【News Direct】Negotiations Collapse! Iran Sticks to $6 Billion, Challenges International Inspections
Beijing time: 2026-07-01 02:28
【New Tang Dynasty Beijing time July 1, 2026】Today's Focus: US-Iran talks change; Iran clings to $6 billion; US pharmaceutical company investigated for ties with Chinese military; Bessent reveals reason Iran returned to negotiations; CITIC urgently denies rumors, building collision mystery deepens; US Supreme Court delivers three major rulings in one day; Three consecutive Henan political-legal chiefs all sentenced.
Dear viewers, welcome to "News Direct." Today is Monday, June 29, Eastern Time.
【US Envoy Arrives in Doha but No High-Level Meeting; Iran Demands $6 Billion First】
The next round of negotiations between the United States and Iran is once again fraught with uncertainty. President Trump's envoy has arrived in Doha, but the two sides will not hold face-to-face high-level talks this round. Iran remains tough, insisting that it must receive the unfrozen assets before it will open final negotiations.
The Qatar Foreign Ministry confirmed Tuesday that President Trump's envoy, Witkoff, and his son-in-law and adviser, Kushner, arrived in Doha that day and met with Qatari mediators.
However, the Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesman made clear that there will be no high-level meeting between Washington and Tehran this round. This week, the two sides will mainly conduct "technical talks" on regional security and other issues, with the possibility of upgrading to a higher level later depending on the situation.
This statement differs from the White House's earlier expectations. On Monday, the White House said that Kushner and Witkoff would hold a "high-level meeting," with technical discussions taking place simultaneously.
President Trump himself expressed skepticism on Monday about whether the Doha talks would yield results, saying: "The Doha meeting may be very important, or it may not be. We'll see."
The mediating party, Qatar, revealed that the negotiations are currently progressing on three tracks: nuclear issues, the economy and national implementation capacity, and regional security. The spokesman also confirmed that the key $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds have not yet been transferred to Tehran.
Iran said that "no meetings at any level with the US are scheduled for the coming days." The Iranian Foreign Ministry stressed that they would only participate in dialogue chaired by the mediating country, Qatar, to implement the interim agreement with the United States.
Analysts point out that Tehran's emphasis on "the release of assets is the core of the interim agreement" is essentially hinting that if the $6 billion is not secured, they will not open final peace talks with the United States.
On diplomacy and regional security, Iran is acting aggressively.
Iran directly challenged the head of the UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA), Grossi, warning him to stop making political statements "like electioneering" and focus on his duties.
Iran also said that control of the Strait of Hormuz does not require external interference, and foreign involvement will only complicate the situation. It also clarified that only political communication channels exist between the US and Iran, not a military hotline.
Iran even extended its discontent to the sports field, complaining that its national football team had faced the "most severe politicization" and hostility from the US during the World Cup.
As the stalemate between the US and Iran over financial aid and control of the Strait continues, the diplomatic negotiations in Doha face an extremely difficult tug-of-war on a technical level.
Now let's look at a series of briefs:
India Oil Refinery Fire: Over 20 Injured, Suspected Fuel Theft
Early this morning local time (June 30), a fire broke out at an oil refinery in West Bengal, India, leaving more than 20 people injured, five of them seriously. Railway facilities were also affected, and some trains were temporarily suspended.
Thick black smoke rose into the sky. The fire department deployed 12 fire trucks to extinguish the blaze. Preliminary investigation suggests the fire may have started at a site suspected of illegal naphtha theft near the refinery. Since naphtha is highly flammable, whether a pipeline leak caused the fire remains under investigation.
US Supreme Court Supports States, Bans Transgender Athletes from Women's Sports
The US Supreme Court ruled today in favor of West Virginia and Idaho, upholding laws that ban transgender student-athletes from participating in women's sports.
The court held that public school sports teams may be divided by biological sex and that students who are biologically male may not join women's teams.
This ruling also provides legal grounds for other states to implement similar regulations. Currently, 25 states across the US have passed similar laws.
US Supreme Court Overturns Campaign Spending Limits
In a second major ruling today, the US Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 to overturn federal limits on coordinated campaign spending between political parties and candidates.
The majority of justices held that such limits involve freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, so no spending caps can be set. The ruling comes as the US moves toward the November midterm elections and has attracted widespread attention.
