June 21 0800 UTC Brief

In U.S.-Iran talks U.S. and Iranian officials are in Switzerland for high-stakes talks, with Vice President JD Vance saying the aim is to make progress on the nuclear issue and on a Lebanon ceasefire. The meeting is being framed as a push to reinforce the existing memorandum of understanding, with Lebanon also high on the agenda. Iran is meanwhile condemning Israeli strikes on Lebanon as violations of the interim deal. In Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Tyumen region, more than 2,000 kilometers from the border, and said Ukraine now has new long-range drones with a range of more than 3,000 kilometers. Reports from Siberia described smoke and fire at the site, while attacks were also reported on Russian-held targets in occupied Crimea. At the same time, Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine killed three people and wounded 22. In the UK A report says the UK asylum appeals system now faces a backlog equal to 44,000 years of waiting time, with 38,866 claims still to be processed and an average appeal judgment time of 14 months. It puts the cost of the wider system at about £80 million a year. The Home Office says it has already cut the initial asylum backlog and plans further reforms to speed up appeals and removals. Separately, Bectu says scores of film producer Alan Latham’s companies have been struck off the Companies House register, leaving some workers unable to pursue unpaid fees. The producer has also previously faced questions over his use of tax credits.