What happened at the first round of U.S.-Iran negotiations
Mediator nations Qatar and Pakistan said in a statement just after 3 a.m. on Monday that the first round of negotiations had ended with “encouraging progress,” reports The New York Times. Technical discussions will continue this week, the mediators said.
The mediators' joint statement said that a “communication line” had been formed “to avoid incidents and miscommunication with the aim of safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz,” says the BBC.
And both sides agreed on the creation of a “de-confliction cell” among the United States, Iran and Lebanon, facilitated by the mediating countries, to end military operations in Lebanon, the statement said.
A new ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon had been declared on Friday, but continued clashes and air strikes prompted Iran on Saturday to announce it had shut the Strait of Hormuz. However, tracking data show vessels have continued to pass through the strait, the BBC says.
Israel has insisted that its conflict with Hezbollah is separate from the war with Iran.
The talks were “jolted by blistering statements” from President Trump, who from thousands of miles away from the Swiss negotiating site was firing off comments that offended the Iranians, says The Associated Press.
Iran state media said Trump’s comments violated the preliminary peace deal signed Wednesday, which bars the two sides from attacking or threatening each other.
The chief negotiators for the United States include Vice President Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner. Iran’s top negotiators are Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Araghchi wrote on X that the Pakistan and Qatar mediators delivered “major progress to end the Lebanon War.” He said the first “real test” of negotiations would be whether the mechanism succeeded in stopping the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Real estate developers Kushner and Witkoff are handling many of the “technical details” for the U.S. delegation, says The Wall Street Journal.
The interim deal signed last week by the leaders of the United States and Iran outlines a 60-day period for negotiators to settle the future of Tehran’s nuclear program amid concerns that it wants to use it for military purposes, a claim Iran denies. Frozen Iranian assets, among other issues, also are on the agenda.
Israel and Hezbollah aren’t parties to the talks.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/06/22/world/iran-us-trump-lebanon
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwy0q41v1lzo
https://apnews.com/article/united-states-iran-war-nuclear-negotiations-4bbde727c7095c4ad9da0285ca79f1e1
https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/war-in-lebanon-casts-shadow-over-renewed-iran-u-s-nuclear-talks-f457c7e9?mod=hp_lead_pos3
Note to readers
Over the weekend, I tested the ability to embed links, and it worked fine. So my apologies (again) that it isn’t working now.
Also in the news
Trump-backed right-wing lawyer Abelardo De la Espriella appears to win Colombia presidential election
https://abcnews.com/International/trump-backed-wing-lawyer-appears-win-colombias-presidential/story?id=134082409
BBC Live: Keir Starmer announces his resignation as Britain prime minister and leader of Labor Party
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/ckger03mrl0t
Asylum seekers deported by U.S. to Sierra Leone risk return to home countries where they fear persecution, despite prior court orders
https://apnews.com/article/sierra-leone-deportations-trump-administration-5797dd733519f0e5dc0eb39e1c741570
Bill Pulte starts work as acting director of national intelligence by ordering list of people to fire from National Counterterrorism Center
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/19/pulte-seeks-major-cuts-in-first-day-as-intel-chief-00968831
ICE spent $700 million on 7 warehouses, but now it wants to get rid of them
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/us/politics/ice-warehouses-immigration.html?campaign_id=57&emc=edit_ne_20260618&instance_id=177455&nl=the-evening®i_id=65738215&segment_id=221754&user_id=8bf80cec6366581717e3c84ad0a87386
ProPublica: ‘Trump is defying Congress on foreign aid’
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-defying-congress-foreign-aid-usaid-vought-rubio-constitutional-crisis
ProPublica: U.S.’ demands to access Africans’ data as a condition of aid raises privacy, sovereignty concerns
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-state-department-africa-uganda-aid-medical-data-privacy
National Science Foundation reverses decision to dismantle ocean-monitoring network after outcry
https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-ocean-nsf-trump-7e00d19c0af8b15400d7621dcbaa2013
Trump administration says it's cutting student loan interest; here are some facts and context
https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-interest-rate-education-department-05d2b35d1be3393788b89e9589b601f4
Trump unveils new Air Force One that was donated by Qatar
https://apnews.com/article/trump-air-force-one-qatar-5d6997dba287d70749b736067c8a337b
Supreme Court rules government can't restrict gun rights for casual drug use, on 9-0 vote
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-backs-marijuana-users-challenge-restriction-gun-ownershi-rcna266931
Missouri judge finds that state laws restricting abortion violate voter-approved constitutional amendment
https://apnews.com/article/missouri-abortion-court-ruling-medication-46212c0b44939d042e6a242aeb75fc83
Maine State Auditor Matt Dunlap wins Democratic primary for battleground 2nd congressional district
https://rollcall.com/2026/06/19/matt-dunlap-wins-democratic-primary-for-battleground-maine-seat/
Court orders restoration of Ohio restrictions on kids’ use of social media
https://apnews.com/article/social-media-parental-consent-ohio-eef2f173956e37183a39f13790bca96b
What the Bible passages in Texas’ proposed student reading list reveal
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/06/19/texas-religious-reading-list-sboe-bible-public-schools/
Democratic socialists surge in mayoral races across the nation as anti-Trump fervor increases
https://apnews.com/article/democratic-socialist-mayors-lewis-george-mamdani-5c32504d1506a392b6eb1a64460f7966
As Juneteenth is celebrated across U.S., Obama’s presidential center opens in Chicago
https://apnews.com/article/juneteenth-june-19-holiday-celebration-obama-center-52dcbf757afbf9e43ee71296c440e35f
Trump administration can replace slavery exhibit at George Washington’s home in Philadelphia, appeals court says
https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-national-parks-washington-slavery-exhibit-appeal-6996253ba77a2a3ac1a5f6732576980b
Judge denies Biden effort to block release of transcripts linked to special counsel inquiry
https://apnews.com/article/biden-special-counsel-heritage-foundation-ghostwriter-transcripts-6a23a9069bc65f9631074287afd6f567
WPost: 'Tulsi Gabbard, her guru and the mysterious messages that helped shape her political career’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/06/21/tulsi-gabbard-her-guru-mysterious-messages-that-helped-shape-her-political-career/
NYTimes: As 150th anniversary of Battle of the Little Bighorn nears, heirs of Custer and Sitting Bull protect their legacies
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/21/arts/for-heirs-of-custer-and-sitting-bull-a-150-year-old-battle-is-personal.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20260622&instance_id=177574&nl=today%27s-headlines®i_id=9996294&segment_id=221888&user_id=c76f39fab82f6732016e6d6931e31afc
NYTimes investigation: Pickups and SUVS with taller hoods, bigger blind zones are a factor in increased pedestrian deaths
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/21/us/trucks-suv-pedestrian-crashes.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20260622&instance_id=177574&nl=today%27s-headlines®i_id=9996294&segment_id=221888&user_id=c76f39fab82f6732016e6d6931e31afc
FDA advisory panel backs first-of-its-kind flu vaccine using mRNA technology
https://apnews.com/article/moderna-flu-vaccine-mrna-fda-advisers-mflusiva-488c68fe39244ca5ebad441a815b4ba2
You can call the Capitol switchboard, (202) 224-3121, and be connected to the offices of your representative and senators. To email your House member and your two senators, you can connect to their websites at Congress.gov. Most lawmakers seem to only accept emails from their constituents, but these leaders accept emails from Americans nationwide, at:
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer
Senate Majority Leader John Thune