Latest from Shafaq News
Shafaq News
35 minutes ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Gulf states denounce Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear sites
Shafaq News/ On Friday, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman issued warnings over Israeli attacks targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, describing them as violations of international law and a threat to regional safety. Saudi Arabia's Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission condemned any military action against civilian nuclear infrastructure, stressing that such operations breach the UN Charter, International Atomic Energy Agency statutes, and other global legal frameworks. It confirmed that no radiation leaks had been detected within the kingdom. Building on these concerns, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani cautioned that targeting Iran's economic and nuclear infrastructure could have 'catastrophic consequences,' particularly for energy markets and regional stability. Oman echoed the call for restraint, urging all parties to avoid escalation and return to negotiations as the only path toward resolution, and emphasized the need to safeguard international maritime navigation in light of growing regional tensions. Satellite imagery reviewed by analysts showed that Israeli strikes on Iran's Arak heavy-water facility breached the containment dome and inflicted damage on key components, including heavy-water distillation towers—raising further alarm over the safety of nuclear sites under attack.
Shafaq News
35 minutes ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
In Geneva: Iran's nuclear talks reopen with European countries
Shafaq News/ On Friday, Iran and the European troika—France, the UK, and Germany—began renewed diplomatic efforts in Geneva for the first time since the war with Israel began. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that a 'comprehensive proposal' would be presented to Tehran and called for an immediate return to substantive diplomacy, urging Israel to refrain from targeting civilian infrastructure. The meeting began shortly after Iranian forces launched a missile barrage targeting Israeli cities, with a reported 30 heavy missiles fired from Iranian territory, targeting Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beersheba, in the conflict's eighth day. Earlier, addressing the UN Human Rights Council, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned Israel's actions as violations of international law, asserting that Iran's nuclear sites—under IAEA oversight—had been unlawfully targeted, vowing that Tehran would defend its sovereignty.
Shafaq News
an hour ago
- Shafaq News
Iraq ramps up repatriation flights
Shafaq News/ Iraq surpassed the critical phase of its emergency evacuation plan, operating 10 to 12 daily flights to repatriate citizens stranded abroad, the Transport Ministry announced on Friday. Officials emphasized that national carrier Iraqi Airways has also extended its support beyond Iraqi nationals, assisting foreign and Arab residents trapped abroad by transporting them to their home countries or to alternative safe zones. The ministry confirmed that since June 15, the airline has maintained a schedule of up to 12 evacuation flights per day as part of the ongoing emergency plan.
Shafaq News
an hour ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Al-Hakim: Iran shocked the world
Shafaq News / On Friday, Iraqi Wisdom Movement (Al-Hikma) leader Ammar al-Hakim praised Iran's response to Israeli strikes as 'a way that astonished the world'. Speaking at the fourth annual conference of Imam Hussein's orators ahead of Muharram (the first month in the Islamic Hijri calendar), al-Hakim stated, 'The Islamic Republic pursued negotiations, but then faced treachery and absorbed the shock.' Regarding Parliamentary elections, he urged Iraqis to participate 'widely, effectively and conscientiously', advising voters to choose 'righteous individuals on clear, service-oriented lists.' Meanwhile, the Grand Imam of Najaf Friday prayers, Sadr al-Din al-Qabbanji, predicted that 'Iran would ultimately dismantle the state of Israel.' In his sermon, he stated, 'This battle will end either with Israel's demise or its defeat, as per their historical narratives limiting their existence to 80 years.' He called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to surrender to Iran and urged US President Donald Trump to send a handwritten apology to the Iranian people. Al-Qabbanji also demanded compensation for Iran's material and non-material losses and the lifting of sanctions, warning that failure to do so would mark 'the eternal end of Israel.'
Shafaq News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Expert: Iraq vulnerable to drone, cruise missile threats
Shafaq News/ Iraq faces growing security risks from erratic drones and cruise missiles that are difficult to intercept and may endanger civilian areas, an aviation expert warned on Friday. The warning follows a string of drone crashes reported across Iraq, including in Nineveh, Baghdad, Diyala, Al-Sulaymaniyah, and Kirkuk, since the beginning of the Iran-Israel conflict. 'These are not conventional projectiles. Their unpredictable flight paths make them far more difficult to neutralize without causing additional harm,' Aviation Specialist Fares al-Jourani told Shafaq News, cautioning that attempts to intercept such devices could lead to crashes in populated zones—especially if the payloads contain high explosives. 'Even misdirected drones or cruise missiles carry destructive potential because of their unstable trajectories and lethal payloads,' he noted, adding that their use poses a significant challenge to civilian safety and national defense infrastructure. Al-Jourani underscored Iraq's limited air defense coverage and lack of early warning systems as critical vulnerabilities, and called for urgent upgrades to radar networks and integration of layered defense mechanisms to counter these threats.
