Middle East roundup, June 3: Trump says Iran talks could yield result this weekend

This live blog follows the latest developments across the Middle East crisis, including regional diplomacy, maritime security, ceasefire negotiations, and economic fallout.

Catch up: Yesterday’s top developments

• Rubio hopeful for Iran deal, insists on nuclear curbs
• Lebanon says Israeli strikes on south kill 5, wound hospital staff
• Trump calls reports of halt in US-Iran talks false
• Middle East war hammering aid supply chains: UN 
• Kuwait praises Pakistan's Iran-US mediation efforts

Israel and Lebanon agree to implement a ceasefire

Published: June 3, 2026 | 23:23 GMT | by AFP

Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a ceasefire but said it would require a "complete cessation" of fire by Iran-backed Hezbollah, according to a joint statement after US-led talks in Washington.

The two sides, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, also agreed to create "pilot zones" in which the Lebanese armed forces "will take exclusive control of the territory to the exclusion of all non-state actors."

The statement added that the two sides agreed to reconvene for more talks on "political and security tracks  the week of  June 22, with a view toward reaching a comprehensive agreement."

Germany’s failed bid for UN Security Council seat a ‘rare moment of justice,’ says former UN official

Published: June 3, 2026 | 22:17 GMT | by AFP

Germany losing its bid to return to the UN Security Council for a seventh term was a “rare moment of justice” and an “unprecedented loss” for the country, former UN human rights official Craig Mokhiber said.

Mokhiber attributed the failed bid to “Germany’s scandalous support for genocide in Palestine and aggression against Iran, and its repression of human rights defenders inside Germany.”

“Germany’s money can no longer erase its responsibility for genocides in Namibia, Europe, and Palestine,” he added.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul acknowledged support for Israel may “have cost votes”, with just 104 of the UN General Assembly’s members voting in favor of Berlin’s continuing at the Security Council, well short of the two-thirds majority needed.

Trump says Iran talks could yield result this weekend

Published: June 3, 2026 | 21:28 GMT | by AFP

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that talks with Iran could yield results over the coming weekend and are going "very well."

"I hear the negotiation itself is going very well, actually," Trump told reporters, adding of a potential deal: "It could happen... over the weekend."

US House passes largely symbolic vote ordering end to Iran war

Published: June 3, 2026 | 22:08 GMT | by AFP

The US House of Representatives passed a resolution directing the withdrawal of American troops from the Iran war, in a political blow against President Donald Trump, who launched the conflict in February.

The resolution, adopted with four members of Trump's Republican Party joining Democrats, was largely symbolic, as the US president can veto the measure if it gains Senate approval.

Introduced by the ranking member of the opposition Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the resolution passed by a vote of 215-208.

“This is a loud and unambiguous message to Donald Trump on behalf of the American people: it’s time to end his deeply unpopular and illegal war of choice in Iran,” the committee’s Democrats posted on X.

Iran war is over, Rubio says, as strikes continue

Published: June 3, 2026 | 20:21 GMT | by AFP

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood by his claim that the war with Iran was over, even as deadly strikes continued.

"We're no longer conducting sustained strikes inside of Iran to degrade their military, because Epic Fury is over," Rubio told the House Foreign Affairs Committee, asserting that the United States had secured victory.

"We define victory as destroying their defense industrial base, significantly reducing the number of missile launchers that they possess, significantly reducing their stockpile of drones," Rubio said.

"And we achieved all those, in addition to destroying what they had left of an air force and wiping out their entire conventional navy."

Iran FM warns any attack on Beirut will trigger 'full-scale resumption of war'

Published: June 3, 2026 | 20:19 GMT | by AFP

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that any attack on Beirut would trigger a "full-scale resumption" of the Middle East war, as Israel pressed its campaign against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Iran has repeatedly insisted that any deal to end the wider Middle East war — which its ally Hezbollah joined on March 2 — must also halt the fighting in Lebanon.

