Venezuelan authorities said on June 29 that at least 1,719 people have been killed and 5,034 injured since two powerful earthquakes struck the country last Monday (June 22).

More than 50,000 people remain missing or unaccounted for as rescue teams continue searching through the rubble of thousands of collapsed and damaged buildings, with hopes of finding more survivors fading.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquakes measured magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 and struck less than 40 seconds apart.

The magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck about 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) southeast of Yumare in Yaracuy state, while the magnitude 7.2 quake hit roughly 24 kilometers (14.9 miles) northeast of San Felipe. The earthquakes caused extensive destruction in Caracas and several coastal states, including La Guaira, Carabobo, Miranda, Aragua and Falcon.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced, placing additional strain on emergency services and relief efforts.

A preliminary assessment based on satellite radar data indicates that approximately 58,870 buildings may have been damaged or destroyed across the affected region.

Seismic activity has continued since the disaster, as a magnitude 4.6 aftershock struck near Caraballeda on June 29, one of more than 600 tremors recorded since the initial earthquakes.

No additional damage was immediately reported, although the shaking sent residents in Caracas running into the streets.

In a phone call with his Venezuelan counterpart, Yván Gil Pinto, on June 27, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi conveyed the condolences of the Iranian government and people to Venezuela, particularly to the families of those killed in the earthquakes.

Araghchi wished those injured a speedy recovery and said the Islamic Republic of Iran stands with the Venezuelan people during this difficult time.

The FM also said Tehran is ready to provide assistance and participate in search-and-rescue operations. (PressTV.ir)

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In a post published on X on June 21, Rodríguez wrote: “When [Rubio] talks about incompetence in Cuba, he should be asked why he lies chronically and contradicts the U.S. president and his spokeswoman by denying the existence of the total fuel blockade that the White House acknowledges.”

“There is no oil blockade on Cuba, per se,” Rubio claimed on June 20 while guest-hosting the daily White House press briefing.

Rodríguez stated that Rubio’s references to the situation in Cuba are consistently framed in a way that avoids responsibility and self-accountability, describing it as “an attempt to present himself as a savior.”

The Cuban foreign minister also denounced the “economic suffocation plan” against his country, saying it prevents foreign companies from selling parts and technology needed for the island’s thermoelectric plants.

The plan “prevents any company in the world from selling oil to our country” and also targets CUPET, the Cuban company responsible for fuel logistics and energy infrastructure, he explained.

He added that it sanctions nickel companies, threatens foreign companies involved in tourism and mining, and strips foreign citizens who visit Cuba of the right to use Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) visas to enter the U.S.

Rodríguez also said Washington pressures and threatens countries that maintain health cooperation agreements with Cuba.

He further stated that Rubio “openly calls for the subversion of Cuba’s constitutional order and persistently seeks U.S. military intervention in Cuba.”

An executive order signed by Trump on January 29 authorized the White House to impose tariffs on countries exporting fuel to Cuba.

So far in 2026, Cuba has received a single shipment of 100,000 tons of crude oil from Russia. (PressTV.ir)

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These measures constitute a blatant attack on the holy site and form part of a deliberate effort to alter its Islamic and historical character. In a statement issued on June 23, the ministry reported that Israeli occupation forces have begun removing the canopy in the mosque courtyard.

It described the move as a “new Judaization crime” and warned that it is part of a broader settlement project aimed at imposing a “new Judaization reality” inside the sacred site.

The ministry further stated that Israel’s claim of roofing the courtyard is merely a pretext for a policy designed to impose complete Zionist control over the Ibrahimi Mosque and eventually convert it into a Jewish synagogue.

It emphasized that these actions represent a direct assault on the mosque and an attempt to erase its Islamic, historical, and cultural identity.

The ministry stressed that the Ibrahimi Mosque is a purely Islamic endowment in its entirety, including its courtyards, arcades, and walls, and that the Zionist entity has no right whatsoever to interfere in its affairs or alter any part of its urban and historical structure.

These violations, it said, breach international laws and agreements that protect places of worship and religious sites.

