Iranian authorities have asked people to limit water consumption amid severe heatwaves and a water crisis across the country.
Iran is experiencing its hottest week of the year, according to the national meteorological service, with temperatures exceeding 50C in some areas.
On top of the extreme heat, the country is in a serious water crisis. Iran has been in drought for five years, with rainfall even lower this year. The minister of energy, Abbas Aliabadi, announced last week that negotiations to import water were under way with Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The country has hundreds of dams, built from the 1950s onwards but the drought has significantly reduced their output. This, as well as problems with infrastructure and the heatwaves, has led to power cuts across the country.
A spokesperson for the Iranian government, Fatemeh Mohajerani, announced over the weekend that this Wednesday had been made a public holiday in the capital’s region due to the enduring heatwaves.
“In light of the continued extreme heat and the necessity of conserving water and electricity, Wednesday … has been declared a holiday in Tehran province,” she wrote on X.
Hussain Hassan*, in his late 50s, said that it is so hot in Tehran and the sun is so fierce he feels unable to walk in direct sunlight. He said: “I feel the skin is going to burn. [My] shirt gets wet so quickly and I prefer to take shower twice a day at this age amidst severe heat. Thank God, there is no water crisis where I live.”
He added that in some parts of Tehran, authorities had reduced water supplies to manage the crisis. “I have heard from people that cutting water supply has resulted in water outages lasting at least 12 hours and more,” he said.
According to the climatologist Maximiliano Herrera, the southwestern Iranian city of Shabankareh recorded temperatures of 52.8C over the weekend, potentially the hottest temperature of the year so far (a reading of 53C in Kuwait has not been confirmed). Meteorologists at Metdesk in the UK reported a temperature reading of 51.6C in the southwestern border town of Abadan on 17 July, and 50.3C was recorded in nearby Ahwaz on Monday.
The city of Tehran reported 40C on Sunday rising to 41C on Monday. Hassan said: “It feels more than 45 degrees Celsius. It is so hot.”
For Hassan, the biggest worry is the brewing water crisis as the reservoirs are depleting and the Karaj dam, which provides water to Tehran province, has hit its lowest level.
Human-caused climate breakdown is making every heatwave in the world more intense and more likely to happen. Some, such as the extreme heatwave in western Canada and the US in 2021, would have been all but impossible without global heating.
Temperature map of northern hemisphere
The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, issued a stark warning during a cabinet meeting on Sunday. “The water crisis is more serious than what is being discussed today, and if we do not take urgent action now, we will face a situation in the future for which no remedy can be found,” Pezeshkian said, according to state media. “In the water sector, beyond management and planning, we also need to address excessive consumption.”
Hassan’s words were echoed by others in Iran. Ehsan Ali*, 35, who lives in Mashhad, said people were very worried about power outages and that the hot weather had become unbearable. Ali said the water crisis had been exacerbated in his city by a dam built upstream by Afghanistan in the Herat province. The structure has been criticised by Iranians who believe it is choking off the water flow into Mashhad.
“We have nine-hour load-shedding daily as the temperature has soared across Iran including my home town,” Ali told the Guardian. “The water crisis is one of the biggest issues. Our dams are becoming dry and water reservoirs are depleting so fast.”
BEIRUT: As pressure intensifies on Lebanon’s new government to resolve the question of Hezbollah’s arms, it confronts a fundamental challenge: Can the Iran-backed group relinquish its military wing and become a purely political party? And if it does, will Lebanon’s state institutions and political culture prove capable of supporting such a transition?
Earlier this month, Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, telegraphed Washington’s growing impatience with the status quo in Lebanon in remarks to journalists following his visit to Beirut. He described Hezbollah’s disarmament as an essential condition for the renewal of international financial aid and long-term political stability in Lebanon.
As part of a proposal presented to Lebanese officials, the US offered support for Lebanon’s economic reform efforts in exchange for Hezbollah’s complete disarmament, Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, and the release of Lebanese detainees held by Israel.
“If Lebanon doesn’t hurry up and get in line, everyone around them will,” Barrack said. He acknowledged what he described as a “spectacular” response from Beirut in a short time, but criticized the Lebanese political system’s ingrained culture of “delay, detour, and deflect,” saying time was running out for the country to adapt to a fast-changing regional order.
But disarming Hezbollah is far from straightforward. Despite suffering significant losses last year during its war with Israel, including the death of longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah and the destruction of much of its military infrastructure, Hezbollah has shown no willingness to give up its arms.
