26/06/2026

FRIDAY | JUNE 26, 2026

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White House asks Congress for US$87b for Iran war costs o Request also includes US$11b for American farmers and $1.4b for response to Ebola outbreak in Africa

Russia to challenge MH17 ruling by council ST PETERSBURG: Russia will seek to reverse the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation decision regarding the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine in 2014, said Russian Foreign Ministry legal department director Maxim Musikhin, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti. He said the decision was “politically motivated and completely unfounded legally”. “We naturally challenged it in an international court since there are procedural possibilities for doing so under the Convention on Civil Aviation.” In May, the Dutch government announced that the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation had called Russia responsible for the downing of MH17. In September 2025, Russia appealed the decision in the International Court of Justice in The Hague. In response to the council decision, the Russian Foreign Ministry reiterated its principled position that Russia was not involved in the downing of the flight. Malaysian Airlines passenger flight MH17 crashed in the Donbas conflict zone on July 17, 2014 while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All passengers and the crew died. In 2016, the Dutch-led international Joint Investigation Team, which did not include Russia, concluded that the aircraft was shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile. Moscow argued that the Buk missile belonged to Ukraine and was launched from Kyiv-controlled territory. In November 2022, the Hague District Court ruled that two Russian citizens and a Ukrainian were responsible for arranging the Russian missile system that was allegedly used to down the plane. The Hague court did not directly link the use of the Buk air defence system to Russia but said Russia was in control in the area. Russia rejected the ruling as political and biased. – Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti Firebombs displace families in Gaza NEW YORK: Israeli firebombs have displaced families in Gaza and the expansion of the so-called Yellow Line prevented families from returning to their homes, United Nations (UN) humanitarians said on Wednesday, reported Xinhua. People were displaced in the Beit Lahia area of North Gaza governorate, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) stated. At around midnight, about 30 households reportedly fled when tanks advanced towards Al Atatra Junction in Beit Lahia. Reportedly, a quadcopter drone dropped incendiary munitions that set three tents ablaze, said Ocha. While most families could return after the troops withdrew, six households remained displaced because a yellow cement block was installed near their places of residence. Setting up such blocks signals the expansion into populated areas of the Yellow Line, where lethal force has often been used, said the office. “Last week, partners responded to alerts that affected 135 households. “After quickly assessing their individual needs, they provided people with tents, blankets, hygiene and dignity kits, jerrycans and tarpaulins through a Rapid Joint Distribution Mechanism.” Most of the newly affected families were impacted by strikes. Dozens of other families were displaced from areas along the Yellow Line following the advancement of Israeli forces and placement of yellow cement blocks. A smaller number of people received help following domestic fires or flooding, said Ocha. – Bernama-Xinhua

WASHINGTON: The White House on Wednesday asked the US Congress for $87.6 billion (RM360 billion) for Iran war costs and a few other programmes, one day after the Senate passed a war powers resolution on Iran in a protest against President Donald Trump’s handling of the war, Xinhua reported. “Most of this request will address urgent needs related to Operation Epic Fury (OEF), in addition to other critical needs, such as responding to the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa and supporting hardworking American farmers,” the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a letter to the House. The bulk of the request, nearly US$70 billion, would go to the Pentagon, addressing operational costs incurred during OEF, including funding for military personnel and readiness expenses, operational costs to rebuild stocks expended by the department, classified programmes and other key expenses. The request also includes US$11 billion for American farmers and US$1.4 billion to respond to the Ebola outbreak in Africa. The administration requested US$500 million to support ongoing efforts to complete restoration and construction projects in and around Washington, DC and US$1 billion to complete the renovation of Penn Station in New York City. The newly released package faces an uphill battle as lawmakers from both parties increasingly resist major new spending on a deeply unpopular war. The US Senate on Tuesday passed a war powers resolution on Iran, restricting Trump from launching further military operations in Iran without congressional approval. The passage of the resolution marks the first time such a measure has cleared both chambers of Congress since the conflict began in late February. In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump lashed out at the four Republicans who voted with Democrats, calling them “losers”. “These senators have just made my job more difficult, but I will get it done, one way or the other,” he said. US State Secretary Marco Rubio said on Wednesday US-Iran technical talks are expected to resume next week, likely on Monday or Tuesday in Switzerland, Donald Trump’s criticism of allies for not supporting the war, Nato boss Mark Rutte said hundreds of American planes launched from bases in Italy. Trump’s second term has been marked by tensions with Nato allies, who have voiced skepticism over the need for the conflict in the Middle East. “Country after country, ally after ally after ally have made their bases available for Epic Fury,“ said Rutte, referring to the US military operation in Iran. “Five hundred US planes took off from US bases in Italy to support Epic Fury.“ Trump had told Rutte on Wednesday that he was “let down” by members of the alliance who did not back his war against Iran. Rutte added that Romania “cut down on commercial air flights and airplanes because they had to use the airports for the tanker facilities” during the Iran war. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson

