NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Here are links to four reports: from Reuters and the Cradle, and to a bit of history via Informed Comment; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll up or down for LEBANON, SUDAN, SYRIA, GAZA and UKRAINE, and down for IRAN 6-30-26.) — MCM

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Iran warns of immediate response to any threat, cites U.S. commitment to restrain Israel. From Reuters. From Reuters. DUBAI, July 1 (Reuters) – Iran will deliver an immediate and ‌powerful response to any ‌threat against its people or leadership, Iranian ​Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said today. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. and Iran enter indirect technical talks to secure peace deal, shipping restart. From Reuters. DOHA – The U.S. and Iran held technical talks in Doha today as they seek to ‌agree on the flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and secure a lasting ceasefire, a source with direct knowledge of the talks and an Iranian official said. READ MORE . . .

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Iran crude exports hit 50 million barrels in post-blockade surge: report. From the Cradle. Maritime tracking firm Tanker Trackers reported today that Iran had exported 50 million barrels of oil since the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports was lifted two weeks ago under the Iran–U.S. memorandum of understanding. READ MORE . . .

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Trump weighs resuming ‘all-out war’ on Iran, chooses diplomacy ‘for now’: report. From the Cradle. U.S. President Donald Trump has considered resuming “all-out war” against Iran and has been briefed on multiple “options,” but is opting to stick to negotiations “for now,” according to sources who spoke with the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 30  Regime change, past & present: Iran and the Congo, by Fariba Amini | Special to Informed Comment  NEWARK, Del.  The Eisenhower administration, with the help of the Dulles brothers, brought down the democratically elected governments in Iran and in Congo. READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Here are links to a report from the Associated Press and to an article from StephenKinzer.com; others are accessible by clicking on the website address. (Scroll up for LEBANON, SUDAN, SYRIA, GAZA and IRAN, and down for UKRAINE 6-29-26.) — MCM

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FROM APRIL 30  Drones are blowing up old assumptions about U.S. foreign policy, by Stephen Kinzer | StephenKinzer.com   Today’s conflicts in Iran and Ukraine are opening a new era of warfare. This is more than just an evolution in weapons technology. It is a paradigm shift. READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: Nob0dy reads this blog. But . . .

Here are links to nine reports, commentaries and analyses: from the Cradle, National Public Radio, Middle East Eye, and Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll down for GAZA and IRAN, and for LEBANON 6-29-26.) — MCM

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Pentagon prepares to deploy ‘boots on the ground’ in Lebanon: report. From the Cradle. The Washington Post reported today that the U.S. military is planning to deploy “troops on the ground” in Lebanon in order to aid Hezbollah disarmament efforts and oversee the new agreement signed illegally between Beirut and Tel Aviv. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. and Iran set to resume peace talks. Reported by Ruth Sherlock and Michel Martin | NPR  The U.S. and Iran were to resume peace talks today, as Lebanon faces pressure to rein in Hezbollah as a precondition for an Israeli withdrawal. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Lebanon’s parliament speaker scrambles to form broad political front to reject Israel deal: report. From the Cradle. Lebanese Parliament Speaker and head of Hezbollah ally the Amal Movement Nabih Berri is working to build a broad cross-sectarian “political front” to oppose the new Lebanon–Israel agreement signed in violation of the country’s laws, local media said today. READ MORE . . .

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South Lebanon: A landscape of loss, resistance, and persistance, by William Van Wagenen | The Cradle  When The Cradle arrived in the Lebanese town of Nabatieh on the afternoon of June 18, the sight of the immense damage inflicted by months of Israeli bombing was shocking. Particularly hard hit was the town center . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 29  In Lebanon, deal with Israel sparks anger and doubts. Reported by Ruth Sherlock | NPR  From Beirut, the Israel–Lebanon deal lands as a mix of anger and reluctant acceptance, with Hezbollah calling it a major capitulation. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM JUNE 29  Lebanon-Israel deal could block war crimes accountability, experts warn, by Adam Chamseddine and Sondos Asem | Middle East Eye  BEIRUT / LONDON — A framework agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel has drawn warnings that a clause in the deal could effectively shield Israel from accountability for war crimes. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 29  Israeli TV channel claims to obtain parts of Lebanon agreement’s secret security annex. From Middle East Monitor.  Israeli Channel 12 claimed on Sunday evening that it had obtained parts of what it described as the “secret security annex” to the framework agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 29  Sovereignty turned inward in Lebanon, by Radwan Mortada | the Cradle  The question of state legitimacy now sits at the center of Lebanon’s current trajectory. READ MORE . . . 

