Oil Prices Rise Again After US, Iran Exchange Strikes
RFE
29 Jun 2026
New posts
12:53
Iran Denies Technical Talks Taking Place This Week
An Iranian official said that no technical talks are being held this week with the United States, despite earlier reports saying the two sides would meet in the coming days.
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on June 29 that the technical working group was not scheduled to meet this week, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported.
Earlier reports had indicated that Iranian and US technical teams would be meeting in the coming days to work on implementing the memorandum of understanding.
A US official told RFE/RL late on June 28 that "technical talks are slated to continue on all areas."
"Both sides will stand down for now, and vessels can move freely [through the strait]," the official said.
Axios, also citing a US official, reported the two sides plan to meet on June 30 in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Gharibabadi also said consultations between Iran and Qatar regarding the US commitments were continuing as planned but that technical working group talks in Doha had not been confirmed.
ShareCopy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
12:16
Oil Prices Rise After US, Iran Exchange Strikes
Oil tankers sail off the coast of Kuwait City on June 27.
Oil prices rose again on June 29 after falling sharply last week and approaching pre-war levels amid renewed tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil prices rose after days of US and Iranian attacks that have again slowed energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude was reportedly at around $72.57 a barrel early on June 29, while US crude was at $70.11 a barrel. Brent crude had fallen more than 4 percent to $71.99 a barrel and US crude was at $69.23 a barrel on June 26.
Traffic in the waterway slowed sharply after fresh attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, including an attack on a Qatari tanker that prompted a US response and marked the worst escalation of tensions since the signing of an interim peace deal.
ShareCopy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
11:08
Israel Reports Spike In Cyberattacks From Iran
A senior Israeli security official announced on June 29 that there has been a sharp increase in cyberattacks attributed to Iran targeting Israel.
Yossi Karadi, director-general of Israel's National Cyber Authority, told the German newspaper Die Welt that last June -- at the time of Israel's military operation against Iran -- the country's authorities recorded around 1,600 hostile cyber incidents.
This month, that number increased to about 4,800 cases so far.
(illustration)
"Some of these groups are very skilled. We can confront them, but we have to take them seriously. Unlike in the military arena, there is no cease-fire in cyberspace," Karadi said.
He explained that the attacks targeted systems used in Israel's critical infrastructure, central institutions, small and midsize companies, as well as the general public, citing law and accounting firms as examples of smaller targets.
The Israeli official added that "so far, and I hope it stays that way, we have been able to repel attacks on critical infrastructure."
Karadi also said some companies had their computer systems completely wiped.
Iran typically denies carrying out cyberattacks against other countries.
ShareCopy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
10:50
Pezeshkian Says $6 Billion In Iranian Assets To Be Released
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian announced that $6 billion of Iranian assets currently being held in Qatar will be returned to Tehran.
"Based on the plans made, $6 billion out of the total $12 billion of Iranian resources in Qatar will be released and returned to the country," he said on June 29.
"The necessary follow-up is being carried out to return the remaining part of these resources," he added.
The Iranian president did not announce a timeline for the release, and his comments could be aimed toward convincing Iranians of the merits of the interim deal.
Under the recent agreement between Iran and the United States to begin negotiations to end the war, Washington committed to releasing all of Iran's frozen or restricted financial resources and assets. The procedures for this are to be agreed upon during 60 days of negotiations between the two countries.
To date, US officials say no frozen Iranian assets have been released.
US President Donald Trump has previously suggested that released Iranian assets could be used to purchase agricultural and food products from the United States.
Iranian media and officials rejected these statements, saying they have no obligation to use the released resources. Abdolnaser Hemmati, governor of the Central Bank of Iran, said that "based on the signed notes, we have no obligation to purchase agricultural inputs from the United States."
He added: "Of course, if the price and quality of American inputs are more suitable compared to other countries, we have no obstacle to buying from that country.
