Breaking News: Negotiations Collapse! Iran Clings to $6 Billion, Challenges International Inspections
Beijing time: 2026-07-01 02:28
Welcome to Breaking News. 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 US-Iran negotiations is again fraught with uncertainty. President Trump's special envoy has arrived in Doha, but the two sides will not hold face-to-face high-level talks this round. Iran remains adamant, insisting that it must receive the frozen assets before beginning final negotiations.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Tuesday that President Trump's special envoy, Witkoff, and his son-in-law and advisor, Kushner, arrived in Doha that day and met with Qatari mediators.
However, a Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson made clear that there will be no high-level meeting between Washington and Tehran this round. This week, the two sides will mainly engage in "technical talks" on regional security and other issues, with the possibility of upgrading to higher levels later.
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 occurring simultaneously.
President Trump himself expressed skepticism on Monday about whether the Doha talks would yield results, saying, "The Doha meeting could be very important, or it could be unimportant. We'll see."
The mediator, Qatar, revealed that negotiations are currently advancing on three tracks: nuclear issues, the economy and national implementation capacity, and regional security. The spokesperson also confirmed that the key $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds have not yet been transferred to Tehran.
Iran said there are "no meetings at any level with the US arranged for the coming days." The Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasized that they will only participate in dialogues chaired by the mediating country, Qatar, to implement the interim agreement with the US.
Analysts pointed out that Tehran's emphasis on "the release of assets being the core of the interim agreement" essentially signals that if the $6 billion is not in hand, it will not engage in final peace talks with the US.
On diplomatic and regional security fronts, Iran is acting aggressively.
Iran directly challenged the head of the UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA), Grossi, warning him to stop making political statements that "resemble electioneering" and focus on his duties.
Iran also stated that control of the Strait of Hormuz does not require external interference, and foreign involvement will only complicate the situation. It clarified that only political communication channels exist between the US and Iran, with no military hotline.
Iran even extended its discontent to the sports arena, complaining that its national football team faced "the most severe politicized treatment" and hostility from the US in the World Cup.
As the stalemate between the US and Iran over financial aid and control of the Strait continues, the diplomatic talks in Doha face an extremely difficult tug-of-war at the technical level.
Now for a roundup of brief news:
India Oil Refinery Fire: Over 20 Injured, Suspected Theft
In the early hours of today (June 30), a massive fire broke out at an oil refinery in West Bengal, India, injuring over 20 people, five of whom are in serious condition. Railway facilities were also affected, causing some train services to be temporarily suspended.
Thick smoke billowed into the sky, and the fire department deployed 12 fire trucks to extinguish the blaze. Preliminary investigations suggest the fire may have originated near a site where naphtha was being illegally siphoned off. Due to naphtha's high flammability, whether a pipeline leak caused the fire remains under investigation.
US Supreme Court Upholds States' Rights to Ban Transgender Athletes from Women's Sports
The US Supreme Court ruled today to uphold laws in West Virginia and Idaho 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 be barred from joining women's sports teams.
This ruling also provides legal grounds for other states to implement similar laws. Currently, 25 states across the US have passed such laws.
US Supreme Court Overturns Campaign Spending Limits
The US Supreme Court announced its second major ruling today, deciding 6-3 to overturn federal limits on coordinated campaign spending between political parties and candidates.
The majority of justices held that such limits infringe on the freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, and therefore no spending caps can be imposed. This ruling comes as the US moves toward the November midterm elections and has drawn widespread attention.
US Supreme Court Upholds Injunction, Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Blocked
The US Supreme Court also ruled on birthright citizenship today, maintaining a lower court's injunction by a 6-3 vote, preventing President Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship from taking effect.
The executive order stipulated that children born in the US to parents who are neither US citizens nor lawful permanent residents would not automatically acquire US citizenship.
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 even then at a discount. Other countries, fearing renewed US sanctions, largely dare not buy Iranian oil, increasing economic pressure and forcing Tehran back to the negotiating table.
Bessent also called on gas stations across the US to lower prices quickly ahead of this Saturday's 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, warning, "We are watching you."
He said international oil prices have already fallen, and gas stations should pass the savings on to consumers. Whether large oil companies, independent gas stations, or convenience store chains, all should take responsibility.
In fact, President Trump had already posted a warning yesterday, demanding that gas stations lower prices immediately, hoping to reduce the price per gallon to about $2.50. He said international oil prices have fallen to about $68 per barrel, but retail prices have not followed suit, and warned that profiteering would lead to "big trouble."
Trump also criticized states with high fuel taxes, such as California, arguing that high taxes push up gas prices, costing ordinary people extra money.
After the US and Israel jointly struck Iran in late February, tensions in the Middle East spiked, and international oil prices rapidly rose. However, after the US and Iran reached a preliminary agreement this month and the Strait of Hormuz reopened for shipping, market concerns over crude oil supply eased significantly, and prices have fallen.
Currently, the market is also watching the new round of US-Iran talks. International oil prices are expected to post their largest quarterly decline since the early days of the pandemic.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is on track for a second consecutive monthly decline, with June's drop around 19%; Brent crude is expected to fall for a third consecutive month, with a cumulative decline of about 20% in June. Both major oil prices have returned to pre-Middle East war levels, and as more oil tankers resume passage, market concerns over supply continue to ease.
