First, a link to a report from Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for today’s GAZA, LEBANON and IRAN so far, and for WEST BANK 6-19-26.) — MCM

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First, a link to a report from the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its name or initials. (Scroll up or down for today’s WEST BANK, LEBANON and IRAN so far, and down for GAZA 6-17-26.) — MCM

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For now, links to three reports: from the Cradle and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for today’s WEST BANK, GAZA and IRAN so far, and down for LEBANON 6-20-26.) — MCM

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Iran reports ‘progress’ on Lebanon, frozen assets after Switzerland talks. From the Cradle. Iranian officials and media outlets reported “progress” today, after Pakistani- and Qatari-mediated technical talks on Sunday between Tehran and Washington in Burgenstock, Switzerland. READ MORE . . .

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Israel sets ‘conditions’ for ending occupation of south Lebanon: report. From the Cradle. Israel has set several “conditions” for the withdrawal of its occupation forces from Lebanon, Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom reported on Sunday — after Tel Aviv was forced to stop bombing the country due to the U.S.-Iran agreement. READ MORE . . . 

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

For now, links to THIRTEEN reports, commentaries, interviews and analyses: from Al Mayadeen, the Associated Press, Middle East Eye, National Public Radio, Agence France-Presse, Reuters, Informed Comment, ScheerPost, and Consortium News; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for today’s WEST BANK, GAZA and LEBANON so far, and down for IRAN 6-21-26.) — MCM

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Baghaei: Panel to oversee Lebanon, oil, sanctions provisions. From Al Mayadeen. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei, a member of Iran’s negotiating delegation, said after the first round of Iran-U.S. talks in Switzerland concluded that the two mediators issued a joint statement drafted in consultation with both delegations, and that its contents carry particular weight for the next phase of the process. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 21  U.S.-Iran negotiations expected through the night after Trump shakes talks with threats, by Aamer Madhani, Seung Min Kim and Jamey Keaten | AP  OBBUERGEN, Switzerland — Negotiators expected to work through the night after high-level U.S.-Iran talks on their interim deal to end the war had a tense start Sunday in Switzerland, when Tehran took offense at President Donald Trump ‘s threat to attack and his warning that Iran’s president should . . . READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.  Click HERE and HERE for reports from NPR and Reuters. 

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FROM JUNE 21  Hormuz dispute clouds Iran peace talks. Reported by Jason Fuller, Pien Huang and Sarah Robbins | NPR  At the Lake Lucerne summit, U.S. and Iranian officials are trying to keep a shaky peace effort alive after renewed violence and confusion over Hormuz. Former Ambassador Ryan Crocker talks about the need for strategic patience. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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TO BE CONTINUED

Links to reports from the Cradle, the Associated Press and National Public Radio, and to a discussion from Consortium News; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll down for ALL OF IT, and for IRAN 6-20-26.) — MCM

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Iran prioritizes Lebanon in Switzerland talks amid ‘cautious calm’ across south. From the Cradle. Iran’s negotiating team began Pakistani and Qatari-mediated discussions with Washington in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, today as a cautious calm prevailed across south Lebanon following an initial postponement of the talks over Israeli war crimes in the Levantine nation. READ MORE . . .

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Vance and Iranian officials arrive in Switzerland to launch talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, by Aamer Madhani and Seung Min Kim | AP  OBBUERGEN, Switzerland — U.S. Vice President JD Vance and senior Iranian officials arrived in Switzerland on Sunday to formally launch negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program, build out the fragile interim deal to end the war in Iran and keep the Strait of Hormuz open. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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What could make a peace deal with Iran viable? One expert weighs in. Ayesha Rascoe of NPR asks Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group, about the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and the priorities for a future peace deal. Click HERE later to listen and, still later, read.

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FROM JUNE 20  Iran claims Hormuz closure, U.S. says ships still passing. Reported by Jane Arraf and Pien Huang | NPR  Iran says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again. The U.S. military says traffic is still flowing. NPR’s Jane Arraf reports from Beirut. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JUNE 20  Watch: The World This Week — ‘Terms of U.S. surrender.’ Joe Lauria of Consortium News spoke with former CIA analyst and CN contributor Patrick Lawrence. From intro: “After losing the war, a major U.S.-Israel row is coming to a head with the fate of Mideast peace and the global economy on the line.“ Click HERE for video and print introduction.

