SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Thank you for joining our continuing live coverage of the war in the Middle East.
Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
- President Donald Trump says the US is extending its ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request, as he awaits a unified proposal from the Islamic Republic.
- The deadline for the two-week ceasefire between the US-Israel and Iran had been due to expire on Tuesday evening Washington time (Wednesday AEST)
- Earlier, Trump told CNBC he was optimistic about ending up “with a great deal”, but said there was not much time left, and he expected “to be bombing” Iran if progress was not made.
- Iran’s parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran has “new cards on the battlefield” that haven’t yet been revealed.
- Two Israeli soldiers have been sentenced to 30 days in military detention and removed from combat duty for destroying a statue of Jesus Christ in Lebanon, which has since been replaced, Israel’s military said.
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The Pentagon has shared footage of US forces boarding a tanker carrying Iranian oil in international waters. It said the US had “conducted a right-of-visit maritime interdiction … without incident”. The Tifani was captured in the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean – between India and South-East Asia this week.
Israel and the Lebanon-based, Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah traded some fire today, even as more talks are expected in Washington this week after a 10-day ceasefire went into effect last Friday (US time).
Hezbollah said it had fired rockets and drones at Israeli forces maintaining a buffer zone in southern Lebanon, accusing Israel of breaching the truce with “attacks on civilians and the destruction of their homes and villages”.
In response, Israel said it had struck the launcher, calling Hezbollah’s strikes a blatant violation of the ceasefire.
Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel, particularly its northern border communities, shortly after the Iran war started. Israeli forces have engaged in fierce battles with the militants in southern Lebanon as they have pushed to create what officials call a “security zone”.
AP
US President Donald Trump’s administration has halted US dollar shipments to Iraq and frozen security co-operation programs with its military, as it presses Baghdad to dismantle Iranian-backed militias operating in the country, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Iraqi and US officials.
US Treasury Department officials recently blocked a delivery of nearly $US500 million ($699 million) in US banknotes – the proceeds of Iraqi oil sales – from accounts at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Journal said.
Washington had also informed Baghdad it was suspending funding for some counter-terrorism and military training programs until militia attacks ended, and Iraqi authorities took steps to dismantle armed groups, the report added.
The United States earlier this month summoned Iraq’s ambassador after a drone struck a major US diplomatic facility in Baghdad, following a series of drone attacks that Washington has blamed on Iran-aligned “terrorist militias.”
Reuters
Virgin has indefinitely suspended several domestic routes and reduced others as the Middle East war sends up jet fuel prices, putting pressure on airlines’ bottom lines.
The Alice Springs to Brisbane service will be indefinitely suspended from July 14, and the Adelaide to Cairns route will be similarly cut from August 1.
Darwin to Sydney flights will operate only from June 22 to October 25, and Uluru to Melbourne services will be reduced to just two flights a week.
A Virgin Australia spokesperson said the changes were due to global jet fuel prices and changes in demand for certain routes.
“These changes are designed to ensure Virgin Australia is flying where demand is strongest, and on routes that are commercially viable, while maintaining our commitment to regional communities,” they said.
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According to a message posted by Central Command, US forces are mobilised and “remain ready”, despite a ceasefire between the US and Iran that was extended early this morning.
The social media post, published to X and accompanied by footage of military aircraft and US military personnel, read: “US Central Command forces remain ready…”
Aerospace chief for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, General Majid Mousavi, has threatened to end oil production in the Middle East if Iran is attacked from its Gulf neighbours’ territory.
“The southern neighbours should know that if their geography and facilities are used in the service of the enemies to attack the Iranian nation, they should bid farewell to oil production in the Middle East,” Mousavi told Reuters early this morning.
Reuters
The total death toll of the US and Israel’s war with Iran has exceeded 5500 people, the Associated Press reports.
The conflict has killed at least 3375 people in Iran and more than 2290 in Lebanon.
In Israel, 23 people have been killed while 15 IDF soldiers have been killed in Lebanon.
The conflict has also killed more than a dozen people in Persian Gulf states that have been drawn into the war.
Thirteen US service members have been killed across the region.
with AP
UN Secretary-General António Guterres says he welcomes the extension of the ceasefire between the US and Iran.
A spokesman for Guterres said it was an “important step towards de-escalation”.
He also encouraged both the US and Iran to refrain from actions that could threaten the already fragile ceasefire.
Wall Street and oil prices flip-flopped as Middle East uncertainty hovers over markets, while Donald Trump announced after the closing bell that the US was extending its ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request, as he awaits a unified proposal from the Islamic Republic.
The S&P 500 erased an early rise to fall 0.6 per cent, the Dow Jones dropped 293 points, or 0.6 per cent, after erasing an earlier gain of 400 points, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.6 per cent.
The Australian sharemarket is set to fall, with futures at 6.25am AEST pointing to a loss of 63 points, or 0.7 per cent, at the open. The ASX dipped lower yesterday. The Australian dollar was 0.3 per cent lower to US71.58¢.
Oil prices also wavered, and the price for a barrel of Brent crude went from less than $US95 to roughly $US100 during the US day. It settled at $US98.48, up 3.1 per cent.
The United States issued 14 new sanctions overnight to people and companies that help Iran obtain weapons, the US Treasury Department said.
The targets – which include people, companies and aircraft – are based in Iran, Turkey and the UAE, and were sanctioned for involvement in procuring or transporting weapons or components on behalf of Iran.
“As the United States continues to deplete Iran’s ballistic missile inventories, the regime is seeking to reconstitute its production capacity,” a Treasury’s statement said.
Iran is working to rebuild its depleted ballistic missile capacity after repeated US-Israeli attacks.