The ministry called on the international community, UNESCO, and human rights organizations to take urgent action to stop the illegal Israeli measures.

It also urged Palestinians to increase their presence at the Ibrahimi Mosque to protect and defend it and to thwart the occupation’s plans to erase its Islamic identity.

The mosque lies in the Old City of al-Khalil, which remains under full Israeli control. There, approximately 400 Israeli settlers live under the protection of around 1,500 Israeli soldiers.

In 1994, following the massacre carried out by an Israeli settler that killed 29 Palestinian worshippers, Israel divided the mosque, allocating 63% to Jewish worshippers and 37% to Muslims.

Until recently, the al-Khalil municipality, the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, and the al-Khalil Rehabilitation Committee managed the technical and service aspects of the mosque under a 1997 agreement.

In January, Israel transferred construction licensing powers in al-Khalil from the Palestinian municipality to the so-called Israeli Civil Administration, a clear step in the Zionist regime’s ongoing campaign to Judaize the city. (PressTV.ir)

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The MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), slated for signing by the Iranian and U.S. presidents electronically early on June 18, lays out a comprehensive framework designed to end the imposed war and reconfigure the regional order with Iran as a principal power.

The document sets out immediate commitments on the part of the U.S. and its Zionist proxy to cease military aggression across all fronts, including Lebanon, while affirming respect for Iran’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference in the country’s internal affairs.

It further establishes a timeline for comprehensive negotiations expected to culminate in a final agreement within 60 days. Beyond security provisions, the text addresses maritime stability, commercial shipping guarantees, sanctions relief, economic reconstruction assistance, and the gradual unfreezing of Iranian assets.

It also includes provisions related to nuclear assurances, verification mechanisms under the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the maintenance of a temporary status quo during negotiations. A structured implementation and monitoring framework is also outlined.

Ultimately, the agreement envisions UN Security Council endorsement, signaling an effort to institutionalize any final settlement within the international legal order.

The MoU came after the U.S.-Israeli axis faced a humiliating defeat on the battlefield and was forced to give concessions to Iran during the negotiations.

Following is the full text of the memorandum published on June 17:

1. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America and their allies in the current war, by signing this Memorandum of Understanding, declare the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and commit that from now on no war or military operation will be initiated against each other.

And they will refrain from the threat or use of force against one another, and guarantee the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final agreement will confirm the permanent end of the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, and the rest of this clause.

2. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America commit to respecting each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and refraining from interference in each other’s internal affairs.

3. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America commit to conducting negotiations and reaching a final agreement within a maximum period of 60 days, extendable by mutual consent.

4. Immediately upon signing this Memorandum of Understanding, the United States will begin lifting its naval blockade and any harassment or obstruction against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days.

During this period, shipping traffic will be maintained in proportion to pre-war traffic levels as established by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States also commits to withdrawing its military forces from the surrounding region of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final agreement.

5. Upon signing this Memorandum of Understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements, to the best of its ability, for the safe passage of commercial vessels, free of charge for 60 days, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa.

Commercial shipping will begin immediately and will be fully established within 30 days, subject to the removal of technical and military obstacles and demining operations carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Islamic Republic of Iran will consult with the Sultanate of Oman regarding the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz, and will also exchange views with other Gulf coastal states.

6. The United States commits, together with its regional partners, to establish a definitive program agreed upon by both parties for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran, with a minimum funding of 300 billion dollars.

The implementation mechanism of this program will be finalized as part of the final agreement within 60 days. All necessary approvals, waivers, and permits for the relevant financial transactions will be issued by the United States.

7. The United States commits to ending all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including United Nations Security Council resolutions, International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral U.S. sanctions, both primary and secondary, according to a timetable agreed as part of the final agreement.

Both the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States acknowledge the fundamental importance of ending the sanctions mentioned above and express their intention to address these issues promptly in negotiations to reach a mutual agreement.

