US-Iran war news Highlights: Iran won't compromise on Strait of Hormuz rights, says negotiator Qalibaf

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz increased on Monday after slowing over the weekend, as commercial vessels resumed transits despite recent military exchanges between the United States and Iran and ongoing security concerns in the strategic waterway.

According to maritime tracking data from Kpler, 19 commodities vessels entered the Gulf on Monday, matching the number recorded last Wednesday, when total crossings reached a wartime high of 70 vessels.

At least nine of the vessels entering the Gulf on Monday were supertankers, many of which had avoided the Strait of Hormuz during the weekend amid heightened tensions following US and Iranian strikes.

Overall, 40 vessels transited the strait in both directions on Monday, returning traffic levels to those seen last week during the conflict. (AFP)

Iran's top negotiator Qalibaf said Iran will never compromise on its rights in the Strait of Hormuz.

Qalibaf said free passage through the Strait of Hormuz without charges will last only for the 60-day period outlined in the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU).

He asserted that sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran and Oman.

Qalibaf said shipping traffic through the Strait will operate according to arrangements specified by Iran.

Around 400,000 displaced Lebanese have returned to southern Lebanon following a lull in the four-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

More returns are expected in the coming week, according to Social Affairs Minister Hanine El Sayed.

Nearly 1 million people have been displaced since fighting escalated in March.

Many families remain displaced because their homes have been destroyed or are uninhabitable.

El Sayed said those who returned were able to go back to at least basic living conditions, while others face far greater challenges.

She stressed that many people in southern Lebanon are deeply attached to their land and are determined to return despite the destruction.

Oil prices fell as shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz increased amid hopes of a permanent US-Iran agreement.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) slipped below $70 a barrel, reversing earlier gains of more than $1.

Brent crude (September contract) traded near $73 a barrel.

Front-month Brent futures are down by nearly one-third this quarter, marking the largest quarterly decline since 2020.

Improving shipping activity through the Strait eased concerns over potential supply disruptions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday.

Pezeshkian briefed PM Modi on the latest developments in West Asia and the way forward.

PM Modi welcomed the progress made in ongoing negotiations in the region.

He reiterated that all issues should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

The Prime Minister underscored the importance of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz for India and the global economy.

"Our position is clear: we will not leave southern Lebanon until the threat has disappeared. And as long as Hezbollah, armed, is here and threatening us, we will stay here," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said according to a statement from his office, after he visited troops in southern Lebanon on Tuesday.

He added that "Lebanon recognises Israel, Israel recognises Lebanon, and we say to Iran and to Hezbollah: leave this place, you no longer belong here... There are two sovereign states that want to live in peace".

Iran and Oman are moving ahead with plans to charge ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, despite public opposition from the United States, according to a report by The New York Times (NYT) citing an Iranian official and four diplomats familiar with the discussions.

According to the NYT, Oman has circulated a formal proposal to the United States and other Western allies outlining a framework under which shipping companies would pay service fees to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

The report said the proposal is partly modeled on the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, where voluntary contributions help fund navigational safety and maritime services.

Iran also confirmed it is sending a delegation to Doha but denied reports of any planned face-to-face talks with the US.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the Iranian delegation would instead discuss implementation of parts of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Qatari officials, including the release of Iran's blocked assets.

"What will take place in Doha tomorrow is a discussion with the Qatari side about implementing parts of the memorandum of understanding, including the release of Iran's blocked assets," Baghaei said.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said the American delegation would not hold direct meetings with Iranian officials. Instead, technical-level discussions would continue through mediators.

"We're not expecting any high-level Iranian officials at the moment, but the technical meetings are ongoing and haven't stopped," al-Ansari said during a weekly press briefing.

Two senior US envoys arrived in Qatar for indirect talks with mediators on implementing an initial agreement aimed at ending the recent US-Iran war, even as Washington and Tehran ruled out direct negotiations for now.

US President Donald Trump's special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner are in Doha to consult with Qatari mediators, who are acting as intermediaries between the two sides.

A representative of a gold company linked to Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani said 13 kilograms of gold belonging to the company had been returned to Dubai.

