Tehran says air defence systems restored after Israel conflict
Listen to article
Iran has replaced air defences damaged during last month's conflict with Israel, Iran's Defah Press news agency reported on Sunday quoting Mahmoud Mousavi, the regular army's deputy for operations.
During the conflict in June, Israel's air force dominated Iran's airspace and dealt a heavy blow to the country's air defences while Iranian armed forces launched successive barrages of missiles and drones on Israeli territory.
"Some of our air defences were damaged, this is not something we can hide, but our colleagues have used domestic resources and replaced them with pre-arranged systems that were stored in suitable locations in order to keep the airspace secure," Mousavi said.
Prior to the war, Iran had its own domestically-made long-range air defence system Bavar-373 in addition to the Russian-made S-300 system. The report by Defah Press did not mention any import of foreign-made air defence systems to Iran in past weeks.
Following limited Israeli strikes against Iranian missile factories last October, Iran later displayed Russian-made air defences in a military exercise to show it recovered from the attack.
Earlier today, Iran, Britain, France and Germany could hold talks next week on Tehran's nuclear programme, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday, following warnings by the three European countries that failure to resume negotiations would lead to international sanctions being reimposed on Iran.
"The principle of talks has been agreed upon, but consultations are continuing on the time and place of the talks. The country in which the talks could be held next week has not been finalised," Tasnim reported, quoting a source informed on the matter.
Read: Iran says 'no specific date' for US nuclear talks
The report on possible talks comes a few days after the foreign ministers of the so-called E3 nations, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief, held their first call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Israel and the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities a month ago.
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 - that lifted sanctions on the Middle Eastern country in return for restrictions on its nuclear programme.
The E3 have said they would restore UN sanctions on Tehran via the so-called "snapback mechanism" by the end of August if nuclear talks that were ongoing between Iran and the US before the Israel-Iran air war do not resume or fail to produce concrete results.
"If EU/E3 want to have a role, they should act responsibly, and put aside the worn-out policies of threat and pressure, including the 'snap-back' for which they lack absolutely [any] moral and legal ground," Araqchi said earlier this week.
The snapback mechanism can be used to restore UN sanctions before the UN Security Council resolution enshrining the deal expires on October 18.
Prior to the Israel-Iran war, Tehran and Washington held five rounds of nuclear talks mediated by Oman but faced major stumbling blocks such as uranium enrichment in Iran, which Western powers want to bring down to zero to minimise any risk of weaponisation.
Tehran maintains its nuclear programme is solely meant for civilian purposes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
11 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
Pakistan remains among worst passports in Henley's latest ranking
Pakistan's passport continues to languish near the bottom of the Henley Passport Index 2025 – fourth-worst – ahead of Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, according to the latest global rankings released on Tuesday. Singapore retained the title of the world's most powerful passport, with visa-free access to 193 destinations out of 227 globally, according to the index. The index includes data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and ranks all the world's passports based on the number of destinations their holders can enter without a prior visa. Asian nations continue to lead the global mobility race, with Japan and South Korea sharing 2nd place, each granting their citizens access to 190 destinations visa-free. A contingent of European countries occupied the rest of the Top 5. Seven EU passports share 3rd place – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain, all with access to 189 destinations. UAE was ranked 8th with a mobility score of 184, and the only country in the Middle East in the top 10. The UAE continues to be a standout among the top risers, shooting up 34 places over the last 10 years from 42nd to 8th place. Last month, Pakistan and the UAE signed a visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and official passports. Pakistani passport fourth-worst in the world: Henley Passport Index Dr Christian H. Kaelin, the inventor of the passport index concept, said the latest Henley Passport Index had revealed an increasingly competitive landscape in global mobility. 'The consolidation we're seeing at the top underscores that access is earned – and must be maintained– through active and strategic diplomacy,' she was quoted as saying in the press release issued by Henley on Tuesday. 'Nations that proactively negotiate visa waivers and nurture reciprocal agreements continue to rise, while the opposite applies to those that are less engaged in such efforts.' Biggest movers and shakers The UK and US have each dropped a place in the global passport rankings since January, continuing a long-term downward trend. Once the most powerful passports in the world – the UK in 2015 and the US in 2014 – they now rank 6th and 10th, respectively. The UK currently has visa-free access to 186 destinations, while the US trails with 182. Notably, the US is now on the brink of exiting the Top 10 altogether for the first time in the index's 20-year history. India has recorded the largest jump in ranking over the past six months, climbing eight places from 85th to 77th, while Saudi Arabia has made the biggest gain in visa-free access, adding four destinations since January. Its total now stands at 91, lifting the kingdom four places to 54th. Pakistan, UAE sign visa exemption agreement for select passport holders