The World Bank has estimated the cost of Lebanon’s reconstruction at $11 billion. (AFP)
The group’s new leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, reiterated that stance in a video address on July 19. “We will not surrender or give up to Israel; Israel will not take our weapons away from us,” he said.
According to him, any disarmament would be discussed only as part of a national defense strategy determined internally by Lebanon, and only after a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
That position is tied to continued Israeli airstrikes, including recent attacks in the south that killed two individuals on July 20, as per local media reports.
Hezbollah cites these violations, along with Israel’s continued occupation of five positions seized after the November 2024 ceasefire, as justification for retaining its arms.
Although the group claims to have handed over 190 of its 265 southern military positions to the Lebanese army, it continues to maintain a significant arsenal in the region and in other strongholds.
Hezbollah emerged as Lebanon’s most powerful military force and dominant political actor in the post-civil war era, representing a significant portion of the Shiite population alongside the Amal party. Together, the two groups hold all the 27 Shiite seats in the 128-member parliament.
Analysts say that Hezbollah’s ideological foundation has long rested on armed resistance, so shifting toward civilian politics would require not only strategic recalculation but also a new political message capable of sustaining its popular base.
Lebanese army troops patrol the destroyed southern border village of Adaisseh. (AFP)
“For decades, the party has emphasized armed resistance against Israel as central to its appeal,” said David Wood, senior analyst on Lebanon at the International Crisis Group (ICG).
“If Hezbollah wants to transition into a normal political party, it will need to craft another electoral narrative based around how it can improve the socio-economic fortunes of its constituents.”
Such a transformation is not without precedent. Other armed movements in the region, such as the Palestinian Fatah in earlier decades, have evolved into political organizations. However, the Lebanese context is unique in many ways. Years of economic collapse, institutional paralysis and political gridlock have left the state too weak to assert its authority.
The November 2024 ceasefire, brokered by the US and France, was intended to revive the terms of UN Resolution 1701, which calls for Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory, a halt to Hezbollah’s military operations near the southern border, and full control of arms by the Lebanese state. But little progress has been made.
Bilal Saab, associate fellow in the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House, expressed doubt over Hezbollah’s ability to function effectively as a conventional political party. He pointed to signs of waning support in southern Lebanon and other Hezbollah strongholds.
The group’s military losses, the destruction of southern villages, and the economic suffering in Hezbollah-controlled areas are undermining its grassroots support, Saab told Arab News. “It is therefore unclear whether an unarmed Hezbollah could compete effectively in free elections, within Lebanon’s complex political system.”
For Lebanon’s new leadership under President Joseph Aoun, left, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, the challenge is to preserve national stability while dealing with an increasingly polarized domestic landscape and pressure from powerful external actors. (AFP)
He said the obstacles ahead of the government are political willingness and “exaggerated” fears of sectarian violence. The new leaders, he said, “must recognize that the chances of sectarian tensions are higher with the status quo unchanged.”
According to Saab, lack of serious action to address the issue of Hezbollah’s arms would prompt Israel to continue its attacks and cause more damage and human casualties. “If that happens, war-weary and economically dispossessed Lebanese could blame Hezbollah for causing even more death and destruction. This would in turn increase the risk of sectarian violence and people taking up arms against Hezbollah and its supporters,” he said.
For Lebanon’s new leadership under President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, the challenge is to preserve national stability while dealing with an increasingly polarized domestic landscape and pressure from powerful external actors.
Though both leaders have reiterated their commitment to imposing a state monopoly on arms, they have insisted that any progress depends on Israel’s complete withdrawal from Lebanese territory and an end to violations of Lebanese sovereignty.
While Barrack’s proposal received praise for its ambition, its feasibility depends on wider geopolitical considerations. Paul Salem, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, believes that Iran, Hezbollah’s principal backer, will have the final say.
“The key decision of disarming Hezbollah would have to be made in Iran, the group’s main backer, not in Lebanon,” he told Arab News. “For the time being, it is clear that Tehran is encouraging Hezbollah to drag its feet and not to hand over all its arms and I think that will remain the case.”
Salem emphasized the need for a coordinated domestic and international effort to encourage Hezbollah’s transition into a political entity. This, he said, would require guarantees from the US, a defined role for the LAF, and political assurances from the Arab Gulf states.