ShareCopy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
08:52
Iran Warns Oman Against Regional Alliances
In a rare statement, Iran's adviser to the supreme leader on international affairs warned Oman about aligning itself with countries bordering the Persian Gulf, saying: "Any follow-through, even if it is due to external considerations and pressures, could tarnish Oman's positive and respectable image in the minds of the Iranian nation and sovereignty."
In an interview with the conversative daily Farhikhtegan published on June 29, Ali Akbar Velayati said: "It is appropriate that some comments or endorsements in collective statements should not affect this friendly relationship and the valuable asset of mutual trust."
He emphasized Iran's desire to collect tolls from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz and suggested Oman, as another coastal country of this vital waterway, agree to Tehran's demand.
Ships and boats in the Strait of Hormuz near Musandam, Oman
Last week, during a joint meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council, Oman's foreign affairs minister said Muscat does not agree with Iran collecting fees from the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement from the meeting said that achieving lasting peace and security in the region requires confronting "all forms of Iranian threats," including ballistic missiles, drones, and Tehran's support for proxy forces.
Velayati also accused Bahrain of providing the most assistance to the United States during the recent war.
"The Bahrainis are being given a serious warning to know their limits and not play with their destiny like this and not force Iran to make hasty decisions," he warned.
He did not explain what he meant by "harsh decisions," but Tehran has repeatedly attacked Kuwait and Bahrain during the war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
He also criticized several other Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, and called on them, in his words, "not to be more shameless."
ShareCopy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
01:23
US, Iran Agree To Halt Attacks, Resume Negotiations, Official Says
(This item updated to reflect US official's comments to RFE/RL)
WASHINGTON -- The US and Iran have agreed to halt tit-for-tat attacks and meet again for talks and to allow shipping to flow safely through the Strait of Hormuz, a US official told RFE/RL, with one media report saying the talks will take place in Qatar.
Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the [memorandum of understanding]. Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely [through the strait], the official said late on June 28.
Axios, also citing a US official, reported the two sides plan to meet June 30 in the Qatari capital, Doha.
We decided to stop all the kinetic activity, Axios quoted the US official as saying, using the term generally referring to military strikes.
A Liberian-flagged container ship is docked at a pier at the Khor Fakkan terminal on the Gulf of Oman on June 28.
German news agency dpa, quoting a senior US administration official, reported that Washington expects further talks in the coming days. No location was given.
"Nothing has been canceled," the official told dpa.
Tehran didn't comment and its position on continuing talks was not immediately known.
The remarks come after Iran, citing US attacks on the country and what it said were violations of the recently agreed memorandum of understanding (MoU), refused to meet with US negotiators as scheduled on June 28.
SEE ALSO:
Iran Claims Sole Control Of Hormuz Strait As Truce Frays
"For example, one of the reasons is checking if we have access to the unfrozen funds. If there is no access, then this condition has not been fulfilled," said Mehdi Fazaeili of the Iranian supreme leader's office.
Further details were not immediately available
The next session, on June 30, was originally scheduled for Switzerland to discuss Iran's nuclear program, but Axios reported that the latest escalation of attacks on both sides led to the sessions being shifted to Qatar and that they would now focus on the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran, which claims supremacy over the crucial waterway, has fired on commercial vessels in the strait, leading US forces to strike Iranian coastal radar and military sites in an effort to protect shipping.
During previous negotiating sessions, Washington and Tehran agreed to establish a "hotline" between the US military and Iran's hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to coordinate vessel traffic and other matters. However, Axios reported, the line was not operation as of June 27.
On June 24, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had suggested that further talks at the technical level were possible on June 29 or June 30 and that they would likely be held in Switzerland.
US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Masud Pezeshkian, in early June signed a 14-point interim MoU that would give the sides 60 days to negotiate a final agreement seeking to end the war that began on February 28.
Qatar, along with Pakistan, has been acting as a mediator between Washington and Tehran in the current round of talks.