US Pharmaceutical Giants Investigated for Ties to Chinese Military Hospitals
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers launched a national security investigation on Monday, targeting two global pharmaceutical giants, Merck and AbbVie, to determine whether their clinical trials in China have contributed to the capabilities of the Chinese Communist Party's military.
According to Reuters, the House Select Committee on China has sent a deadline notice to both companies, requiring them to submit detailed information on due diligence, data protection procedures, and other safety standards at their trial sites in China by July 17. Sites in Xinjiang and those affiliated with Chinese military hospitals are the focus of this investigation.
According to data released by the committee, the two US pharmaceutical companies have extensive clinical research footprints in China.
Since 2005, Merck has funded 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 funded or collaborated on over 100 clinical studies in China, including at least 17 sites in Xinjiang and 16 at military centers.
In their letter, the lawmakers noted records showing that Chinese researchers had lapses in obtaining "informed consent" from trial participants, raising ethical concerns about sites in Xinjiang.
The letter also emphasized that conducting these studies at Chinese military hospitals could expose cutting-edge biotechnology intellectual property to potential transfer to the Chinese military.
The committee wrote to the CEOs of both companies, stating that while there is no evidence of illegal activity or misconduct, conducting such trials in China exposes US companies to ethical and security risks.
The letter cited industry data showing that China has surpassed the US in the number of clinical trials in recent years.
From 2015 to 2024, the US share of global early-stage drug development projects fell from 48% to 37%, while China's share surged from 8% to over 32%.
The lawmakers argued that through regulatory reforms and state subsidies, the Chinese Communist Party has transformed China into the cheapest and fastest place globally to conduct early-stage human drug trials.
In response, Merck said that patient safety and ethical integrity are the top priority of its clinical research programs and that its operations in China comply with all global guidelines. AbbVie declined to comment.
"Liu Junhua" Plane Hits Building? CITIC Video Denial Fails to Quell Doubts
On Monday, CITIC Bank's wealth management arm, CIB Wealth Management, released a business work video featuring its executive Liu Junhua, widely seen as an attempt to deny rumors about a small plane hitting the CITIC building last week. However, the video did not fully dispel public doubts.
The video, titled "Dialogue with CIB Wealth Management's Liu Junhua: Building a Complete 'Fixed Income+' Capability Pyramid," conspicuously marked Monday's date on the top right. After a small plane struck the CITIC Tower (China Zun) on June 26 (Friday), online rumors from insider aviation groups claimed the pilot was named "Liu Junhua," coincidentally the same name as an executive at a CITIC subsidiary, sparking speculation of an "employee crashing into the company's headquarters."
Although CITIC had released a text interview with Liu Junhua on Saturday, the lack of images fueled the rumors, leading to the emergency release of the video on Monday to deny them again.
CITIC's desperate denials, combined with the official concealment of key information, have only deepened the mystery.
Independent commentator Cai Shenkun remarked that the authorities' silence after the crash has made CITIC Group the most anxious. He questioned, "Why don't state media directly answer who Liu Junhua, the pilot who crashed into the building, is? Why continue to hide the truth while the public outcry grows?"
Some netizens said, "The official silence suggests that the Chinese Communist Party hasn't decided how to handle this internally, and that Xi Jinping, the supreme authority, hasn't 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 go-ahead, no one dares to act."
Many netizens lamented that the authorities have actually "made a simple matter complicated": if it were just an ordinary flight accident, releasing the victim's identity would suffice; if it were a malicious event, the motive should be disclosed promptly. The more they hide, the more speculation grows.
In fact, after the incident on the 26th, the authorities imposed strict information control. Nearly a day later, the "Beijing Chaoyang" official WeChat account released an extremely brief statement, saying that a light sports aircraft collided with a high-rise building, killing the pilot and injuring 13 people on the ground.
The statement did not mention the pilot's identity at all, and even deliberately omitted the name "China Zun" and the specific location of the struck building. This "drip-feed" transparency is the root cause of the rampant rumors.
Liu Mancang Sentenced to Life in Prison: Three Consecutive Henan Political and Legal Affairs Chiefs Fall
Another "tiger" in Henan's political and legal system has fallen. 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 the 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 taken bribes totaling over 170 million yuan from 1997 to 2024, directly or through relatives, involving areas such as business operations, land remediation, and real estate development. Due to the exceptionally large amount of bribes and the significant losses caused, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment, deprived him of political rights for life, and confiscated all his personal property.
According to public information, Liu Mancang, born in 1955 in Xixia County, Henan, held long-term positions in Henan, serving as mayor of Shangqiu, secretary of the Shangqiu Municipal Party Committee, 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 stated that he engaged in superstitious activities, was greedy and corrupt, and continued to use his influence for personal gain after retirement, accepting huge amounts of bribes.
Notably, including Liu Mancang, three consecutive secretaries of the Henan Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee have fallen in recent years. Wu Tianjun was sentenced to 11 years in 2017, and Gan Rongkun was sentenced to life in 2023.
Additionally, during their tenures, all three actively followed the CCP in persecuting Falun Gong and were placed on the wanted list by the overseas organization "International Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong."
Thank you for watching this episode of Breaking News. Please subscribe to us so you don't miss the latest hot topics. We'll see you next time.
Produced by the Breaking News Production Team
(Responsible Editor: Liu Ming)