"The fate of the war between Iran and the Zionists (Israel) and Americans is inseparable from the fate of the battle in Lebanon, and these two fronts have been intertwined since day one," Iranian news agencies quoted Araghchi as telling Lebanon's Al Mayadeen TV.

"Any attack on Beirut will have grave consequences and will lead to a full-scale resumption of the war," he continued, adding Iran's "armed forces are ready to strike Israel if it attacks Beirut".

He also insisted that for the war in Lebanon to end, Israeli forces must get out of the country.

"The end of the war in Lebanon also means the end of the occupation. That is, the end of the war must be accompanied by the withdrawal of the Zionist regime's forces from the areas they have occupied," he told the pro-Hezbollah Lebanese broadcaster.

Hamas postpones talks with Gaza mediators in Egypt to Sunday

Published: June 3, 2026 | 20:16 GMT | by AFP

A meeting between Hamas and Gaza truce mediators in Egypt has been postponed until Sunday, a source close to the movement said, as it demanded Israel halt ongoing attacks in the Palestinian territory.

The meeting had originally been planned for Wednesday in the Mediterranean city of El-Alamein, and was set to include a Hamas delegation headed by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, along with Palestinian factions such as Islamic Jihad and mediators from Egypt, Turkey and Qatar.

"Hamas and the Palestinian factions are expected to begin consultative meetings in Cairo next Saturday" ahead of meetings between the Palestinian movements and the mediators on Sunday, a source close to the negotiations told AFP.

The source said Hamas had "requested to postpone the talks", calling them meaningless amid "Israeli intransigence".

Iran's Guards deny deadly attack on Kuwait airport

Published: June 3, 2026 | 20:12 GMT | by AFP

Iran's Revolutionary Guards denied responsibility on Wednesday for an attack on Kuwait's international airport that officials said left an Indian national dead and 63 people wounded.

"Our investigation and review into the Kuwait passenger terminal attack shows that the IRGC Air Force did not fire any shots at this target," said Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi, according to the IRGC's official Telegram channel.

He said that "the destruction of the Kuwait airport passenger terminal was caused by an error in the American Patriot systems, which landed on the terminal after failing to intercept Iranian missiles."

Iran FM says 'no tangible progress' in talks with US to end war

Published: June 3, 2026 | 19:58 GMT | by AFP

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that lines of communication with the United States were still open, but "no tangible progress" has been made in negotiations to end the Middle East war.

"Communications with the Americans have not been cut off, and messages have been exchanged regarding the need to stop aggression against Beirut, but no tangible progress has been made in the negotiation process," the Tasnim news agency quoted him as telling Lebanon's Al Mayadeen TV.

"Returning to the negotiating table is conditional on ensuring the rights of the Iranian people, ending the war in Lebanon, and stopping tensions in the region."

Iran negotiator vows 'decisive' response to US-Israeli attack

Published: June 3, 2026 | 18:16 GMT | by AFP

Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that Tehran would meet any attack with a strong response, local media reported Wednesday, after its Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted Kuwait in retaliation for US attacks.

"Today, the Iranian nation, in its battle with America and the Zionist regime, showed that the era of free-of-charge Iran threats is over and that any aggression will be met with a decisive, regrettable, and proportionate response," Ghalibaf said, according to local news agency ISNA.

Kuwait demands two Iran embassy staff leave after deadly attack

Published: June 3, 2026 | 14:31 GMT | by AFP

Kuwait demanded that two Iranian embassy staff leave the country within 24 hours on Wednesday after an Iranian attack on the country's airport that killed one person and injured dozens more.

Kuwait's deputy foreign affairs minister Hamad Suleiman Al-Mashaan summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Kuwait, Hamed Hamid Yaqoubi Far, and "handed him an official protest note regarding the continued Iranian attacks and the decision to reduce the number of members of the Iranian Embassy in the country and to consider two members of the Iranian diplomatic mission persona non grata, and request their departure from the territory of the State of Kuwait within a maximum period of 24 hours" the ministry said in a statement.

