Event: UN

Stephane Dujarric told reporters that “it is important that everybody live up to what they’ve committed to in every agreement that is signed”. “And I think it is important that all parties involved keep their eyes on the greater good,” he added, including regional and global stability as well as the wellbeing of seafarers. “Thousands and thousands of men and women … have been stuck on ships, who we all rely on to get the goods that we consume every day.” Iran had struck a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, prompting the UN’s International Maritime Organisation to pause its mission to evacuate hundreds of ships and more than 11,000 seafarers who’ve been stranded in the Persian Gulf region since the war broke out.  

The US Central Command shared a black-and-white video purportedly showing strikes on Iran. The video shared on social media, marked “unclassified”, apparently shows explosions and smoke rising, but no discernible target. A few hours earlier, CENTOM said the US forces “conducted strikes against Iran as a powerful response to yesterday’s attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz”. It added that US aircraft “struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites”. https://t.co/CckXLJSpah pic.twitter.com/NoMQ7cNtN5 — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 27, 2026

An Iranian woman who lost two of her children in a February airstrike on a school in Minab walks near the school on May 21. | West Asia News Agency / via REUTERS An analyst’s missed remarks and U.S. intelligence systems that weren’t connected to one another are among the missteps that investigators have surfaced while probing the cause of a missile strike on an Iranian school that killed an estimated 120 children, people familiar with the matter said.Years before the U.S. attacked Iran at the end of February, an intelligence analyst examining information about potential future strike targets in Iran noticed changes at a site the U.S. had previously characterized as a naval facility belonging to the elite wing of the Iranian military in Minab city in the southeast of the country. It was, in fact, now an elementary school.The analyst remarked on changes at the site in a digital intelligence tool, but that tool wasn’t linked up to the official intelligence database that the U.S. uses to develop strike targets and the information was never conveyed to military commanders, according to people familiar with the matter who declined to be named discussing sensitive matters. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the Faith & Freedom Coalition event in Washington on Friday. | REUTERS Washington – The United States and Iran traded military strikes after Washington on Friday accused Tehran of attacking a cargo ship, jeopardizing a fragile ceasefire as diplomats struggle to contain the Middle East war.U.S. Central Command said the American strikes, against Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar positions, were a response to “unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces” that “clearly violated the ceasefire.”It described the operation as “a powerful response to yesterday’s attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.” In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW

The QatarEnergy-chartered Umm Slal has become the latest LNG tanker to reverse course near the Strait of Hormuz, following a similar move by Gaslog Shanghai on Thursday, adding "uncertainty to LNG shipping through the Gulf",  ship-tracking firm Kpler has said. The firm wrote on X: “The reversals coincided with warnings from Iran’s IRGC that vessels must avoid unauthorised routes and use only corridors designated by Tehran.” Kpler’s report came out before US strikes on Iran that Washington said were carried out in response to an Iranian drone attack on the Ever Lovely cargo ship. “The incidents add fresh uncertainty to LNG shipping through the Gulf, despite recent signs that traffic was beginning to recover and regional exports were continuing,” Kpler said. Hormuz risks resurface The QatarEnergy chartered Umm Slal has become the latest LNG tanker to reverse course near the Strait of #Hormuz, following a similar move by Gaslog Shanghai on 25 June. The reversals coincided with warnings from Iran’s IRGC that vessels must avoid… pic.twitter.com/ySMFoZdLuc — Kpler (@Kpler) June 26, 2026

Live Blog Update| War on Iran 27 June 2026 00:51 BST US Vice President JD Vance defended the latest US strikes and warned that any further attacks would draw a response, saying: "Violence will be met with violence." "Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone," Vance wrote on X. The comments came after the Trump administration said the strikes were carried out in response to a drone attack on a vessel in the Gulf that Washington has blamed on Tehran. Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence. https://t.co/VWnBS1PWaV — JD Vance (@JDVance) June 26, 2026

