Strikes against Iran a ‘powerful response’ to attacks on M/V Ever Lovely, CENTCOM claims
US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that the strikes against Iran on Friday were a “powerful response” to attacks on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
A US aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites, CENTCOM reported.
The US claimed that Iran hit M/V Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship, in an act of “unwarranted aggression” that “clearly violated the ceasefire.”
“Furthermore, Iran’s dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor,” CENTCOM added.
Bryony Gooch26 June 2026 22:10
Strikes on Iranian targets ‘ongoing’
US strikes on Iranian targets are “ongoing”, Fox News has reported.
We will bring you the latest updates as the conflict continues.
Bryony Gooch26 June 2026 22:05
Iranian media report projectile strike near pier in southern Iran’s Sirik
Iranian media said a projectile struck the area around a pier in Sirik in southern Iran on Friday.
The report came after the US military said it had conducted strikes against Iran.
Iranian media, citing a military source, added that warning shots had been fired hours earlier on Friday toward “violating vessels” in the Strait of Hormuz.
Bryony Gooch26 June 2026 22:04
Over two thirds of Israelis believe Trump’s policies are bad for Israel
After weeks of reported tensions, Trump has repeatedly insisted that his relationship with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “good”.
James Reynolds26 June 2026 22:00
US strikes Iran to respond to drone attack on ship
The US strikes Iran to respond to drone attack on ship that Trump said violated ceasefire, the US military has said.
US aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites after Iran hit M/V Ever Lovely on June 25 with a one-way attack drone.
The Singapore-flagged cargo ship was exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast at the time of Iran’s attack.
Rebecca Whittaker26 June 2026 21:52
Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, says Marco Rubio
Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined Israel and Lebanon’s ambassadors to the US Friday to announce a framework agreement that was described as a first step toward peace following months of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The officials shared few details on the agreement, which does not include Hezbollah and prompted one of the group’s officials in Lebanon to warn of civil war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said that the framework would allow Lebanese forces to eventually retake control of territory from Israel’s military.
The agreement was signed in front of Rubio in Washington by Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, and Nada Hamadeh Moawad, the Lebanese ambassador to the United States.
Moawad said the framework “is a first step on the road to restoring Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, securing a permanent and final cessation of hostilities, enabling our people to go back to their land and allowing all Lebanese to live in peace, security and prosperity.”
Rebecca Whittaker26 June 2026 21:36
Iranian media report sound of explosion in southern Iran’s Sirik
Iranian media has reported that a sound of an explosion was heard in Sirik in southern Iran, adding the source of the sound was not immediately clear.
The reports came right after President Donald Trump hinted at a US response to an Iranian attack on a cargo ship, saying “you’ll find out” when asked if there would be consequences for Tehran.
Rebecca Whittaker26 June 2026 21:25
Trump promises farmers they will get to sell crops to ‘lovely country of Iran’ after war
President Donald Trump has promised American farmers they will soon be able to sell their crops to the “lovely country of Iran” now that he has signed a memorandum of understanding to end his war.
Speaking in the White House Rose Garden Thursday, the president said: “After years of getting ripped off by other countries on trade, we’ve reduced the agricultural trade deficit, just this year, by 42 percent, opening markets to the American exports, and all over the world, we’re opening up markets for the farmers.
“And we have another one, a new market, coming up. And that’s called the lovely country of Iran. It’s a beautiful place. Would anybody like to go there?
James Reynolds26 June 2026 21:00
In pictures: Man sifts through rubble of home destroyed in Lebanon conflict
James Reynolds26 June 2026 20:00
Recap: Israel says military ‘ready to finish the job’ if Tehran attacks
Defence minister Israel Katz wrote on social media on Friday that Tehran would “commit its biggest mistake” if it attacks Israel, following threats from the leader of a branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Neither Hormuz nor attacks on civilians will help them; nothing will stop us. Our forces are ready to finish the job,” he said.
Despite a renewed ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, Israel has continued operations across the border.
Israeli forces dropped leaflets over a town in southern Lebanon on Friday ordering residents to leave, Lebanese state media reported, in a first such order issued since the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.
James Reynolds26 June 2026 19:00
