Newshour

Iran says it has again closed the Strait of Hormuz, in response to Israel's continued strikes on southern Lebanon which have killed at least 25 people according to Lebanese state media. The Iranian military described the attacks as a violation of Tehran's peace deal with Washington. But a US military statement said the Strait remained open and at least 55 vessels had passed through during the day.
Also in the programme: An escalating row between Ukraine and Poland leads to President Zelensky returning an award from Warsaw; and the secret behind the success of a legendary TV comedy director.
(Photo: Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Oman, June 19, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Stringer)

Could the latest violent attacks by both parties derail the tentative US-Iran peace deal? We hear from reporters on the ground in bomb-struck southern Lebanon and the Iranian capital Tehran, and ask Israeli journalist Anshel Pfeffer what Israel's strategy might be.
Also in the programme: proposed economic reforms in Cuba - which the United States has dismissed as 'superficial smoke signals'. And the enduring appeal of the classic album 'The Queen is Dead' by the UK indie band The Smiths, 40 years after its release.
(Civilians and Lebanese Red Cross personnel stand on the rubble of a damaged building after an Israeli strike on the village of Qennarit in southern Lebanon, June 20, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Credit: Reuters/Stringer)

Israel and Hezbollah have agreed a ceasefire, a US official says, following intense Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon that the government said killed 47 people.
Also on the programme, the US government says it will stop funding programmes in South Africa intended to tackle the spread of HIV and AIDS, there's been a furious reaction in Italy after President Trump claimed the prime minister Georgia Meloni begged him for a photo at the G7 summit; and the ballet dancer, Carlos Acosta, on taking his Cuban dance group on tour.
(Photo: Smoke rises over southern Lebanon after Israeli strikes, Metula, Israel - 19 Jun 2026. ATEF SAFADI/EPA/Shutterstock)

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire, a senior US official has confirmed to the BBC. Earlier, planned talks to cement the ceasefire between Iran and the US were delayed with reports suggesting it was due to Iranian concern over Israel's actions in Lebanon.
Also on the programme: the by-election result that could decide Britain's next prime minister; and how the resident organist for the Boston Red Sox baseball team has been entertaining visiting Scottish football fans.
(Photo: Khadija Amara, whom local residents said had not left her home, fills a jerrycan with water as she sits among the rubble of a house, which was damaged by an Israeli strike in the Tyre district, southern Lebanon on June 19, 2026.)

Donald Trump says he expects a ceasefire to take effect "on all fronts", including between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon while Vice President JD Vance says the memorandum signed with Tehran is already bearing fruit and insisted that Washington holds the cards in coming negotiations. Meanwhile, a message attributed to Iran's Supreme Leader says that Tehran will not submit to any excessive demands.
Also in the programme: why one critic calls Barack Obama's Presidential Centre a 'Klingon Prison'; and how Nigerian sisters born conjoined at the head are enjoying life after pioneering surgery assisted by artificial intelligence.
(Photo: US Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media about the Iran-US memorandum of understanding in the White House Briefing Room in Washington, DC, USA Credit: JIM LO SCALZO/EPA/Shutterstock)