Residents marching in Nabatieh, Lebanon during a religious procession ahead of Ashura, following an interim deal between the United States and Iran. – REUTERSPIC

flag-raising ceremony at the US Embassy in Kuwait, marking its reopening after a nearly four-month closure. The embassy had temporarily suspended its services following drone and missile attacks in early March amid the latest regional conflict. The embassy said it officially resumed operations at midnight on Wednesday and will begin providing emergency services to US citizens, with other consular services to be restored gradually. On June 18, the United States and Iran signed a peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the conflict on all fronts, including Lebanon. On Sunday, Iranian and US delegations held high-level consultations on the implementation of the MoU in Switzerland, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar. Technical talks followed on Monday. – Bernama-Xinhua He also said no meeting was held between Iran’s negotiating team and IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi in Switzerland in recent days, despite Grossi’s request. His remarks come after Grossi said earlier in the day the IAEA would carry out inspections in Iran in view of the recently signed US-Iran peace memorandum of understanding (MoU). The MoU, signed on June 18, provides for 60 days of negotiations, which are underway, towards a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme and sanctions removal. Iran’s three main nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan were bombed by the United States during the 12-day conflict in June 2025. The sites have again been at the centre of the conflict that erupted on Feb 28 this year, with the United States and Israel launching strikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets. – AFP

reported Xinhua. Rubio made the announcement during an official visit to Kuwait, where he met Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Kuwait News Agency reported. The meeting focused on bilateral cooperation and regional developments, it said. Speaking to reporters in Kuwait City, Rubio said the United States remains committed to close coordination with its Gulf partners. He did not provide further details on the upcoming technical talks. Rubio’s Kuwait visit was part of a three-day regional tour running from Tuesday to yesterday, which includes the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, where he was scheduled to attend a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting on regional security. Before meeting the emir, Rubio attended a He accused Nato of “a flagrant violation of peremptory norms of international law and the core principles of the UN charter”. Italy was quick to distance itself from Rutte’s words, which the Defence Ministry said gave “a completely misleading message by confusing the type of flights that were authorised”. It said Italy had allowed only “technical and logistical” US flights during Epic Fury under existing agreements with the United States. In a separate development, Iran has no plan to provide the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with access to its nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Wednesday, adding that such issues will be resolved solely within the framework of a potential final agreement with Washington, reported Xinhua. Iranian Foreign Deputy Minister (Legal and

Tehran condemns Nato for ‘complicity’ in conflict TEHRAN: Iran accused Nato yesterday of “complicity” in the US-Israeli war against Iran, after the bloc’s chief noted its support for the United States in the conflict. Responding to US President Esmaeil Baqaei condemned Rutte’s admission of “active complicity” in the “unlawful war”. “This is a clear and damning admission of Nato’s active complicity in an unlawful war of aggression against a sovereign United Nations (UN) member state,“ said Baqaei on X. International Affairs) Kazem Gharibabadi said access to Iran’s nuclear facilities and materials “will be reviewed and resolved solely within the framework of the final agreement and as a result of the other party’s practical action to terminate all sanctions”.