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Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at how the Israeli <\/strong>war in Lebanon<\/strong> is impacting U.S.-Iran<\/strong> talks, a slew of crucial nationwide elections<\/strong>, and Britain<\/strong>\u2019s new batch of files on former Ambassador Peter Mandelson.<\/p>\n Against the backdrop of escalating U.S. and Iranian military strikes, U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday delivered<\/a> a message to those criticizing his handling of negotiations with Tehran: \u201cJust sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end.\u201d But with negotiations at risk of imploding, Trump\u2019s plea to keep calm and carry on appears at odds with reality.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at how the Israeli <\/strong>war in Lebanon<\/strong> is impacting U.S.-Iran<\/strong> talks, a slew of crucial nationwide elections<\/strong>, and Britain<\/strong>\u2019s new batch of files on former Ambassador Peter Mandelson.<\/p>\n Against the backdrop of escalating U.S. and Iranian military strikes, U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday delivered<\/a> a message to those criticizing his handling of negotiations with Tehran: \u201cJust sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end.\u201d But with negotiations at risk of imploding, Trump\u2019s plea to keep calm and carry on appears at odds with reality.<\/p>\n Iranian media reported<\/a> on Monday that the country\u2019s negotiators would be suspending their participation in peace talks with the United States over Israel\u2019s military actions in Lebanon<\/a>. \u201cA ceasefire between Iran and the United States constitutes, without any ambiguity, a comprehensive ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon,\u201d Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n Earlier that day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered<\/a> strikes on Hezbollah-controlled areas in the southern suburbs of Beirut. His announcement came after the Iranian-backed group said it launched more than 20 attacks<\/a> on Israeli military targets on Sunday and Monday, including<\/a> firing rockets and missiles at several Israeli cities. \u201cThere will be no situation in which Hezbollah attacks our cities and our citizens, and its terrorist headquarters in Beirut, in Dahiyeh, will remain out of bounds,\u201d Netanyahu said. He also said that Israel would continue its wider campaign<\/a> to carve out a self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military later said that if Hezbollah continued to fire rockets at Israel, it would carry out the strikes in Dahiyeh, and it warned<\/a> the area\u2019s residents to evacuate.<\/p>\n Within hours of Netanyahu\u2019s announcement, though, Trump posted<\/a> on Truth Social that he had spoken with the Israeli leader and that \u201cthere will be no Troops going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back. Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop \u2014 That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel.\u201d Israeli and Lebanese officials are expected to attend another round of U.S.-mediated talks in Washington on Tuesday, though Hezbollah has rejected participating directly in the negotiations.<\/p>\n Trump also said<\/a> on Monday that U.S. talks with Iran \u201care continuing, at a rapid pace,\u201d despite Iranian media reports to the contrary. Iran\u2019s Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the country\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, had also threatened<\/a> to seek the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz as well as activate other fronts, such as the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, to \u201cpunish\u201d Israel and its supporters. The narrow corridor, located off Yemen\u2019s coast, serves as a key shipping choke point for traffic entering the Suez Canal. Targeting this waterway would likely mean that Yemen\u2019s Houthi rebels<\/a>, who are backed by Iran, would join the fray.<\/p>\n The flurry of threats comes as U.S. and Iranian strikes appeared to once again be intensifying. Over the weekend, U.S. forces struck<\/a> Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two drones. These \u201cmeasured and deliberate\u201d self-defense strikes occurred \u201cin response to aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters,\u201d U.S. Central Command said on Sunday.<\/p>\n The following day, the U.S. military said it had intercepted<\/a> two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting U.S. troops at a military base in Kuwait. No U.S. personnel were reportedly injured.<\/p>\n Tuesday, June 2:<\/strong> German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hosts Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar.<\/p>\n Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith begins a five-day trip to China.<\/p>\n Wednesday, June 3:<\/strong> Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing concludes a five-day trip to India.<\/p>\n South Korea holds local elections.<\/p>\n Thursday, June 4:<\/strong> South African President Cyril Ramaphosa hosts Kenyan President William Ruto.<\/p>\n Friday, June 5:<\/strong> Montenegro hosts the European Union-Western Balkans summit.