GCC condemns 'Iranian aggression' against Bahrain, Kuwait
Published: June 3, 2026 | 12:17 GMT | by Web Desk

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi expressed “strongest” condemnation and “denunciation of the ongoing Iranian aggression against the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Kuwait,” the council said in an official statement on Wednesday.

The statement said that these “cowardly attacks” on civilian objects, infrastructure, headquarters and diplomatic missions constitute a “dangerous and unprecedented escalation.” It added that this reflects the Iranian regime’s “insistence on pursuing rejected hostile policies” targeting the security, stability and sovereignty of the GCC states.

“The Secretary General affirmed that the continuation of these attacks reveals Iran’s continued pursuit of rejected hostile policies aimed at undermining regional security, in blatant defiance of international law, the United Nations (UN) Charter and all international norms, stressing that this requires a firm international stance to put an end to these dangerous Iranian aggressive practices,” said the statement.

He stated that the security of Bahrain and Kuwait is an integral part of the security of the GCC states, and that the Cooperation Council states stand “united in confronting these attacks” and fully support “all measures and procedures” taken by the two countries to defend their security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Trump confirms calling Israeli Netanyahu ‘f--- crazy’
Published: June 3, 2025 | 12:12 GMT | by Web Desk

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “f--- crazy” earlier during a Monday phone call, the New York Post reported.

In an exclusive “Pod Force One” interview with The Post’s Miranda Devine, Trump stated; ““I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon,”, according to the report.

Early this week, Axios reported that Trump lashed out at Netanyahu over Israel’s escalation in Lebanon in an “expletive-laden” call on Monday, citing two US officials and a third source “briefed on the call.”

The report stated that Trump called Netanyahu "crazy" and accused him of ingratitude.

US imposes sanctions on Iranian crypto firms
Published: June 3, 2026 | 9:45 GMT | by Web Desk

US imposed fresh round of sanctions that targeted several Iranian cryptocurrency firms and people linked to the industry, the country’s state agency IRNA reported Wednesday.

According to IRNA, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) stated that four firms and four people were sanctioned, among them Nobitex, the country’s biggest cryptocurrency firm.

The move is part of a larger “Economic Fury” campaign launched by the US to “financially isolate Iran, target its shadow banking networks, and disrupt its petroleum and digital asset revenues”, according to the Treasury Department.

Kuwait says partially resumes flights after attack on airport

Published: June 3, 2026 09:15 GMT | by AFP

Kuwait said it would resume flights for its flagship airline on Wednesday, hours after saying an Iranian attack had forced the airport to close and killed one person.

"The General Authority of Civil Aviation announced on Wednesday the resumption of all Kuwait Airways flights only, from Kuwait International Airport," it said in a statement.

One killed in Iranian attack on Kuwait: ministry

Published: June 3, 2026 09:10 GMT | by AFP

Kuwait on Wednesday said Iranian attacks on its territory killed one person and wounded several others, as well as forcing its airport to close and damaging unnamed diplomatic missions.

Kuwait's foreign ministry condemned the attacks "that once again targeted vital and civilian infrastructure, including Kuwait International Airport, killing one person and injuring others, in addition to causing damage to vital infrastructure including diplomatic missions".

Oil prices rise on Iran peace worries, Asian stocks build on tech rally

Published: June 3, 2026 08:35 GMT | by AFP

Oil prices jumped more than 2% Wednesday as Middle East peace talks stuttered, though stocks mostly rose on the back of continued demand for all things linked to artificial intelligence.

Despite Donald Trump's assurances that the United States and Iran are edging closer to ending their three-month-long war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, crude investors appear unmoved as they await solid progress.