US Supreme Court Maintains Injunction; Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Blocked
The US Supreme Court also ruled today on birthright citizenship, upholding a lower court's injunction by a 6-3 vote, meaning Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship remains blocked.
The executive order would deny automatic US citizenship to children born in the US whose parents are neither US citizens nor legal permanent residents.
【Bessent: Beijing Becomes Sole Oil Buyer, Iran Forced Back to Negotiating Table】
Today (June 30), US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Fox News that one important reason Iran is now willing to negotiate with the US is that it is increasingly difficult to sell oil.
He said that Iran now has only one buyer left, Beijing, and it is selling at a discount. Other countries, fearing the resumption of US sanctions, mostly dare not buy Iranian oil, and increasing economic pressure has forced Tehran back to the negotiating table.
Bessent also called on gas stations across the US to lower prices as soon as possible ahead of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States this Saturday, warning: "We're watching you."
He said international oil prices have already fallen, and gas stations should pass the price cuts on to consumers. Whether big oil companies, independent gas stations, or chain convenience stores, they should all take responsibility.
In fact, President Trump had already warned yesterday, demanding that gas stations lower prices immediately, hoping for a price of about $2.50 per gallon. He noted that international oil prices have fallen to around $68 per barrel, but retail prices have not followed suit, and warned against profiteering, saying there will be "big trouble."
Trump also singled out states with high fuel taxes, such as California, arguing that high taxes are pushing up oil prices, costing ordinary people more.
After the US and Israel jointly struck Iran at the end of February, tensions in the Middle East briefly escalated, and international oil prices surged. However, this month, the US and Iran reached a preliminary agreement, the Strait of Hormuz resumed navigation, market concerns about crude oil supply have cooled significantly, and oil prices have fallen.
The market is now also focusing on the new round of US-Iran talks. International oil prices are expected to post their biggest quarterly decline since the early days of the pandemic.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude is expected to fall for a second consecutive month, with a June drop of about 19%; Brent crude is expected to fall for a third consecutive month, with a cumulative drop of about 20% in June. Both oil benchmarks have returned to pre-war levels, and as more tankers resume passage, concerns about supply continue to ease.
【US Pharmaceutical Giant Investigated for Cooperation with Chinese Military Hospitals】
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers formally launched a national security investigation on Monday. The investigation targets two global pharmaceutical giants – Merck and AbbVie – to determine whether their clinical trials in China have contributed to the capacity building of the Chinese Communist Party's military.
According to Reuters, the US House Select Committee on China has sent notices to the two companies, requiring them to submit detailed information by July 17 on their due diligence, data protection processes, and other security standards at their trial sites in China. Sites in Xinjiang and Chinese military hospitals are the focus of this national security investigation.
According to data disclosed by the House committee, these two US pharmaceutical companies have a large clinical R&D presence in China.
Since 2005, Merck has sponsored or collaborated on 224 clinical studies in China, including at least 31 trials in Xinjiang and 40 trials at medical centers and hospitals affiliated with the Chinese military.
Since 2007, AbbVie has sponsored or collaborated on more than 100 clinical studies in China, including at least 17 sites in Xinjiang and 16 sites at military centers.
The US lawmakers noted in their letter that there are records indicating omissions in the process of obtaining "informed consent" from trial participants in China, questioning ethical risks at its Xinjiang sites.
The letter also stressed that conducting these studies at Chinese military hospitals could pose a potential risk of transferring sensitive US biotechnological intellectual property to the Chinese military.
The committee wrote to the CEOs of both companies, stating that while there is currently no evidence that the companies have engaged in illegal activities or misconduct, conducting such trials in China exposes US companies to ethical and security risks.
The letter also cited an industry study showing that China has overtaken the US in the number of clinical trials in recent years.
From 2015 to 2024, the US share of global early-stage drug development programs fell from 48% to 37%, while over the same period, China's share soared from 8% to over 32%.
The US lawmakers believe that the Chinese Communist Party, through regulatory reforms and state subsidies, has transformed China into the cheapest and fastest place to conduct early-stage human drug trials globally.
In response to the investigation, Merck said that patient safety and ethical integrity are the top priorities of its clinical research programs, and its operations in China comply with all global guidelines. AbbVie declined to comment.
