First, links to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Reuters, and to an interview from Glenn Diesen Substack via ScheerPost; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll down for this date’s LEBANON so far, and for IRAN 6-15-26.) — MCM

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Iran says the deal to end the war with the U.S. requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, by Jon Gambrell, Sam Metz and Samy Magdy | AP  DUBAI — Iran’s top diplomat said today that the tentative deal to end the war with the United States would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon — a condition Israel has already rejected and that could sink the agreement, leading to the resumption of all-out war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from NPR.

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Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. talks about U.S.-Iran deal to end war. Steve Inskeep of NPR  asks Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter about the peace deal the Trump administration says it’s made with Iran. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JUNE 15  Initial deal to end U.S.-Iran war moves toward formal signing despite lingering questions, by Jon Gambrell, Elena Becatoros and Michelle L. Price | AP  DUBAI — An initial agreement between the United States and Iran to extend their shaky ceasefire inched toward a formal signing despite questions Monday over the fate of Tehran’s nuclear program and an offensive by Israel in Lebanon that could prolong the fighting and scuttle the deal. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others.

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FROM JUNE 15  U.S. and Iran reach an agreement, but details remain scant. Reported by Greg Myre and Danielle Kurtzleben | NPR  President Trump says a deal had been reached to prolong a ceasefire with Iran and open the Strait of Hormuz, but many challenges remain. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JUNE 15  Sachs: U.S.-Iran deal reached — peace or tactical pause. Glenn Diesen of the University of South-Eastern Norway hosts Jeffrey Sachs, economist, and geopolitical analyst and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, hours after the signing in Islamabad of a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States to end the war. Click HERE for their discussion and a print introduction by Joshua Scheer of ScheerPost.

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FROM JUNE 15  With war likely over, Iranian rulers must face demands of angry, embittered population, by Parisa Hafezi and Angus McDowall | Reuters  DUBAI / LONDON — Iran’s theocratic rulers have seen off a U.S. military campaign but their real problems may be about to begin. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, link to reports from the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Reuters; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for this date’s IRAN so far, and down for LEBANON 6-15-26.) — MCM

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Iran says the deal to end the war with the U.S. requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, by Jon Gambrell, Sam Metz and Samy Magdy | AP  DUBAI — Iran’s top diplomat said today that the tentative deal to end the war with the United States would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon — a condition Israel has already rejected and that could sink the agreement, leading to the resumption of all-out war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from NPR.

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Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. talks about U.S.-Iran deal to end war. Steve Inskeep of NPR  asks Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter about the peace deal the Trump administration says it’s made with Iran. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Iran says the deal to end the war with the U.S. requires Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, by Jon Gambrell, Sam Metz and Samy Magdy | AP  DUBAI — Iran’s top diplomat said today that the tentative deal to end the war with the United States would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon — a condition Israel has already rejected and that could sink the agreement, leading to the resumption of all-out war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others. Click HERE for report from NPR.

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Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. talks about U.S.-Iran deal to end war. Steve Inskeep of NPR  asks Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter about the peace deal the Trump administration says it’s made with Iran. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM JUNE 15  Lebanon fighting eases after U.S.-Iran deal; displaced residents warned not to rush home. From Reuters. Fighting in southern Lebanon abated on Monday after the announcement of a U.S.-Iran deal to end the wider conflict, but local authorities warned displaced people not to rush home and Israel said it would not withdraw its troops from the area. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, link to two reports from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for today’s IRAN, GAZA and MEDIA so far, and for LEBANON 6-14-25.) — MCM

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Israel declares ‘no withdrawal’ from Lebanon in response to Iran-U.S. deal. From the Cradle. Israeli War Minister Israel Katz vowed today that Tel Aviv will not withdraw occupation forces from south Lebanon and will strike the Islamic Republic with “full force” if it responds to violations of the newly announced US-Iran deal. READ MORE . . .

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Lebanon warns displaced civilians against ‘rushing home’ as thousands begin arduous journey south. From the Cradle. Lebanese authorities as well as Hezboolah have warned displaced civilians not to return to their towns and villages in the south as Israeli forces continue to attack and occupy the country following the announcement of a U.S.–Iran agreement that includes Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to FOURTEEN reports, commentaries, interviews and analyses: from the Cradle, the Associated Press, Reuters, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, the Chris Hedges Report, and Kathy Gannon’s Substack — the last two via ScheerPost; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for today’s LEBANON, GAZA and MEDIA so far, and down for IRAN 6-14-26.) — MCM

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Israel declares ‘no withdrawal’ from Lebanon in response to Iran-U.S. deal. From the Cradle. Israeli War Minister Israel Katz vowed today that Tel Aviv will not withdraw occupation forces from south Lebanon and will strike the Islamic Republic with “full force” if it responds to violations of the newly announced US-Iran deal. READ MORE . . .

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Israel declares ‘no withdrawal’ from Lebanon in response to Iran-U.S. deal. From the Cradle. Israeli War Minister Israel Katz vowed today that Tel Aviv will not withdraw occupation forces from south Lebanon and will strike the Islamic Republic with “full force” if it responds to violations of the newly announced US-Iran deal. READ MORE . . .

