Latest news for 20 June 2025

FRANCE

UK, Germany, France to meet Iran's foreign minister.

The E3 foreign ministers are set to sit down with their Iranian counterpart in Geneva today (Friday) to discuss a negotiated end to the ongoing Israel-Iran war. (ABC)

Comment: President Trump’s two-week deadline will obviously be front of mind, but these three European players have also repeatedly threatened to reinstate their own pre-deal sanctions if Iran doesn’t lift its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

SPAIN

PM refuses NATO spending target.

Spain’s shockingly handsome leader Pedro Sanchez has dismissed the idea of raising NATO defence spending to 5% of GDP, calling it “unreasonable”. (AP)

Comment: It’s a speed bump ahead of next week’s NATO summit in The Hague.

ARMENIA

Power spat.

A spectacular row has erupted, with PM Nikol Pashinyan threatening to nationalise the electricity firm owned by an Armenian-Russian billionaire, who is (with support from Kremlin propagandists) now increasingly critical of the PM. (Eurasianet)

Comment: Armenia has long straddled the East-West divide, but after Putin abandoned Armenia in its long-running stoush with Azerbaijan in 2023, Armenia has been leaning West. So you can expect to see more Kremlin destabilisation in response.

ARGENTINA

Spies foiled?

Argentine authorities say they’ve uncovered a disinformation network run by a Russian couple promoting “links with local collaborators”. (Moscow Times)

Comment: It’s been interesting watching Moscow’s focus on the Americas — Brazil’s own counterintelligence is still dismantling the Kremlin’s network that’s been building fake Brazilian identities for use against other targets abroad.

AUSTRALIA

Defence tech hiring spree.

Even as the Pentagon reviews the big AUKUS (🇦🇺🇬🇧🇺🇸) defence tech pact, California-based defence unicorn Anduril is now on a hiring spree Down Under, looking for software engineers, supply chain wonks, and field technicians. (Capital Brief)

CANADA

Let’s be friends (or else).

As Washington and Ottawa continue their trade talks, Canada’s Mark Carney has come out with a deadline of his own, warning he could hike counter-tariffs on US goods if the two neighbours and allies can’t agree new terms by July 21. (CBC)

ISRAEL

Oslo’s ambassador targeted?

Someone has lobbed a grenade at the Norwegian ambassador’s residence near Tel Aviv. There’ve been no injuries, but it’s stirred alarm within a foreign ministry long focused on Israel-Palestinian issues (eg, the Oslo Accords). (Times of Israel)