With reporting by RFE/RL senior correspondent Alex Raufoglu, Axios, and dpaShareCopy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
00:56
Iran's World Cup Soccer Team Due To Fly Home After Tournament Exit
Iran's World Cup soccer team is scheduled to fly home on June 29 following its elimination from the 2026 event after the group stage, team officials said.
The squad is set to take off from the Tijuana, Mexico, at 6 p.m. local time. The team had been based in the city just across the border from the US during the tournament.
Iran finished third in its group with three points after playing to draws against New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt.
Iranian soccer fans watch broadcast of the 2026 World Cup match between Belgium and Iran in Tehran on June 21.
The team missed out on advancing to the last 32 knockout stage because of a lower goal differential than other third-place teams.
Iran played all of its matches in the United States but expressed complaints about travel restrictions placed on them by US authorities.
With reporting by AFPShareCopy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
23:23
28.6.2026
Israeli Forces Strike Arms-Laden Tunnel In Southern Lebanon, Netanyahu Says
Despite a newly signed cease-fire deal, the Israeli military destroyed an extensive tunnel built by Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
"The tunnel, stretching more than 200 meters and reaching a depth of over 25 meters, contained hundreds of weapons as well as several launch shafts intended to target the State of Israel and its civilians," a joint statement by Netanyahu and Defense Secretary Israel Katz said on June 28.
Iran-backed Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, is considered a terrorist organization by the US, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political branch.
Hezbollah, which was not a party to the talks, has said it will reject the framework agreement as long as Israeli forces remain in Lebanon.
The Israeli statement said the tunnel destroyed in the operation contained hundreds of weapons and launchers.
The operation came two days after Israel and Lebanon signed a US-mediated framework agreement that aims to bring about a lasting peace agreement between the two countries.
The Israeli military said it also struck Hezbollah militants carrying rocket-propelled grenades and that it struck a rocket launcher in the Nabatieh region of south Lebanon.
With reporting by ReutersShareCopy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
16:48
28.6.2026
Israel Renews Strikes In Lebanon
Israeli tanks maneuver in southern Lebanon on June 27.
Israel renewed strikes in southern Lebanon on June 28, Lebanese state media reported, two days after Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement aimed at ending decades of conflict, as Hezbollah warned the deal could trigger "internal conflict."
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported several strikes, while the Israeli military said one of its soldiers "fell in combat" in southern Lebanon. Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir later approved plans for "continued operations...in accordance with the cease-fire agreement" in a self-declared Israeli security zone extending up to 10 kilometers into southern Lebanon that is intended to prevent attacks by Hezbollah.
The renewed violence came a day after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told US President Donald Trump that Lebanon "would assume its responsibilities" in implementing the agreement, which makes an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory conditional on Beirut disarming Hezbollah.
Iran-backed Hezbollah is both 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.
Under the agreement, Lebanon's military is to restore state authority across the country following the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups.
Hezbollah has rejected the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement, calling it a surrender of Lebanese sovereignty and refusing to disarm while Israeli troops remain on Lebanese territory.
ShareCopy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
16:08
28.6.2026
Russia Won't Return Specialists To Bushehr Nuclear Plant Without Security Guarantee
The Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran (file photo)
The head of Russia's state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, has said that Russia will not return its specialists to Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant until it receives a "100 percent guarantee" of their safety.
Rosatom chief executive Aleksei Likhachev told the Russian news agency Interfax on June 28 that "until we understand that our people's safety is 100 percent guaranteed we, of course, will not be returning them."
Rosatom evacuated around 400 of its specialists from the Bushehr plant after the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran.
Likhachev said that 20 Russian specialists remain at the Bushehr facility and are continuing their work, including cooperation with Iranian staff.
However, he said any large-scale return of personnel "will only become possible when we understand that our people are not risking their lives. And not only at the plant, but also during, so to speak, logistical operations, because all transportation is taking place by motor transport, at least while planes are not flying."
The area around the Bushehr plant was struck several times during the recent war, promptingcriticismfrom the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, which warned that military activity around operating nuclear facilities posed a serious safety risk.
ShareCopy link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Email
Share
Load more