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A link to commentary from the Chris Hedges Report via ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll up for IRAN, and down for ALL OF IT 6-16-26.) — MCM

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FROM JUNE 20  The joke is on us, by Chris Hedges | The Chris Hedges Report / ScheerPost  Elitist satire — whether on “Saturday Night Live” or other late-night shows — punches down. It seduces liberals into believing that the thugs and grifters who have taken power are too stupid and too inept to last. Millions of political exiles understand how this self-delusion, this failure to take fascists seriously, is the great facilitator of fascism. READ MORE . . .

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* As explained three or four times before this, ALL OF IT is for items that don’t fit neatly into  categories such as UKRAINE, IRAN, GAZA, LEBANON, WEST BANK, ENERGY, and MEDIA. Its title loosely recalls Paul Harvey’s The Rest of the Story, the concluding segment of his daily and Saturdays ABC News Radio newscasts in which he would expand on a news item. Harvey lived from 1918 to 2009.

ADVISORY  Watch: The World This Week — ‘Terms of U.S. surrender,’ at 8 p.m. EDT. Joe Lauria of Consortium News will talk with former CIA analyst Ray McGovern and CN contributor Patrick Lawrence. From intro: “After losing the war, a major U.S.-Israel row is coming to a head with the fate of Mideast peace and the global economy on the line.“ Click HERE around  8 tonight to livestream discussion; and, later, video.

For now, links to EIGHT reports and analyses: from the Associated Press, the Cradle, Al Mayadeen, National Public Radio, Common Dreams via Consortium News, Middle East Eye, and Indian Punchline; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll down for today’s LEBANON so far, and for IRAN 6-19-26.) — MCM

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NEWER. U.S.-Iran talks to begin Sunday in Switzerland as Tehran closes the strait over Lebanon fighting, by Kareem Chehayeb, Bassem Mroue and Munir Ahmed | AP  TYRE, Lebanon — Iran dealt two quick blows to the interim agreement with the United States today, angered by Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon, saying it had closed the Strait of Hormuz and announcing that while its negotiators were going to Switzerland for talks, not much is likely to happen there. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Iran closes Strait of Hormuz in response to ‘Zionist crimes’ in Lebanon. From the Cradle. Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters today announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping traffic in response to ongoing Israeli violations of the Iran-U.S. memorandum of understanding inside Lebanon. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Al Mayadeen.

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How Israel’s refusal to withdraw from Lebanon affects the U.S.–Iran ceasefire deal. Reported by Jane Arraf and Scott Simon | NPR  The ceasefire agreement between the U.S, and Iran extends to Lebanon, but the fighting there has yet to stop and Israel says it is not withdrawing. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Deadly fighting persists in Lebanon as the U.S.-Iran deal is under threat, by Kareem Chehayeb and Bassem Mroue | AP  TYRE, Lebanon — Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed at least 16 people, including two children, hours after reports emerged of a ceasefire agreement. The persistent fighting threatened an interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end the war in the Middle East. READ MORE. Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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FROM JUNE 19  Palestinians may pay for Netanyahu’s defeat in Iran, by Ramzy Baroud | Common Dreams / Consortium News  Unable to deliver “victory,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has turned perpetual war into a political strategy in its own right. The result has been . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 19  Six things we learned from the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, by Daniel Tester | Middle East Eye  Here is what we have learned from the MoU. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 18  China wades into the geopolitics of Iran, by M.K. Bhadrakumar | Indian Punchline  The authenticity of the public articulation by Iran’s Majlis speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf of the stunning proposal of an alliance — ‘regional bloc’ — built around an Iran-China axis in the Middle East is not in doubt. Qalibaf has emerged . . . READ MORE . . .

