormuz, Seoul's Oceans Ministry said on Thursday. One of the ships is bound for South Korea, the ministry said.
The ministry did not name the vessels, citing requests from shippers and crew members.
A total of 13 South Korean ships remain in the strait, with 87 crew members on board, according to the ministry. South Korea is in talks with relevant countries to assist the remaining ships to safely exit the area, it said.
Using flattery, Rutte tries to ease Nato tensions with Trump over Iran
06:40 , Namita SinghNato secretary-general Mark Rutte sought to calm tensions with president Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, using a mix of flattery and gentle pushback to argue that instances of allies' reluctance to support the US war with Iran were limited to "isolated cases".
The Nato chief is visiting Washington to try to ease strains over the Iran war and US threats to draw down troops in Europe ahead of a pivotal Nato leaders' summit in July in Ankara.
Trump, a longtime Nato critic who has called the alliance a "paper tiger," has been angered by allies refusal to support the US in the Middle East conflict or help reopen the Strait of Hormuz after a US-Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February disrupted the major oil shipping route.
During the Oval Office meeting, Rutte used cardboard charts to show how much Nato countries have stepped up their defence spending since Trump first came into office in 2017.
He also said thousands of US planes had taken off from bases in Europe during the war, pointing to that cooperation as a sign of the allies support. Italy pushed back on Rutte's remarks, saying Rome had authorised only technical and logistical flights.
"I know there have been isolated cases about which you are really disappointed, but generally speaking your European allies have been there," Rutte said.
Trump appeared unconvinced, at times interrupting Rutte to disagree with him, though he praised his leadership.
"You really have done a good job, and I think if anybody else were in that position, we wouldn't even be meeting today, to be honest with you, because we were let down," Trump said.
Since Trump's return to office last year, one of Rutte's primary roles has been managing the president's hostility toward the alliance and preventing tense moments, including Trump's push to acquire Greenland, from spiralling into lasting crises.
Trump meets munitions makers amid push to replenish weapons stockpiles
06:20 , Namita SinghUS president Donald Trump met with munitions makers at the White House on Wednesday as his administration pushed to expand weapons production after military operations in Iran and other conflicts drew down US stockpiles.
The United States has supplied large quantities of weapons to allies while also using munitions in its own military operations, raising concerns about inventories of key air-defence and precision-guided weapons, and increasing pressure on contractors to boost output.
Two people briefed on the meeting said it ran longer than expected because everyone was given time to speak. The sources said deputy defence secretary Steve Feinberg at times pushed back on industry claims about production progress, citing delays on key programs. One source said the initial message to executives was “you’re not doing enough”.
By the end, the tone had shifted toward cooperation, with officials saying the goal was to “get on a war footing” and work together to speed up production.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for details on the meeting and the topics discussed. The meeting marks the second White House gathering with chief executives of major defence firms focused on ramping up weapons production.
A March meeting included the CEOs and other officials from BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX Corp, Boeing, Honeywell Aerospace and L3Harris Technologies, along with defence secretary Pete Hegseth.
IRGC: New Hormuz route announced without Iran coordination is unacceptable, dangerous
06:00 , Namita SinghIran's Revolutionary Guards Corps on Thursday said safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is only possible through routes designated by Iran, and that a new route announced without coordination with Iran is unacceptable and a safety risk.
IRGC said it will take action against vessels that fail to comply with the requirements.
Israel, Lebanon meet in Washington to discuss US-backed proposal for Israeli forces to pull out
05:40 , Namita SinghLebanon and Israel discussed a US-backed proposal for Israeli forces to pull out of some of the territory it invaded in the war and hand it to Lebanese army control. During the discussion in Washington, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not pull troops out of the region.
Israel has been battling Hezbollah in Lebanon since the militant group attacked Israel on 2 March in support of Iran, and Tehran has made a cessation of hostilities there a central tenet of its demands in any peace deal with the US.
An Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon killed at least two people on Wednesday, Lebanese sources told Reuters, while Israel said it struck two armed Hezbollah fighters. It was not immediately clear if the incidents were the same.
GOP senator was ‘yelling’ at Trump over Iran war in tense closed door meeting: report
05:20 , Graeme Massie
GOP senator was ‘yelling’ at Trump over Iran war in tense meeting: report
Middle East allies of the US sceptical about proposed peace deal with Iran
05:00 , Namita SinghThe proposed peace deal between US and Iran has been met with scepticism in the Middle East, where many states came under attack from Iran during the war and view the accord as too generous to Tehran, including a $300bn fund and the waiver of some sanctions.
Washington's Gulf allies fear the reconstruction fund could help Iran to rebuild its military.
The accord also does not address Tehran's ballistic missile capacity. The deal requires Iran to allow shipping to flow freely through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, and Tehran has suggested it might impose tolls after that point. Iran could propose environmental, navigation and security fees in upcoming talks with Gulf states, according to a diplomat briefed on the talks.
