Iran to hold nuclear talks with European powers in Istanbul Friday
Iran, Britain, France and Germany will hold nuclear talks in Istanbul on Friday, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said early on Monday, following warnings by the three European countries that failure to resume negotiations would lead to international sanctions being reimposed on Iran."The meeting between Iran, Britain, France and Germany will take place at the deputy foreign minister level," Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted by Iranian state media as saying.The talks scheduled for Friday come after foreign ministers of the E3 nations, as those European countries are known, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief, held their first call on Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Israel and the U.S. 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 U.N. sanctions on Tehran via the "snapback mechanism" by the end of August if nuclear talks that were ongoing between Iran and the U.S. 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 in the week.The snapback mechanism can be used to restore U.N. sanctions before the U.N. 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. Reuters
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Jordan Times
32 minutes ago
- Jordan Times
Israel to 'take control' of Gaza City after approving new war plan
Occupied Jerusalem — Israel's military will "take control" of Gaza City under a plan proposed by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and approved by his security cabinet, his office said in a statement Friday. Nearly two years into the war in Gaza, Netanyahu faces mounting pressure at home and abroad for a truce to pull the territory's more than two million people back from the brink of famine and free the hostages held by Palestinian militants. Under the plan to "defeat" Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army "will prepare to take control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside combat zones", the premier's office said. Before the decision, Netanyahu said Israel planned to take full control of Gaza but did not intend to govern it. He told US network Fox News on Thursday that the military would seize complete control of the Gaza Strip, noting that Israel did not want "to keep" the territory, which it occupied in 1967 but withdrew troops and settlers from in 2005. Netanyahu said Israel wanted a "security perimeter" and to hand the Palestinian territory to "Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us". "That's not possible with Hamas," he added. His office on Friday said a majority of the security cabinet had adopted "five principles", including demilitarisation of the territory and "the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority". The plan drew criticism from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said it was "wrong" and "will only bring more bloodshed". "This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages," said Starmer, who has threatened to recognise a Palestinian state. 'March of recklessness' United Nations rights chief Volker Turk similarly said that "the Israeli Government's plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted". The main campaign group for hostages' families also denounced the plan, saying it amounted to "abandoning the hostages". "The cabinet chose last night to embark on another march of recklessness, on the backs of the hostages, the soldiers, and Israeli society as a whole," the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said. The Israeli army said last month that it controlled 75 percent of the Gaza Strip, mainly from its positions in the territory along the border. An expanded Israeli offensive in Gaza could see ground troops operate in densely populated areas where hostages are believed to be held, Israeli media have reported. Out of 251 hostages captured during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the military says are dead. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid denounced the cabinet's move on Friday, calling it "a disaster that will lead to many other disasters". He said on X that the plan would result in "the death of the hostages, the killing of many soldiers, cost Israeli taxpayers tens of billions, and lead to diplomatic bankruptcy". 'Extremist agenda' Gaza residents said they feared for the worst, as they braced for the next onslaught. "They tell us to go south, then back north, and now they want to send us south again. We are human beings, but no one hears us or sees us," Maysa al-Shanti, a 52-year-old mother of six, told AFP. Following Netanyahu's remarks on Fox, Hamas lambasted the prime minister. "Netanyahu's plans to escalate the aggression confirm beyond any doubt his desire to get rid of the captives and sacrifice them in pursuit of his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda," the group said in a statement. International concern has been growing over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, where a UN-backed assessment has warned that famine is unfolding. The World Health Organisation said at least 99 people have died from malnutrition in the territory this year, with the figure likely an underestimate. In late July, Israel partially eased restrictions on aid entering Gaza, but the United Nations says the amount allowed into the territory remains insufficient. Amjad Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGO Network in the Gaza Strip, told AFP that lengthy inspection procedures at entry points meant few trucks could come in -- "between 70 to 80 per day -- carrying only specific types of goods". The UN estimates that Gaza needs at least 600 trucks of aid per day to meet residents' basic needs. Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,258 Palestinians, according to Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry. The 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Al Bawaba
