Offensive Continues In Sudan, As Iran And USA Exchange More Blows

LIVE MARKETSMARKETS

← Back to Briefs

Loading dispatch…

Pulling latest dispatches…

Back to home

ISSUE #375Monday, 29 June 20264 min read5 stories · 1 deep dive

The Briefing

◆

Here’s what’s happening in geopolitics today. From Beijing to the Gulf, today’s headlines swing between diplomacy and deterrence, with Xi Jinping hosting Alexander Lukashenko to reaffirm an “all-weather” partnership while Washington and Tehran cautiously move to pause attacks and return to the negotiating table.

At the same time, violence simmers elsewhere as Pakistan reports the killing of militants along its Afghan border and Israel says it has destroyed a Hezbollah tunnel network in southern Lebanon, even as Australia and Vanuatu ink a new security pact tightening Canberra’s footprint in the Pacific.

And in today’s conflict tracker, we zoom into two conflict zones - Sudan and the Strait of Hormuz.

— The Basedment Editorial Team· 29 Jun 2026

The Last 24 Hours in Geopolitics

◆

President Xi Jinping meets Belarusian President Lukashenko in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Beijing, where the two leaders reaffirmed their countries' “all-weather” strategic partnership and pledged to deepen political, economic and security cooperation. Xi reiterated China's support for Belarus' sovereignty and development, while the two sides agreed to strengthen high-level communication and expand collaboration across trade, investment and other strategic sectors. The meeting came days after Lukashenko held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Iran and US agree to halt attacks and renew talks

The United States and Iran have agreed to halt recent military attacks in the Gulf and resume negotiations aimed at preserving a fragile interim peace agreement, according to a U.S. official. The renewed diplomatic effort follows several days of missile, drone and air strikes by both sides after tensions flared over the Strait of Hormuz, with technical talks expected to focus on restoring safe commercial shipping and addressing disputes over the existing framework. While the agreement has raised hopes of preventing further escalation, officials cautioned that significant differences remain and that the situation remains highly fragile.

Pakistan says ground operation and strikes along border killed 29 militants

Pakistan says its security forces killed 29 militants during a ground operation and coordinated air strikes along the Afghanistan border, targeting what Islamabad described as militant hideouts and safe havens linked to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). Officials said the operation was launched in response to a recent surge in cross-border attacks, including a deadly assault on a Rangers facility in Karachi, while weapons and ammunition were reportedly destroyed during the strikes. Afghanistan's Taliban government condemned the operation, accusing Pakistan of causing civilian casualties, highlighting the continuing deterioration in relations between the two neighbours over border security and militant activity.

Israel destroys Hezbollah underground infrastructure in Southern Lebanon

Israel’s military said it destroyed Hezbollah underground infrastructure in southern Lebanon, including a 200-metre-long tunnel in the village of Majdal Zoun that was reportedly used to store hundreds of weapons and rocket launchers. The operation was carried out in coordination with broader efforts to dismantle Hezbollah’s cross-border capabilities, with Israeli officials stating that the U.S. was informed in advance.

Australia signs long-awaited Vanuatu security deal

Australia and Vanuatu have signed the long-awaited Nakamal Agreement in Canberra, formalising a new bilateral security and development partnership between Prime Minister Australia Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister Vanuatu Jotham Napat. The agreement establishes Australia as Vanuatu’s preferred security and policing partner and includes commitments to expand cooperation on policing, maritime security, cyber capabilities, and infrastructure oversight, including consultation on major third-party investments. It also includes a pledge by Vanuatu not to allow foreign military bases or the militarisation of its critical infrastructure. The deal, which includes an Australian support package of around A$500 million over a decade, is widely viewed as part of Canberra’s broader effort to deepen strategic influence in the Pacific amid growing regional competition.

Daily Deep Dive

◆

Analysis · africa

Offensive Continues In Sudan, As Iran And USA Exchange More Blows

And in today’s conflict tracker, we zoom into two conflict zones - Sudan and the Strait of Hormuz.

Basedment Analysis

Sudanese Civil War

The war remains split along an east-west axis, with the SAF holding Khartoum and the Nile corridor and the RSF entrenched across Darfur and parts of Kordofan. Kordofan is now the active epicentre, with the SAF sustaining an air campaign to weaken the RSF in Darfur ahead of expected ground offensives in August. Recent fighting has concentrated around Dalang, where the RSF and SPLM-N claimed to have taken the SAF garrison at al-Taqma and cut the Dalang-Habila road, while the SAF earlier broke the siege of Dalang and retook Habila. Joint Forces achieved a significant battlefield success today, launching an offensive that drove RSF fighters from the northern Darfur localities of Abu Qumra and Abu Liya.

One thing of note, drone warfare is the defining feature of this conflict in 2026: the UN reports drone strikes killed over 1,000 civilians in the first five months of 2026, with El-Obeid repeatedly hit, including a strike on the British Hospital. Both the RSF and SAF are employing surveillance and strike drones supplied from supporting nations like Turkey and the UAE.

Third Gulf War

The Islamabad MOU is fraying badly. On 26 June, US forces struck Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar stations after Trump accused Tehran of a ceasefire violation—specifically an IRGC drone hitting a Singapore-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. On 28 June, Iran said it launched ballistic missiles and drones at the US Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, retaliating for American strikes on five Iranian coastal sites. The dispute centres on Hormuz transit control, which Iran claims falls under its authority per clause 5 of the MOU. Compounding tensions, the US-brokered Israel-Lebanon framework signed 26 June contradicts the MOU, which stipulated the war end on all fronts including Lebanon, a point both Iran and Hezbollah reject. I would keep an eye on Lebanon, there are growing sectarian and religious tensions that are growing as Israel and the Lebanese government look to

Tweet of the Day

◆

Tweet of the Day

CALL TO ACTIVISM

@CalltoActivism · Twitter / X

I think this slogan sounded better in their head.

28 June 202683.6K likesView on X →

Today in History

◆

—

This Day in History

TODAY IN HISTORY (June 29, 1913): Following a year of war with the Ottoman Empire, members of the victorious Balkan League quarreled over the division of the conquered territories, resulting in the Second Balkan War when Bulgaria attacked Greek and Serbian forces in Macedonia this night.