U.S. & Israel go back and forth, back and forth with Iran

• Israel Army Radio: ‘The Iranian pressure has succeeded; Trump instructed Netanyahu to order a partial Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon’.
• Netanyahu: 'We will remain in southern Lebanon as long as necessary.'

• Tasnim News Agency, citing an informed source: Yesterday the Iranian delegation refused to shake hands or participate in a photo opportunity with the American delegation. Notice the very uncomfortable V-P J. D. Vance in below video.

• Trump to Fox News: 'If the Iranians close the Strait of Hormuz, their country will be wiped out. We might take control of the Strait of Hormuz if we have to. If we don’t reach a deal with Iran, we will impose transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz. If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian negotiators won’t be able to return to their country.'

• Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Ghalibaf, in reaction to Trump’s threats: 'Do they not think to themselves that if their threats had achieved anything, they would not have reached today’s desperation? We do not take American threats seriously. They had better be careful with their statements. Our armed forces are ready to respond to them in a different way. No matter how much they talk, we are the ones who act.'

• Tasnim News Agency: Iran says all US-Iran talks will stop unless Israel fully withdraws from Lebanon and the war ends on all fronts. If Israel's actions continue, Iran warns it will move to a much harsher response. Tehran also suspects Washington is using negotiations to buy time for Israel.
• CNN, citing a diplomat: 'Implementation of the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington is back on track, and the Strait of Hormuz remains open to maritime navigation. The President of Iran was informed during the trilateral US-Qatari-American meeting that the Lebanese file is still considered part of the US-Iran negotiations.''

• Stars and Stripes: Finland this week took a step toward lifting its ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory, a move that puts the country in sync with NATO’s deterrent mission. The country’s parliament voted Wednesday to lift the ban, advancing the measure to President Alexander Stubb for a decision on approval. The decision paves the way for Finland to allow nuclear weapons to be positioned in the country should they be required for 'defense purposes'. The alliance’s nuclear deterrence posture relies on forward-deployed US nuclear weapons in Europe. The US does not publicly discuss where its tactical bombs are stored in Europe, but watchdog groups have reported that roughly 100 of those weapons are stored at six bases in NATO member countries: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, UK and Turkey. 

• The Morning Star: Over 2,500 activists from around the world gathered at Westminster’s Central Hall on Saturday for an international conference against war organised by the Stop the War Coalition. The London conference was backed by 11 trade unions drawing attendees from 23 countries. Chairing the opening session, ex-president of transport union RMT Alex Gordon said: “The gathering is part of a movement against the militarisation of Europe.” Ulrike Eifler of the German union IG Metall said there was a mass industrial crisis in her country with huge numbers of job losses; the answer of the German government was to expand the military. Rearmament is not the way to rebuild industry,” she said. The UCU union’s Sean Vernell pointed out how the strikes of workers in France, Italy and Greece had set a benchmark for the kind of action needed to stop the war machine. He said: “When Trump tried to wage gangster imperialism in the Middle East, he lost. Despite their massive military power, they’re not in a situation they can win." Palestinian physicist and leader of the Palestine National Initiative Dr. Mustafa Barghouti told the conference that it was time to “translate your solidarity into concrete action” by supporting actions that press a “total comprehensive boycott and sanctions against Israel.”

• Russian troops advancing in Ukraine discover the skeletal remains of an entire Ukrainian infantry section killed a year before by a Russian airstrike. This reality is repeated daily. Ukraine intentionally leaves its dead in the field to avoid payments to families. Zelensky claims the dead troops are 'missing in action' and thus not eligible for family benefits. The money then gets pocketed by unit commanders.

• The diplomatic crisis over Ukrainian President Zelensky’s promotion of anti-Polish Nazi collaborationist forces during World War II is stripping away the political lies in which the NATO imperialist powers have shrouded their proxy war with Russia in Ukraine. The NATO-backed regime in Ukraine is not a defender of democracy and national independence but a tool of imperialism resting upon far-right forces.  https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/06/22/wzgt-j22.html
• More than 70 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight while flying toward Moscow, local officials have said. The barrage comes as Russia marks the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported no casualties or damage on the ground during the raid, which took place from Sunday night into Monday morning. Several airports serving the Russian capital temporarily halted operations in response to the Ukrainian drone threat. Kiev has continued to launch EU-funded kamikaze drones against Russian energy infrastructure. If such an attack on Russia had happened during the Cold War it would have gone to nuclear war in a hot flash.