an hour ago
- Al Bawaba
"Son of a...": Trump repeats vulgar jab at Soleimani in US military tribute
Published August 8th, 2025 - 10:51 GMT ALBAWABA - Former U.S. President Donald Trump caused more trouble when he made fun of the late Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani at a public event on "Purple Heart Day," a national holiday in the US that honors troops who have been hurt or killed in joked with the crowd as he signed an executive order related to the event by asking, "Where is he?" He was referring to Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad Airport in January 2020. Some people in the room laughed at the U.S. military members who were hurt or killed in action is what Purple Heart Day is all about every August made people think of another time, in 2020, when Trump said mean things about Soleimani at a gathering in Milwaukee. In a speech to fans soon after Soleimani's death, Trump used insulting language to describe him, calling him "the king of roadside bombs" and blaming him indirectly for hurting many the time, Trump said, "A lot of people lost arms and legs because of that son of a... well, you know." He didn't finish the swear word. There was also a meeting between Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who is the head of the Kataib Hezbollah group. He made fun of it by saying, "They were talking like Hillary Clinton—weddings and work, maybe even golf and grandchildren.""But I don't think I could talk about them for 45 minutes straight," he said. "I like golf and I love my grandchildren." Even though these words were meant to be funny, they have been criticized in the past for being offensive, especially since Soleimani's death, when relations between the US and Iran were already high. But Trump has always said that the strike was vital to protect American lives from immediate danger. highlights - News of the week (July 31-August 7)"> © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Al Bawaba
4 hours ago
- Al Bawaba
"Walking into a trap": Israeli army chief opposes Netanyahu's plan
ALBAWABA - The Israeli Security Cabinet has agreed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to take full control of Gaza City. This is a big step up in Israel's attack in the Gaza Strip. Also Read Will Netanyahu fire the IDF chief over Gaza strategy standoff? An early Friday morning statement from the Prime Minister's office said that the Israeli military is getting ready for a ground operation and has promised to help citizens who are not in war zones. Since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the war has been going on for almost two years. This move is a big turning point in that time. The Cabinet also agreed to five ideas for ending the war. These are: breaking up Hamas, returning all hostages, disarming the whole Gaza Strip, keeping Israeli security in charge, and creating a new civilian government that is not connected to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. Even though most people agreed with the idea, some past top Israeli security officials said it shouldn't go forward because they were afraid of a long and expensive armed conflict. Families of prisoners protested outside of the Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem because they were afraid that the new operation would put their loved ones in Gaza in danger. Even more operations and a humanitarian crisis bout 75% of Gaza is already controlled or operated by the Israeli military, which attacks every day from the air and with weapons. The attack has destroyed a lot of the area, and the United Nations says that almost all of the 2.4 million people who live there have had to leave their homes at least once. Humanitarian groups, such as the UN, have warned many times that there will soon be no food in the Gaza Strip. In an interview with Fox News, Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear that Israel wants to take control of Gaza but not directly rule it. He said, "We want a security zone, not to rule Gaza." Hamas was against the plan and said that Netanyahu was putting political goals ahead of the lives of Israeli prisoners. They also said that any furthering of the war would cost Israel a lot. #Israel Government's plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied #Gaza strip must be immediately halted. It runs contrary to the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must bring its occupation to an end as soon as possible, to the realisation of the… — UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) August 8, 2025 Internal Disputes and Military Strategy: According to Israeli media, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi was against the full control plan and called it a "trap." Instead, he suggested other plans at a meeting that Netanyahu was in. But Defense Minister Yoav Gallant insisted that the army had to carry out what the government said about Gaza. The choice also includes widening military operations into places with lots of people that are thought to have prisoners still alive, like Gaza City and central refugee camps. The action might take months, and more reservists would have to be called up. More and more people around the world are calling for Israel to end the war because of the terrible situation in Gaza and the hostage problem that hasn't been solved. The attack on October 7 took 251 hostages. Of those, 49 are still in Gaza, and 27 are thought to be dead. Families of the prisoners are still demanding that they be freed. On Thursday, many of them sailed near the coast of Gaza to protest. Inside the Strip, Palestinians who had to leave their homes said they were afraid of a new ground attack, which would have even worse effects on relief aid.