Tehran on June 26, 2026 reasserted its right to control shipping in the critical waterway and ⁠warned its Gulf neighbours against siding with Washington. File. | Photo Credit: Reuters The United Nations is working with countries to resume the ​evacuation of hundreds of ships and thousands of stranded ⁠seafarers from the Strait of Hormuz after the effort was halted earlier this week, a top UN agency official said on Friday (June 26, 2026).The UN’s International Maritime ‌Organization said on Thursday (June 25, 2026) it had “temporarily paused” its evacuation initiative after a container ship operated by Taiwan’s Evergreen was attacked.Some ‌115 vessels and around 2,500 seafarers were able to sail through ‌the ⁠strait before evacuations were paused, IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez ⁠told a virtual news conference.Mr. Dominguez said he was working “vigilantly” with several parties and was having conversations with countries — particularly Oman, the United States, and Iran — “in order to find these ​guarantees that were provided at ‌the beginning, that vessels will not be targeted”.“As soon as I get further confirmations of that, we’re ready to re-initiate the process of evacuation,” he said, though he added he could not ‌provide a timeframe for a resumption.Evacuations will take weeks to complete, IMO Chief saysTehran on Friday (June 26, 2026) reasserted its right to control shipping in the critical waterway and ⁠warned its Gulf neighbours against siding with Washington.Mr. Dominguez said his main point of contact in Iran was with its maritime authority and foreign ‌ministry.“I need to actually maintain the positive approach that progress is being made in the whole conflict and at least vessels are also safely sailing through,” he said.He added that the IMO was investigating “the reasons and motivation” for the ship attack.The evacuation plan provided two channels for sailing out through the strait, either…

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted locations in the region where US forces are deployed and warned of a "broader response" if the aggression were repeated.  In a statement shared by Tasnim and IRNA agencies, the IRGC condemned the US strikes on Iran, saying Washington, “as always, violated its commitments and launched an air strike” on the Iranian coast. The IRGC did not reveal the details of these targets. “According to Clause 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, the arrangements for controlling passage in the Strait of Hormuz are with the Islamic Republic of Iran; however, the US, by provoking various parties, sought to violate this commitment, to which the necessary response was given and this will be the case from now on," the IRGC statement reads. "If the aggression is repeated, our response will be broader than this."

The United States has renewed its attacks against Iran in response to an incident a day earlier when a cargo vessel was struck by an Iranian drone.On Friday, the US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said it had issued a “powerful response to yesterday’s attack”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Why has the UN paused plans to evacuate sailors from the Strait of Hormuz?list 2 of 3US announces framework agreement between Israel and Lebanonlist 3 of 3Trump blames Iran for ‘foolish’ strike on cargo ship in Strait of Hormuzend of list“US aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites,” CENTCOM said in a statement.“Iran’s dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor.”US strikes were reported near the southern Iranian port of Sirik after the announcement.Afterwards, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it responded with attacks against US military installations in the region.In a statement to the government news service IRNA, the IRGC warned, “In the event of repeated aggression, our response will be more extensive than this.”A fraying ceasefireThe exchange of fire has left questions swirling over whether a June 17 memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the US and Iran will hold.Each side has accused the other of violating the deal, which included a ceasefire.The document called for a “permanent” end to “military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon”, effectively pausing the war the US and Israel had launched against Iran on February 28.The memorandum was not final but was rather framed as a precursor to further negotiations, including over traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global trade.Since the start of the war, Iran has shut down traffic through the strait, forcing prices for…