“Hezbollah, at a minimum, would need assurances about Israel’s withdrawal and protection of its operatives in Lebanon, which would have to come from the US, as well reassurances from Gulf countries of aid for reconstruction of the war-ravaged areas,” Salem said.
“They would want some of that money to come through their auspices so they could benefit politically.”
The World Bank has estimated the cost of Lebanon’s reconstruction at $11 billion. US and Gulf officials have indicated that significant portions of that aid will only be unlocked if Hezbollah agrees to disarm.
Lebanese emergency responders inspect the debris at the site of a reported Israeli strike on a vehicle in Khaldeh, south of the capital Beirut. (AFP)
The issue of integrating Hezbollah supporters into Lebanon’s broader political and economic fabric is also paramount. Wood emphasized that the process of disarming Hezbollah should come with assurances that the Shiite community would remain part of the nation-building process in a country long paralyzed by factional politics.
“Lebanon’s leaders must think very carefully about how to fully integrate Hezbollah’s supporters into the country’s future, or else they risk creating dangerous fissures in Lebanese society,” the ICG’s Wood said.
Despite mounting pressure, few expect a quick resolution. Reports suggest Hezbollah is conducting a strategic review of its military posture, exploring possible scenarios but delaying concrete action. “Hezbollah is taking a ‘wait and see’ approach for now,” Wood said. “Perhaps it wants to know if regional circumstances might improve for it before seriously entertaining the idea of surrendering its military wing.”
Meanwhile, the Lebanese army has consolidated control over Rafik Hariri International Airport and large parts of the south, improving state authority and border security. A successful disarmament, officials argue, would boost the credibility of Lebanon’s institutions and the case for the state’s monopoly on force.
The Middle East Institute’s Salem cautioned that Hezbollah is unlikely to fully relinquish its arms without assurances that go beyond Lebanese borders. If anything, he said, the disarmament would reduce sectarian tensions “with the Sunnis, Christians, Druze and other communities that have been afraid of Hezbollah’s arms.”
Firefighters work at the site of an Israeli drone attack in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Roumman. (AFP)
The potential rewards for Lebanon are clearly substantial. Hezbollah’s disarmament would enable Lebanon to form new alliances with regional and global partners. The disarmament process could also unlock vital economic assistance, helping the country recover from years of political paralysis, financial crisis and social unrest.
However, Lebanon’s leadership remains caught between the demands of the international community and the compulsions of domestic sectarian politics. For now, a delicate balance holds. But as pressure builds, time may be running out for Lebanon’s politicians to chart the country’s future — before others do it for them.
Many of the victims were students who had just come out of class when a F-7 jet crashed into their school
Bangladesh is observing a day of mourning after at least 27people were killed when a military jet crashed into a school.
Many of the victims were students who had just come out of class when a F-7 jet crashed into the Milestone School and College in the capital Dhaka.
The armed forces said that the jet had reportedly experienced a mechanical fault after taking off for a training exercise, with the pilot being among those killed, adding that an investigation would be held.
The crash marks the deadliest aviation disaster the country has seen in decades, and while details are still emerging, here’s what we know about the crash so far.
How did the crash happen?
The training aircraft had taken off from a Bangladesh Air Force Base in Dhaka at just after 13:06 local time (07:06 GMT) and crashed soon after in the Uttara neighbourhood.
The air force said in a statement that the F-7 jet had suffered a mechanical fault and the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md. Taukir Islam, had tried to steer it to a less crowded area. He was among those killed.
A teacher at the college, Rezaul Islam, told BBC Bangla that he saw the plane “directly” hit the building.
Another teacher, Masud Tarik, told Reuters that he heard an explosion: “When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke… There were many guardians and kids here.”
Images from the scene in the hours after the crash showed scores of emergency service workers sorting through charred rubble in a bid to find survivors.
An investigation committee has been formed to look into the incident, said the armed forces in a statement.
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The plane crashed into the Milestone School in Dhaka
Who are the victims?
Most of the victims were enrolled at the Milestone School and College, a private institution with around 2,000 students, from pre-school to senior secondary levels.
At least 17 of the deceased are children, the health ministry said on Monday.
Year 10 student Farhan Hasan told BBC Bangla he had just left the building after finishing an exam when he saw the plane crash into the building.
“My best friend, the one I was in the exam hall with, he died right in front of my eyes,” he said.
“And many parents were standing inside because the younger kids were coming out since it was the end of the school day… the plane took the parents along with it.”
