Middle East updates: Iran, US to attend talks in Qatar

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Israeli threats on the life of new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei by threatening to strike Israel.

Araghchi took to his X account to say that US under President Donald Trump had committed to "muzzling its pets in Tel Aviv," adding Iranwill "school" Israel should it ignore the warning.

"The terms of the Islamabad MoU are crystal clear and public for all to see," Araghchi said.

This comes after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called Khamenei "marked for death," while also implying Israel could take action regardless of the agreement between Iran and the US.

Unions and shipping companies will continue to treat the Strait of Hormuz a "warlike operations area," according to a joint statement by International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) union and the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG), an umbrella organization representing shipping owners.

"This decision recognizes the continuing and significant risk to life and the rapidly evolving situation in the area," the statement reads, with the status staying put until July 9 and being reassessed on a weekly basis.

As a result of the decision, mariners will be entitled to double pay crossing the Strait of Hormuz, meaning more costs for shipping companies.

The status covers around 15,000 vessels worldwide.

Iran's state media reported that a foreign container ship ran aground after not running Iran's approved route through theStrait of Hormuz.

It said ships needed to follow instructions set out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) when transiting the strait.

The vessel was described as a foreign container ship, but no other details were initially provided.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), urgently needs donations.

"They cannot keep going like this without urgent backing and financial support from member states," he said at a donor conference for the aid agency in New York, adding he is "appalled" by attempts to undermine the agency's work.

Guterres said those attempts are being made "through disinformation. Smear campaigns. Legislative actions. Operational restrictions. Diplomatic roadblocks. And more."

Israel alleged at least 12 of UNRWA's 13,000 employees were involved in the Hamas-led October 7 terrorist attack on the country's south, resulting in some countries stopping funding for the agency, most notably the US, UNRWA's most important donor.

According to UNRWA, some 5.9 million people are under its mandate, with it also operating in Lebanon, Jordan and other places.

Here's everything we know about the meeting between the US and Iran in Qatar.

The who

On the US side, special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are both in Qatar, with the White House saying they will attend "high-level meetings."

However, the Qatari foreign ministry said the two were not in Doha for talks with the Iranians. They did meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, with the meeting being about the two US representatives "meeting the mediators."

Iran's delegation is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, the country's foreign ministry said.

The talks between the two countries will be indirect, the AFP news agency reported, citing diplomatic sources.

The what

According to Qatar's foreign ministry, the meetings will be about both Iran and Lebanon, with another main issue being the permanent opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian assets and funds frozen due to the US sanctions are also expected to be on the table.

The why

The talks come after the two countries exchanged fire sporadically since the signing on the MoU between them, with Tehran's attempt to enforce its claim on the Strait of Hormuz being given as a reason for the repeated flare-ups. 

However, the situation has calmed down in the past several days. 

We will be covering the talks between the US and Iran that are taking place in Qatar today.

Iran and the US gave conflicting accounts regarding the talks, and Qatar also said no high-level meetings or direct talks between the two countries were planned.

According to the White House, US envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will be in Doha for the meeting.

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