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09:15
Iran Demands Accountability For NATO’s ‘Complicity’ With US In War
Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the statements by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte saying the United States used some of the military alliance’s bases in Europe in the war with Iran “an admission” of its “complicity” in the conflict and demanded accountability.
Rutte’s comments, which were in response to US President Donald Trump’s criticism of NATO’s lack of cooperation in Washington’s military campaign against Tehran, were “an admission of the organization’s active complicity in committing military aggression against an independent country” the ministry said.
Rutte said that during the war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, European NATO member countries cooperated greatly with the United States, and between 4,000 and 5,000 operational flights of the US military were carried out from European bases, including from Italy.
Italian officials rejected the claim, saying they only allowed the United States to use the country’s bases for logistical and support flights based on bilateral commitments with Washington, and that no offensive operations were carried out from Italy.
Several of America’s European allies, including Italy and Spain, explicitly opposed the war, while others, such as Britain, Germany, and France, took a more cautious stance and avoided from entering the war, an issue that greatly angered Trump.
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07:34
Iran Rejects Oman’s Proposed Route Through Strait Of Hormuz
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) says the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz is only possible via the route that Tehran has specified and that another route announced without consulting Iran is unacceptable and a security risk.
The IRGC have maintained that its forces will handle vessels attempting to pass through the vital waterway without coordination with Iran.
On June 24, Oman introduced a temporary route for asked ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
Some reports indicate the “quiet” cooperation of the United States in guiding a number of ships to this route.
Iran had previously identified another route and declared it the only safe route through the Strait of Hormuz.
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07:26
US Government Requests Additional $88 Billion In Funding, Mostly Related To Iran War
The US government has asked Congress for nearly $88 billion in additional funding. According to a statement on the White House website, the bulk of the request is for “urgent needs” related to the Iran war and the Ebola outbreak in Africa.
More than $67 billion of the requested budget is for the military; $21 billion of that is requested for the Pentagon, which the US Department of Defense will use to replace spent ammunition, bolster the military industry, and help with critical capabilities.
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00:08
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We’ll be back at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.
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23:51
24.6.2026
Trump: Iran Is Making Big Concessions; They Agree To All My Demands
US President Donald Trump meets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House on June 24, 2026.
US President Donald Trump claimed major progress in talks with Tehran while reviving grievances against European allies over the recent US war against Iran.
Hosting NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House on June 24, Trump told reporters that negotiations with Iran are advancing rapidly, asserting, that “Iran is making a lot of concessions and we are winning by a large margin.”
Trump also reiterated that any attempts by Iran to introduce fees or tolls for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz would be unacceptable.
With Iranian officials denying US immediate access to their damaged nuclear sites, Trump insisted Tehran has capitulated to oversight, including joint US and International Nuclear Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections. “They are agreeing to everything I want, and they have to; otherwise we will come back and do whatever is necessary,” Trump warned speaking to journalists on a separate occasion on June 24 in Washington, D.C.
Trump used the meeting with Rutte to express resentment toward NATO members who opposed or distanced themselves from the conflict, telling the secretary-general that many allies “disappointed me” regarding Iran. Although Rutte defended European cooperation by highlighting vital logistical support and airspace access, Trump added that he wouldn’t have gone to a NATO in Ankara on July 7-8, if it wasn’t for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who hosts it.
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19:23
24.6.2026
Rubio Says US ‘Completely Aligned’ With Gulf Allies In Iran Talks
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters before boarding a flight en route to Bahrain at Kuwait International Airport on June 24.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sought to reassure Persian Gulf allies that Washington would remain completely aligned with regional partners as technical talks continue on a US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed last week and aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East.
Speaking in Kuwait on June 24 during a tour of Gulf states, Rubio stressed that the United States was not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies as negotiations move forward.
His trip to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain comes amid concerns among some Gulf governments that the proposed deal is too accommodating toward Tehran.
The memorandum, the first such accord signed by US and Iranian presidents since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, includes a proposed $300 billion fund for Iran’s postwar reconstruction and the easing of some sanctions.