One man’s eight-year-old nephew was among the students who died in the crash. “My beloved nephew is in the morgue right now,” he said, his hand resting on the arm of his younger brother, the boy’s father, who kept repeating: “Where is my son?”
A teacher told the Dhaka Tribune that classes for grades five to seven were being held in the building where the plane crashed.
“Although classes ended around 13:00, many students were waiting for private coaching,” the teacher said.
At least 170 people were injured with an on-duty doctor at the Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital saying most of the injured were aged between 10 and 15 years old, many suffering from jet fuel burns.
More than 50 people were taken to hospital with burns, many in critical condition, said a doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
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More than 50 people were taken to hospital with burns
How common are air crashes like these?
Plane crashes are relatively rare in Bangladesh.
The last time it saw a major plane disaster was in 1984, when all 49 people aboard a Biman flight – Bangladesh’s national flag carrier – died after the plane crashed into a marsh while landing near the airport in Dhaka.
In 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines flight crashed while trying to land at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, killing 51 people.
In 2008, another F-7 training jet crashed outside Dhaka, killing the pilot.
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The F-7 BGI training jet reportedly experienced a technical problem shortly after taking off
What happens now?
The city is still reeling from the mass casualty event, and medical efforts are underway.
The National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery was on Monday swarmed by family members trying to find their loved ones, as well as volunteers who queued up to donate blood to the injured. A number of politicians were also seen visiting victims at the hospital.
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Family members swarmed hospitals trying to find out news of their loved ones
An emergency hotline has been launched to deal with casualties from the crash, Muhammad Yunus, leader of Bangladesh’s interim government, wrote on X.
Yunus said that the bodies of those who could be identified would be handed to their families, while the others would be identified through DNA testing.
He also urged the public to avoid unnecessarily crowding at hospitals to allow medical work to continue undisrupted.
“Necessary measures” would be taken to investigate the cause of the incident and “ensure all kinds of assistance”, he said.
An investigation committee has been set up to look into the incident, authorities have said.
The incident has drawn condolences from leaders of neighbouring countries, including Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.
Russia and Ukraine will hold a new round of peace talks in Istanbul on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
“Today, I discussed with [Ukrainian Security Council chief] Rustem Umerov the preparations for a prisoner exchange and another meeting in Turkey with the Russian side,” Zelensky said in his daily address on Monday. “Umerov reported that the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.”
Zelensky proposed fresh talks at the weekend, days after US President Donald Trump threatened Russia with “severe” sanctions if there was no ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv within 50 days.
Washington has also pledged new weapons for the Ukrainian military, after Russia intensified attacks.
A child was killed overnight into Tuesday, when a Russian glide bomb hit an apartment block in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, local officials said. Six areas of the capital Kyiv had earlier come under a combined drone and missile attack.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces said they had pushed back more than 50 attacks in the Pokrovsk area of eastern Ukraine, where Russia has concentrated much of its firepower in recent months. Russian sabotage groups have already tried to enter the city, according to Ukraine’s military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Moscow has not commented on the peace talks planned to take place in Istanbul. Two rounds took place in the city in May and June and led to a series of prisoner exchanges.
Russia’s RIA news agency, quoting a source, said the latest round of talks would take place over two days, on Thursday and Friday.
A Turkish government spokesperson said Wednesday’s talks would take place in the same venue where previous negotiations in May and June failed to work towards a ceasefire, the Agence France-Presse news agency reported.
This week’s talks will be yet another attempt to bring an end to the war that has been going on for more than three years, and will come after Trump expressed frustration with Vladimir Putin. The US president told the BBC he was “disappointed” but “not done” with the Russian leader.
The Istanbul talks could focus on further prisoner exchanges and a possible meeting between Zelensky and Putin, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.
Moscow, however, has downplayed the likelihood of reaching any concrete outcome anytime soon.
Commenting on the prospects for a breakthrough, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that the two sides were “diametrically opposed” and “a lot of diplomatic work lies ahead”.
Russia has intensified its drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, causing record civilian casualties. It launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022.
According to Al Jazeera, US President Donald Trump has again made a threatening statement regarding Iran’s nuclear program, saying that if necessary, Iran’s nuclear facilities will be attacked.
His remarks come as Iranian officials have warned that any new US or Israeli aggression will be met with a firm and crushing response.
Tehran and Washington were engaged in negotiations led by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US President Donald Trump’s foreign envoy Steve Witkoff and had conducted five rounds of indirect talks mediated by Oman when Israel launched a series of unprovoked aggressions, which upended the process.
