BREAKING: Iran says it is suspending indirect message exchanges with the U.S. over ongoing Israeli military actions in Gaza and Lebanon.

Tehran insists talks will not resume unless Israeli operations stop and forces withdraw from occupied areas in Lebanon.

Iranian officials also say Iran and allied groups are considering escalating pressure, including potential disruption of key maritime routes such as the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab.

Source: Tasnim

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian:

We will try to make the passage of Japanese ships through Hormuz easier.

Rifat Odeh Kassis | Christian Rights Activist | Kairos Palestine:
 

Jerusalem has been closed to Palestinians since the 1990s.
 
West Bankers, worshippers & clergy alike, need a permit - requiring security clearance which is not easily granted.
 
Israeli authorities use permits as blackmail since churches need consent to operate schools, hospitals & charities.
 
Christians are cut off from their sacred geography, which is not only physical but also a question of sovereignty
 
The last time I was legally in Jerusalem was 1991, over 35 years ago.

FULL INTERVIEW

Rifat Odeh Kassis | Christian Rights Activist | Kairos Palestine:
 

Spitting on clergy & Christian symbols happens daily in Jerusalem.
 
According to the racist minister Ben-Gvir, spitting is part of Jewish tradition.
 
Settlers are not a separate lunatic fringe. They are part of the Israeli establishment - supported & protected by the state.
 
For us, settler attacks are state-sanctioned measures against Palestinians.
 
And even if Israel didn't protect them - it is still indifferent to what they do.

FULL INTERVIEW

A British Army service member was killed in a training accident in northern Iraq on 31 May 2026.

Rifat Odeh Kassis | Christian Rights Activist | Kairos Palestine:
 

The settlements are strangling Christians in Bethlehem - the birthplace of Jesus.
 
A new settlement is being built next to Beit Sahour, adding to 25 settlements already surrounding Bethlehem.
 
If built, and it will be built, it will push out half the population.
 
Over 50 iron gates & 80 roadblocks disconnect Bethlehem from its villages.
 
Indigenous Christians are disappearing from the birthplace of Christianity.

FULL INTERVIEW

Rifat Odeh Kassis | Christian Rights Activist | Kairos Palestine:
 

Watching fellow Christians support policies that harm Palestinian Christians is a wound in our heart.
 
Christian Zionism places Israel not as a political reality but as a theological necessity beyond moral accountability.
 
The Patriarchs & Heads of Churches in Jerusalem have warned Christian presence is under threat. The global church should be alarmed.
 
In five years, Christians in Gaza may be gone. Same in the West Bank, maybe in 20 years.
 
How can Christians support a system that makes the continued existence of Christianity in the Land of Christ impossible?

FULL INTERVIEW

Senior Iranian official Rezaei warns Iran controls Hormuz, won’t allow a naval blockade or Lebanon escalation, and “Tehran’s patience has limits.”

BREAKING: Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya HQ warns residents of northern Israel and military settlements to evacuate if Netanyahu orders strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs.

Israel struck near Jabal Amel Hospital in Tyre, Lebanon, damaging a vital healthcare facility and further weakening access to medical care for civilians already enduring a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Rifat Odeh Kassis | Christian Rights Activist | Kairos Palestine:
 

Through Kairos Palestine, we have told our sisters & brothers in Europe & the US the plain truth.
 
We told them "Your policies are hurting us, pushing us to leave". We pray God opens their eyes to see us as human beings.
 
Millions of pilgrims, including Christian Zionists visit the holy sites but they do not ask about us.
 
Our message is simple: give us the floor to tell our story. No privilege - just treat us as equals.

FULL INTERVIEW

France has barred Israel from official participation in the Eurosatory defense exhibition in Paris (June 15–18).

Israeli government and Defense Ministry representatives will not be allowed to attend or operate a national pavilion.

Private Israeli defense companies may participate only if they display air and missile defense systems; offensive weapons systems are prohibited.

Source: ynet

Turkish President Erdogan:

Istanbul is Turkish and Muslim. With God's permission, it will remain Turkish and Muslim until the Day of Judgment.

NEW: Trump says he hasn’t heard from Iran about reports it’s suspending talks with the U.S., but if true, “that’s OK.”

“I think we’ve been talking too much… going silent would be very good.”

He said silence “doesn’t mean we’re going to start dropping bombs,” adding: “We’ll keep the blockade. Blockade is a piece of steel.”

Asked if he can wait Iran out: “I think I can wait as long as they want. They’re losing a fortune.”

Source: NBC News

Rifat Odeh Kassis | Christian Rights Activist | Kairos Palestine:
 

The Bible must not be weaponized against Palestinians. 
 
The Bible must be read through the lens of the vulnerable - centered on justice, mercy & human dignity.
 
This is not a conflict between two equal parties. It is occupation. It is an apartheid. It is a genocide.
 
If God is a God of life, systems that destroy life are of theological concern.
 
Faith cannot be neutral in the face of systematic injustice. Silence amid oppression distorts the Gospel.

FULL INTERVIEW

Israeli Channel 12 reports that Netanyahu and Trump are currently speaking by phone.

Israel planned a major strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs but postponed it at the last minute after U.S. intervention.

Source: Kan News

Hezbollah has told the U.S., through Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, that it is willing to accept a full and immediate ceasefire with Israel.

However, U.S. and Israeli officials doubt whether Hezbollah would fully comply, and they do not expect Netanyahu to agree.

Source: Axios

Senior Russian finance and central bank officials have warned Putin that current military spending risks sharply widening the budget deficit.

They have proposed further defense spending cuts, arguing that Russia’s public finances will be difficult to stabilize without them.

The warnings are the clearest sign yet of internal disagreement within Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine.

Putin has reportedly instructed the Finance Ministry to find savings elsewhere in the budget before considering cuts to defense spending.

Source: Bloomberg