NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .
For now, links to TWELVE reports, commentaries, analyses and interviews: from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, Al Mayadeen, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, and CGTN America via Informed Comment; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for today’s LEBANON so far, and down for IRAN 6-18-26.) — MCM
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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.”
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‘Israel would not exist today’ without me, will ‘do as I say’: Trump. From Al Mayadeen. U.S. President Donald Trump openly acknowledged that Washington exercises decisive influence over “Israel,” declaring that it would not have survived without U.S. backing and claiming the occupation ultimately follows his directives. READ MORE . . .
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Escalation to capitulation: What the MoU means for Iran, region. From Al Mayadeen. The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding is being received by Western and regional officials as a diplomatic breakthrough with substantial economic dividends. This reading purposefully misses the document entirely. READ MORE . . .
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U.S.-Iran talks raise new questions about power dynamics in the region. Reported by Greg Myre and Steve Inskeep | NPR Nearly three years of conflict have affected the Middle East’s power map. Now, the Iran war is triggering another shift, raising new questions about the power balance in the region. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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How the war on Iran will redefine the Middle East order, by Ahmed Mawlana | Middle East Eye Signs of growing alignment have emerged among Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan. Their increasingly coordinated positions on regional crises stand in contrast to the growing ties linking Israel, the United Arab Emirates, India, Greece, Cyprus and Ethiopia. READ MORE . . .
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FROM JUNE 18 Israel’s Netanyahu tells Trump he will not be bound by Iran-U.S. deal: report. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Donald Trump that Israel would not be bound by the agreement reached between the U.S. and Iran, CNN reported Thursday, citing an unnamed official. READ MORE . . .
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FROM JUNE 18 Can the U.S.-Iran negotiations after the MOU succeed? Asieh Namdar of CGTN America speaks with history professor Juan Cole of the University of Michigan. Click HERE for video and a transcript of interview from Informed Comment.
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TO BE CONTINUED