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Trump says Iran has told US no tolls being sought at Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran has told the United States that no tolls were being sought from ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.

The two countries, which ended ‌a first round of negotiations in Switzerland on Monday, have offered conflicting accounts about financial incentives for Iran, control of the Strait of Hormuz and Israel's parallel war in Lebanon - all major aspects of their framework deal signed last week aiming to end the war.

Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 19, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

Sudan's war refugees describe horrors in Egypt's jails, surging deportations

CAIRO, June 24 (Reuters) - Al-Nazir Al-Sadig sought safety in Egypt from the civil war in Sudan. Instead, the 18-year-old died of pneumonia after more than three weeks in a squalid Cairo jail, where he had suffered beatings and extortion at the hands of other inmates, his friends and relatives said.

A high-school student, Al-Sadig was detained as part of what lawyers and human rights groups describe as a sweeping crackdown on refugees that contrasts sharply with Egypt's stated role as a safe haven.

FILE PHOTO: People gather at a train station, as Sudanese refugees crowd at Cairo?s main station to board a free train with a voluntary return coordinated by the Egyptian government to Aswan, where buses will take them home to Khartoum, in Cairo, Egypt July 28, 2025. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo

Erdogan says legal framework to speed up militant PKK's disbandment underway

ANKARA, June 24 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that work was underway on a legal framework that will speed up the disbandment of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, and that it would be put on parliament's agenda without delay.

Speaking to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party in parliament, Erdogan did not elaborate on what the legal measures would include, but said Ankara was determined to successfully conclude the peace process with the PKK and end its more than 40-year insurgency against the Turkish state.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the opening ceremony of Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey, April 17, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Australia spy chief warns of Iran terror threat

An Australian citizen living in Iran who was a senior member of its Revolutionary Guards orchestrated a major antisemitic firebomb attack in Sydney, Australia's spy chief said Wednesday.

Giving an annual threat assessment, Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), said he was also concerned that an Iranian group active in Europe could conduct further attacks or an assassination in Australia.

Australia's spy chief Mike Burgess said a senior member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards orchestrated a major antisemitic firebomb attack in Sydney

Rubio in Bahrain as US-Iran diplomacy ramps up

Top US diplomat Marco Rubio was in Bahrain on Thursday after promising Gulf allies that Washington would protect their interests as it seeks to hammer out a final settlement to end the war with Iran.

With diplomacy in full swing, Brent crude fell to its lowest price since the start of the war in February, which has crippled global oil supplies flowing from the crude-rich Middle East.

President Donald Trump met with NATO chief Mark Rutte at the White House on Wednesday and said the United States was "doing great" in negotiations with Iran.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters in Kuwait City

IAEA chief says Iran inspections will go ahead, working on modalities

By Francois Murphy

VIENNA, June 24 (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog will carry out inspections in Iran soon following an interim peace accord between the United States and Iran, but modalities have yet to be finalised, the agency's chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday.

The two sides signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding last week setting out broad agreements in principle to end the war. The interim accord paved the way for 60 days of talks aimed at hammering out thornier details, including issues related to Iran's nuclear program.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi speaks to the media on the sidelines of a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna, Austria, June 5, 2026. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl/File Photo

'Pragmatists' vs 'hardliners': Is Iran split over US deal?

Factional divisions and opposition to talks with the United States exist within the Iranian hierarchy, but such splits will not suffice on their own to derail the negotiating process, analysts say.

After five weeks of war paused by an April ceasefire and ended by an accord this month, US Vice President JD Vance and Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf held talks in Switzerland mediated by Qatar and Pakistan to begin a process in search of a final agreement.

There has been criticism of the Iranian team by hardliners

Airlines should still avoid airspace over Iran after framework deal, EU agency warns

June 24 (Reuters) - Airlines should continue to avoid the airspace over Iran, Iraq and Lebanon and remain cautious across the region despite the framework deal between Washington and Tehran, because violations remained possible, the EU aviation safety agency EASA said.

EASA said on Wednesday it was extending its conflict-zone advisory for the region until July 1.

Short-term violations of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire remain possible, in particular in and around the Strait of Hormuz and neighboring airspace, the agency said.

Emirates and Qatar Airways planes on the tarmac at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, Australia, March 3, 2026. REUTERS/Hollie Adams

Israel, Lebanon discuss US-backed proposal for transfer of some southern territory to Lebanese army

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT, June 24 (Reuters) - Talks between Israel and Lebanon include discussion of a U.S.-backed proposal for Israeli forces to hand over some of the territory they have invaded during the war with Hezbollah to the Lebanese military, according to Israeli and Lebanese officials.

The Israeli officials said the Lebanese troops involved would undergo U.S. training and vetting to ensure they are not linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah, while Israel would maintain a military presence in a buffer zone along the border.

Members of the Lebanese army stand guard next to an armoured personnel carrier, as people make their way back to their homes, following a peace deal between the United States and Iran, in Bir Al-Salasil, Tyre district, southern Lebanon, June 15, 2026. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

Rubio kicks off Middle East trip as allies seek answers on Iran

By Gram Slattery

ABU DHABI, June 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio begins a Middle East tour in earnest on Wednesday, seeking to reassure Gulf allies who view concessions in President Donald Trump’s Iran deal that include a proposed $300 billion fund as too generous to a regional foe.

Arriving in Abu Dhabi late on Tuesday for a three-day Gulf trip, Rubio is undertaking his first high-level diplomatic mission on the agreement reached last week to end the four-month-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio upon his arrival at Al Bateen Executive Airport to discuss the interim deal between the U.S. and Iran with Arab Gulf allies, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, June 23, 2026. REUTERS/Eric Lee/Pool