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FROM JUNE 29  The morning after the Lebanon ‘agreement,’ by Ussama Makdisi | Middle East Eye  A 19th-century Orientalist traveller and diplomat by the name of David Urquhart said about (Mount) Lebanon that there “never was a country for which God has done so much, nor a people who could do less for themselves.” READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Here are links to three reports: from Middle East Monitor and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for LEBANON and IRAN, and down for GAZA 6-29-26.) — MCM

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FROM JUNE 29  Trump’s Gaza board accused of creating legal black hole to protect officials and contractors. From Middle East Monitor. Donald Trump’s so-called Board of Peace is planning to grant itself sweeping legal immunity for its work in Gaza, according to a draft resolution obtained by the Guardian. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 29  Palestine’s UN envoy demands end to Israeli annexation of Palestinian land. From Middle East Monitor. Palestine’s UN envoy Riyad Mansour called for an end to Israel’s illegal annexation of Palestinian land, saying “annexation is an act of war” that “kills all peace efforts” and “cannot be bargained with,” Anadolu reports. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 25  In Gaza, nowhere is safe despite ceasefire. Reported by Aya Batrawy and Anas Baba | NPR  As the world focused on the war with Iran, Israeli forces steadily took more territory in the Gaza Strip and killed more people in May than at any time this year, according to Gaza health records. Click HERE to listen and read.

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

For now, links to five reports: from the Cradle, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Reuters; others or at least headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for today’s LEBANON and GAZA, and down for IRAN 6-29-26.) — MCM

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Oman endorses Iranian proposal on Hormuz ‘service charges,’ rejects ‘transit fees.’ From the Cradle. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi said the Sultanate supports an Iranian proposal to levy maritime “service fees” as opposed to “transit fees” on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during an interview on Monday. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. and Iran set to resume peace talks. Reported by Ruth Sherlock and Michel Martin | NPR  The U.S. and Iran were to resume peace talks today, as Lebanon faces pressure to rein in Hezbollah as a precondition for an Israeli withdrawal. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Uncertainty over diplomacy clouds chances for U.S.-Iran deal. From Reuters. DOHA – Iranian and U.S. negotiators were gearing up for meetings this week in Qatar, but uncertainty over the timing and content of any diplomatic talks raised questions over efforts to bring a lasting halt to the Iran war and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. READ MORE . . .

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NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Here is a link to a report from the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on its name. (Scroll down for GAZA, LEBANON and UKRAINE, and for IRAN 6-28-26.) — MCM

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Tehran denies U.S. claims of ‘technical talks’ in Doha. From the Cradle. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi today denied a report by Axios alleging that U.S. and Iranian officials are set to convene on Tuesday in the Qatari capital Doha. READ MORE . . .

NOTE: No one reads this blog. But . . .

Here are links to FOUR reports: from the Associated Press and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for IRAN, LEBANON and UKRAINE, and down for GAZA 6-28-26.) — MCM

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NOTE: No one reads this blog. But . . .

For now, links to FIVE reports: from Agence France-Presse, Reuters, and the Cradle; others or just headlines are accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up or down for today’s GAZA and UKRAINE so far, and down for LEBANON 6-28-26.) — MCM

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Lebanon president tells U.S. commander will exert sovereignty over all country’s territory. From AFP. BEIRUT — Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun today told the head of U.S. forces in the Middle East that Beirut intended to assert its sovereignty over the entire country, with the army deployed right up to the Israeli border. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for similar AFP report in French via Le Temps.

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Lebanese parliament speaker vows Israel deal ‘will not pass.’ From the Cradle. Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker and head of the Amal Movement, Nabih Berri, said on 29 June that the new US-brokered agreement between Beirut and Tel Aviv – reached in violation of Lebanese law – “will not be implemented.” READ MORE . . .

