Following Iran’s continued targeting of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, on 08 July President Trump declared an end to the ceasefire with Iran. The move came after United States (U.S.) forces struck Iranian coastal sites involved in the attacks on shipping. Since then, the U.S. conducted a second and larger wave of strikes on Iran, spurring a wider Iranian response. United States Central Command (CENTCOM) claims to have struck over 170 Iranian targets in the last 48 hours. The region has returned to a “no war, no peace” paradigm, with the potential to spiral back into full conflict.

One week after two major earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on 24 June 2026, the mismanagement of disaster response by Interim President Delcy Rodríguez’s government is accelerating collapse in public confidence and fueling anti-Chavismo sentiment, increasing the likelihood of anti-government demonstrations and unrest.

Global Guardian Executive Vice President Seth Krummrich joined NewsNation on 27 June to assess the state of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire as continued strikes between Israel and Iran put the agreement under its greatest pressure since it was signed.

"The MOU, frankly, the language in it is complicating the situation because it's vague."

Iran interprets provisions around strait navigation as granting it authority to dictate and discipline commercial shipping—a reading the U.S. and Gulf allies flatly reject. Without a credible third-party arbitrator, Krummrich warned, tit-for-tat attack cycles will continue. On Iran's military capabilities, he cautioned against optimism: even a small residual missile force is enough to create turbulence in the Gulf and sustain Iran's leverage at the negotiating table.

Global Guardian Executive Vice President Seth Krummrich joined NewsNation to assess Iran's latest attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz and what it means for the fragile U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding.

"Iran is in negotiations with us, not because they've changed fundamentally, it's because they're broke."

Krummrich assessed that Iran's continued pressure in the strait is a deliberate effort to strengthen its negotiating position—not a sign of bad faith that will derail talks, but a calculated move to extract more from the reconstruction package under discussion. He cautioned that 47 years of mistrust between the two countries will not resolve in 60 days, and that holding Iran accountable to the MOU will require a credible third-party arbitrator—not just the parties themselves.

PHYSICAL, DIGITAL SECURITY HIGH ON AGENDA FOR HNW INDIVIDUALS

Global Guardian Founder and CEO Dale Buckner spoke with Family Wealth Report on the growing physical and digital security risks facing high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and C-suite executives in today's environment.

Buckner noted that while overall crime in the U.S. has fallen, targeting of HNW individuals and their families has increased—driven by organized gangs using sophisticated techniques to track and exploit publicly available information. On the physical side, he pointed out that vulnerability is rarely inside a venue, but on the route to it. On the digital side, he warned that social media exposure and online notoriety have created risks that simply didn't exist a decade ago.

"You are going to have a completely different exposure profile after the IPO and you need to act right now."

Between 21–22 June, American, Iranian, Qatari, and Pakistani officials met in Lake Lucerne, Switzerland to advance talks towards achieving a final nuclear agreement. The Lake Lucerne talks follow the 17 June signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States (U.S.) and Iran. After 18 hours of negotiations, mediators announced a road map to a final deal within 60 days and established four technical working groups covering sanctions, the nuclear file, reconstruction, and economic development, as well as a separate Lebanon deconfliction mechanism. Pakistani officials say that technical talks between the U.S. and Iran will restart early next week. However, gaps are emerging between what Washington and Tehran are saying publicly versus what is being agreed to privately, generating uncertainty around the status of the negotiations. 

IRAN CLOSES STRAIT OF HORMUZ AGAIN OVER ISRAELI STRIKES IN LEBANON

Global Guardian Head of Research and Intelligence Zev Faintuch contributed analysis to Newsweek as Israel's continued strikes in Lebanon threatened to unravel the fragile U.S.-Iran deal signed this week.

"It's about having some form of a bargaining chip and obviously a physical barrier to prevent Hezbollah expeditionary forces from being able to come across the border."

Faintuch assessed that Israel's military campaign in Lebanon is driven by a calculated effort to accumulate leverage—seeking both a negotiated agreement and a mechanism to disarm Hezbollah in exchange for territory, even as the Lebanon front continues to test the durability of the broader U.S.-Iran framework.

Global Guardian Executive Vice President Seth Krummrich joined NewsNation to assess the significance of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and what the road ahead looks like for a durable peace.

On 14 June, the U.S. and Iran agreed to an interim agreement to extend the ceasefire by 60 days. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the deal after mediation by Pakistan and Qatar. President Trump and Vice President JD Vance have reportedly both electronically signed the framework agreement with Iran’s lead negotiator and Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is expected to be signed by VP Vance and Speaker Ghalibaf on 19 June in Geneva, Switzerland. 

MORE THAN 50 IRANIAN MILITARY BASES DAMAGED IN US STRIKES SINCE THE START OF WAR, SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW

Global Guardian Head of Research and Intelligence Zev Faintuch contributed analysis to BBC Verify's investigation into the scale of damage to Iranian military bases since the start of the war.

"Iran's ability to defend itself stems less from its conventional forces, such as its air force, than from its capacity to conduct counterstrikes via missiles or drones."

Despite extensive damage to more than 50 Iranian military bases—including IRGC headquarters and key naval facilities—Faintuch's assessment underscores that Iran retains meaningful strike capability, and that the conflict's trajectory remains far from settled.