8. The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it will not produce or acquire nuclear weapons. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States agree to resolve the status of stored enriched materials through a mutually agreed mechanism and in accordance with the timetable set in Clause 7, at a minimum through on-site dilution under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The two sides also agree to discuss the issue of enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the nuclear needs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on a satisfactory framework to be agreed in the final agreement.

The final agreement will confirm the provisions of this clause. Both sides also acknowledge the fundamental importance of the above nuclear issues and express their intention to address them promptly in negotiations to reach a mutual agreement.

9. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States agree to maintain the status quo until the final agreement is reached; Iran will maintain the status quo in its nuclear program, and the United States will not impose any new sanctions on Iran nor deploy additional military forces in the region.

10. The United States commits to immediately, upon signing this Memorandum of Understanding and until sanctions are lifted, issuing Treasury waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petrochemical products and derivatives, and all related services, including banking transactions, insurance, transportation, and others.

11. The United States commits to fully making available all restricted or frozen funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon implementation of this Memorandum of Understanding. The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran will mutually agree on the procedures for releasing these funds during negotiations.

These funds, whether held in primary accounts or transferred, must be fully usable for payments to any final beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States commits to issuing all necessary approvals and licenses in this regard.

12. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States agree to establish an implementation mechanism to monitor the successful execution of this Memorandum of Understanding and future compliance with the final agreement.

13. Following the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding, and subject to the commencement of implementation of Clauses 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11 and the continuation of these measures, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States will begin negotiations on the final agreement exclusively on the remaining clauses.

14. The final agreement will be endorsed by a binding resolution of the United Nations Security Council 

(PressTV.ir)

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In a statement released on June 8, Hazem Qassem said the continued deaths place a political, moral, and legal responsibility on mediating and guarantor countries to pressure Israel and compel it to halt the systematic violations of the ceasefire agreement.

He called on the United Nations Security Council to identify the party obstructing the agreement and take action to enforce compliance.

Qassem further urged the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take meaningful steps to stop the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza.

The Hamas spokesman also called upon the leadership of the Palestinian Authority to instruct all its ambassadors worldwide to activate the role of Palestinian diplomatic missions in support of the Gaza Strip, and to place their main priority on highlighting the sufferings of Gazans and exposing the ongoing Israeli aggression and siege of the region.

Earlier, Taher al-Nunu, media advisor to the head of the Hamas political office, emphasized in statements that international efforts to force the Israeli regime to stop the massacre in the Gaza Strip have failed.

“Despite the fact that the agreement stipulates the need for a ceasefire, the killing of residents of the Gaza Strip has not stopped,” Nunu said.

He added, “The so-called Board of Peace must identify the party that is preventing the implementation of the agreement.”

Nunu stated that consultations are underway to pave the way for a new round of negotiations to ensure implementation of the clause of the agreement.

Israeli military forces have persisted in their offensives in Gaza, which include air and artillery bombardments, demolitions, and limitations on the movement of goods, humanitarian assistance, and travel, as reported by Palestinian sources.

Data provided by Gaza’s Health Ministry reveals that since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025, at least 977 Palestinians have been killed at the hands of Israeli forces and 3,063 sustained injuries.

Meanwhile, the death toll since October 7, 2023, has risen to 72,987 Palestinians killed and 173,171 injured, highlighting the severe human cost of the ongoing genocidal war. (PressTV.ir)

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“With our British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and Norwegian partners, we are today imposing new sanctions against those responsible for intensifying colonization and violence in the West Bank,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a post on social media.

Barrot added that France had also barred Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, three settler leaders and 21 settlers from entering the country over violence in the West Bank.

In separate statements, the six countries warned that additional measures could follow if the Israeli regime failed to adequately address the situation on the ground.

Britain simultaneously urged its citizens and businesses to avoid economic and financial activity in Israeli settlements, illegal under international law.

“I have strengthened our business risk guidance to make it clear and unambiguous: if you are a British citizen or business, you should not conduct any economic and financial activities in illegal Israeli settlements,” Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told the Parliament.

“We believe that violent settler groups should not be profiting from the land that they have seized from Palestinians,” Cooper added.

