Iranians Are Left with No Internet Access Again

19 June 2025, Iran, Tehran: An Iranian Red Crescent ambulance, which was struck during an Israeli attack on June 16 in West Azerbaijan province, is currently on display in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran. (dpa)
19 June 2025, Iran, Tehran: An Iranian Red Crescent ambulance, which was struck during an Israeli attack on June 16 in West Azerbaijan province, is currently on display in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran. (dpa)
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Iranians Are Left with No Internet Access Again

19 June 2025, Iran, Tehran: An Iranian Red Crescent ambulance, which was struck during an Israeli attack on June 16 in West Azerbaijan province, is currently on display in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran. (dpa)
19 June 2025, Iran, Tehran: An Iranian Red Crescent ambulance, which was struck during an Israeli attack on June 16 in West Azerbaijan province, is currently on display in Haft-e Tir Square in Tehran. (dpa)

Internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org reported on Saturday that the limited internet access that had come back up in Iran has once again “collapsed.” 

The group said on X that the disconnect came after “a brief period when residents could exchange messages with the outside world.” 

A nationwide internet shutdown has been in place for several days, isolating Iranians. 

Government officials had disconnected phone and web services earlier in the week for the more than 90 million people who live in Iran, citing cybersecurity threats from Israel. But many Iranians and activists see it as another example of state information control and targeted internet shutdowns the country has deployed during periods of protests and unrest. 

The shutdown left civilians unaware of when and where Israel would strike next and if their family or friends were among the victims. 



US Forces Monitoring Strait of Hormuz to Ensure it Stays Open

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
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US Forces Monitoring Strait of Hormuz to Ensure it Stays Open

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

The US military on Saturday denied Iran's claims that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, saying the critical waterway remained open and that US forces were monitoring the situation to ensure that ⁠continued.

"Iran does not ⁠control the Strait of Hormuz," US Central Command spokesperson Navy Captain Tim Hawkins told Reuters. "Traffic ⁠continues to flow, and US forces are monitoring the situation to ensure this remains the case."

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps declared the Strait of Hormuz shut earlier on Saturday and warned ⁠ships ⁠not to approach the waterway, casting new doubt on the future of a ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran meant to pave the way for in-depth peace talks.


Russian Attacks on Ukraine Leave Several People Dead and Injured

Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian glide bomb strike on a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 20 June 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian glide bomb strike on a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 20 June 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV
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Russian Attacks on Ukraine Leave Several People Dead and Injured

Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian glide bomb strike on a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 20 June 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian glide bomb strike on a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, 20 June 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY KOZLOV

Russian forces struck the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia with glide bombs on Saturday, killing ⁠four people and injuring ⁠six, Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov ⁠said on Telegram.

Fedorov said there had been nine strikes in the city. He said residents could ⁠well ⁠be trapped in the rubble of damaged buildings.

Russian bombs also struck an apartment building on Saturday in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing at least one person and wounding nine, including a 6-year-old child, authorities said.

A body was pulled from the rubble hours after the attack, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.

He said that the bombs slammed into the low-rise building in Kharkiv's Kholodnohirskiy district in the early hours.

The head of the regional administration, Oleh Syniehubov, said that at least nine people were wounded, five of whom were hospitalized.

Elsewhere in Kharkiv, a Russian drone struck a civilian vehicle on Friday evening, killing a man and wounding the woman who was driving the car, Syniehubov said.

Later on Saturday, Russia again launched guided bombs at Ukraine, striking the outskirts of the northern city of Sumy, according to local administration head Oleh Hryhorov.

The attacks killed a male civilian and damaged at least 20 private houses, Hryhorov reported on Telegram.

Ukraine's air force said that it shot down 92 of 99 Russian drones launched overnight and that seven struck targets in three locations.

Meanwhile, Russian air defenses repelled a drone attack on an oil refinery in Tyumen in Western Siberia, Gov. Alexander Moor said Saturday. He said that there was no damage to the refinery and staff members were evacuated.


Italy's Meloni Slams 'Senseless' Attacks from Trump

(FILES) US President Donald Trump greets Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025. (Photo by Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP)
(FILES) US President Donald Trump greets Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025. (Photo by Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP)
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Italy's Meloni Slams 'Senseless' Attacks from Trump

(FILES) US President Donald Trump greets Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025. (Photo by Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP)
(FILES) US President Donald Trump greets Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025. (Photo by Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hit back at what she called "senseless" attacks by US leader Donald Trump over his claim she insisted on having a photo with him at a recent G7 summit.

"These constant, unprovoked attacks are senseless,” she said on her Instagram page in response to Trump's allegation made on his Truth Social platform.

"Being your friend certainly has not helped" her popularity, she said, adding: "I suggest you focus on yours.”

The dustup led Italy’s foreign minister to cancel a planned trip to the United States as Meloni’s government lined up in her defense.

“Italian Prime Minister Gigiorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France,” Trump wrote on his social media platform while spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat. He misspelled her first name in the initial post, which he later corrected.

He continued: “She is doing poorly in Italy with her level of popularity, possibly because she turned down the United States of America, a Country that truly loves and protects Italy, when it came to denying Iran from obtaining or developing a Nuclear Weapon (But so did NATO, for that matter!).”