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Links to ELEVEN reports: from the Associated Press, Al Mayadeen, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for IRAN, and down for LEBANON 6-19-26.) — MCM

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NEWER. U.S.-Iran talks to begin Sunday in Switzerland as Tehran closes the strait over Lebanon fighting, by Kareem Chehayeb, Bassem Mroue and Munir Ahmed | AP  TYRE, Lebanon — Iran dealt two quick blows to the interim agreement with the United States today, angered by Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon, saying it had closed the Strait of Hormuz and announcing that while its negotiators were going to Switzerland for talks, not much is likely to happen there. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Israel kills at least 29 in Lebanon, one day after ceasefire deal, by Fleur Hargreaves | Middle East Eye  At least 29 people have been killed in a new wave of Israeli attacks on Lebanon across southern Lebanon and the eastern Beqaa Valley, just a day after a ceasefire was announced. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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Deadly fighting persists in Lebanon as the U.S.-Iran deal is under threat, by Kareem Chehayeb and Bassem Mroue | AP  TYRE, Lebanon — Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed at least 16 people, including two children, hours after reports emerged of a ceasefire agreement. The persistent fighting threatened an interim agreement between the United States and Iran to end the war in the Middle East. READ MORE. Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish, and HERE for others.

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Hezbollah debunks Israeli ceasefire breach claims, cites 300 IOF violations. From Al Mayadeen. Israeli allegations that Hezbollah violated a ceasefire agreement are “completely baseless”, Hezbollah’s Media Relations Office stated, describing them as part of ongoing attempts to . . . READ MORE . . .

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How Israel’s refusal to withdraw from Lebanon affects the U.S.–Iran ceasefire deal. Reported by Jane Arraf and Scott Simon | NPR  The ceasefire agreement between the U.S, and Iran extends to Lebanon, but the fighting there has yet to stop and Israel says it is not withdrawing. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JUNE 19  Hezbollah kills Israeli tank crew as Tel Aviv refuses to withdraw from Lebanon. From the Cradle. A Hezbollah resistance operation killed four Israeli troops in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Tebnit overnight, including a battalion chief, the Israeli military confirmed on Friday.A Hezbollah resistance operation killed four Israeli troops in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Tebnit overnight, including a battalion chief, the Israeli military confirmed on Friday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 19  ‘All of Lebanon must burn,’ Israeli minister Ben Gvir declares, by Ayse Betul | Middle East Eye  “For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers should cry,” the Israelinational security minister wrote on X on Friday after the deaths of four Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded directly to Ben Gvir’s post. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 19  Death of new commander puts spotlight back on Israeli battalion linked to killing of Hind Rajab in Gaza. From Middle East Monitor.  The Israeli military’s announcement on Friday that the commander of the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Armored Brigade was killed in southern Lebanon has renewed scrutiny of the same unit linked to the killing of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in Gaza, Anadolu Agency reports. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 19  U.S. intelligence warns Israel could undermine Iran peace deal: report. From Middle East Monitor. According to a Washington Post report on Friday, U.S. intelligence agencies have warned the Trump administration that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to take actions that could undermine President Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a lasting peace agreement with Iran. READ MORE . . .

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How Netanyahu could still wreck Washington’s Iran deal, by Jasim Al-Azzawi | Middle East Monitor  There is a particular kind of danger in Middle East diplomacy that no memorandum of understanding can fully insure against: a leader with nothing left to lose and an army still under his command. READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Here’s a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for LEBANON and IRAN, and for WEST BANK 6-18-26.) — MCM

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Israeli settlers launch coordinated 24-hour rampage across occupied West Bank. From the Cradle. Illegal Israeli settlers launched a coordinated assault against Palestinians and their property in multiple areas of the occupied West Bank over the past 24 hours. READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Here are links to reports from Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll up or down for WEST BANK and IRAN, and down for LEBANON 6-18-26.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes kill over 47 in Lebanon since midnight. From Middle East Eye. Lebanon’s death toll due to Israeli airstrikes has risen to 47 killed since midnight, Al Mayadeen news reported. Al Jazeera reported that Israel has conducted at least 12 strikes on southern Lebanon since the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in the afternoon.

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Trump says U.S. must keep Netanyahu ‘a little bit sane’ on Lebanon. From Middle East Monitor. U.S. President Donald Trump said that Washington must keep Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a little bit sane” on Lebanon, Anadolu Agency reports. READ MORE . . .

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Talks between the U.S. and Iran are called off because of fighting in Lebanon, officials say, by Erin Cunningham, Jon Gambrell and Aamer Madhani | AP  JERUSALEM — Talks between the U.S. and Iran were called off today after intense fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, officials said, raising questions about an initial agreement to end the war in Iran. Click HERE for more of this AP report and HERE for a second. Click HERE for report from NPR, and HERE for links to all six Iran war-related reports today from NPR’s “Morning Edition.” Click HERE for report from the Cradle.

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