Deaths of immigrants held in US detention centres have surged during Donald Trump’s second term.The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has called for an independent investigation into the severe uptick in deaths in migrant detention centres during President Donald Trump’s second term in office.In a statement on Friday, Turk expressed concern over the lack of transparency over those deaths, at least 19 of which have occurred so far this year, according to US government statistics.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3‘Less than human’: Report details Trump immigration detention centre abuseslist 2 of 3Public opinion shifts on ICE as advocates warn of US ‘inflection point’list 3 of 3US Senate passes $70bn funding plan for ICE, Border Patrolend of list“Those responsible for violations of the law must be held to account, and the rights of the victims’ families to truth, justice and reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence must be upheld,” the UN rights chief said.Deaths in immigrant detention centres have surged during Trump’s second term in office, a by-product of what rights groups and immigration lawyers have depicted as systematic neglect, inhumane conditions and abuses.The Trump administration has sought to rapidly expand the network of immigrant detention centres, some operated by private contractors, as it seeks to carry out the mass deportation of immigrants in the US.Trump stated in a social media post on Friday that his administration has the “Highest Average Daily Arrest Rate by ICE and CBP, including Total Detention, with Final Orders of Removal, than any other president, by far!”The reported death of a Georgian man, Mamuka Artmeladze, in a detention facility in Louisiana on June 4 increased the number of fatalities so far this year to 19, compared to 33 last year and 11 in 2024.“The mortality rate of deaths in ICE…

The UN's nuclear chief said on Friday (June 26, 2026) that Iran's pledge not to build a nuclear weapon would need "very strong" verification, as the United States and the Islamic republic negotiate a permanent settlement to end their war.Iran's nuclear programme is a key sticking point in talks to end the West Asia war, which began in late February with massive U.S.-Israeli strikes.Iran and the U.S. last week signed a preliminary deal to end the conflict, embarking on negotiations expected to address a host of disputes including the nuclear programme.But there has been contrasting information from Tehran and Washington on whether UN inspectors will have access to Iranian nuclear facilities."I think the objective of this agreement is to ensure that there is no development of nuclear weapons in Iran. The government of Iran has declared quite clearly that this is not their intention," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi said on Friday (June 26, 2026)."But of course intentions are not enough. We have to have a very strong verification system in place... as soon as is practicable," he added.Mr. Grossi said the UN's nuclear watchdog had so far "barely initiated" talks with Iran following the agreement with the United States.The deal specifies that the country's stockpile of enriched uranium should be "downblended" under IAEA supervision.Before the war the IAEA estimated that Iran had 440 kilograms (970 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60 percent, below the threshold needed to make a bomb, but the fate of that stockpile is unknown after the U.S. and Israel bombed Iranian nuclear facilities last year.In Tehran meanwhile, people told AFP that despite the diplomatic progress, there had so far been no tangible benefits in everyday life."Overall, nothing has improved," said Amir, 28, a government employee. "Life has simply become more difficult."Mehdi, 35,…

Iran has criticised the IMO plan, arguing that it does not adequately recognise Tehran’s role in managing traffic through the strategic waterway. File | Photo Credit: Reuters International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said the agency has paused its involvement in the evacuation of vessels stranded in the Persian Gulf following an Iranian attack on a commercial ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz through the southern Oman route.Mr. Dominguez said the vessel, Taiwan’s container ship Ever Lovely, was not transiting under the IMO-facilitated plan. He said he did not know whether the ship had been in touch with the U.S. Navy before the incident. No one was injured and the vessel resumed its voyage.The attack followed a joint declaration by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, including Oman, after a meeting attended by the United States, stating that there should be no “tolls, fees, or attempts to assert control over the strait.”Iran has criticised the IMO plan, arguing that it does not adequately recognise Tehran’s role in managing traffic through the strategic waterway. Mr. Dominguez said the foreign ministers of Oman and Iran met on Monday (June 22, 2026), and the IMO plan was announced the following day based on those discussions.A statement issued by Iran after that meeting said the “two countries had agreed to continue talks through a joint committee of their foreign ministries to reach an understanding on the future management of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the services to be provided, and the associated costs, in accordance with international standards.”Mr. Dominguez said some 115 vessels had transited the strait from the beginning of the week to the pause. Since the attack, four ships have used the northern route and 11 the southern route. He said shipowners should conduct their own risk assessments before transiting…

The UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has suspended its programme to escort ships and seafarers through the Strait of Hormuz after a cargo vessel reported a suspected attack near Oman, raising fresh concerns over maritime security. UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the ship reported being attacked hours after Tehran warned vessels against using routes it had not approved. "I have decided to temporarily suspend its implementation in order to ensure that the necessary safety guarantees are still available for the ships on our evacuation list, and for all ships in the area," IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said.