Iran-US War Latest: Vance Says US in 'Great Position' Even If Talks Fail

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Iran-US war latest: Vance says US in ‘great position’ even if talks fail in Qatar

Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will discuss the state of negotiations with mediators

Tehran has said its negotiators will not sit down for peace talks with the US until all the points in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) have been upheld.

Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Qatar to meet mediators, but Iran has insisted no direct talks are on the table.

“There is no high level meeting between the US and Iran planned,” Qatar said on Tuesday, in another sign that the peace process was stalling.

The MoU is made up of 14 points, including the safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days and the US terminating any sanctions against Iran.

Speaking on Tuesday, Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said any current meetings are being held with the intention of seeing MoU commitments met, and warned safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz has only been agreed for 60 days.

Iran and the US had traded attacks in the Gulf in recent days as each accused the other of violating an interim deal signed less than two weeks ago to end their four-month war.

Satellite images show Isfahan nuclear complex in Iran

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar1 July 2026 05:30

Oil ticks higher closer to $74

Oil prices rose in early trade this morning as investors responded to news that ‌Iran will not be meeting with US envoys, a further strain on the interim ceasefire agreed between the two in the four-month-long war.

Brent futures rose 50 cents or 0.69 per cent to $73.45 a barrel, while US ​West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 63 cents, or 0.91 per cent, to $70.13 a barrel.

Brent fell by around $45 a barrel between the first and second quarters of this year, its largest quarterly loss since 2008 during the financial crisis.

US crude futures meanwhile ​fell by around $31, their largest quarterly loss since 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic crushed global oil ​demand.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar1 July 2026 05:15

Korea cargo ship Namu to exit Strait of Hormuz after attack in Gulf

South Korea's oceans ministry said this morning that the cargo vessel Namu would exit the Strait of Hormuz in mid-July at the ⁠earliest once the damage sustained in an attack in May was repaired.

The bulk carrier's hull was hit near the stern in the attack, which Seoul said on 27 May probably involved an ⁠Iranian anti-ship missile, summoning the Iranian ​ambassador ⁠to share the results of its investigation and lodge a protest.

Saeed Koozechi, Iran's ambassador to South Korea, ⁠denied Tehran's involvement, the Yonhap news agency reported, and South Korea ​later ⁠said it could not ‌conclusively determine who was responsible or whether the attack was intentional.

There are currently two vessels stuck in the Strait ‌of Hormuz, including Namu, with 35 crew ‌members on board, Nam Jae-heon, vice oceans minister, told a press briefing today.

Nam added that 21 South Korean-operated vessels had passed safely through ⁠the strait since Washington and Tehran signed a ceasefire two weeks ago.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar1 July 2026 05:00

Vance says US in ‘great position’ even if Iran talks fail

US vice president JD Vance has claimed that the Trump administration was in a "great position" despite how talks with Iran have been panning out.

"I actually think that the United States is in a great position, however, the negotiation ultimately shakes out," Vance said, as US envoys met with a Qatari official yesterday.

He told Fox News: "If the negotiation is successful, which obviously we want it to be successful, you have an Iran that is permanently transformed."

“That's not funding regional terrorism and instability; that is permanently given up on any nuclear weapons ambition, and that, as a result, is welcomed back into the world economy. That's a great outcome for the American people; it's a great outcome for the whole region."

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar1 July 2026 04:55

Trump contemplating further strikes - report

US president Donald Trump ‌has weighed a return to all-out war, holding conversations with defence secretary Pete Hegseth and chair of the joint chiefs of staff General Dan Caine on conducting more strikes, the Wall Street Journal reported.

But for ‌now, Trump, who has publicly threatened Iran with more attacks, has decided to give diplomacy ‌more time, the report said.

The report comes as Iran said it would not meet with top US envoys who flew to the region following an outbreak of hostilities, clouding the prospects for a lasting peace between the two countries.

Iranian officials also said the two sides must still sort out the terms of a ⁠ceasefire they signed two weeks ago before they could tackle more difficult topics, such as possible limits to its nuclear program.

The two countries were due to commence lower-level technical talks, according to Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar's foreign ministry.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar1 July 2026 04:45

Iran’s young protesters are living in hiding for fear of execution: ‘Even my mother doesn’t know where I am’

Over 100 days after the brutal and unprecedented crackdown during Iran’s national uprising, life will never be the same for many of the young people who took to the streets.

As waves of arrests, executions and heavy sentences continue to mount, dozens of young protesters are now in a state of limbo between hiding and constant flight. They cannot return home, switch on their phones or even spend two nights in the same place.

The Independent spoke to some of them about their experiences living in hiding. You can read more below:

Iran’s young protesters are living in hiding for fear of execution by brutal regime

Amirhossein Miresmaeili speaks to protestors on the run from the regime as arrests and executions surge, and finds protestors still riddled with bullets but too scared to go to hospital

Nicole Wootton-Cane1 July 2026 04:30

Why are the US travelling for peace talks again?

US delegates have travelled to Doha to take part in peace talks, according to president Donald Trump - despite Iranian officials saying no such talks are scheduled.

It comes after both sides traded strikes over the Strait of Hormuz at the end of last week, risking the fragile ceasefire that had been settled just two weeks ago.

Both sides had recently traded attacks in the Gulf, each accusing the other of violating the earlier deal.

Iran claimed a joint missile and drone operation targeting US military sites, while the US had struck Iran after a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz.

Nicole Wootton-Cane1 July 2026 04:00

Watch: Qatari foreign ministry says no direct US-Iran talks at the moment, as US mediators arrive in Doha

Nicole Wootton-Cane1 July 2026 03:00

Iraq to hold funeral procession for slain Iran supreme leader: Iranian official

Iraq will hold a funeral procession for Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli attack at the beginning of the Iran war. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was named his successor.

“During my visit to Baghdad, I met with a number of senior Iraqi officials.

“As is the case in Iran, Iraq is preparing to hold a grand public funeral procession for His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, in an event that will undoubtedly go down in history and contribute to strengthening the bonds of brotherhood and the deep-rooted ties between our two countries and peoples”, Araghchi wrote on X.

Rachel Dobkin1 July 2026 02:00

US envoy and Trump's son-in-law meet with Qatari prime minister

Qatar’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has announced that US envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha Tuesday.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that the ongoing talks between the US and Iran “within the framework of the memorandum of understanding between the two parties were reviewed”.

“The meeting also addressed the latest regional developments, particularly the ceasefire in the sisterly Republic of Lebanon, and stressed the importance of consolidating it and building upon it in a way that preserves Lebanon’s unity, sovereignty and stability”, the ministry’s statement read.

Rachel Dobkin1 July 2026 01:00