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Iran and U.S. reach a tentative deal to end the war and open Strait of Hormuz but challenges remain, by Jon Gambrell and Elena Becatoros | AP  DUBAI — The United States and Iran reached an initial agreement today that would extend their shaky ceasefire and lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but significant challenges remain, including whether Israel will continue its offensive in Lebanon. 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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Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour on ceasefire deal to end Iran war. Steve Inskeep of NPR speaks with Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace about a ceasefire deal with Iran, announced by President Trump and Pakistani mediators. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Pakistan to host signing ceremony for preliminary Iran-U.S. peace deal. From the Cradle. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced today that his country will host a ceremony in Switzerland on Friday for the United States and Iran to sign a preliminary peace agreement, bringing the three-month war between the two countries to an end. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 14  Deal is reached to end war and Trump orders stop to U.S. naval blockade, by Munir Mahmed, Julia Frankel, Abby Sewell and Will Weissert | AP  ISLAMABAD — The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, offering relief to the global economy more than three months since fighting began. Details were not immediately available. Mediator Pakistan said the signing will be Friday. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others.  Click HERE for report from Reuters, and  HERE and HERE for two reports from NPR.

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FROM JUNE 14  Trump says deal to end U.S.-Israeli war against Iran on all fronts ‘is now complete,’ by Elis Gjevori | Middle East Eye  U.S. President Donald Trump says the deal with Iran “is now complete,” announcing the end of Washington’s naval blockade and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 14  Iran warns ‘no point’ in deal with U.S. if Israel remains unrestrained. From the Cradle. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned in a statement on Sunday that there is “no point” in continuing efforts to reach a deal with Washington if Tel Aviv remains unrestrained, a few hours after a new Israeli attack on Lebanon’s capital. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 14  Mohammad Marandi: Iran didn’t lose the war — it changed the Middle East. Journalist Chris Hedges spoke late on Saturday with Iranian scholar and former nuclear negotiator adviser Mohammad Marandi about the then-approaching memorandum of understanding between the Washington and Tehran and what to expect in the coming days. Click HERE for video and a print introduction by Joshua Scheer of ScheerPost.

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FROM JUNE 14  A memorandum of understanding is not peace, by Kathy Gannon | Substack / ScheerPost  As with so much surrounding the Iran war, which the United States and Israel began in February, truth has been elusive and words have lost much of their meaning. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

For now, links to THREE reports: from Middle East Monitor, Reuters, and Middle East Eye, and to a commentary via Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up or down for today’s LEBANON, IRAN and MEDIA so far, and down for GAZA 6-14-26.) — MCM

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Israeli army kills 6 Palestinians, including child, in attacks across Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. The attacks on Sunday in three areas of Gaza were continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement in effect since Oct. 10, 2025, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Reuters.

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For Gaza’s Palestinians, Israel’s ever expanding ‘buffer zone’ means endless displacement, by Ahmed Alsammak and Ibtisam Mahdi | Middle East Eye  GAZA, occupied Palestine — Despite an ostensible ceasefire in Gaza in place since October last year, Israel has slowly tightened its noose around the area’s 1.8 million remaining residents, packing them into a smaller and smaller area. READ MORE . . .

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Over a thousand health professionals demand boycott of Israeli Medical Association over Gaza genocide. From Middle East Monitor. More than 1,150 health professionals and organisations have signed a petition calling for a boycott of the Israeli Medical Association, accusing it of failing to uphold medical ethics during Israel’s genocide in Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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The Iran-U.S. agreement and the limits of American hegemony, by Sayid Marcos Tenorio | Middle East Monitor  The announcement of a memorandum of understanding between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States may represent one of the most significant geopolitical developments in the Middle East since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

Links to an analysis from Middle East Monitor, and two commentaries from Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, the first via ScheerPost; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for today’s LEBANON, IRAN and GAZA so far, and down for MEDIA 6-12-26.) — MCM

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Unmasking Axios and its Israeli ties, by Sahar Huneidi | Middle East Monitor  There is a well-worn playbook for seizing power over information. First, declare the existing press corrupt, dishonest and  contemptible,  then position yourself as the only clean , honest, and  “worthy” alternative. Finally,  . . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 12  Western media normalize ethnic cleansing of Lebanon by viewing it through Israel’s eyes, by Belén Fernández | FAIR / ScheerPost  The eagerness of journalists to do Israel’s bidding is all the more confounding given that Israel is currently the No. 1 killer of journalists in the world. A recent Associated Press article (5/29/26), for example, reduced the pulverization of Lebanon to simply . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 11  Forty years of raising hell about corporate media bias, by Jeff Cohen | FAIR   In the mid-1980s corporate news outlets were on bended knee for a reactionary, declining, war-mongering president — and Reaganism was ushering in an era of dangerous media mergers. READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Links to THIRTEEN reports and analyses: from Reuters, Agence France-Presse; the Associated Press, Middle East Monitor, the Cradle, Middle East Eye, and Consortium News, and Breaking Points; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll down for UKRAINE, GAZA and LEBANON, and for IRAN 6-13-26.) — MCM

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NEWER  Iran questions U.S. commitment to peace moves as Israel strikes Lebanon. From Reuters. Iran’s top negotiator questioned the United States’ commitment to peace efforts after Israel carried out new attacks on Lebanon, dimming prospects of Tehran and Washington signing a framework agreement today on ending their war. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from AFP.

