Page 3 - Iran

Iran, European powers hold 'frank' nuclear talks as UN sanctions loom

Delegations from the European Union and so-called E3 group of France, Britain and Germany met Iranian counterparts for about four hours at Iran's consulate for talks

Europeans, Iranians meet as return of sanctions looms over nuclear deadlock

Iranian and European diplomats are set to meet in Istanbul Friday to embark on the latest drive to unpick the deadlock over Tehran's nuclear programme. Representatives from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3 nations, will gather at the Iranian consulate building for the first talks since Iran's 12-day war with Israel in June, which involved US bombers striking nuclear-related facilities. The talks are centred on the possibility of reimposing sanctions on Iran that were lifted in 2015 in exchange for Iran accepting restrictions and monitoring of its nuclear programme. The return of sanctions, known as a snapback mechanism, remains on the table, according to a European diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks. A possible delay in triggering snapback has been floated to the Iranians on the condition that there is credible diplomatic engagement by Iran, that they resume full cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency),

Op Sindhu: Of 3,597 evacuated from Iran, 1,500 hailed from J&K, says govt

Of 3,597 Indian nationals who were evacuated from Iran under Operation Sindhu, 1,521 citizens hailed from Jammu and Kashmir and 1,198 from Uttar Pradesh, according to data shared by the government on Thursday. The data was shared in a written response by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh to a query in the Rajya Sabha. In a response to a separate query, he said, "Thirteen Indian nationals remain in the Russian armed forces, out of which 12 individuals have been reported missing by the Russian side." "The Russian authorities concerned have been urged to provide an update on all the remaining/missing individuals, and also ensure their safety, well-being and early discharge," the MoS said. Citing available information, he said there were 127 Indian nationals in the Russian armed forces, out of which the services of 98 individuals were discontinued as a result of sustained engagement between the Indian and Russian governments on this matter, including at the ...

Over 1.1 million Afghans deported from Iran, UN rushes aid amid crisis

In response to the worsening crisis, Tom Fletcher, the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, has allocated $10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to assist returnees from Iran

Iran president to visit Pakistan on July 26 to strengthen bilateral ties

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will visit Pakistan on Saturday to deepen the bilateral ties in the backdrop of recent regional conflicts, according to a media report. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi discussed the upcoming visit with his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni during a telephone conversation on Monday. Momeni had called Naqvi to express sorrow over the loss of lives and property caused by the floods in Pakistan, according to Radio Pakistan. The Iranian Interior Minister also discussed the visit of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Pakistan on July 26, Radio Pakistan reported. Pezeshkian will be the second Iranian president to visit Pakistan in as many years, after his predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, paid a three-day official visit to Pakistan in April 2024. The exact agenda of the visit is not known as yet, but the two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral and regional matters, especially the security issues in the wake of the recent conflicts, it h

Iran, European nations to hold first nuclear talks since Israel ceasefire

Iran said Monday it would hold renewed talks this week with European nations over the country's nuclear program, with discussions to be hosted by Turkey. The talks, to be held in Istanbul on Friday, will be the first since a ceasefire was reached after a 12-day war waged by Israel against Iran in June, which also saw the United States strike nuclear-related facilities in the Islamic Republic. A similar meeting had been held in the Turkish city in May. The discussions will bring Iranian officials together with officials from Britain, France and Germany known as the E3 nations and will include the European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas. The topic of the talks is clear, lifting sanctions and issues related to the peaceful nuclear programme of Iran," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in his weekly briefing. He said the meeting will be held at the deputy ministerial level. Under a 2015 deal designed to cap Iran's nuclear activities, Iran agreed to toug

Iran may hold nuclear talks with UK, France, Germany next week: Report

The three European countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to a 2015 nuclear deal reached with Iran - from which the United States withdrew in 2018

Fire at Iran's largest oil refinery kills 1 in country's southwest region

A fire at Iran's oldest and largest refinery in the southwest killed one person, state media reported Sunday. A leaky pump in an under-repair unit at Abadan refinery caused the fire on Saturday, killing a worker, according to the state-owned IRAN newspaper. Firefighters put out the blaze in two hours and operations remained unaffected, the report said. Iran's deputy parliament speaker, Ali Nikzad, confirmed Sunday that some workers were also injured, media outlets said. Abadan oil refinery, some 670 kilometres from the capital Tehran, began its operation in 1912. It is the biggest in the Islamic Republic, producing about 25 per cent of the country's fuel with more than 5,200,000 barrels of oil refined daily. Several fires have broken out across Iran over the past week at residential and commercial buildings, with authorities saying gas leaks and electrical short-circuiting were to blame. Iran is one of the world's major producers of oil, though sanctions by Western countries have

Indian embassy advises citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Iran

The advisory follows a sharp spike in regional hostilities that began with Israel's launch of 'Operation Rising Lion' on June 13, bombing Iranian military and nuclear facilities

Iran's President was injured while escaping Israeli 'assassination' attempt

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian was allegedly suffered minor injuries in an Israeli missile strike on a high-level security meeting in Tehran, prompting a probe into a suspected Israeli spy network