【"Liu Junhua" Plane Crashed into Building? CITIC Video Denies, But Suspicions Remain】
On Monday, CITIC Bank's wealth management subsidiary released a business work video of its executive Liu Junhua, which was widely seen as an attempt to refute rumors about a small plane crashing into the CITIC Building last week. However, the video failed to fully quell public doubts.
The video, titled "Dialogue with CITIC Wealth Management's Liu Junhua: Building a Complete 'Fixed Income+' Capability Pyramid," prominently displayed Monday's date in the upper right corner. After a small plane crashed into the CITIC Building (China Zun) on June 26 (last Friday), online messages from aviation insiders claimed that the pilot involved was named "Liu Junhua," coincidentally the same name as a senior executive at a CITIC wealth management firm. This bizarre coincidence quickly sparked speculation that "an employee crashed a plane into the company building."
Although CITIC had already released a text interview with Liu Junhua on Saturday, the lack of accompanying images allowed the rumors to spread, prompting the urgent release of the video on Monday to once again deny the claims.
CITIC's efforts to clarify only made the incident more mysterious, as official concealment of key information fueled speculation.
Independent commentator Cai Shenkun commented that after the building collision, the authorities were tight-lipped, and it was CITIC Group that was most anxious. He questioned: "Why didn't the official media directly answer who Liu Junhua, the pilot who crashed the plane into the building, is? Why continue to hide the truth while public opinion festered?"
Some netizens also said: "The most likely reason for official silence is that the Chinese Communist Party has not yet figured out how to handle it, and the ultimate authority, Xi Jinping, has not yet set the tone. The incident is too sensitive and involves too many departments and systems, far beyond what a single department can handle. Without Xi's word, no one dares to act prematurely."
Many netizens lamented that the authorities actually "made a simple thing complicated": if it was just an ordinary aviation accident, releasing the victim's identity would have sufficed; if it was a malicious incident, the motive should have been disclosed in a timely manner. The more they cover up, the more speculation arises.
In fact, since the incident on the 26th, the authorities imposed a strict information blackout. Nearly a day later, the "Beijing Chaoyang" official public account issued an extremely brief notice, stating that a light sports aircraft collided with a high-rise building, resulting in the death of the pilot and injuries to 13 people on the ground.
This notice did not mention the pilot's identity at all, and even deliberately omitted the name of the building hit, "China Zun," and its specific location. This "drip-feed" transparency is the root cause of the current rumor mill.
【Liu Mancang Sentenced to Life; Three Consecutive Henan Political-Legal Secretaries All Fall】
Another political and legal "tiger" has fallen in Henan. Today (June 30), Liu Mancang, former deputy director of the Henan Provincial People's Congress and former secretary of the provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee, was sentenced to life imprisonment for bribery by a court. To date, three consecutive secretaries of the Henan Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee have all been convicted.
Liu Mancang was found to have used his power from 1997 to 2024 to accept more than 170 million yuan in bribes directly or through relatives, involving areas such as business operations, land remediation, and real estate development. Due to the particularly huge amount of bribes and significant losses caused, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment, lifetime deprivation of political rights, and confiscation of all personal property.
Public information shows that Liu Mancang was born in 1955, a native of Xixia County, Henan. He worked in Henan for a long time, serving as mayor of Shangqiu, party secretary of Shangqiu, vice governor of Henan, secretary of the provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee, and deputy director of the Provincial People's Congress.
In October 2024, Liu Mancang was investigated, and in April 2025, he was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party.
The official notice at the time stated that he engaged in superstitious activities, was greedy and corrupt, used his influence for personal gain after retirement, and accepted huge amounts of money and goods.
Notably, including Liu Mancang, three consecutive provincial-level political and legal secretaries in Henan have fallen. Previously, Wu Tianjun was sentenced to 11 years in 2017, and Gan Rongkun was sentenced to life in 2023.
Additionally, all three men were listed by the overseas organization "International Organization for the Investigation of the Persecution of Falun Gong" (IIPF) for their active pursuit of the persecution of Falun Gong during their tenure.
Well, thank you for watching this episode of "News Direct." Please subscribe to us to stay updated on hot topics. See you next time.
"News Direct" Production Team
(Responsible Editor: Liu Ming)