Cooper also said the Israeli regime had “condemned some settler violence, but that rings hollow when there is scant accountability.”

In a separate statement, the British government renewed its call on Israel to halt settlement expansion, curb settler violence, prosecute those responsible and remove restrictions hampering the Palestinian economy.

The announcement drew criticism from rights advocates, who said that the measures are not enough.

Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK’s crisis response manager, said that “targeting settler financing networks while the ministers who run this campaign face no consequences is not meaningful accountability.”

“The UK must sanction Benjamin Netanyahu, Orit Strock and Israel Katz as well as Yoav Gallant,” he said.

Benedict also called on Britain to ban “all trade with settlements and halt cooperation and investment relations enabling unlawful occupation and apartheid.”

Christian Aid voiced similar concerns. “It is pathetic merely to ‘advise’ British businesses against activity in illegal Israeli settlements when there are no real consequences for them,” the charity said.

“The UK Government must ban all trade and investment with Israeli settlements before Palestine is erased entirely,” said Jennifer Larbie, Christian Aid’s head of UK influencing.

A United Nations inquiry has found that Israeli authorities were directly involved in settler attacks that killed, injured and displaced Palestinians in the West Bank, while Israeli forces provided protection to settlers.

Last year, Britain joined several Western allies, including France and Canada, in recognizing a Palestinian state. (PressTV.ir)

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Records from the House Ethics Committee show that AIEF has sponsored at least 15 congressional delegations involving 78 lawmakers and staff members from Democrats and Republicans.

Participants received all-expenses-paid trips that included stays at luxury hotels, meetings with senior Israeli officials, and briefings focused largely on Israel’s so-called security concerns and regional policy.

The travels took place as Israel expanded its military offensives in Gaza and elsewhere in the region, drawing criticism from human rights organizations, international institutions, and a growing number of political figures in the United States.

According to congressional filings, lawmakers met with senior Israeli politicians, including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and attended sessions with the regime’s military commanders, military contractors, and settlers advocating for settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Several delegations also visited locations in the occupied West Bank, including settlements that the international community regards as illegal.

During several of the visits, Israeli military attacks were ongoing while aid organizations warned of severe shortages of food, medicine, and essential services for Palestinian civilians.

AIEF-sponsored travel continued into 2026, including in the period immediately preceding the U.S. and Israeli military aggression against Iran.

One AIEF trip, scheduled for February 2026 and concluding less than a week before the initial attacks on Iran, included five Democratic staff members and seven Republicans.

AIEF is not the only organization sponsoring lawmakers’ travel to Israel. The Zionist group J Street has funded trips primarily for Democrats, while organizations such as the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) and the Atlantic Council have sponsored visits for members of both parties.

AIEF, however, has maintained a steady schedule of congressional trips to occupied Palestine despite growing international criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed approximately 72,938 Palestinians and wounded over 172,919, the majority of them women and children.

According to figures released by the Palestinian Health Ministry, 935 Palestinians have been killed and 2,860 injured since the ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025. (PressTV.ir)

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“Every day the danger of military aggression against Cuba grows,” Josefina Vidal said at a legislative hearing at the National Capitol on May 28.

Condemning U.S. sanctions on Cuban oil imports, Vidal noted that Washington is fabricating pretexts to portray Cuba as a threat to U.S. national security to justify the aggression.

Cuba has long been a target of illegal U.S. sanctions, blockades, and destabilization efforts aimed at undermining its sovereignty and revolutionary principles.

Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. has effectively imposed a blockade on the country by threatening sanctions on countries supplying it with fuel, triggering power outages and exacerbating its worst crisis in decades.

Since March, the two nations have been engaged in dialogue, but Cuban authorities decried the U.S. for a lack of good faith and stressed that they will not allow interference in their country’s internal affairs.

“A channel of exchange between the two governments remains open, but there has not been much progress. We have reason to doubt the seriousness and responsibility of the United States government,” Vidal said.

“We hope that the path of dialogue will prevail at this time, when the aggressive actions that the U.S. government is taking against Cuba cast doubt on the seriousness and responsibility with which it is approaching this process,” she added.