Kuwait says Iran drone attack forces closure of airport

Published: June 3, 2026 06:36 GMT | by AFP

Kuwait said Iran hit a passenger terminal at its international airport on Wednesday, wounding several people and forcing air traffic to be suspended.

Kuwait's Ministry of Defense spokesman Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Atwan described the attack as "criminal Iranian aggression which resulted in significant material damage to the building and injuries".

Iran's Revolutionary Guards blamed the US for targeting a communications tower on the country's Qeshm Island, though they did not explicitly say they had targeted Kuwait's airport.

"In response to this aggression, their air base and helicopters located in one of the countries in the region, as well as the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, were attacked by missiles and drones from the IRGC Aerospace Force," the Guards said.

Japan's govt backs $19B to dampen Iran war impact

Published: June 3, 2026 05:00 GMT | by AFP

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government backed on Wednesday $19 billion in additional spending to help Japanese households struggling with soaring everyday costs driven by the Iran war.

The budget could reportedly be passed as soon as Friday in the legislature that is dominated by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and allies of Takaichi, who said previously the money would go toward easing petrol, electricity, and gas costs.

The extra budget was "decided" at a cabinet meeting, the prime minister's office said on its website.

Israel, Lebanon advance toward comprehensive agreement after meeting in Washington

Published: June 3, 2026 04:31 GMT | by AFP

US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said that progress continues on the political and security tracks between Lebanon and Israel after the fourth round of direct talks were held in Washington. 

“Progress continues on the political and security tracks as we break from the failures of the past 20 years and advance toward a comprehensive agreement aimed at restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring Israel's security,” Pigott said in a post on X. 

“The United States remains fully committed to facilitating these historic negotiations,” he said, adding that another round was scheduled for tomorrow.

Cyber-attack exposed personal details of 600,000 Gaza households, WFP says

Published: June 3, 2026 03:17 GMT | by Web Desk

The World Food Programme (WFP) has informed 600,000 Palestinian families in Gaza that their personal information was exposed in a “security-related incident," The New Humanitarian reported, according to Al Jazeera.

According to a statement, the data that was accessed came from a “self-registration application (SRA) for Palestine, where individuals are able to register to receive food and cash assistance after verification.”

The information exposed to “unauthorized actors” included names, ID and mobile phone numbers, and location data, the news organization reports.

Oil spikes following latest US-Iran clash, targeting of Kuwait and Bahrain

Published: June 3, 2026 02:21 GMT | by Web Desk

Crude oil prices climbed by more than 1% in early trading on Wednesday morning, as clashes erupted in the Middle East, Al Jazeera reported.

Brent crude futures advanced by $1.05, or 1.09%, to settle at $97.05 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) surged by $1.01, or 1.08%, to reach $94.77.

IRGC says responded with drones, missiles after US struck Iranian oil tanker, communications tower

Published: June 3, 2026 00:41 GMT | by AFP

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports that the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has shared a sequence of events detailing an exchange of fire between US and Iranian forces.

According to the IRGC, the exchange began when US forces hit an Iranian oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, damaging its engine room.

The IRGC said it then attacked a US-Israeli vessel with naval missiles.

After this, US forces targeted an IRGC communications tower south of Qeshm Island.

The IRGC said it then used missiles and drones to attack a US airbase, including the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, and helicopters “located in one of the countries in the region”.

US military says it has 'defeated' Iran missile, drone attacks in Gulf

Published: June 3, 2026 00:27 GMT | by AFP

The US military said that it had "successfully defeated" a series of Iranian missile and drone attacks in the Gulf and conducted self-defense strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island.

"Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors; however, all failed to hit their intended targets," US Central Command said in a statement.

"Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by US and Bahrain air defense forces."

The US military also shot down three attack drones that had been launched by Iran "toward civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters," Centcom said.

Centcom said the strikes had targeted an "Iranian military ground control station" on the island, adding that no US personnel were injured.

Read our June 2 live blog for earlier developments here