Business Recorder
41 minutes ago
- Business Recorder
Indian rupee sticks to losing run as outflows, tariff worries sustain pressure
MUMBAI: The Indian rupee weakened for a fifth straight session on Tuesday, pressured by likely outflows from domestic equities and growing concerns over an imminent deadline to secure trade deals with the United States. The rupee closed at 86.3675 against the U.S. dollar, down 0.1% on the day. The rupee has fallen around 0.6% over its five-day losing streak, weighed by a modest rebound in the dollar index, foreign portfolio outflows, and concerns over the economic fallout from U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing trade war. Equity markets in Asia and Europe were mostly lower on Tuesday, while Wall Street futures were flat after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit record highs in the previous session. Regional currencies were trading mixed and India's benchmark equity indexes, the BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 closed a tad lower. While markets have shown a relatively muted reaction to the latest trade salvos from the White House in July, analysts said the complacency may start to fade as the deadline for trade deals draws closer. Indian rupee weakens slightly, broad dollar softness cushions pressure 'Markets' defiant approach to tariff news will be tested in the coming days as the risk of no trade deals before the 1 August deadline rises,' ING said in a note. The prospects of an interim trade deal between India and the United States before the deadline have dimmed, as talks remain deadlocked over tariff cuts on key agricultural and dairy products, Reuters reported earlier on Tuesday. In the absence of a trade deal, Indian exports would be subject to a 26% tariff. The European Union, meanwhile, is preparing possible countermeasures against the U.S. as prospects for an acceptable trade agreement fade, per EU diplomats.
Business Recorder
2 hours ago
- Business Recorder
New $250 ‘visa integrity fee' to raise cost for visiting USA
Foreign travellers will soon have to pay a new 'visa integrity' fee, which is $250 initially and is likely to increase over the years based on inflation, to visit the United States. The new levy was imposed under a provision of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), a domestic policy bill, which has recently been enacted by the Trump administration. The bill is expected to affect hundreds and thousands of visitors, as the fee applies to nearly all nonimmigrant visa categories, CNN reported. Those visiting as tourists and for business purpose, international students and others visiting temporarily will have to pay this fees. As per the State Department data, the US issued around 11 million nonimmigrant visas last year. Tourists and businessmen belonging to various European countries and Australia as well as other such countries which part of the Visa Waiver Program will not require to obtain visas for stays up to 90 days. As per the bill's provision, fees could be refunded to the travellers who comply with their visa conditions upon completion of their visit. In a recent post regarding the new policy, immigration lawyer Steven A. Brown, a partner at Houston-based Reddy Neumann Brown PC, described the fee as a 'refundable security deposit.' Brown said that the process for getting a refund is still not clear though. In an email to CNN, Brown said in terms of the purpose of the fee, 'it's hard to say.' 'Generally, immigration fees are to cover the expense of adjudication or issuance,' but he stated that the refund provision could mean reimbursing all of the fees submitted. 'In a perfect world, there would be no overstays or visa violations.' Quoting Brown as saying CNBC also reported that the fee has not been implemented as yet. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency establishing the new fee, believes it will reduce overstays by travellers, Forbes reported. The DHS has so far not specified about the refund process or any other aspects of the policy's rollout. 'The visa integrity fee requires cross-agency coordination before implementation,' a DHS official told CNN. A State Department spokesperson said the levy was imposed 'to support the administration's priorities of strengthening immigration enforcement, deterring visa overstays, and funding border security.' The provision in the bill says fees that aren't reimbursed will be 'deposited into the general fund of the Treasury'. Meanwhile, the US Travel Association has raised concerns about the potential negative impact on tourism, especially with upcoming international events. The association called the fee 'a giant leap backwards.'