While the Zionist regime waged a war of aggression against Iran on June 13 and struck Iran’s military, nuclear, and residential areas for 12 days, the US stepped in and conducted military attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran’s Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan on June 22.
The Iranian military forces conducted powerful counterattacks immediately after the aggression. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force carried out 22 waves of retaliatory missile strikes against the Zionist regime as part of Operation True Promise III, which inflicted heavy losses on cities across the occupied territories.
Also, in response to the US attacks, Iranian armed forces launched a wave of missiles at al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military base in West Asia.
A ceasefire that came into force on June 24 has brought the fighting to a halt.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the Israeli military attacked its staff residence and main warehouse in Deir al-Balah on Monday, compromising its operations in Gaza.
The WHO said its staff residence was attacked three times, with airstrikes causing a fire and extensive damage, and endangering staff and their families, including children.
On Monday, Israeli tanks for the first pushed into southern and eastern districts of Deir al-Balah, an area where Israeli sources said the military believes hostages may be held. Tank shelling in the area hit houses and mosques, killing at least three Palestinians and wounding several others, local medics said.
In its daily update, Gaza’s health ministry said on Monday at least 130 Palestinians had been killed and more than 1,000 wounded by Israeli gunfire and military strikes across the territory in the past 24 hours, one of the highest such totals in recent weeks.
“Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint,” the WHO said.
Two WHO staff and two family members were detained, it said in a post on X. It said three were later released, while one staff member remained in detention. Its director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “WHO demands the immediate release of the detained staff and protection of all its staff.”
Evacuation zones in Gaza
Deir al-Balah is packed with Palestinians displaced during more than 21 months of war in Gaza, hundreds of whom fled west or south after Israel issued an evacuation order, saying it sought to destroy infrastructure and the capabilities of the militant group Hamas.
But the area is also the main hub for humanitarian efforts in the devastated territory and Gaza health officials have warned of potential “mass deaths” in coming days from hunger.
The WHO describes the health sector in Gaza as being “on its knees”, with shortages of fuel, medical supplies and frequent mass casualty influxes from Israeli attacks.
Palestinians desperate for in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood of central Gaza City, on Sunday. Israel has routinely attacked Palestinians seeking food aid. Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock
It said its main warehouse, located within an evacuation zone, was damaged on Sunday by an attack that triggered explosions and a fire inside. It said it would remain in Deir al-Balah and expand its operations despite the attacks.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, who earlier said two UN guesthouses had been struck, said the attacks had happened “despite parties having been informed of the locations of UN premises, which are inviolable. These locations – as with all civilian sites – must be protected, regardless of evacuation orders.”
UN secretary-general António Guterres was appalled by an accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions in Gaza “where the last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing,” Dujarric said.
“Israel has the obligation to allow and facilitate by all the means at its disposal the humanitarian relief provided by the United Nations and by other humanitarian organizations,” he said.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said the agency’s local head in Gaza, Jonathan Whittall, had decided to remain in Deir al-Balah. Last week Israel said it would not renew Whittall’s visa beyond August, claiming he was biased against Israel.
In a series of posts on X early on Tuesday, Whittall said the territory was witnessing “conditions of death” and that “This death and suffering is preventable. And if it’s preventable, but still happening, then that suggests to me that it’s intentional.”
Unrwa, the UN refugee agency dedicated to Palestinians, said on X it was receiving desperate messages from Gaza warning of starvation, including from its own staff, as food prices have soared.
“Meanwhile, just outside Gaza, stockpiled in warehouses, Unrwa has enough food for the entire population for over three months. Lift the siege and let aid in safely and at scale,” it said.
Deir el-Balah resident Abdullah Abu Saleem, 48, told AFP on Monday that “during the night, we heard huge and powerful explosions shaking the area as if it were an earthquake”.
He said this was “due to artillery shelling in the south-central part of Deir el-Balah and the south-eastern area”.
The spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence agency, Mahmud Bassal, told AFP it had “received calls from several families trapped in the Al-Baraka area of Deir el-Balah due to shelling by Israeli tanks”.
Early on Tuesday health authorities said at least 12 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured when Israeli tanks fired on tents housing displaced families at al-Shati camp in western Gaza City. There was no immediate comment from Israel.