According to ILNA, the gold was sent back to the United Arab Emirates and did not enter Iran or its domestic gold production chain. The company said it will source gold within Iran for future production and minting.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said six members of an armed group were killed during a clash in the mountains between Mahabad and Piranshahr in northwest Iran.

According to the IRGC, the group had entered the border region to carry out what it described as "sabotage and terrorist operations". The force said four bodies, along with weapons and equipment, were recovered after the operation, which involved fire support.

wo members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards were killed in an armed attack outside their homes in the western city of Paveh on Monday, according to the IRGC's Kermanshah branch. The victims were identified as Borhan Krisani and Khaled Khaledinia.

Kurdish rights group Hengaw reported that two other IRGC members were seriously wounded. It also said a previously unknown group, "Khori Hiva", claimed responsibility, alleging Khaledinia had participated in the crackdown on the 2022-2023 Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Javanrud.

Iran’s president has reacted to the US-Iran talks, stating that “understanding is a bilateral matter”.

“If the American side adheres to the memorandum of understanding, we will also fulfil our obligations,” he said on X.

Since the conflict began in late February following the US-Israeli bombardment of Iran, Tehran has repeatedly stated that it wants to jointly manage the Strait of Hormuz—widely regarded as international waters—with Oman, as per Bloomberg.

Iran has suggested that vessels passing through the strategic waterway could be required to pay certain fees, a proposal that has faced strong opposition from the United States, European countries and most Gulf Arab nations.

While Oman remains a close US partner, it also maintains strong relations with Iran. The Gulf nation has come under pressure from Washington and other global powers not to support any toll or fee arrangement with Tehran.

During a visit to France on Monday, Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on the importance of "ensuring freedom of navigation without conditions or restrictions."

An Iranian delegation will reportedly visit Doha to follow up on the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). According to Tasnim news agency, the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei clarified that Tehran is strictly prioritising the technical execution of the existing MoU rather than initiating new political dialogue.

– ANI

Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz increased for the first time since Iran's recent attacks on vessels in the strategic waterway, with a growing number of operators sending crude oil tankers into the Persian Gulf, as per Bloomberg.

According to data from Kpler, about 24 commodity vessels, including oil tankers, liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and bulk cargo ships passed through the strait in both directions on Monday.

Shipping activity had declined after the initial attack on a container vessel on Thursday, but traffic has since begun to recover.

A senior Iranian official has reaffirmed Tehran's resolve to maintain oversight of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, heightening tensions ahead of a new round of negotiations with the United States aimed at securing a lasting end to the conflict, as per Bloomberg.

Speaking to Iranian state television, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran hopes to reach an agreement with Oman, which controls the opposite side of the strategically important waterway, to jointly manage vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz. However, he added that Tehran would proceed with its own plans to regulate shipping “if for any reason Oman is not interested in doing so.”

“We have warned the Omanis that other countries have no right to interfere in this matter,” Gharibabadi stated.

"There'll be a meeting on that tomorrow in Doha... we'll see how that goes. But we're doing very well on that front. The meeting in Doha is going to be perhaps important, perhaps not; we're going to find out," President Trump stated. He clearly defined the baseline objective of the encounter:

"It's really very simple, it's the denuclearisation of Iran. We don't want them to have a nuclear weapon, and they're not going to have a nuclear weapon, and they've agreed to that, in all fairness."

Business confidence among New Zealand companies strengthened in June, supported by early indications of a potential peace agreement between the United States and Iran, as well as expectations of lower fuel prices, a new survey showed, reported Bloomberg.

ANZ Bank New Zealand said on Tuesday that its business confidence index climbed to 36.6 in June from 10 in May, marking its highest level since February. The index had fallen to a low of minus 10.6 in April.

The survey also showed that firms' own-activity outlook improved, with the corresponding index rising to 36.9 in June from 25.6 a month earlier.

Pakistan has purchased a liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo for immediate delivery as ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz continue to affect gas exports from Qatar to the South Asian country, as per Bloomberg.

According to traders familiar with the transaction, state-owned Pakistan LNG Ltd. acquired the cargo from BP Plc on Monday for delivery between June 30 and July 4 at a price of $16.74 per million British thermal units (mmBtu).

The traders said the purchase price was higher than the prevailing Asian spot LNG price, which was trading in the mid-$15 per mmBtu range on the same day.