Vidal reaffirmed Cuba’s keenness to pursue dialogue, but “not so that the U.S. can try to control Cuba’s destiny through pressure, coercion and the threat of military aggression.”

She emphasized that if Cuba is forced into a war, “we will face it decisively.”

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has warned that any military action would lead to a “bloodbath” in which thousands of Cubans and Americans would die.

He has urged the international community to prevent a disaster on the island during a speech before the United Nations Security Council on May 26.

This follows a pattern of U.S. imperialism, where Washington routinely invents pretexts to target independent nations resisting its hegemony. (PressTV.ir)

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The U.S. Treasury Department wrote on its website on May 27 that it had reimposed its financial sanctions on Francesca Albanese. The Treasury Department notice came after U.S. Federal Judge Richard Leon suspended the sanctions against Albanese in mid‑May.

Albanese, who is Italian, has been at the forefront of criticizing the Israeli regime for its genocide in Gaza since October 2023, as well as for other atrocities in the West Bank. She has strongly criticized Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinians in her role as independent UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories.

Albanese has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to pursue investigations into Israeli and U.S. officials, prosecuting the individuals accountable for the genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The U.S. State Department has accused Albanese of pursuing “illegitimate and baseless” investigations into Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza and U.S. military conduct.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, announcing sanctions against her in July last year, said Albanese has “spewed unabashed anti-Semitism, expressed support for terrorism and open contempt for the United States, Israel and the West.”

The sanctions bar Albanese from entering the U.S. and carrying out banking transactions.

Albanese’s husband, Massimiliano Cali, has sued the U.S. government on behalf of their child, a U.S. citizen who is still a minor, asserting that the U.S. sanctions are “effectively debanking her and making it nearly impossible to meet the needs of her daily life.”

Judge Leon said in his ruling earlier this month that the sanctions slapped on Albanese violated her rights. He pointed out that the paralyzing sanctions slapped on her by the U.S. government were based entirely on her calls for ICC accountability.

“Albanese has done nothing more than speak,” he wrote, stressing that her recommendations have no binding effect on the ICC.

The Hague‑based court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Minister of Military Affairs Yoav Gallant. (PressTV.ir)

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Speaking at a news conference on May 19, Smotrich said he had been informed that the ICC had requested a warrant for his arrest.

He did not specify who had informed him, noting that the process of seeking warrants is confidential.

He claimed the arrest warrants against Israeli officials are “a declaration of war,” adding, “In the face of a declaration of war, we will fight back with a vengeance.”

Announcing that he would go “on the attack” after learning of the arrest warrant, Smotrich said he “will sign an order to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar,” forcibly transferring the Palestinian community from this occupied West Bank village that has endured a years-long legal battle with Israeli authorities for its survival.

He also attacked Palestinian humanitarian organizations, reflecting the Israeli authorities’ anger at Palestinians for seeking international legal action over Israel’s genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, and has killed more than 72,800 Palestinians and wounded at least 172,700 others.

In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of  War Yoav Gallant for “crimes against humanity and war crimes” committed during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Judges and prosecutors at the ICC have since been sanctioned by banks, credit card companies, and tech giants such as Amazon as a result of sanctions imposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The ICC’s request for an arrest warrant centers on Smotrich’s forced displacement orders targeting Palestinians, his support for moving Israeli settlers into occupied territory, and his claim that it may be “justified and moral” to starve Palestinians in Gaza.

If approved, it would make Smotrich the third Israeli official targeted by the court, after Netanyahu and Gallant.

The United Kingdom and four other countries have imposed sanctions on Smotrich and another Israeli minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, for repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians.

Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have called for the permanent occupation of Gaza and the re-establishment of Jewish settlements there, which Israel abandoned in 2005.

In February, Smotrich approved a plan to claim large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property,” as more than 700,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli military forces and settlers have killed at least 1,155 Palestinians, injured around 11,750 others, and abducted approximately 22,000 in the occupied West Bank since October 2023, according to official figures. (PressTV.ir)

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