Search ends for those missing after Houthi rebels sink ship in Red Sea

The search for those missing after Yemen's Houthi rebels sank a ship in the Red Sea has ended as at least four people are presumed dead and 11 others remain unaccounted for, the private security firms involved said Monday. The announcement came as satellite photos show long, trailing oil slicks from where the bulk carrier Eternity C sank, as well as another where the sinking of the bulk carrier Magic Seas by the Iranian-backed Houthis took place. Both ships were attacked over a week ago by the rebels as part of their campaign targeting vessels over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that's upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which $1 trillion of goods usually passes a year. Search called off as mariners missing The private security firms Ambrey and Diaplous Group ran the search for those missing from the Eternity C, which had a three-man security team aboard but requested no escort from either the US Navy or a European Union force in the region. The ship came under attack

UNHCR concerned over widespread return of Afghan refugees from Iran, Pak

UNHCR head in Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal, said that the country is not well prepared to receive this influx of returnees

Pentagon confirms Iranian missile struck Qatar air base in Tehran's attack

The Pentagon on Friday acknowledged that an Iranian ballistic missile hit Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in June during an Iranian attack after President Donald Trump downplayed the assault. The statement from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell follows The Associated Press publishing satellite images Friday showing damage from the attack. Parnell said the strike did minimal damage to equipment and structures on the base. He added: Al Udeid Air Base remains fully operational and capable of conducting its mission, alongside our Qatari partners, to provide security and stability in the region. Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC show the geodesic dome visible at the Al Udeid Air Base on the morning of June 23, just hours before the attack. The US Air Force's 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates out of the base, announced in 2016 the installation of the $15 million piece of equipment, known as a modernized enterprise terminal. Photos show a satellite dish inside of the dome, known

Satellite images show Iran strikes hit US communications dome at Qatar base

An Iranian attack on an air base in Qatar key to the US military likely hit a geodesic dome housing equipment used by the Americans for secure communications, satellite images analysed Friday by The Associated Press show. The US military and Qatar did not immediately respond to requests for comment over the damage, which so far has not been publicly acknowledged. The Iranian attack on Al Udeid Air Base outside of Doha, Qatar's capital, on June 23 came as a response to the American bombing of three nuclear sites in Tehran and provided the Islamic Republic a way to retaliate that quickly led to a ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump ending the 12-day Iran-Israel war. The Iranian attack otherwise did little damage likely due to the fact that the US evacuated its aircraft from the base home to the forward headquarters of the US military's Central Command ahead of the attack. Trump also has said Iran signalled when and how it would retaliate, allowing American and Qatari air ..

1,060 people killed in war with Israel, death toll could rise: Iran govt

Iran's government has issued a new death toll for its war with Israel, saying at least 1,060 people were killed and warning that the figure could rise. Saeed Ohadi, the head of Iran's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, gave the figure in an interview aired by Iranian state television late Monday. Ohadi warned the death toll may reach 1,100 given how severely some people were wounded. During the war, Iran downplayed the effects of Israel's 12-day bombardment of the country, which decimated its air defences, destroyed military sites and damaged its nuclear facilities. Since a ceasefire took hold, Iran slowly has been acknowledging the breadth of the destruction, though it still has not said how much military materiel it lost. The Washington-based Human Rights Activists group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from multiple rounds of unrest in Iran, has said 1,190 people were killed, including 436 civilians and 435 security force members. The attacks wounded anothe

Brics condemns strikes on Iran, call for upholding international law

In the Rio de Janeiro Declaration released after the summit, the BRICS leaders outlined wide-ranging priorities across global peace, multilateralism, and development

Iran mass expels Afghan refugees, raising alarms for women under Taliban

Iran's deportation of 250,000 Afghans, many of them women, has sparked a humanitarian crisis as returnees face deadly heat, Taliban restrictions, and limited support at overcrowded border crossings

US judge rules Huawei to face criminal charges over tech theft, Iran ties

US District Judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn found sufficient allegations in the 16-count indictment that Huawei engaged in racketeering to expand its brand, stole trade secrets from six companies

Israeli man indicted for passing info to Iranian agent during wartime

The indictment states Liakhov began carrying out assignments for the Iranian agent while he was living in Latvia, before returning to Israel

Iran nuclear programme set back years with strikes: CIA chief to lawmakers

CIA Director John Ratcliffe told skeptical US lawmakers that American military strikes destroyed Iran's lone metal conversion facility and in the process delivered a monumental setback to Tehran's nuclear programme that would take years to overcome, a US official said on Sunday. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive intelligence, said Ratcliffe laid out the importance of the strikes on the metal conversion facility during a classified hearing for US lawmakers last week. Details about the private briefings surfaced as President Donald Trump and his administration keep pushing back on questions from Democratic lawmakers and others about how far Iran was set back by the strikes before last Tuesday's ceasefire with Israel took hold. It was obliterating like nobody's ever seen before, Trump said in an interview on Fox News Channel's "Sunday Morning Futures". "And that meant the end to their nuclear ambitions, at least for a period of time. Ratcl