Switzerland said U.S. talks with Iranian negotiators on a pact to end the war in West Asia would not take place on Friday (June 19, 2026), while Vice President JD Vance dropped plans to travel there, fuelling uncertainty whether a lasting truce ‌can be found.

Senators are seeking to block Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel funds until the Pentagon submits several overdue reports to lawmakers, including its investigation into a deadly strike on an elementary school in Iran at the start of the U.S.-Israeli war.

According to an annual defence authorization bill, filed this week, much of the travel funds for the Defence Secretary’s office may not be spent until Mr. Hegseth submits “unredacted civilian harm investigations,” including for the Feb. 28, 2026, strike on the Minab school. Officials have preliminarily said the U.S. was responsible for the strike, which was blamed on outdated intelligence.

Congress, which conducts oversight of the Pentagon, has not yet received the Defence Department’s report on the investigation. It is believed to have been completed last month.

-AP

Oil prices fell in early trading on Thursday (June 18) after the U.S. and Iran signed an interim agreement that would end the Iran war, ‌reopen the Strait of Hormuz and waive U.S. sanctions on Tehran’s oil, resolving the largest energy ⁠supply disruption in history.

Brent crude futures were down 89 cents, or 1.12%, at $78.66 a barrel as of 0005 GMT, ‌and U.S. West Texas Intermediate fell 98 cents, or 1.28%, to $75.81 a barrel.

The benchmarks resumed their ‌decline, reversing gains made on Wednesday after U.S. ‌President ⁠Donald Trump said he could resume his bombing campaign ⁠if Iran’s leaders “don’t behave”.

-Reuters

U.S. President Donald ‌Trump on Tuesday (June 16) issued a rare public rebuke of Israel’s military tactics in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah militants, saying it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment ⁠buildings to hunt militants.

Mr. Trump, who in recent days had expressed his displeasure over Israeli attacks in Beirut that he said could have endangered his peace deal with Iran, said Israel has been fighting Hezbollah, the ‌Iran-aligned Lebanese militia, for “too long”. 

“Too many people have been killed. You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because ‌there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they’re not ‌all ⁠Hezbollah,” Mr. Trump said at the G7 summit in France.

-Reuters

Oil prices rebounded on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) on concerns about the lack of details in a preliminary agreement ending the war between the U.S. and Iran and the realization the resumption of ‌supply through the key Strait of Hormuz may take longer than thought.

Brent crude futures gained 26 cents, ⁠or 0.3%, to $83.42 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate rose to $81.12 a barrel, up 46 cents, or 0.3%, as of 0108 ‌GMT. 

On Monday (June 15, 2026), oil prices fell by nearly 5% to their lowest close since March 4 after U.S. ‌President Donald Trump said a memorandum of understanding was signed ‌to ⁠end the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

– Reuters