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NEWER  Trump warns Israel and Iran not to ‘blow it’ after new strikes threaten emerging ceasefire deal, by Julia Frankel, Abby Sewell,Munir Ahmed and Samy Magdy | AP  JERUSALEM — U.S. President Donald Trump today urged no further attacks by anyone after Israel’s military said it launched strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut, potentially complicating efforts to finalize a deal to end the U.S.-Iran war. The Lebanese health ministry said three people were killed and 16 others wounded. Iran threatened a military response. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others.

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U.S. envoy ‘confident’ Iran deal to be signed today. From Middle East Monitor. The U.S. Ambassador to the UN expressed confidence today that an agreement with Iran would be signed within the day, despite acknowledging significant hurdles in the negotiation process, Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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Israel bombs Beirut’s southern suburb after Hezbollah drones hit Galilee. From the Cradle. Israel carried out a new airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb today, coinciding with continued bombardment and forced displacement orders across south Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

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Iran’s top negotiator says U.S. ‘lacks will to fulfill its commitments’ after Israeli hit on Beirut. From Middle East Eye. Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said that Israel’s assault on Beirut’s southern suburbs showed that the U.S. “either lacks the will to fulfill its commitments or the ability to do so.” READ MORE . . . Click HERE for later brief Middle East Eye report. 

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FROM JUNE 13  Iran says signing of Islamabad memorandum will not take place on Sunday. From Reuters. The exact timing of the signing of the Islamabad memorandum will not be on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, according to state media on Saturday. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for report from Middle East Monitor.

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FROM JUNE 13  Watch: The World This Week — ‘The U.S.A. vs. Israel.’ Joe Lauria of Consortium News spoke with Peter Kuznick, historian at American University in Washington and author with Oliver Stone of The Untold History of the United States, and with Ray McGovern, former CIA Soviet Union and Russia analyst and briefer of presidents. “With the war on Iran stuck in low-intensity conflict,” CN notes, “new focus is on the U.S.-Israel relationship. It’s perhaps more complex than it looks.” Click HERE for roughly 70-minute video of talk and brief introductory CN introduction.

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FROM JUNE 13  Pakistani PM says U.S., Iran peace framework expected ‘within 24 hours.’ From the Cradle. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Saturday that the U.S. and Iran have established a framework for a peace deal to end over three months of war, with an electronic signing anticipated . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 13  Tehran recruits psychologists to tailor messages for ‘mentally ill’ Trump: report. From the Cradle. Iranian negotiators hired senior psychologists to vet diplomatic messages for U.S. President Donald Trump during indirect talks between Washington and Tehran, U.S. journalist Jeremy Scahill reported on Saturday, citing Iranian sources. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE for June 12 report from Breaking Points.

Links to reports from the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for IRAN, GAZA and LEBANON, and for UKRAINE 6-13-26.) — MCM

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Ukrainian drone strikes kill 1 and spark fire at oil facility in Russia. From AP.  A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person in Russia’s southwestern Oryol region, local officials said today, while a separate strike hit an oil facility as part of Kyiv’s campaign of strikes on military and energy targets deep inside Russia. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others.

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FROM JUNE 13  Ukrainian strike kills one, wounds 3 in southern Russia. From AFP. A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded at least three others in southern Russia, regional authorities said Saturday, while nearly 100 people were fighting to extinguish a fire caused by the attack. READ MORE . . .

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A link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll up or down for IRAN, UKRAINE and LEBANON, and down for GAZA 6-13-26.) — MCM

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FROM JUNE 13  U.S. military begins construction of ‘huge base’ outside Gaza to oversee Trump’s colonization plan. From the Cradle. The U.S. military has begun constructing a “huge base” on the Gaza envelope to implement US President Donald Trump’s plan to “take over” the strip, Israel Hayom reported on Saturday. READ MORE . . .

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Links to reports from the Associated Press and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for IRAN, UKRAINE and GAZA, and down for LEBANON 6-13-26.) — MCM

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Israeli military strikes Beirut suburbs ahead of anticipated U.S.-Iran deal, by Julia Frankel, Abby Sewell, Munir Ahmed and Samy Magdy | AP  JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said it launched strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut today, potentially complicating efforts to finalize a deal to end the U.S.-Iran war. Smoke rose over the Lebanese capital, and the Civil Defense said it retrieved three bodies and six wounded people from the rubble. Iran threatened a military response. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for same AP report in Spanish; and HERE for others.

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FROM JUNE 12  Syrian president pours cold water on U.S. claims of willingness to ‘enter’ Lebanon. From the Cradle. Syria’s self-appointed President and former Al-Qaeda chief Ahmad al-Sharaa said on Friday that talk of Damascus’s forces entering Lebanon was “rumors,” days after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Beirut with a Syrian military incursion. READ MORE . . .

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