Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrive for talks with Trump officials in Switzerland, June 21, 2026
EA on International Media: US-Iran Talks — J.D. Vance “Tries to Put Lipstick on a Pig”
UPDATE 1326 GMT:
I joined Saudi outlet Al Arabiya on Thursday afternoon about the issues in the talks to end the US War on Iran, notably the status of the Status of Hormuz.
I set out Tehran’s position and then explain how the Trump camp, having “boxed itself in” on the Memorandum of Understanding, is trying to undo the position by forcing open the Strait in defiance of Iranian oversight.
Watch from 9:29:
UPDATE, JULY 3:
I spoke with Express 24-7’s Zunaira Azhar on Tuesday about the state of indirect talks to end the US War on Iran.
I focus on Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz and how it is shaping the discussions, as well as the Trump camp’s attempts to escape from Iranian terms for a settlement.
But if that effort fails, the Administration is stuck with Trump — having signed a draft Memorandum without consulting senior advisors — committing to “playing on Iranian turf” over not only the Strait but also hundreds of billions of dollars that Tehran might receive.
ORIGINAL ENTRY, JUNE 30: I joined Pakistan TV’s Sana Maqbool on Monday for a detailed discussion of the “limbo” in talks to end the US War on Iran.
I explain how the Trump Administration, having committed itself to a Memorandum of Understanding based largely on Iranian terms, is scrambling over the implementation.
I consider how the Trump camp is distorting the Memorandum in public statements and keeping quiet about its immediate concessions, including the unfreezing of some Iranian assets and sanctions waivers on Tehran’s oil and petrochemicals until August 21.
I focus on how Washington is trying to escape Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, hoping — but not yet completing — an arrangement to bypass Tehran’s control.
And I look at the destabilizing effect of Israel’s military operations for an occupation of southern Lebanon.
Watch from 7:53:
Israel’s largest oil refineries to undergo years of repairs after Iranian strikes: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-haifa-refinery-require-years-repairs-after-iranian-strikes-report-says
“Israel’s Channel 12 News reported on Monday that they sustained severe damage after two separate Iranian strikes earlier this year, despite Minister of Energy Eli Cohen and Bazan, the company operating the site, claiming no material damage had been recorded…..according to Yeshiva World, citing the official report by the interior ministry, damage was reported at gas turbines, steam boilers, electrical rooms and other auxiliary systems that had not previously been publicly reported. Channel 12 News reported that the Ministry of Interior had approved large-scale reconstruction works.”