Macron seeks renewed Iran talks on zero enrichment, missiles and proxies
Iranian foreign minister due to meet European envoys in Geneva on Friday
Tehran wants guarantees that Israel will stop war 'forever', President Pezeshkian says
Iran says it has received 'several messages' from the US
Nuclear research site targeted in latest Israeli attacks
In Gaza, at least 43 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks
One person killed in Israeli airstrike on south Lebanon
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Dubai Eye
27 minutes ago
- Dubai Eye
UN's Guterres urges 'give peace a chance' in Israel-Iran conflict
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that expansion of the Israel-Iran conflict could "ignite a fire no one can control" and called on both sides and potential parties to the conflict to give peace a chance. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council session, Guterres said there were "moments when the directions taken will shape not just the fate of nations, but potentially our collective future". "This is such a moment," he said. He said expansion of the conflict would "ignite a fire that no one can control" and added: "We must not let that happen." "To the parties to the conflict, the potential parties to the conflict, and to the Security Council as the representative of the international community, I have a simple and clear message: give peace a chance," Guterres said. The Security Council session took place as European foreign ministers met their Iranian counterpart on Friday hoping to test Tehran's readiness to negotiate a new nuclear deal despite there being scant prospect of Israel ceasing its attacks soon. Israel has repeatedly bombed nuclear targets in Iran and Iran has fired missiles and drones at Israel as a week-old air war escalated with no sign yet of an exit strategy from either side. The White House said on Thursday US President Donald Trump would make a decision within the next two weeks whether to get involved on Israel's side. Iran said on Friday it would not discuss the future of its nuclear programme while under attack by Israel. Israel's UN ambassador, Danny Danon, said his country sought genuine efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear capabilities from Friday's meeting between European and Iranian ministers, not just another round of talks "We have seen diplomatic talks for the last few decades, and look at the results," he told reporters. "If it is going to be like another session and debates, that's not going to work." Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, outlined Israeli attacks on nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan and Arak. He said the level of radioactivity outside Iran's Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact on the population or the environment there. However, he said that within the facility there was both radiological and chemical contamination. He said the IAEA was not aware of any damage at Iran's Fordow plant at this time. An attack on Iran's Bushehr plant would be most serious, he said: "It is an operating nuclear power plant and hosts thousands of kilogrammes of nuclear material." "I want to make it absolutely and completely clear: In the case of an attack on the Bushehr nuclear power plant, a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment," Grossi said. "Similarly, a hit that disabled the only two lines supplying electrical power to the plant could cause its reactor's core to melt." He said any action against the Tehran nuclear research reactor will also have severe consequences, "potentially for large areas of the city of Tehran and its inhabitants." The US ambassador to the United Nations, Dorothy Camille Shea, said the United States "continues to stand with Israel and supports its actions against Iran's nuclear ambitions." "We can no longer ignore that Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon," she said. China and Russia demanded immediate de-escalation. Russia's UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, said Israel's actions risked pulling third countries into the conflict and internationalization of the conflict must be avoided. He said targeting of what he called Iran's peaceful civilian nuclear facilities was "liable to plunge us into a hitherto unseen nuclear catastrophe."
