Latest news with #AbbasAraqchi
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Israel–Iran conflict enters second week as civilian toll rises, missile strikes escalate, and global diplomacy urges restraint
The ongoing air war between Israel and Iran has entered its second week, with no sign of either side backing down. On Friday, officials from Britain, France, Germany, and the European Union gathered in Geneva to meet with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in an attempt to defuse the growing crisis. This comes as U.S. President Donald Trump said a decision on possible American involvement would be made within two weeks. Israel began striking Iranian targets last Friday, saying the attacks were aimed at halting Iran's nuclear ambitions. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks, insisting its nuclear program remains peaceful. Rising death toll and targeted strikes According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, Israeli airstrikes have resulted in 639 deaths in Iran, including senior military figures and nuclear scientists. Iran's missile attacks have killed at least two dozen Israeli civilians, according to Israeli authorities. These figures could not be independently verified. Israel's military has reportedly focused on Iranian missile systems and nuclear research facilities, aiming to damage the country's key infrastructure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while regime change in Iran is not an official goal, it could become a consequence if the Iranian public seeks it. Iran, meanwhile, claims it is targeting Israeli military sites, though some strikes have hit civilian areas. On Thursday, a major hospital in Beersheba was struck. Iran said it was aiming for military offices nearby, but Israeli officials denied any such facilities were present. Civilian damage and international concern Early Friday, the Israeli military issued another missile alert. One missile directly hit a site in Beersheba, damaging apartment buildings and industrial areas. Paramedic Shafir Botner described extensive destruction and confirmed at least six people were injured. Footage from Israeli broadcaster Kan showed burning vehicles, damaged homes, and emergency workers conducting searches. In response, Israel carried out strikes in Tehran targeting missile production and nuclear-related infrastructure. The military described the operations as part of an ongoing effort to reduce Iran's military capabilities. Global reactions and uncertain U.S. role As diplomatic discussions continue, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held meetings and calls with officials from Australia, France, Italy, and the U.K., reaffirming that Iran should never acquire nuclear weapons. Rubio's message was echoed by British Foreign Minister David Lammy, who described the situation as 'perilous' and stressed the urgency of de-escalation. Trump's administration has not confirmed any direct intervention, though Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has been in repeated contact with Araqchi. Trump is expected to attend a national security meeting and may decide on military action within the next two weeks, though this timeline remains flexible. Unrest within Iran and public sentiment While international pressure mounts, Iran faces one of the biggest external threats since its 1979 revolution. However, domestic opposition groups have not mobilized protests amid the conflict. Human rights activist Atena Daemi, who previously served a prison term in Iran, said citizens are prioritizing safety. 'In these conditions, people are focused on protecting themselves, their families, and their communities,' she rising casualties, continued strikes, and international diplomacy underway, the Israel–Iran conflict is showing no signs of immediate resolution.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
European ministers to hold talks with Iran as US says it is still deciding whether to join war
Good morning. Foreign ministers from the UK, France and Germany will meet their Iranian counterpart in Geneva on Friday as they try to forge a path back to diplomacy amid its war with Israel. Their meeting with Abbas Araqchi comes a day after President Donald Trump said he would decide within two weeks whether to join the war on Israel's side. The White House said Trump would 'make a decision on whether to attack Iran within two weeks' and that communications with Tehran were ongoing. It also follows Israel openly calling for regime change in Iran, with its defense minister, Israel Katz, saying Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 'can no longer be allowed to exist'. While attention has shifted to the Israel-Iran war over the last week, Israel's assault on Gaza continues. Al Jazeera reported that at least 23 Palestinians had been killed after Israeli forces shot aid seekers in central Gaza – a report that is impossible for the Guardian to independently verify as Israel bans foreign journalists from Gaza. Unicef said that just 40% of Gaza's drinking water facilities remain operational, warning: 'Children will begin to die of thirst.' What has Iran said about negotiations with the US? Araqchi has ruled out talks with the US as it is a 'partner to Israeli crime against Iran'. Follow our live coverage. The Los Angeles Dodgers said on Thursday they blocked US immigration enforcement agents from accessing their stadium's parking lot that day. The baseball team made the statement in a post on X – but Ice responded to say that its agents 'were never there'. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the DHS, said in a statement that 'this had nothing to do with the Dodgers. CBP vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.' A source told the Los Angeles Times that agents met near the stadium for a briefing but left when photos of their meeting began to spread online. Why might the LA Dodgers be targeted? Since Ice ramped up enforcement in Los Angeles, rumors have spread that authorities will focus on the stadium because of its large Latino fanbase. The office of the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, reportedly requested 'a passive approach to Juneteenth messaging' amid Donald Trump's attack on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The Rolling Stone exclusively reported that the Pentagon's chief of public affairs said that the office was not preparing to publish web content related to Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating when enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free. What has Hegseth said about DEI? He told a Senate hearing this week: 'DEI is dead. We replaced it with a color-blind, gender-neutral, merit-based approach, and the force is responding incredibly.' How long has Juneteenth been a federal holiday? Joe Biden made it a federal holiday in 2021. Prosecutors have dismissed charges against a Los Angeles protester who was accused of assaulting border patrol agents, while the demonstrator said he himself was attacked by officers. Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez has rejected Nato's plan for member states to spend 5% of their GDP on defense. A judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from tying Democratic-led states' access to funding for transportation funding to their cooperation with immigration enforcement. Developing countries desperately need 'more debt relief' in order to provide education and health services, a report has found. The need is particularly acute in Africa, where some 57% of the continent's population – 751 million people, including nearly 288 million living in extreme poverty – live in countries that spend more on servicing external debt than on education or healthcare. A Ukrainian marine has spoken to the Guardian about his three years in Russian captivity, where he endured hunger, beatings and torture. Dmytro Chorny, who was released in a mass prisoner exchange in April, shares how he tried to cope while inside: 'The very first rule is to forget that you were once a citizen. Forget about your girlfriend, forget about your grandparents, completely separate yourself from your past. That is, you have never been there, you were born in captivity, you live in captivity … But, of course, you dream.' This week, a landmark deal creating the world's first visa in the context of the climate emergency came into force. The agreement, signed in 2023, allows 280 Tuvaluans to migrate to Australia each year and obtain permanent residency. And while it has offered hope to many young Tuvaluans, some fear it will create labor shortages in the country of just 11,000, as well as lead to a loss of cultural knowledge. As Jaws turns 50, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary and Wendy Benchley look back on the highs and lows of making the iconic blockbuster. The movie was plagued by the mechanical shark, nicknamed 'Bruce', malfunctioning he remembers, with constant announcements on set that: ''The shark is not working. The shark is not working. Repeat. The shark is not working.' And then one day you hear this. 'The shark is working! The shark is working!'' In an admission that is a testament to the movie's power, Dreyfuss says he has never been back into the sea since … First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you're not already signed up, subscribe now. 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Ammon
an hour ago
- Politics
- Ammon
Israel-Iran air war enters second week as missile attacks continue
Ammon News - Iran said on Friday it would not discuss the future of its nuclear programme while under attack by Israel, as Europe sought to draw Tehran back into negotiations and the United States considers whether to get involved in the conflict. Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying it wanted to prevent its longtime enemy from developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. The White House said on Thursday that President Donald Trump would decide on U.S. action in the next two weeks. Israeli air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, the Human Rights Activists News Agency said, with those killed including the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. Israel has said at least two dozen Israeli civilians have died in Iranian missile attacks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was no room for negotiations with Israel's superpower ally the United States, which he called a partner in crime, "until Israeli aggression stops".
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Israel-Iran latest: European foreign ministers to meet Iranian counterpart as Trump considers strikes
European foreign ministers are set to meet their Iranian counterpart on Friday aiming to create a pathway back to diplomacy over its contested nuclear programme despite the US considering joining Israeli strikes against Iran . Ministers from Britain, France and Germany as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief spoke to Abbas Araqchi earlier this week and have been co-ordinating with US secretary of state Marco Rubio . In a rare call, they pressed upon Mr Araqchi the need to return to the negotiating table and avoid further escalation. At Iran's suggestion, the two sides agreed to meet face-to-face. The talks will be held in Geneva, where an initial accord between Iran and world powers to curb its nuclear programme in return for sanctions lifting was struck in 2013 before a comprehensive deal in 2015. READ MORE They come after negotiations between Iran and the United States collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12th. 'The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can,' said a European diplomat. 'We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst-case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens.' The European powers, who were not part of Iran's nuclear negotiations with the United States, had grown increasingly frustrated by the US negotiating strategy in the talks. They deemed some of the demands unrealistic, while fearing the possibility of a weak initial political framework that would lead to open-ended negotiations. Two diplomats said there were no great expectations for a breakthrough in Geneva, where the European Union's foreign policy chief will also attend. But they said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped, Iran's nuclear programme would still remain unresolved given that it would be impossible to eradicate the know-how acquired, leaving it potentially able to clandestinely rebuild its programme. An Iranian official said Tehran has always welcomed diplomacy, but urged the European leaders to use all available means to put pressure on Israel to halt its attacks on Iran. 'Iran remains committed to diplomacy as the only path to resolving disputes – but diplomacy is under attack,' the official said. Speaking after holding talks in Washington with Mr Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, British foreign secretary David Lammy said there was a window for diplomacy. 'We discussed how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,' he said on X, referring to the White House saying on Thursday that US president Donald Trump would give two weeks before deciding whether to join Israeli strikes. Prior to Israel's strikes, European leaders and the US put forward a resolution that was approved by the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a UN watchdog, which declared Iran in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. As part of last week's IAEA resolution, European officials had said they could refer Iran to the United Nations security council later in the summer to add pressure on Iran if there was no progress in the nuclear talks. That would be separate to them reimposing UN sanctions, known as the snapback mechanism, before October 18th when the 2015 accord expires. The Europeans are the only ones who can launch the snapback mechanism, with diplomats saying the three countries had looked to set a final deadline at the end of August to launch it. 'Iran has repeatedly stated that triggering snapback will have serious consequences,' the Iranian official said. – Reuters
Nikkei Asia
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
Europeans try to coax Iran back to diplomacy as Trump weighs strikes
GENEVA (Reuters) -- European foreign ministers are set to meet their Iranian counterpart on Friday aiming to create a pathway back to diplomacy over its contested nuclear program despite the U.S. considering joining Israeli strikes against Iran. Ministers from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief spoke to Abbas Araqchi earlier this week and have been coordinating with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