In southern Gaza, the health ministry said an Israeli undercover unit had on Monday detained Marwan Al-Hams, head of Gaza’s field hospitals and the health ministry spokesperson, in a raid that killed a local journalist, Tamer al-Zaanein, and wounded another outside a field medical facility run by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Marwan Al-Hams, head of Gaza’s field hospitals, was seized by an undercover Israeli unit in a raid that killed a Palestinian journalist. Photograph: Reuters
An ICRC spokesperson said the ICRC had treated patients injured in the incident, but did not comment further on their status. It said it was “very concerned about the safety and security” around the field hospital.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Monday more than two dozen western countries called for an immediate end to the war, saying suffering there had “reached new depths”.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar condemned the countries’ statement, saying any international pressure should be on Hamas, while US ambassador Mike Huckabee called the joint letter “disgusting”.
With Reuters, Associated Press and Agence France-Presse
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said in his evening address on Monday that there would be another round of talks between Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday.
“Today I discussed with Rustem Umerov the preparation of the exchange and another meeting in Turkey with the Russian side. Umerov reported that the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,” said Zelenskyy.
He added that more details would be announced on Tuesday.
Two previous rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have resulted in large-scale prisoner swaps, but no concrete steps have been taken to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now well into its fourth year.
Since the last round of peace talks, Russia released a memorandum detailing its conditions for the fighting to end. This includes Kyiv’s “complete withdrawal of forces” from four regions of Ukraine – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – which Moscow claims as its own “new territories”.
Russia also demands international recognition of the territories it has illegally occupied since 2014, including the Crimean Peninsula.
Ukrainian conditions for peace include a ceasefire to facilitate further negotiations. They also want the reciprocal exchange of prisoners of war, the return of children abducted by Russia and the release of all civilians from Russian captivity.
US President Donald Trump said earlier this month that he was “strongly considering” large-scale “banking sanctions, sanctions and tariffs” on Russia should Moscow not reach a final peace agreement in its ongoing all-out war.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump framed the threat as a response to Russia “absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now.”
“To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you,” the US president said.
Facing growing pressure from the US to show progress in ending the conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin previously turned down a challenge by Zelenskyy to meet in person to discuss peace.
TEHRAN (AFP) – Tehran blamed European powers on Monday for the failure of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, accusing them of breaking commitments ahead of renewed talks in Istanbul with Britain, France and Germany.
The 2015 agreement — reached between Iran and UN Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany — imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.
However, it unravelled in 2018 when the United States, during Donald Trump’s first term as president, unilaterally withdrew and reimposed sweeping sanctions.
Though Europe pledged continued support, a mechanism intended to offset US sanctions never effectively materialised, forcing many Western firms to exit Iran and deepening its economic crisis.
“Iran holds the European parties responsible for negligence in implementing the agreement,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei ahead of Friday’s talks in Istanbul with Britain, France and Germany on the deal’s future.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan spoke by phone Monday to discuss the talks, Fidan’s office said, confirming the date had been set for Friday.
Iran will also host a trilateral meeting Tuesday with Chinese and Russian representatives to discuss the nuclear issue and potential sanctions.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing would “continue to play a constructive role in pushing relevant sides to restart dialogue and negotiations, and reach a solution that takes in account the legitimate concerns of all parties”.
In recent weeks, the three European powers have threatened to reimpose international sanctions on Tehran, accusing it of breaching its nuclear commitments.
Germany said the Istanbul talks would be at the expert level, with the European trio, or E3, working “flat out” to find a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic solution.
“If no solution is reached by the end of August… the snapback also remains an option for the E3,” said its foreign ministry spokesman, Martin Giese.
A clause in the 2015 agreement allows for UN sanctions on Iran to be reimposed through a “snapback” mechanism in the event of non-compliance.
However, the agreement expires in October, leaving a tight deadline.
‘NO INTENTION OF SPEAKING WITH AMERICA’
The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed country currently enriching uranium to 60 percent — far beyond the 3.67 percent cap set by the 2015 accord.
That is a short step from the 90 percent enrichment required for a nuclear weapon.
Using the snapback clause was “meaningless, unjustifiable and immoral”, Baqaei told a news conference, arguing that Iran only began distancing itself from the agreement in response to Western non-compliance.
“Iran’s reduction of its commitments was carried out in accordance with the provisions outlined in the agreement,” he said.
Western powers — led by the United States and backed by Israel — have long accused Tehran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons.
Iran has repeatedly denied this, insisting its nuclear programme is solely for civilian purposes such as energy production.
