Iran-US war live: Trump warns Iran ‘will no longer exist’ as Tehran strikes US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait
‘Trump wasn’t victorious – it was a major defeat’: protestors inside Iran speak out
Unimpressed protestors within Iran feel betrayed by Donald Trump’s promises of regime change.
Amy-Clare Martin28 June 2026 11:55
Israel damaged heritage sites across south Lebanon, minister says
Israel’s nearly four-month air and ground campaign against Hezbollah has damaged or destroyed revered heritage sites across southern Lebanon, a minister has said.
Despite a ceasefire that took hold a week ago, authorities have yet to build a full picture of the damage as Israeli troops still occupy a zone about 10 km (6.2 miles) deep into Lebanon, according to Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame.
“We cannot work under the shadow of occupation,” he said. That occupation zone includes the medieval Beaufort Castle as well as centuries-old villages that were home to Christians, Shi’ite Muslims and Sunni Muslims and their places of worship.
“There are villages that have been completely bulldozed,” Salame said. Even ancient towns outside the zone were pummeled with air strikes, including Tyre and Nabatieh. Heavy bombing hit the town of Tebnin, prompting fears that its Crusader fortress was also damaged, the minister added.
Modern-day Lebanon sits at the intersection of civilizations including the Phoenicians, Byzantines, Mamluks and Crusaders, each leaving their mark with temples, castles and mausoleums.
Israel’s military told Reuters it does not aim to “cause excessive damage to civilian infrastructure and strikes only out of military necessity”.
It said it took into account the existence of “sensitive sites” and applied “a rigorous approval process as required”. Israel has accused Hezbollah of placing weapons in Beaufort Castle, a claim that Lebanese authorities deny.
Crusader-era Beaufort (Belfort) Castle, known locally as Qalat al-Shaqif or Shaqif Arnun, is pictured from the town of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon (AFP/Getty)
Amy-Clare Martin28 June 2026 11:35
Iraq foreign minister tells Iran counterpart Hormuz should reopen
Iraq’s foreign minister said in a meeting on Sunday with his Iranian counterpart that it was important to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the U.S. naval blockade on Iran.
Iraq does not support expanding the scale of the war on the Gulf states, and does not back attacks on Iran, Fuad Hussein told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, who is visiting Baghdad.
Amy-Clare Martin28 June 2026 11:15
Watch: US Navy carry out strikes on ten Iranian military targets
Watch: US Navy carry out strikes on ten Iranian military targets
Amy-Clare Martin28 June 2026 10:55
Galapagos container exits Hormuz despite strikes
Even as attacks continued on Sunday morning, CMA CGM’s Galapagos container ship exited the strait in what the shipping giant called “an important milestone in a regional context that remains complex and requires constant vigilance”.
Amy-Clare Martin28 June 2026 10:35
Iran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait following US strikes
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard launched drone and missile attacks on Sunday targeting Bahrain and Kuwait in response to U.S. airstrikes that hit the Islamic Republic and threatened a “complete halt” of negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks.
Amy-Clare Martin28 June 2026 10:15
What is happening in the Strait of Hormuz?
Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz carried one-fifth of global oil and liquified natural gas supplies. The shipping route had just begun to reopen after months of disruption.
Washington has been promoting a southern lane along the coast of Oman, while Tehran, which ultimately aims to charge fees for use of the strait, wants ships to use a northern route through its territorial waters.
Iran has targeted two cargo ships with drones in recent days, which have been met with retaliatory US strikes on military sites.
In a statement, the IRGC hit out at what it called America’s “blind shots” – which struck Sirik – insisting they will “not resolve our dominance over the Strait of Hormuz”.
“But our shots at violators will remind the rest of the vessels of the clear passage route,” they added.
Amy-Clare Martin28 June 2026 09:55
Pictured: US Central command release drone footage of latest strikes
Drone footage shared by US Central Command shows smoke rising following US strikes on Iranian sites on Saturday (Reuters)
Amy-Clare Martin28 June 2026 09:35
RECAP: US targets Iranian military sites in fresh strikes as tensions escalate over shipping
U.S. Central Command said that its forces had carried out fresh strikes after a Panama-flagged tanker was attacked by an Iranian drone on Saturday.
“Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to,” Central Command said in a statement, adding that its strikes were “in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping” and targeted Iranian military surveillance, communications, air defence, drone storage and mine-laying facilities.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said explosions were heard in Sirik in southern Iran, without providing details. The Guards said “America’s blind shots at Sirik will not resolve our dominance over the Strait of Hormuz. But our shots at violators will remind the rest of the vessels of the clear passage route.”
Saturday’s tanker attack in the strait followed one on a cargo ship on Thursday that triggered the latest escalation. Iran is seeking to assert control over the strait, which carried one-fifth of global oil and LNG supplies before the war and which had just begun to reopen after months of disruption.
Cargo ships in the Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)
Amy-Clare Martin28 June 2026 09:15
IRGC says US strikes will result in ‘complete halt’ of all diplomatic processes
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its navy and air forces had launched missile and drone operations targeting U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain in response to recent U.S. strikes against Iran.
The Guards said in a statement the U.S. strikes had violated the ceasefire and “will result in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes”, according to state-run Press TV.
The IRGC navy command said American bases in the region “will experience hell in the coming days”.
A U.S. official, confirming the attacks on U.S. facilities, told Reuters there were no reported U.S. casualties or major damage to U.S. sites in the Middle East but that the situation was still unfolding.
Hours later, alarms sounded for a second time in Bahrain, and the foreign ministry there condemned the attacks as a deliberate and repeated violation of the kingdom’s sovereignty and security. It urged the U.N. Security Council to hold an urgent session to hold Iran accountable.
Amy-Clare Martin28 June 2026 08:55