<\/p>\n Sunday, June 7:<\/strong> Armenia holds parliamentary elections.<\/p>\n Kosovo holds snap parliamentary elections.<\/p>\n Peru holds a presidential election runoff.<\/p>\n Cyprus begins hosting a two-day informal meeting of EU defense ministers.<\/p>\n Elections in action. <\/strong>Over the past 48 hours, four countries around the world held crucial nationwide elections. Here\u2019s what you need to know:<\/p>\n Ethiopia\u2014<\/em>The ruling Prosperity Party is expected to secure another landslide victory<\/a> in parliamentary elections<\/a> on Monday. That would hand power once again to incumbent Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who appeared so confident in his party\u2019s success that he barely campaigned in person for the role. Although Ethiopia\u2019s opposition is divided\u2014with around 50 parties all lacking broad national support\u2014Monday\u2019s election is still a closely watched affair, as electing Abiy to another term could fuel potential conflict<\/a> with Eritrea, as Abiy seeks access to the latter\u2019s Red Sea ports.<\/p>\n Malta<\/em>\u2014Prime Minister Robert Abela declared<\/a> victory on Sunday in this weekend\u2019s snap parliamentary elections, securing an unprecedented fourth consecutive term for his center-left Labour Party. Abela called for a vote in April, fearing that the Iran war would erode public support for his government. Although Labour\u2019s win was expected, opposition leader Alex Borg celebrated<\/a> the vote\u2019s more competitive result; Labour\u2019s margin of victory fell from around 39,000 votes in the country\u2019s 2022 election to just 18,000 votes.<\/p>\n Colombia<\/em>\u2014Far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella took the lead<\/a> in the first round of Colombia\u2019s presidential election<\/a> on Sunday. With 43.7 percent of the vote, he is expected to face Iv\u00e1n Cepeda, an ally of outgoing left-wing President Gustavo Petro, in a runoff on June 21. The two presidential hopefuls<\/a> could not be more different on policy. Espriella is a Trump enthusiast who has vowed to crack down on crime and build 10 mega-prisons. In contrast, Cepeda has promised to continue Petro\u2019s progressive agenda by pursuing \u201ctotal peace\u201d with the country\u2019s guerrilla and criminal groups.<\/p>\n Guinea\u2014<\/em>Nearly 7 million Guineans went to the polls<\/a> on Sunday for legislative and municipal elections that experts hoped would help the country move toward democratic rule. Current President Mamady Doumbouya took power in September 2021 during a military coup<\/a> that ousted President Alpha Cond\u00e9. However, almost five years later, voter turnout remained low, with critics urging people to boycott what they called an \u201celectoral farce<\/a>.\u201d Most candidates in Sunday\u2019s election were from Doumbouya\u2019s camp, as Conakry dissolved Guinea\u2019s main opposition parties in March.<\/p>\n More Mandelson files. <\/strong>A new trove of documents published<\/a> Monday risks reigniting calls for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign. To comply with a demand from Parliament, the British government released more than 1,500 pages of files detailing conversations between Peter Mandelson, Britain\u2019s former ambassador to the United States, and several British government officials and advisors, including then-Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Experts warn<\/a> that the files could embarrass the ruling Labour Party and further undermine Starmer\u2019s tenuous grip on power<\/a>.<\/p>\n Starmer fired Mandelson last September after a batch of documents revealed<\/a> that Mandelson had maintained close ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein even after the latter\u2019s arrest. Mandelson does not face allegations of sexual misconduct; however, he is being investigated for potentially leaking sensitive information to Epstein. Mandelson has denied<\/a> any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n The first tranche of documents on Mandelson, published in March, revealed that Starmer had been warned of the risks of appointing Mandelson but had decided to go through with it anyway. The British prime minister has since expressed<\/a> regret for his decision, calling the appointment \u201cwrong,\u201d but he has stopped short of stepping down or calling for snap elections\u2014much to the dismay<\/a> of opposition leaders as well as lawmakers within his own party.<\/p>\n Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi\u2019s love for music is no secret; in January, she rocked out with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in a drum duet<\/a> featuring popular K-pop songs. Last Thursday, she added a new Indo-Pacific leader to her impromptu jam sessions. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. joined<\/a> Takaichi in singing some classic British hits, including the Beatles\u2019 \u201cHey Jude\u201d and John Lennon\u2019s \u201cImagine,\u201d during a state dinner in Tokyo. Only then did the two leaders get down to the business of upgrading<\/a> their strategic partnership and accelerating talks on weapons sales.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\u2018All Shooting Will Stop\u2019<\/h3>\n
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