Following another brief period of mutual attacks, the United States has indicated plans to hold another meeting with Iran.
A senior US official has stated that the US and Iran have agreed to halt attacks on each other and plan to hold talks in the capital of Qatar on June 30 to address disputes concerning the Strait of Hormuz.
Another US official noted that both sides will "temporarily" cease hostilities, allowing for "free passage of vessels" through the Strait of Hormuz while technical discussions continue. US officials and other informed sources have confirmed the planned meeting for the 30th.
However, as of now, neither the US nor Iran, nor the mediating countries of Pakistan and Qatar involved in the current negotiations, have issued any formal statements.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a joint statement on the evening of the 28th, announcing that the Israeli Defense Forces have just destroyed an underground Hezbollah military infrastructure in the Majdal Zoun area of southern Lebanon.
According to details disclosed in the statement, the destroyed tunnel is over 200 meters long and more than 25 meters deep. It contained hundreds of weapons and several launch silos, which were intended for attacks on Israeli territory and its citizens. The statement added that Israel provided advance notification to the United States before destroying this infrastructure.
The statement further indicated that Israeli military commanders and soldiers will continue to be stationed in the "security zone" in southern Lebanon and will persist in destroying armed infrastructure and eliminating threats to communities in northern Israel.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told media on June 28 that Russia proposes that both the Ukrainian and Russian sides cease strikes on each other's territory deep behind the front lines. Otherwise, Russian strikes on deep Ukrainian targets will be more powerful and the consequences more severe.
Putin stated that Russia will not give Ukraine the opportunity to halt the advance of Russian forces, and that Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure will not affect the situation on the front lines. He also mentioned that it cannot be ruled out that Ukraine will carry out distracting operations, with Ukrainian sabotage groups attempting to infiltrate Russian-controlled areas, but they will be quickly eliminated.
Putin also noted that he and US President Donald Trump discussed the possibility of ending the Ukraine conflict in Anchorage in 2025. Russia agreed to compromises proposed by the US side, but no documents were signed and no agreement was reached. Currently, Russia awaits the arrival of US representatives in Russia after the Iran matter is concluded and is willing to continue discussions with the US on all topics covered in Anchorage.
While chairing a domestic fuel market security meeting, Putin stated that systematic measures are needed to increase fuel supply and maintain economically reasonable prices.
Putin indicated that large refinery capacities are operating at full load, the potential of small and medium-sized enterprises has been mobilized, and previously reserved fuel has been released to the domestic market. According to a report submitted by the Russian Energy Ministry, current Russian gasoline reserves stand at 1.7 million tons, almost the same as the same period last year. He stated that the necessity of a comprehensive ban on diesel exports is under consideration.
Putin also demanded that the consequences of attacks on Russian infrastructure be minimized.
The president of Venezuela's National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, announced on the 28th that the death toll from the powerful earthquake that struck Venezuela on the 24th has risen to 1,450, with the number of injured rising to 3,150.
Rodríguez stated that the earthquake has affected 12,721 people, with 774 buildings damaged or completely collapsed, including 189 completely destroyed and 585 damaged or partially collapsed.
He also mentioned that over 70,000 families have received assistance, with 20,000 packages of food distributed.
On June 28, the social media account of Nicolás Maduro posted another message expressing condolences to the earthquake victims and their families and thanking governments and people around the world for their assistance.
The post said, "We extend our deepest condolences to the victims, the injured, the missing, and their families, and we pay tribute to all those fighting on the front lines of rescue, doing their utmost to save lives." He also thanked governments and people worldwide for their immediate support and aid to Venezuela and called on all sectors of society to maintain solidarity and mutual assistance to jointly promote the recovery and reconstruction of the disaster-stricken areas.
The post was dated June 28 from New York. Following the earthquake on the 24th, Maduro had posted messages via this account on the 24th and 25th. It is currently unclear who operates this account. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been under forced US control since January 3. Since January 4, Maduro's personal social media account has been posting daily images recording the number of days the couple has been under US control and calling for their release.
Precious metals prices have faced significant pressure since June, with COMEX gold futures prices fluctuating downward from the key level of $4,500 per ounce.
Last week, despite the easing of US-Iran tensions and a continued decline in international oil prices, returning to levels seen before the conflict erupted in March, the market further priced in expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike. Against a backdrop of a strengthening US dollar, commodities generally weakened, and capital outflows further pressured gold prices. International gold prices accelerated their decline mid-week, briefly falling below the $4,000 per ounce mark. Subsequently, prices recovered somewhat, returning above $4,000 per ounce after Federal Reserve officials released hawkish signals.
Ye Qianning, a precious metals researcher at GF Futures, stated that from a macroeconomic perspective, the US economy is generally optimistic in terms of aggregate growth, driven by fiscal stimulus from tax rebates and AI capital expenditures. Geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East pushing up energy prices have led to rising inflationary pressures, but the transmission chain to downstream sectors is not evident.
"Considering that the new Federal Reserve Chair, Christopher Waller, is gradually implementing reforms to reduce the Fed's management of market expectations, the future market may rely more on inflation data and statements from other voting members to judge the monetary policy path," she said. Currently, with energy prices falling and inflation expected to be controlled, some officials are inclined to keep interest rates unchanged this year or implement only one rate hike. Previously extreme market expectations will gradually be corrected.
For this week, Ye Qianning suggested paying attention to the impact of US non-farm payroll data and the US-Iran situation on shifts in the strength of the US dollar index and gold. "After being oversold, there is room for a rebound in gold prices. However, due to a lack of new positive drivers, coupled with the capital siphoning effect of the hot AI industry on equity markets keeping investment and consumer demand weak, the overall strength of the price recovery is limited," she said. She believes international gold prices face resistance near $4,200 per ounce. If the US economy continues to run strongly, it will once again put pressure on gold price trends.
Cai Yiqing, a gold researcher at AVIC Futures, also believes that gold prices are under short-term pressure. "Over the past weekend, the US-Iran situation escalated again. Mutual accusations of violating the memorandum of understanding have reignited geopolitical risks that had previously cooled, which will increase volatility in the precious metals market, and gold prices are likely to form a fluctuating trend," she said. She recommends focusing on Chair Waller's speech at the European Central Bank Forum this week and the subsequent process of his advancing reforms to the central bank system and communication mechanisms, as well as the gradual correction of market expectations for Federal Reserve rate hikes. In the medium to long term, continued gold purchases by global central banks will still support gold prices.
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