Live: Vance hails 'good progress' in Iran talks, suggests unfreezing Iranian assets

The Israeli army says its soldiers have killed two Palestinians near the illegal Karmei Tzur Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank on Monday.

The army claimed that they “hurled Molotov cocktails” towards the settlement.

The killing comes amid a surge in settler attacks in the West Bank since the start of the war on Iran.

A child was shot and injured by settlers in Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported.

Palestinian Information Centre agency said that a group of settlers set ablaze a vehicle scrapyard in the village of Shuqba, west of Ramallah.

مستوطنون يضرمون النيران في أراضي المواطنين ببلدة #شقبا غرب مدينة رام الله. pic.twitter.com/Otl7ESjMV1

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) June 21, 2026

Israeli attacks have killed nine Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 41 others in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry in the Strip says.

Since the “ceasefire” took effect in October, at least 1,021 people have been killed and 3,249 wounded by Israeli attacks.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa denied on Sunday that his country sought to intervene militarily in Lebanon after US President Donald Trump repeatedly suggested Damascus could get involved.

"We are looking for economic channels between Lebanon and Syria, not military ones," Sharaa said in an interview broadcast on television channel Al Mashhad.

On Sunday, Trump told Fox News he was "disappointed Israel can't put Hezbollah away", adding in reference to the fight against the militant group: "I'm close to giving it over to Syria."

Sharaa said in Sunday's interview that "we proposed with the United States that the war must stop," adding that "there must be various solutions, including economic, political and social, and the re-establishment of relations and the vital economic lifeline between Syria and Lebanon."

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says that technical issues remaining in the recently signed memorandum of understanding may not be quickly resolved, and cautioned that Israel could try to derail the process.

“These are important issues. It may not be easy to immediately resolve their technical details. We may see deadlocks from time to time. We need to be prepared for that,” Fidan told the Turkish Anadolu Agency.

“Secondly, of course, there is always an Israel waiting in the corner, ready to sabotage the process as soon as it finds the opportunity.”

A loud boom was heard in the Qatari capital, Doha, on Sunday evening, according to a Reuters witness.

Qatar's Interior Ministry later said the sound was linked to an explosion at a factory in Ras Laffan as a result of a "technical incident," with no injuries or leaks reported.

Iran is still engaged in talks with the United States in Switzerland, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar and aimed at ending the war, a diplomat with knowledge of the negotiations told AFP late Sunday.

"The Iranian delegation remains engaged in the talks and has not indicated to the mediators any intention to leave," the diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic after Iranian media reported Tehran's negotiators had left the venue where the summit was being held.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that "Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon."

"Israel has no intention of withdrawing from the Beaufort, which is an integral part of the security zone in Lebanon and essential for the defense of the Galilee communities and Israeli Defense Forces," he said.

Israeli troops have captured the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle and the strategic ridge surrounding it in southern Lebanon on 31 May. 

The capture of the medieval castle and ridge deepened Israeli footprint in the country beyond the demarcation zone known as the "Yellow Line", which it established in April following the ceasefire.

Israel on Sunday announced the lifting of all restrictions imposed on northern border areas as part of the war on Lebanon.

The Israeli military said all restrictions will be lifted starting at 6:00 am on Monday, 22 June 22 2026, adding that the border communities "will move to a full activity level, with no restrictions, instead of a partial activity level".

Talks between Iran and the United States in Switzerland have been paused, but have not been terminated, an Iranian source told Reuters.

Hussein Gurbanzadeh, ‌a member of Iran’s team negotiating with the ⁠US, told state television that the issue of our frozen assets and the arrangements for their release has been discussed in today’s negotiations.

He added that discussions had focused on sanctions relief tied to Iran’s energy sector.

“In Switzerland, we discussed the temporary exemption from sanctions on oil and its derivatives, and the final draft of a proposal on this matter has been completed,” he said.

A draft has been finalised regarding sanctions waivers for Iranian oil, a member of Iran's team negotiating with the US told state media on Sunday.

They added that the waivers would be issued soon.

Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday warned the United States against making threats at the Islamic republic, vowing that "our armed forces are ready to respond".

"Don't they think that if their threats had any effect, they would not have reached today's state of desperation? We do not take American threats into account," said Ghalibaf, after President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran over its support for Hezbollah.

"They would do better to be careful with their statements; our armed forces are ready to respond to them in a different manner. No matter what they say, we are the ones who act."

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Sunday rejected any Israeli security zone in Lebanon, after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed his troops would remain in the country's south for as long as necessary.

Israeli troops "remaining on Lebanese land is impossible. There are no security zones for Israel... we have a national army which deploys, and it is responsible for preserving sovereignty, and it is who we cooperate with," Qassem said in a televised address, adding that "Israel is an aggressor and must leave."

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said on Sunday that Israel will not stay in Lebanon, adding that the group would respond to any violation from the Israeli side.

His statements came as Israeli officials say that troops are free to act without restriction to eliminate threats in Lebanon, despite an agreed ceasefire that took effect on Friday.

US Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that President Donald Trump had asked him to turn over "a new leaf" in American ties with the Iranian people.

But at the same time as the talks were occurring, Trump threatened to continue bombing Iran if it did not contain Hezbollah.

Vance arrived at the Burgenstock mountain resort in Switzerland on Sunday morning to join Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, for technical talks with Iranian officials following last week's signing of a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.

"This is a historic meeting," Vance said, adding that the goal was to "turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran, and to extend an outstretched hand".

"The question before us now is how much more can we accomplish together? Can we turn over a new leaf? Can we change relations in the Middle East permanently?

Read more: US hopes to turn over 'new leaf' with Iran, but Trump threatens to resume bombing