US-Iran talks delayed as Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire begins

Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health said that the death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the country since March 2 had risen to 3,980, with 12,001 people wounded.

In a report issued by its Emergency Operations Centre, the ministry said intensive Israeli strikes targeting areas in southern and eastern Lebanon over the past 24 hours had killed 47 people and wounded 97 others, including women and children.

Qatar has reiterated its support for launching negotiations between the United States and Iran to address outstanding issues through dialogue and peaceful means as the first round of technical talks, scheduled to take place in Switzerland, got cancelled following the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two sides in order to end the hostilities in West Asia.

According to a statement issued by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this came during the discussion between Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis that took place at Burgenstock Resort in Switzerland on Friday.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, ways to strengthen cooperation, and recent regional developments, particularly diplomatic efforts aimed at enhancing security and stability following a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran.

During the meeting, Sheikh Mohammed reaffirmed Doha's support for the launch of negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Iran's treatment at the World Cup in North America is a "dark point" in the history of the competition, a leading Iranian football official said Friday.

Hedayat Mombeyni, the secretary general of the Iranian football federation, was speaking to reporters the day after his organization said it would lodge a complaint with FIFA, claiming the team was being subjected to travel restrictions that were jeopardizing its performance.

"This is a major international tournament. This sort of breaking of our rules and our agreements, in my opinion, calls football itself into question," Mombeyni told reporters at the team's training base in Tijuana, Mexico.

"I believe this will mark a dark point in the World Cup's recent history," Mombeyni added.

Iran wanted to fly to the United States two days before their next match, against Belgium in Los Angeles on Sunday, because the match kicks off at midday local time.

Iran's Belgian opponents were flying to California on Friday, two days before the game.

But the Iranian federation said its request to follow suit was turned down.

The US administration, which has just signed an interim deal to end its conflict with Iran, has pushed back against the Iranian claims.

Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, said Iran had been informed in advance that they would only be allowed to enter the United States on the day before its games.

"The team will be allowed to come in, match day minus one, so the day before the match," Giuliani told CBS News on Monday.

FIFA's rules for World Cups say teams should travel from their bases to the match venue on the day before a game, but can travel two days before "in exceptional cases".

Mombeyni hit out at the US organizers.

Israel's ambassador to the United States said on Friday that his country would commit to an "immediate ceasefire" in Lebanon if Hezbollah respected it, hours after a US official said the two parties had agreed a new truce.

"Israel remains firmly committed to an immediate ceasefire," Yechiel Leiter posted on X. "If Hezbollah honours the agreement and ceases its hostilities, they will be met with quiet," he added.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a call Friday that a comprehensive ceasefire must be secured in order for talks with Israel to progress.

The Lebanese presidency said Aoun thanked Rubio for US support but stressed "the need for Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory to cease through the achievement of a comprehensive ceasefire, which Lebanon considers a fundamental basis for advancing the Lebanese-US-Israeli negotiations scheduled to take place in Washington next week".

The State Department, meanwhile, announced the resumption of negotiations in Washington from June 23 to 25.

Rubio, according to the statement, insisted on the importance of Lebanon carrying through on its efforts to disarm the Hezbollah armed group, which is fighting Israel in the south of the country.

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz rose to its busiest in two months after a deal to halt the US-Iran war, maritime trackers said on Friday.

A total of 25 commercial vessels crossed the newly reopened strait on Thursday, the highest number since mid-April, according to data from tracking firm AXSMarine - more than three times the average of just over seven a day since early March.

The spike came after Iran and the US agreed this week to re-open the crucial route under an agreement to end the war, but before the postponement of talks between the sides in Switzerland that had been planned for Friday under that deal.

The number of crossings on Thursday may be higher, as some ships turned off or manipulated their AIS transponder signals to avoid detection, AXSMarine said in a news release.

Oil prices edged back up and stock markets stabilised Friday after postponement of US-Iran peace deal talks.

Equities had largely rallied since the two countries last weekend announced plans to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, fuelling global relief after the war triggered energy shortages and surging inflation.

Friday saw oil prices back up slightly as Brent stood up 0.7 percent at $80.41 a barrel while West Texas Intermediate gained 0.3 percent to $76.85.

Wall Street was shut Friday for a US public holiday, while Europe was muted as London and Paris lost around half of one per cent while Frankfurt ended the week with a 0.2 per cent dip.

"(London's) FTSE 100 was supported by energy and healthcare (but) risk appetite stayed capped after US-Iran peace talks in Switzerland were called off," said Tickmill Group's Patrick Munnelly.

Lebanese state media reported an Israeli airstrike on the country's south on Friday, soon after a US official said Israel and Hezbollah had agreed a ceasefire.

The official National News Agency (NNA) said the strike targeted the area of Jezzine "a short while ago", adding that one of its journalists reported drones flying over the Tyre area.

An AFP correspondent also reported hearing continuous artillery shelling in the city of Nabatieh.

Israeli airstrikes and bombardments killed at least 47 people and wounded 97 others in Lebanon on Friday, according to the latest updated toll from the Lebanese health ministry.

The dead included at least seven women and two children and the figures were released as a new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was due to start.

The Iranian foreign ministry said Friday there was "no urgency" to meet US negotiators in Switzerland, as a memorandum of understanding to end the Middle East war had already been signed electronically.

"Given that the signing of the text of the MoU was done digitally on June 18, there is no urgency to hold the said meeting in Switzerland, but we are planning to hold a meeting in the coming days," the ministry's spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, said.

Israel’s military said it has struck more than 150 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon since midnight, marking an escalation in its ongoing operations.

The latest update follows earlier reports in which the army said it had hit around 80 targets overnight and killed dozens of Hezbollah fighters.

The intensified strikes come amid reports of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah set to take effect at 4 p.m. local time.

Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire starting at 4 p.m. local time on Friday, a senior US official told Reuters.

The agreement was reached through US and Qatari mediation, with support from Iran, following an exchange of fire earlier in the day.

Day 112: Israeli strike hits south Lebanon despite truce deal

Day 111: Iran leader approves US deal despite 'different view'

Day 110: Trump signs surprise interim deal with Iran to pause war

Day 109: Syria will do the job vs Hezbollah: Trump

Day 108: Trump says Strait of Hormuz will be 'completely open'

Day 107: Trump says Iran deal reached, Tehran claims victory

Day 106: Trump says deal to be signed Sunday, Hormuz to reopen