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Israel deal may entrench stalemate rather than end war, analysts say, by Samia Nakhoul | Reuters  BEIRUT — A security deal between Israel and Lebanon risks entrenching a stalemate rather than ⁠resolving ⁠Israel’s underlying conflict with Hezbollah by tying Israel’s pullout from southern ⁠Lebanon to the Iran-aligned group’s disarmament, a condition regional analysts and politicians say is unattainable. READ MORE . . .

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German pharmaceutical giant linked to white phospherous, glyphosate used by Israel in Lebanon: report. From the Cradle. A joint investigation by Germany’s Coordination gegen Bayer-Gefahren and Medico International has linked German conglomerate Bayer to the Israeli military’s liberal use of glyphosate and white phosphorus inside Lebanon. READ MORE . . .

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FROM JUNE 28  Hezbollah kills platoon commander in Israel’s elite Golani Brigade. From the Cradle. A Hezbollah resistance fighter killed a platoon commander belonging to the 12th Battalion of the Israeli military’s elite Golani Brigade overnight, Tel Aviv confirmed in a statement on Sunday. READ MORE . . . 

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TO BE CONTINUED

NOTE: No one reads this blog. But . . .

For now, links to reports from the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse, to a commentary via the Moscow Times, and to three interviews — the first and third interviews are from the Glenn Diesen Show, the earlier one via ScheerPost; in between is one from Redacted; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names or initials. (Scroll up for today’s GAZA and LEBANON so far, and down for UKRAINE 6-28-26.) — MCM

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FROM JUNE 28  Putin admits Ukrainian strikes driving fuel shortages. From AFP. President Vladimir Putin acknowledged Sunday that Russia is facing a “certain shortage” of fuel following a wave of repeated Ukrainian strikes targeting oil refineries and domestic supply lines. READ MORE . . .

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The world shouldn’t be confused when Russians shrug off a crisis,  by an anonymous writer in Russia | The Moscow Times  The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg does a superb job. If the reader doesn’t follow his work, they really should. He doesn’t just get Russia; he likes it, which is refreshing in the current information climate. More refreshing was how he  . . .READ MORE . . . 

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FROM JUNE 28  Kremlin hawks demand escalation against Ukraine and retaliation against Europe. Glenn Diesen, a University of South-Eastern Norway political scientist, talks with Brussels-based historian, businessman and “Russia-watcher” Gilbert Doctorow.* The latter has seen changes the Russian goverment’s approach to the war with Ukraine, along with the effectiveness of Western European governments’ involvement. Click HERE for video of interview.

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FROM c. JUNE 28  Is Putin about to END the war? Natali Morris  of Redacted talks with historian and “Russia watcher” Gilbert Doctorow.Among other things, Doctorow asserts that his views on the progression of the Russia-Ukraine war are roughly opposite of those expressed by former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence analyst Scott Ritter, a onetime regular on Consortium News’s The World This Week. Click HERE for video of interview.

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FROM JUNE 27  Ex-CIA analyst says NATO escalation could trigger direct conflict with Russia. Glenn Diesen talks with former CIA analyst Larry Johnson. Both see Moscow increasingly regarding NATO as a direct participant in the Russia-Ukraine war rather than a distant backer of Ukraine. Click HERE for video of interview and a print summary by Joshua Scheer of ScheerPost.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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* The titles of Doctorow’s books — all but one in kindle editions only — are HERE. An October 2022 interview with him in La Tribune Diplomatque Internationale, a Belgian periodical, is HERE.

NOTE: Nobody reads this blog. But . . .

Here are links to reports from the Cradle and the Associated Press, and to an analysis from Middle East Monitor; others are accessible by clicking on their names. (Scroll down for SYRIA, LEBANON, IRAN, UKRAINE and ALL OF IT.) — MCM

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Iraqi forces storm Green Zone, arrest politicians in ‘anti-corruption’ crackdown: report. From the Cradle. Iraqi security forces deployed in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone at dawn today, using heavy vehicles and tanks to carry out a series of raids targeting “several politicians” accused of corruption. READ MORE . . .

 Click HERE for report from AP (added on June 29).

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The banker of Baghdad: How Tom Barrack plans to starve Iran’s militia machine, by Jasim Al-Azzawi | Middle East Monitor  In April, the U.S. Treasury blocked a cargo-plane delivery of nearly $500 million in U.S. banknotes — proceeds from Iraqi oil sales — and simultaneously suspended security cooperation programs with the Iraqi military. READ MORE . . .

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