Tehran and Washington had held five rounds of nuclear talks starting in April, but a planned meeting on June 15 was cancelled after Israel launched strikes on Iran, triggering a 12-day conflict.
“At this stage, we have no intention of speaking with America,” Baqaei said Monday.
Israel launched a wave of surprise strikes on its regional nemesis on June 13, targeting key military and nuclear facilities.
The United States launched its own strikes against Iran’s nuclear programme on June 22, hitting the uranium enrichment facility at Fordo, in Qom province south of Tehran, as well as nuclear sites in Isfahan and Natanz.
SWEIDA (Syria) (AFP) – Syrian authorities evacuated Bedouin families from the Druze-majority city of Sweida on Monday, after a ceasefire in the southern province halted a week of sectarian bloodshed that a monitor said killed more than 1,260 people.
The violence, which followed massacres of Alawites in March and clashes involving the Druze in April and May, has shaken the Islamist rule of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has pledged to protect minorities in a country devastated by 14 years of war.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the ceasefire was largely holding despite isolated gunfire in areas north of Sweida city, with no new reports of casualties.
An AFP correspondent saw a convoy of buses and other vehicles enter the provincial capital and exit carrying civilians, including women and children.
State news agency SANA quoted the governor of neighbouring Daraa, Anwar al-Zubi, as saying his province had “received about 200 Bedouin families who had been detained in Sweida”, sending them to local shelters.
The ceasefire announced on Saturday put an end to the sectarian violence that killed more than 1,260 people — about 800 of them Druze fighters and civilians, including nearly 200 noncombatants “summarily executed” by government forces, according to the Observatory. The toll also includes more than 400 government security personnel.
Fatima Abdel-Qader, 52, a Bedouin who was leaving the city on foot, said her family had been surrounded during the fighting, “unable to leave or come back — anyone who wanted to go out risked gunfire and clashes”.
“We were afraid that someone would come to our home and kill us all,” she told AFP, adding they had no way of getting food or water.
Damascus has accused Druze groups of attacking and killing Sunni Bedouins during the clashes, which broke out on July 13 after a Druze vegetable seller was kidnapped by local Bedouins, according to the Observatory.
The Observatory’s toll includes 35 Bedouins, three of them civilians executed by Druze fighters.
The Druze and Bedouin tribes have had tense relations for decades.
‘UNTHINKABLE’
Witnesses, Druze factions and the Observatory have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses when they entered Sweida last week. Sunni Arab tribes also converged on the area in support of the Bedouin.
The ceasefire effectively began on Sunday after Bedouin and tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city and Druze groups regained control.
The US special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said on Monday that what had happened in Sweida was “unthinkable”.
“You have a Syrian government in effect. They need to be held accountable,” he told a press conference on a visit to neighbouring Lebanon.
The weekend ceasefire announcement came hours after Barrack said the United States had negotiated a truce between Syria’s Islamist authorities and Israel, which had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier in the week.
Israel, which has its own Druze community, has said it was acting in defence of the group, as well as to enforce its demands for the total demilitarisation of Syria’s south.
The deal allowed the deployment of government security forces in Sweida province but not its main city.
An AFP correspondent said security forces had erected sand mounds to block some of Sweida’s entrances.
Sunni tribal fighters were sitting on the roadside beyond the checkpoints.
AID CONVOY
At the main hospital in Sweida city, dozens of bodies were still waiting to be identified, with a forensic medicine official at the facility saying “we still have 97 unidentified corpses”.
According to the United Nations, the violence has displaced more than 128,000 people, an issue that has also made collecting and identifying bodies more difficult.
More than 450 of the dead had been brought to the Sweida national hospital by Sunday evening, with more still being recovered from the streets and homes.
“The dead bodies sent a terrible smell through all the floors of the hospital,” said nurse Hisham Breik, who had not left the facility since the violence began.
“The situation has been terrible. We couldn’t walk around the hospital without wearing a mask,” he said, his voice trembling, adding that the wounded included women, children and the elderly.
The United Nations’ humanitarian office said hospitals and health centres in Sweida province were out of service, with “reports of unburied bodies raising serious public health concerns”.
Humanitarian access to Sweida “remains highly constrained”, it said in a statement late Sunday.
On Sunday, a first humanitarian aid convoy entered the city, which has seen power and water cuts and shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies.
A Red Crescent official told AFP the supplies included body bags.
