June 24, 2026

Good morning! Today is Wednesday, June 24th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. Trump's G7 clash with Giorgia Meloni exposes a coordinated push to dress up Brussels orthodoxy and the Ukraine war in populist clothing—a phenomenon Philip Pilkington calls "Euroslopulism.". Sharp gaps emerge between Washington and Tehran on day 116 of the Iran War, as Trump claims Iran has agreed to nuclear inspections while Tehran's foreign minister flatly denies it. The Senate passes a War Powers resolution 50 to 48 directing the president to halt military action in Iran, with four Republicans crossing the aisle to join nearly all Democrats. and now for the details. We begin with the Iran War, now in its 116th day, where significant gaps have opened between Washington and Tehran over what exactly has been agreed to. In a Truth Social post Tuesday morning, President Trump said the Strait of Hormuz will remain open with no further naval blockade, and claimed Iran has, in his words, fully and completely agreed to the highest level of nuclear inspections. The president warned that without that agreement, there would be no further negotiations. But Iran's Foreign Minister Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters Tuesday that Iran has not met with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and has no plans to allow the agency to inspect facilities damaged by U.S. and Israeli strikes. That directly contradicts Vice President J.D. Vance, who said Monday that Iran had agreed to invite inspectors back. Iran's Speaker of Parliament said an agreement had been reached to release twelve billion dollars in frozen Iranian funds. Trump said any released funds would be used to buy American agricultural products, a plan Vance attributed to Jared Kushner. Meanwhile, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said Monday that Lebanon should be Israel's playground, and that Israel cannot agree to a ceasefire there—directly contradicting the first article of last week's interim peace agreement. Lebanese municipalities are now warning families about Israeli cluster bombs, which often resemble toys and have maimed and killed children for decades. As Harrison Berger reports, a new CBS News/YouGov poll finds 78 percent of Americans want the U.S. to end the conflict now. Oil prices have eased on hopes for a settlement, with Brent Crude below 77 dollars a barrel and the national average gas price at three dollars ninety-three cents. Staying with the Iran War, the United States Senate on Tuesday passed a concurrent resolution directing the president to cease military action in Iran or seek congressional approval. The vote was 50 to 48. The House passed the same measure earlier this month. Four Republicans crossed the aisle to support the resolution: Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who was recently primaried by a Trump-endorsed candidate. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to vote against. The absence of Senators Mitch McConnell and David McCormick allowed the resolution to clear the chamber. As David Brady reports, the measure faces legal ambiguity. Because it is a concurrent resolution rather than a joint resolution, it does not go to the White House for signature—and a 1983 Supreme Court ruling found such resolutions nonbinding. Democratic supporters argue it is nonetheless binding because the Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war. The last time both chambers invoked the War Powers Act over Iran was in 2020, after the killing of General Qasem Soleimani. President Trump vetoed that resolution. Those are today's highlights. For the full stories and more, visit theamericanconservative.com. Thank you for starting your morning with us.