Washington and its Gulf allies oppose such fees."We're not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies, our longstanding allies in the region," US secretary of state Marco Rubio said in Kuwait City, where the US embassy resumed operations after a months-long stoppage due to the war.
Oil prices fall as Iran lifts chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz
04:40 , Namita SinghThe initial accord between the US and Iran has lifted Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, allowing traffic to flow again through a waterway that previously handled a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Benchmark oil prices fell on Wednesday to their lowest level since before the war started as supply concerns eased further. But conflicting accounts have emerged over elements of the deal, which has prompted criticism of Trump at home and in the Middle East.
Financial incentives for Iran, inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities, control of the strait and Israel's parallel war in Lebanon have all been disputed, highlighting the fragility of the accord.
The deal sets up 60 days of talks to tackle thornier details, including Iran's nuclear program.
Trump, Republican senator engage in shouting match over Iran war
04:23 , Namita SinghUS president Donald Trump faced pointed criticism over the Iran war on Wednesday in a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, shortly before his administration asked Congress for tens of billions of dollars to pay for the conflict.
Several Republicans in the closed-door meeting said Trump engaged in a shouting match with Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who said the administration needed to explain a framework deal Trump signed last week that provides financial incentives for Iran but does not accomplish any of the goals he laid out at the war's beginning.
"The American people need to know more than we are being told," Cassidy told reporters.
"It does not appear, although I don't know for sure, that the course of this is going the way that we were told."
The high-volume exchange with a member of Trump's own party was another example of how the war has weighed on Trump ahead of November elections that will determine control of Congress.
Trump claims he has brought 'peace to Middle East'
04:01 , Graeme MassieTrump touted his achievements against Iran during a partisan rally to kick off the Great American State Fair event in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.
“Last week we signed a historic agreement to end the conflict with Iran, fully open the Strait of Hormuz, and accomplish what no president has ever been able to accomplish before, Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, that's done,” he told the crowd.
“And thanks to the power and skill of the United States Armed Forces, today Iran has no navy, no air force, no anti-aircraft capacity, no missile launches, no manufacturing, and their leadership has been obliterated, and for the first time in 3000 years, we are finally going to have peace in the Middle East.”
Lebanese on the edge of Israel's occupation live with fear and rising tensions
03:00 , James ReynoldsLooking out from a friend’s balcony, Milia el-Cheikh struggled to find her own home in the ruins of her now-deserted village, its entrances strung with barbed wire.
Her village of Dibbine is one of several Shiite-majority communities across southern Lebanon destroyed by Israeli forces battling the Iran-backed Shiite Hezbollah. Israel has occupied vast areas and fighting has raged through declared ceasefires. The latest truce — part of the interim peace deal between the United States and Iran — appears to be holding.
El-Cheikh, one of the few Christians from Dibbine, found shelter in another village but regularly visits Jdeidat Marjayoun, a mostly Christian village next to her hometown, to have coffee with a friend from church. Before the war, it was a comforting ritual. Now it takes place against a backdrop of loss and fear.
Read the full report:
Lebanese on the edge of Israel's occupation live with fear and rising tensions
Recap: Iran and the United States still at odds over nuclear inspections
02:00 , James ReynoldsDonald Trump has said that Iran has agreed to indefinite nuclear inspections on its facilities accusing “fake news” media of distributing false rebuttals.
“Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!),” he wrote in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday.
“This will insure ‘Nuclear Honesty’. If they did not agree to this, there would be no further negotiations!”
Iran has denied that it will allow inspectors into its nuclear sites despite US vice president JD Vance also insisting that Tehran had agreed to the visits.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Tuesday that Tehran had agreed “no new commitments” on inspections, adding that Iran would continue its current obligations as a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and under its safeguards agreement with the IAEA.
Recap: Tucker Carlson says Iran war is the end of Trump and MAGA has 'no future'
01:00 , James ReynoldsDowned US pilot saw Iran drones flying in ‘jellyfish’ formation: ‘Real alien s**t’
Thursday 25 June 2026 00:00 , James ReynoldsThe US fighter pilot rescued by commandos after he was shot down by Iran in April has described how Iranian drones swarmed him in what appeared to be a “jellyfish” formation before he ejected from his plane, according to a report.
Iranian forces opened fire on the $31m F-15E Strike Eagle on 3 April, triggering a major search for the missing weapons-system officer, who held out in the mountains for hours before his dramatic rescue.
During a debriefing with intelligence officials, the pilot described seeing a unified and overwhelming drone formation resembling a jellyfish, sources familiar with the matter told CNN in a report published on Tuesday.
Downed US pilot saw Iran drones flying in ‘jellyfish’ formation: ‘Real alien s**t’
Israel committed genocide in Gaza by deliberately killing Palestinian children, UN inquiry says
Wednesday 24 June 2026 23:00 , Maira ButtIsrael has deliberately and intentionally targeted Palestinian children during its military campaign in Gaza, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, a UN commission of inquiry has said.
A report released on Tuesday says that Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately and intentionally targeted Palestinian children, including after a ceasefire came into effect in October 2025.