Rubio said technical negotiators would resume talks later this month, likely in Switzerland, to work out implementation details.
If Iran wants to make a good and real deal, the United States is open to that, he said, while warning that President Donald Trump still has options if diplomacy fails.
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18:17
24.6.2026
Iran Pushes Back Against Trump’s Claims About Frozen Assets Amid Anger From Hard-Liners
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) welcomes Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, as US Vice President JD Vance stands in the background, before the start of peace talks in Switzerland on June 21.
Iran has pushed back against US claims that any frozen Iranian assets released under a framework deal would be used to buy American agricultural products but stopped short of ruling it out, as the proposal sparked a sharp backlash from the countrys hard-liners.
The release of billions in Iranian funds held abroad is part of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Tehran and Washington on June 17 that aims to end months of war between the foes.
US President Donald Trump said on June 23 that any unlocked Iranian funds would be used to purchase American corn, soybeans, and wheat. The money, he said, would be held “in escrow, controlled by” Washington and spent “exclusively” on American food and medical supplies.
But Iranian Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati swiftly denied there was such an obligation. “Based on the signed memorandum, we have no requirement to purchase agricultural inputs from America,” he said.
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17:55
24.6.2026
Shipping Increases In Strait Of Hormuz
Thousands of seafarers on hundreds of vessels are still stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
Shipping appears to be rapidly increasing in the Strait of Hormuz, with one maritime monitor tracking a 48 percent increase day-on-day on June 24 while the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said an operation to evacuate stranded seafarers was underway.
Shipping monitor Windward said in a daily brief that shipping had surged in the strait, which carried 20 percent of global oil supplies prior to the war, in the clearest sign yet that it was moving toward functional commercial normalcy.
The brief said traffic was boosted by the IMO corridor, announced on June 23, which is aimed at evacuating 11,000 seafarers on hundreds of vessels.
“Ships have already begun to pass under the plan,” an IMO spokesperson said on June 24, declining to provide any details of the vessels that had crossed.
“The (IMO) framework was developed due to the continued degradation of navigational safety within the strait and concerns over elevated collision risks,” British maritime risk management group Vanguard said in a note on June 24.
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16:44
24.6.2026
US Reopens Kuwait Embassy
KUWAIT CITY — The US Embassy has reopened with a flag-raising ceremony attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a sign of normalcy returning to the Persian Gulf after the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Washington and Tehran.
Operations at the embassy were suspended due to Iranian missile and drone strikes, as Tehran lashed out at US Gulf allies following the US and Israeli air strikes that began on February 28.
The State Department said emergency services for US citizens would be resumed immediately while full services would be phased in.
Rubio will shortly be meeting Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, before heading on to Bahrain.
Earlier on June 24, he held talks in the United Arab Emirates with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other senior figures. Talks focused on the MOU and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the State Department said.
Asked on arrival if he planned to address allies’ disquiet with the accord, Rubio told reporters: “That most certainly will come up in these discussions.”
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16:36
24.6.2026
Israeli Defense Minister Says Country’s Forces Won’t Withdraw From Lebanon
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz
Israel will not withdraw its forces from Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said, as Tel Aviv and Beirut continued talks mediated by Washington.
We have made it clear that under no circumstances will we withdraw, Katz said at the MUNI EXPO conference in Tel Aviv on June 24, adding that he had outlined this stance to his US counterpart.
As of this moment — and this is a diplomatic achievement — there is no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, he added.
Katzs statement came as Israel and Lebanon discussed a US-backed proposal during negotiations in Washington that would see Israeli forces leave parts of the territory they have invaded and transfer control to Lebanese forces.
Speaking to reporters after the second day of talks had begun, a US State Department official said Israel and Lebanon were “negotiating as two sovereign states with the goal of finding long lasting peace and security.”
“Our shared goal is to end the cycle of violence for good. The talks continue to advance a comprehensive peace and security between the two countries,” the official added.
Israel began launching strikes targeting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, when Hezbollah forces opened fire in support of Tehran. The MOU declares “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
Hezbollah is a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing.
With reporting by Reuters.Share
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