June 28, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeJune 28, 2026UpdatesIraq calls for reopening of Hormuz as Iran links Lebanon deal to Israeli withdrawalIraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein said in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Baghdad that it was important to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift the U.S. naval blockade on Iran. He also said Iraq opposes expanding the war to Gulf states and rejects attacks on Iran.Araghchi said Iran welcomes a framework for talks with Gulf Arab countries, including Iraq, on Gulf security, while warning that involvement of other parties would complicate efforts to restore normal shipping in the region. Araghchi also said that Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon and a halt to its strikes there are mandated under an interim deal with the United States.Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein, right, shakes hands with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday. Credit: Hadi Mizban/APIraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein, right, shakes hands with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday. Credit: Hadi Mizban/APUltra-Orthodox MK visits prison holding military draft evadersUltra-Orthodox Shas MK Yoav Ben-Tzur visited an Israeli military prison to "strengthen and uplift the spirits" of detainees held amid legal disputes over military draft exemptions and said efforts were underway to secure their release and advance legislation regulating the status of Torah students.Ultra-Orthodox Shas MK Yoav Ben-Tzur at the military prison, Sunday.Ultra-Orthodox Shas MK Yoav Ben-Tzur at the military prison, Sunday.Kuwait army says it intercepted two ballistic missiles, no damage or deaths reportedThe Kuwaiti military said it intercepted two ballistic missiles and reported no damage or casualties. The state news agency KUNA said Kuwait "strongly condemns repeated Iranian attacks," calling them a "flagrant violation of its sovereignty."#Kuwait strongly condemned repeated Iranian attacks targeting its territory, including latest assault early Sunday, describing them as flagrant violation of its sovereignty, direct threat to national security & breach of international law.