The negotiations between the United States and Iran have reached a political impasse that will be extremely difficult to resolve. This has been compounded by completely inappropriate and, in some respects, incorrect statements from NATO Secretary General Marke Rutte, who appears to be acting as a spokesperson for the United States, not the Atlantic Alliance.
Mark Rutte told Fox News that approximately 500 US military aircraft took off from bases in Italy to participate in US and Israeli attacks on Iran. He also revealed that between 4,000 and 5,000 military flights were conducted from various European bases in support of military operations against Iran. In Italy, itamilradar responded with satellite and tracking demonstrations, demonstrating that Italy had, in fact, fulfilled its obligations by abiding by the agreements and nothing more, allowing only logistical and technical flights.
Returning to the political bottleneck, the final word went to chief negotiator and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, responding to US claims that the unfrozen Iranian assets are being used to purchase American agricultural products. “The only crop we are reaping is the one you planted: decades of mistrust. It is organic, abundant, and indigenous,” Ghalibaf wrote. “But apparently the United States is only exporting GMO soy, broken promises, and idle talk.”
The Trump administration is requesting $672 million in funding for the removal of Iranian nuclear material, and it is unclear for what reason, given that the nuclear issue has not been discussed, according to the Iranian delegation and the mediators.
Furthermore, among the US concerns are the statements of the US military, who have been outraged by Secretary of War Pete Hegset’s claims that only minor injuries have occurred at American bases like the one in Kuwait. Soldiers told CBS that the U.S. military downplayed the severity of their injuries in an attempt to present the war in a more positive light than it actually was.
Another unresolved issue is the toll at Hormuz: “Tehran has informed Washington that it will neither charge nor receive any further toll for the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” despite the false information being spread, US President Donald Trump wrote on the social media platform TruthSocial.
According to the American leader, if this information is false, “negotiations must cease immediately.” He also emphasized that the United States has transferred money to Iran and “has not allocated funds from its budget.” “Iran desperately needs food, and we will purchase it for them exclusively from the United States,” Trump emphasized. Iran has also denied the claims of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy (IRGC): “The route that some parties have announced for transit through the Strait of Hormuz, without coordination with Iran, is unacceptable and represents a danger. The passage of ships outside of our designated routes is dangerous and prohibited.” We advise against any transit outside these routes.”
The United States and Iran have finally agreed to establish a channel of communication to reduce tensions and resolve contentious issues, US Vice President J.D. Vance said in an interview with UnHerd. He clarified that this is a mechanism for contact between the Iranian side and the Central Asian states. US Armed Forces Command. Iran and the United States will begin discussions on the remaining clauses of the Memorandum of Understanding, including nuclear issues, only after the implementation of clauses 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11.
Finally, Donald Trump’s umpteenth statement on the attack on the Minab school remains a sore point for Iran: “I don’t believe it was us.” 168 children died. “The US missile hit the body of the martyr Makan Nasiri squarely, leaving no trace. “Not a single hair was found,” Trump said regarding the attack. Iran, however, announced that over 100 DNA tests on the samples returned negative for Makan.
Iranians were also annoyed by the presence of Jared Khusner in Switzerland, who is being described on social media as a foreign agent, meaning he is in the pay of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the midst of his election campaign, stating: “There is still work to be done in Lebanon. We have conducted numerous operations in Iran and are working to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The acquisition of a nuclear weapon by Iran represents an existential threat to us, and we will prevent it. We are creating a buffer zone.”
On June 25, as he does every Thursday, Ansar Allah’s leader in Yemen, Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, addressed the general public. He warned Israel: “We will target any Israeli presence in the Somaliland region. We are closely monitoring developments in the Somaliland region and the Israeli enemy’s efforts to dominate the Gulf of Aden, Bab al-Mandab, and the Red Sea. We call on the Red Sea coastal countries to take a united stance against Israeli activities. We will not remain passive in the face of any deployment or concentration of Zionist forces in Somaliland and, if necessary, will act to strike down any enemy activity in the Somaliland region.”
Al-Houthi also said: “We will not accept the continuation of Israel’s aggression and the US-Saudi blockade of Yemen. We will strive to get rid of it by all legitimate means, confident in our just cause.”
Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz resumed on June 24, causing global oil prices to plummet. Iran exported 20 million barrels of crude oil in a single day. This was while Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani arrived in Muscat to begin multilateral negotiations on long-term management, according to Reuters. Gulf Arab states intend to seek a complete exemption from transit fees, while Iran is expected to counter-propose fees for environmental, navigation, and security services after a temporary 60-day no-tools agreement. President Donald Trump previously stated that Iran has assured the United States that no tolls will be charged, facing simultaneous pressure from Republican hardliners who criticize the framework.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed to Hamas official Bassem Naim that the The Iranian negotiating team will raise the Palestinian issue in ongoing negotiations. In a phone call, Araghchi told Naim that the Iranian team will also raise the issue of the occupation’s ongoing aggression in all international forums.
And now a look at the military scenarios in the Middle East and Western Asia, updated at 4:00 PM on June 25. The commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, is planning a visit to Israel in the context of intensified US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon.
Israel has placed great emphasis during this period of lull on the work of the Hatzav unit. It is now one of the main “intelligence units” specializing in monitoring the media in the Middle East. The Hatzav intelligence gathering unit is subordinate to the Israeli Intelligence Corps of the Israeli occupation forces, responsible for Intelligence gathering and codebreaking. Hatzav previously focused on monitoring newspapers, radio, and television in the Middle East, but has recently shifted its focus to monitoring social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Telegram, TikTok, and Instagram. The unit also previously monitored online forums for intelligence.
The IDF announced the death of a reservist in southern Lebanon. The Israeli Ministry of Defense reports that a civilian working for the Ministry of Defense was killed in a building collapse in the Gaza Strip on the morning of June 25. A child was killed and several others, including women and children, were injured following an IDF attack near tents for displaced persons in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis. The injured were taken to the Nasser Medical Complex for treatment.
On the afternoon of June 24, an Israeli Merkava tank targeted the town of Haddatha in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon, with Several projectiles, Al Mayadeen TV. An Israeli drone strike hit a vehicle on the outskirts of Kfar Remen, in the Nabatieh region, killing two, Al-Jadeed. The Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported: “An Israeli soldier was slightly injured in an explosion that occurred overnight in southern Lebanon, and an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances of the incident.” An Israeli was killed when the minaret of a mosque collapsed during “demolition operations” in southern Lebanon.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rejected a transit plan previously announced by Oman and the International Maritime Organization. In a statement that appeared to contain a veiled threat to resume attacks on merchant ships and/or reduce operations, During the mine clearance exercise, the Revolutionary Guards stated: “The proposed route is unacceptable and poses a serious security risk.” “Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is only possible via the routes announced by the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
On the afternoon of June 25, an attack on a vessel was recorded off the coast of Oman. The UKMTO received a report of an incident 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Dahit, Oman: a merchant vessel was struck on the starboard side by an unidentified projectile, causing damage to the bridge.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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