Gulf Today
an hour ago
- Gulf Today
Iran FM says ready to 'consider' diplomacy 'once the aggression is stopped'
Tehran is ready to "consider diplomacy" again only once Israel's "aggression is stopped," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said following talks with his European counterparts on Iran's nuclear programme. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again and once the aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed... We support the continuation of discussion with" Britain, France, Germany and the European Union "and express our readiness to meet again in the near future," Araghchi told reporters following the talks at a Geneva hotel. Iran said on Friday its air defences had been activated in Bushehr, without elaborating. Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities but that it wants to avoid any nuclear disaster. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, also speaking at the world body's Security Council, said the Iran-Israel conflict could "ignite a fire no one can control" and called on all parties to "give peace a chance." Russia and China demanded immediate de-escalation. URANIUM ENRICHMENT A senior Iranian official told Reuters Iran was ready to discuss limitations on uranium enrichment but that any proposal for zero enrichment — not being able to enrich uranium at all — would be rejected, "especially now under Israel's strikes." Israel's Foreign Minister Saar, speaking in Haifa, said he was very sceptical about Iran's intentions. "We know from the record of IRan they are not negotiating honestly," he said. Agence France-Presse
Gulf Today
an hour ago
- Gulf Today
Thousands of foreigners being evacuated from Israel and Iran as war rages on
Governments around the world are attempting to evacuate thousands of their nationals caught up in the rapidly spiralling Israel-Iran conflict, organising buses and planes and in some cases assisting people crossing borders on foot. Foreigners have rushed to leave both countries after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign last Friday targeting Iran's nuclear and military facilities, sparking retaliation from Tehran. But with Israel's air space closed and the two countries exchanging heavy missile fire, many people are being evacuated from third countries. Europe European countries have already repatriated hundreds of their citizens from Israel. The Czech Republic and Slovakia said Tuesday they had taken 181 people home on government planes. "It was not possible to send the army plane straight to Israel," the Czech defence ministry said in a statement, citing the air space closure. People arrive with their luggage before the departure of buses slated to evacuate foreign passport holders, mainly European and Polish, out of Israel, at a meeting point in Tel Aviv. AFP "The evacuees were taken to an airport in a neighbouring country by buses. They crossed the border on foot." The German government said flights were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday via Jordan, while Poland said the first of its citizens were due to arrive back on Wednesday. Greece said it had repatriated 105 of its citizens plus a number of foreign nationals via Egypt, while a private plane with 148 people landed in the Bulgarian capital Sophia on Tuesday. United States The US ambassador to Israel on Wednesday announced plans for evacuating Americans by air and sea. The embassy is "working on evacuation flights & cruise ship departures" for "American citizens wanting to leave Israel," Ambassador Mike Huckabee posted on social media. Australia Australia has started evacuating around 1,500 citizens from Iran and more than 1,200 from Israel -- but missile barrages have made it too risky for civilian aircraft to land in either country, its foreign minister said. People register before the departure of a bus slated to evacuate foreign passport holders, mainly European and Polish, out of Israel, at a bus stop in Tel Aviv. AFP "There's no capacity for people to get civilian aircraft in, it is too risky, and the airspace is closed," Foreign Minister Penny Wong told national broadcaster ABC. "We have taken the opportunity to get a small group of Australians out of Israel through a land border crossing. "We are seeking to try and do more of that over the next 24 hours." Pakistan Pakistan has shut its border crossings with neighbouring Iran, except to Pakistanis wanting to return home. Around 1,000 Pakistanis have fled so far, including at least 200 students. Pakistani citizens who were evacuated from Iran walk across the Pakistan-Iran border at Taftan, Balochistan province on Wednesday. The foreign ministry said the families of diplomats and some non-essential staff from Iran had been evacuated. India Around 110 students who fled Iran over the land border with Armenia have landed in New Delhi, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Thursday. Indian students pose for a photograph during their evacuation from Tehran. There are around 10,000 Indian citizens in Iran. In Israel there are around 30,000 Indians, according to the country's embassy in New Delhi. New Zealand New Zealand closed its embassy in Iran, evacuating two staff members and their family to Azerbaijan by land. "If and when opportunities arise to assist the departure of other New Zealanders in Iran and Israel, we will pursue them with urgency," Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement Thursday. Japan Japan has ordered military planes to be on standby for around 1,000 Japanese nationals believed to live in Israel, and around 280 in Iran, according to government ministers. People evacuated from Israel disembark from a plane, amid the Israel-Iran conflict, at Vasil Levski Sofia airport, Sofia, Bulgaria, on Wednesday. Reuters The Japanese embassies in Iran and Israel are preparing to use buses to evacuate citizens to neighbouring countries, a government spokesman said, as the war entered its seventh day. Indonesia Indonesia is preparing to evacuate around 380 of its citizens currently in Iran by land, Jakarta's foreign minister said Thursday. "Flights are no longer possible, so the only way is land route. It will start tonight," Foreign Minister Sugiono, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said in a video. Philippines The Philippines is preparing to repatriate 28 Israel-based Filipino workers out of 178 who asked for help, the Department of Migrant Workers secretary Hans Cacdac said Thursday. At least 21 Philippine government officials have also crossed into Jordan by land from Israel since the conflict began, the foreign ministry said. Agence France-Presse
