Iran is severely on its backfoot hence possible ceasefire: Former foreign policy advisor Dan Senor
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Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Iran says it's considering US offer to restart nuclear talks
Iran's foreign minister said the U.S. is trying to revive nuclear talks with Tehran while stressing that his country is in no hurry to resume negotiations. 'The Americans insist on returning to the negotiating table,' Abbas Araghchi said in televised remarks Saturday, adding that Iran has received 'multiple messages.' Tehran is weighing its options regarding the timing, location, and structure of potential talks, but is 'in no rush to enter into reckless negotiations.' Araghchi served as lead negotiator in Oman-mediated talks with the U.S., which collapsed after Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran's nuclear sites on June 13. The strikes killed several top military and nuclear officials, and hit densely populated urban areas as well as Tehran's Evin Prison. Araghchi's remarks follow U.S. President Donald Trump's Monday dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where he said he was open to lifting sanctions on Iran. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who led the U.S. delegation in the earlier talks, said a meeting with Iran was expected within the week. Araghchi also said that Iran needs guarantees it won't be attacked again if the talks don't succeed. 'Some assurances have been expressed that there will be no war again, and we are reviewing these,' he said without elaborating. 'If an opportunity arises to secure the interests of the Iranian people, we won't miss it. The doors of diplomacy are never closed.' The U.S. joined the Israeli assault on June 22, striking three Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump claimed to have 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear infrastructure, while Iranian officials said the sites were 'badly damaged' but not destroyed. In response, Iran fired missiles at a Qatari air base used by U.S. troops. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect later in June and has held so far, despite both sides accusing each other of violations. Araghchi also reiterated that Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency 'has not stopped,' though he added that monitoring requests will now be reviewed 'on a case-by-case basis' and handled exclusively through Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
At least 30 are killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza as war deaths top 58,000, officials say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 30 people on Sunday, including six children at a water collection point, local health officials said, despite attempts by mediators to bring about a ceasefire. Israel and Hamas appeared no closer to a breakthrough in talks meant to pause the 21-month war and free some Israeli hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington last week to discuss the deal with the Trump administration, but a new sticking point has emerged over the deployment of Israeli troops during the truce, raising questions over the feasibility of a new deal. Israel says it will only end the war once Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something it refuses to do. Hamas says it is willing to free all the remaining 50 hostages, less than half said to be alive, in exchange for an end to the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces. Gaza's Health Ministry said Sunday that more than 58,000 people have been killed in the war. The ministry doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count but says more than half of the dead are women and children. In the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war, Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 251 in a raid on northern Israel. Throughout the war in Gaza, violence has also surged in the Israeli-occupied West Bank , where funerals were held Sunday for two Palestinians, including Palestinian-American Sayfollah Musallet, 20, who was killed in an attack by Israeli settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Children killed at a water collection point In central Gaza, officials at Al-Awda Hospital said it received 10 bodies after an Israeli strike on a water collection point in nearby Nuseirat. Among the dead were six children, the hospital said. Ramadan Nassar, a witness who lives in the area, told The Associated Press that around 20 children and 14 adults were lined up Sunday morning to fill up water. When the strike occurred, everyone ran and some, including those who were severely injured, fell to the ground, he said. He said Palestinians walk some 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) to fetch water from the area. The Israeli military said it was targeting a militant but that a technical error made its munition fall 'dozens of meters from the target.' It said the incident was being examined. Additionally, health officials said an Israeli strike hit a group of citizens walking in the street on Sunday afternoon, killing 11 people and injuring around 30 others in central Gaza City. Dr. Ahmed Qandil, who specializes in general surgery and laparoscopic, was among those killed, the Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement. One of the ministry's spokespeople, Zaher al-Wahidi, told the AP that Qandil was on his way to Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital when the strike happened. All bodies and those wounded were taken to Al-Ahli hospital, according to al-Wahidi. In the central town of Zawaida, an Israeli strike on a home killed nine, including two women and three children, officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said. The military said it was unaware of a strike on the home, but has struck over 150 targets over the past 24 hours, including what it said are weapons storage facilities, missile launchers and sniping posts. Israel blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the militant group operates out of populated areas. Funeral held for Palestinian-American killed in the West Bank In the West Bank, where violence between Israeli troops and Palestinians has been compounded by attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers, funerals were held for a Palestinian-American and a Palestinian friend of his. The Palestinian Health Ministry said Musallet, a Florida native, was