Pakistan’s interior minister heads to Tehran for meetings on Iran-US talks, Iranian state media says
Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi has departed for Tehran today for meetings with senior Iranian officials, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.
IRNA said Naqvi would discuss the progress of negotiations between Iran and the United States during his visit, without providing further details.
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 08:08
Interview: I was trapped in the Gulf when Trump attacked Iran. This deal is too little, too late for sailors like me
Working at sea was a dream for 28-year-old Rex Pereira. But after witnessing the outbreak of the US-Iran war from the deck of his stranded ship in southern Iraq, he tells Maroosha Muzaffar he is a changed man:
James Reynolds20 June 2026 08:00
At least five killed in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon despite ceasefire
At least five people were killed in Israeli air strikes and drone attacks in southern Lebanon today, Lebanese state media reported, just hours after a ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group took effect.
A senior Israeli official and two Hezbollah sources confirmed the agreement to Reuters. The US official said the truce was to begin at 4pm yesterday.
State news agency NNA said Israeli warplanes and drones carried out a series of strikes across the Nabatieh area overnight and into Saturday morning, destroying residential buildings and homes, while Israeli artillery shelled Nabatieh and its outskirts before dawn.
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to the ceasefire on Friday following an escalation in hostilities in Lebanon, according to a US official.
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 07:57
Watch: Trump jokes about ‘blaming JD’ if Iran deal doesn’t work out
Rachel Dobkin20 June 2026 07:30
Trump brags about his color scheme for Air Force One as he unveils $400M plane from Qatar
US President Donald Trump couldn’t help but boast about his hand-picked color scheme of the $400 million jet gifted by Qatar as he unveiled America’s new Air Force One.
On Friday, the president traveled to Joint Base Andrews and delivered remarks to service members while standing in a hangar in front of the massive jet. The red, white and blue paint scheme is similar to Trump’s private plane and a departure from the light blue of the old Air Force One that was recently retired.
Trump’s acquisition of the jet – which he will keep after his term – was met with outrage over security concerns and conflict of interest claims.
Brendan Rascius20 June 2026 07:00
Trump praises ‘natural born warrior’ Pete Hegseth
US President Donald Trump has praised Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling him a “natural born warrior”.
“I also want to thank, I think a natural born warrior, his name is Pete Hegseth”, Trump said at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday. “So far, we’ve been winning all the time.”.
Rachel Dobkin20 June 2026 06:30
Trump insists Iran deal is ‘very popular,’ despite pushback from his own party
US President Donald Trump has insisted the interim peace deal signed by the US and Iran is “very popular,” despite pushback from his own party.
“Very popular agreement, except for the Fake News and their partner, the Dumocrats!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday.
But some Republicans have spoken out against the deal, with one calling it the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades”. Read more from James C. Reynolds:
Rachel Dobkin20 June 2026 06:00
Pentagon tells US lawmakers it needs $80bn for Iran war and other bills – report
The US department of defence needs $80bn to cover costs from the Iran war as well as other non-war-related bills, deputy defence secretary Stephen Feinberg told lawmakers in phone calls this week, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
A full US supplemental request, which will include money for the Pentagon as well as non-defence priorities such as farm and disaster relief, could be sent to lawmakers in the coming days, the newspaper added.
The Iran war has cost around $25bn, a Pentagon official told Reuters in April providing the first official estimate of war costs.
However, the full cost of the conflict, which Trump began alongside Israel on 28 February, has remained an open question on Capitol Hill and an initial $200 billion request for additional funding met stiff opposition from lawmakers.
White House budget director Russell Vought told a hearing in April of the House of Representatives Budget Committee that he had no estimate for the cost of the war, as he defended Trump’s request for a $1.5 trillion annual military budget.
The proposed budget reflects Republican priorities ahead of November’s midterm elections, where the party is trying to keep control of Congress but is facing growing voter anxiety over rising living costs, high energy prices and the financial burden of the Iran war.
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 05:53
Obama says Trump’s Iran agreement may leave the US in worse situation than before
The former president spoke to NBC’s Today Show co-host Craig Melvin at the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center and Library. Part of the center is dedicated to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear agreement brokered by his administration to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“This administration, or a prior version of this administration, pulled out of it, which then caused Iran to develop more nuclear capacity,” Obama said.
But Obama told Melvin that while he is relieved that the fighting would cease, he worried about the future.
Arpan Rai20 June 2026 05:46
Trump says he will prevent Israel from attacking Lebanon: ‘They do as I say’
Donald Trump has said he will prevent Israel from attacking Lebanon.
“They have a lot of respect for me, and they do as I say”, the US president told Axios in a pre-taped interview released Friday.
Trump also told NBC News Friday that he spoke with Israel and asked them to agree to a ceasefire with Hezbollah.
Rachel Dobkin20 June 2026 05:30