It says that Israeli forces "deliberately carried out acts inflicting death and severe bodily and mental harm on hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children", as part of a “deliberate strategy to destroy the future of the Palestinians in Gaza”. Around 30% of those killed in the Gaza war were children, the report found, with a total death toll of at least 20,179 by October 2025.
UN says Israel committed genocide in Gaza by deliberately killing children
Recap: Trump’s peace deal was ‘a declaration of America’s defeat’ says Tehran’s top negotiator
Wednesday 24 June 2026 22:00 , James ReynoldsThe deal between Iran and the US to end the war is “America’s declaration of defeat”, Iran’s top negotiator said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a conference in Azerbaijan, the outspoken parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the initial agreement to stop the fighting and begin talks “was not the result of pressure and coercion, but rather the result of the resistance and authority of the brave Iranian nation”.
“That is why, the Islamabad memorandum of understanding became a declaration of America’s defeat,” he said, adding that Middle Eastern countries should be responsible for security in the region.
The two sides signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding last week setting out broad agreements in principle to end the war. The interim accord paved the way for 60 days of talks aimed at hammering out thornier details, including issues related to Iran's nuclear programme.
Still discrepancies hang over the talks as the UN’s nuclear watchdog on Wednesday said it would resume inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities, after Iran said it had made no such concession.
Iran and the US have also offered conflicting accounts on financial incentives for Iran, control of the Strait of Hormuz and the war in Lebanon since ending a first round of talks in Switzerland on Monday.
Mossad chief plotting new ways to topple Iranian regime, says report
Wednesday 24 June 2026 21:00 , James ReynoldsThe new head of Israel’s spy agency Mossad is looking at new ways to topple the Iranian government, according to reports.
Roman Gofman is said to have told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a war with Iran would lead to a swift collapse of the government, three Israeli officials told CNN earlier this year.
Israeli outlet Maariv reported on Monday that Gofman views his predecessor’s approach to the war as having failed.
And he now plans on transforming parts of the agency to take on new strategies to accomplish the mission, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Read the full report:
Mossad chief plotting new ways to topple Iranian regime, says report
Watch: Trump claims Americans are 'demanding' $80bn more for his war with Iran
Wednesday 24 June 2026 20:00 , James ReynoldsFamilies of Indian sailors killed in US attack demand $5m compensation
Wednesday 24 June 2026 19:30 , James ReynoldsThe families of three Indian seafarers who were killed during an attack on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman have demanded the US “take responsibility” and pay $5m compensation for the deaths of their loved ones.
Shivanand Chaurasiya, Patnala Suresh and Aditya Sharma were part of the crew of the Palau-flagged MT Settebello, and died when the US opened fire on the ship’s engine room to disable it.
The US military claimed that the vessel ignored some 60 warnings before it was struck. But a major Indian seafarers’ union has rejected the claim, arguing the crew had no reason to deliberately ignore or challenge American forces.
Families of Indian sailors killed in US attack demand $5m compensation
Tucker Carlson says Iran is the end of Trump and MAGA has ‘no future’
Wednesday 24 June 2026 19:00 , James ReynoldsTucker Carlson believes the war in Iran will be “the end” of Donald Trump as a force in American politics, with the unpopular conflict continuing to weigh on the president’s popularity.
The firebrand conservative commentator, who this week formally broke from the Republican party, told Sky News he warned Trump at the start of the conflict it could damage his reputation.
“Of course it’s the end ... and I said this to him in February,” Carlson said. “I said what he already knew. I mean Trump is smart and I didn’t tell Trump anything that he didn’t know and understand... He understands big picture politics as well.”
Tucker Carlson says Iran war is the end of Trump and MAGA has ‘no future’
Ships start sailing through Hormuz under UN evacuation scheme
Wednesday 24 June 2026 18:30 , ReutersShips have begun sailing through the Strait of Hormuz under a new scheme by the UN's shipping agency to evacuate vessels trapped there by the conflict, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The initiative, which has taken months to conclude, will enable hundreds of ships with some 11,000 seafarers stranded in the Gulf to sail through Hormuz, the International Maritime Organization said on Tuesday.
"Ships have already begun to pass under the plan," an IMO spokesperson said on Wednesday, declining to provide any details of the vessels that had crossed.
At least two dry bulk ships and one cargo ship have sailed through Hormuz under the scheme in the past 12 hours, LSEG ship tracking data showed on Wednesday.
At least 35 other commercial ships, mainly dry bulk, cargo and container vessels were preparing to sail through the strait, according to LSEG and MarineTraffic ship tracking data based on Reuters analysis of ship movements.
Only a quarter of Americans believe Iran war was worth the cost: poll
Wednesday 24 June 2026 18:00 , James ReynoldsJust 24 percent of Americans said the war with Iran was worth the cost in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Half of those respondents said the war was not worth it, and the rest were unsure.
Read the full story:
Only a quarter of Americans believe Iran war was worth the cost, new poll finds