killed after being beaten by Israeli settlers. Diana Halum, a cousin, said the attack occurred on his family's land. The Health Ministry initially identified him as Seifeddine Musalat, 23. Musallet's friend, Mohammed al-Shalabi, was shot in the chest, according to the ministry. On Sunday, their bodies were carried through the streets of Al-Mazraa a-Sharqiya, a town south of where they were killed. Mourners, waving Palestinian flags, chanted 'God is great.' In a statement Saturday, Musallet's family said he was 'a kind, hard-working, and deeply-respected young man, working to build his dreams.' It said he built a business in Tampa, Florida, and that he was deeply connected to his Palestinians heritage. Musallet's family said it wants the U.S. State Department to investigate his death and hold the settlers accountable. The State Department said it was aware of the reports of his death but had no comment out of respect for the family. Israel's military has said Palestinians hurled rocks at Israelis in the area on Friday, lightly wounding two people and setting off a larger confrontation. Palestinians and rights groups have long accused the military of ignoring settler violence . ___ Isseid reported from Al-Mazraa a-Sharqiya, West Bank. Associated Press writers Fatma Khaled in Cairo and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
The Hill
4 hours ago
- The Hill
GHF is actually feeding Gazans, not letting Hamas extort them — and paying a price
The likelihood of a ceasefire in Gaza could turn on whether Israel meets a core demand of Hamas to stop a successful effort to feed the Palestinian people. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed more than 60 million meals over the last five weeks without interference or diversion. This has severely undercut Hamas's revenue streams, because Hamas has for years stolen humanitarian aid and sold it at high prices, despite the daily struggle of the Palestinian people to meet their basic needs. For Israel, the priority remains unchanged in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 terror attacks: eliminate Hamas and free the hostages still held in its underground labyrinth. At the same time, however, the world cannot ignore the immense suffering of Gaza's innocent civilians, most of whom are trapped by Hamas's control. Nor can Israel revert to the status quo ante, when Hamas was starving Gazans so it could finance terror. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, of course, has a singular mission: to feed the people of Gaza, safely and directly. It operates with transparency, logistical expertise, a commitment to human dignity, and yes, coordination with the Israeli government. Without that coordination, its food would face the same looting and diversion that plagues other aid organizations who see Israel as an obstacle. For this success, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has been rewarded with cheers from the Palestinian people in Gaza, as well as robust international condemnation from nearly everyone outside of the Trump administration, which has chipped in at least $30 million in support. These critics claim that the foundation violates humanitarian principles by working with Israel. Their statements ignore the facts and focus instead on ideology. What they call 'neutrality' often serves as an excuse to avoid confronting the actions of Hamas, which routinely blocks aid and threatens aid workers. Apparently, if you play by Hamas's rules — accept their fabricated statistics, their propaganda, and their theft of aid — you are considered 'legitimate' by much of the legacy media. But if you challenge that system by delivering aid efficiently, securely, and without Hamas' interference, you become the villain. Even worse, Hamas has now turned its violence against Palestinian civilians for working with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Recently, Hamas attacked a bus of Palestinian foundation volunteers. According to regional reports, a Hamas unit killed or detained dozens of aid workers. Its operatives have also attacked American aid workers with explosives packed with ball bearings then before retreated into crowds of aid seekers, all in the hope of drawing fire and creating an international incident. Despite the violence, the United Nations has remained nearly silent. The European Union has offered no meaningful condemnation. Some affiliated agencies have continued to question the foundation's mission while ignoring the violence. Only the U.S. has led with clarity in its condemnations. The U.N., the International Red Cross and other captains of civil society insist on a sacrosanct neutrality that is effectively moral blindness. There are good and evil in this world. Feeding starving civilians is good; stealing the aid and murdering the people who feed them is evil. People of faith should recognize that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is delivering help where others have failed and doing so in the face of violence and death-threats. It deserves our support, not our suspicion. The values behind this work are not abstract. They reflect the deepest commitments of the Judeo-Christian tradition: charity, mercy and human dignity. While the ceasefire negotiations are underway, the UN, EU and international aid organizations should publicly pledge to work with GHF. If they will not assist, they should at least stop obstructing those who will. The time for moral equivocation has passed. Congress will soon hold hearings on the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza, too. Lawmakers should examine not only the work the foundation has done, but also the failure of other agencies to condemn or confront Hamas. If these groups continue to undermine the foundation or turn a blind eye to violence against its staff, American policymakers should reconsider how humanitarian dollars are allocated. Those who cannot condemn terror should not be trusted to address suffering. The tools of compassion are challenging the forces of cruelty. Feeding the hungry is a sacred duty and now, thanks to the foundation, the people of Gaza are enjoying reliable access to food. Hamas's opposition to feeding Palestinians must be understood. Aid organizations failing to fulfill their mission to bring aid to the people need to be named. And those who place bounties on their heads must be condemned and isolated. In a conflict filled with gray zones, this is a line the world must be willing to draw.
