Chris Spear

a listener production.

Thanks, Chris.

We're starting overseas today and Iran has reportedly halted negotiations to end the war with the US in protest over Israel's actions in Lebanon.

Iranian state media is reporting the regime has stopped exchanging messages through mediator Pakistan, saying it won't negotiate a broader deal until Israel stops its attacks.

So for a bit of context around this, over the weekend, Israel made its deepest push into Lebanon in more than 26 years, capturing Beaufort Castle in the country's south, a historic stronghold it had used as a military base during its occupation between 1982 and 2000.

Fighting continued yesterday with the IDF issuing fresh evacuation warnings while Hezbollah fired volleys of rockets and drones into northern Israel.

We are yet to hear from Netanyahu at the time of recording, but the last we did hear from him was yesterday when he said the IDF will be pressing on until Hezbollah strongholds are eliminated and its northern border is secure.

So it'll hold public hearings and hand down its final report in October.

Now, the pact between Australia, the US and the UK was first announced in 2021 and will see us buy three nuclear submarines and also share intelligence and technology in the interests of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Many, including some current government figures, former Labor Prime Minister Paul Keating as well, have expressed that this deal is not in our country's best interests.

With this probe to examine that, as well as issues around nuclear, the environment and employment consequences.

So it's worth noting this is not a parliamentary inquiry, Chris.

This is a public community led.

It's got trade unions backing it.

and it's not going to have teeth.

It's not like this is going to finish and then all of a sudden they're going to go, oh, well, Orcus is no longer.

I do think it's interesting, though, because there have been inquiries held within government in the UK and the US.

The Pentagon did one in the US.

There was another one in the UK.

Yeah.