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Tehran air quality reaches hazardous levels amid extreme heat

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iran Air Pollution

According to real-time monitoring data, most air quality stations in Tehran are reporting red and purple alerts. Only one station has reported a safer AQI of 37.

The AQI just 24 hours earlier had been at a 87, within the “moderate” range.

Currently, eight stations report “very unhealthy” (purple) conditions, six are marked “unhealthy for all groups” (red), and the rest are in the “orange” zone, meaning high health risks. Since the beginning of the current Persian year (starting March 21), Tehran has experienced only six days of “clean” air.

Iranian official urges sun protection as UV radiation levels rise

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Deputy Director of the Air Quality and Climate Change Research Center at Iran’s Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Abbas Shahsavani referred to social media reports on elevated UV levels in Tehran and other cities, saying this is not a new phenomenon.

“Countries in West Asia, due to their geographic location, typically experience high UV index levels from June to September, particularly between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m”, he said. Shahsavani noted that climate change is intensifying both temperatures and UV radiation in the region.

He advised the public to wear sunglasses, wide-brimmed hats, long-sleeved clothing, and sunscreen, especially during peak sunlight hours, and to limit outdoor activities whenever possible.

Shahsavani warned that long-term exposure to UV can lead to skin cancer, premature aging, weakened immune function, and eye damage.

He said UV levels in Tehran have reached an average index of 11.28 during the summer months, peaking at 12 in August, levels which are considered very high.

Beijing slams EU for including Chinese firms in anti-Russia sanctions

By
IFP Media Wire
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On Friday, Brussels blacklisted two Chinese banks and five companies as part of the 18th sanctions package against Russia over the Ukraine conflict, claiming that they helped circumvent earlier sanctions.

“China has consistently opposed unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law and are not authorized by the UN Security Council,” a spokesperson for the ministry told journalists on Monday, warning that the EU’s move will severely impact bilateral trade, as well as economic and financial cooperation.

The ministry called for an immediate halt to “the erroneous practice,” adding that China will “take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests” of its sanctioned businesses.

Heihe Rural Commercial Bank and Heilongjiang Suifenhe Rural Commercial Bank were included in the EU sanctions list for allegedly providing cryptocurrency services which, according to Brussels, were “frustrating the purpose of the sanctions” on Russia. This is the first time Chinese lenders have been added to the EU sanctions list since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

The latest round of EU sanctions also targets seven UAE-based enterprises accused of engaging in oil trading or ship management services supporting Russian exports. Nayara Energy, an Indian oil refinery in which Russia’s Rosneft holds a 49% stake, was also included.

In addition, the bloc sanctioned eight Belarusian-based companies in the military-industrial sector, claiming that they support Russia through manufacturing or facilitating military technologies. Four Turkish companies were also targeted for allegedly supplying dual-use goods and technologies that could support Russia’s military-industrial complex.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the EU’s latest sanctions as a “double-edged sword,” warning that “each new package adds a negative effect for the countries joining it.” He stressed that Russia has already developed “a certain immunity” to the “illegal” Western sanctions.

Iran’s Lake Urmia on brink of total desiccation

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Lake Urmia

The warning was issued by Director General of Environmental Protection in West Azarbaijan Province Hojjat Jabbari.

Speaking on Monday, Jabbari confirmed that satellite images and local reports show the northern half of the lake is nearly dry, with only a thin layer of water, just four to five centimeters deep, is covering an area of about 100 square kilometers.

“This thin layer of water will disappear within a week”, Jabbari said.

He added that from an ecological perspective, the area can already be considered dry. The lake’s southern basin, which currently holds about 600 to 700 square kilometers of water at a depth of 15 to 20 centimeters, is also expected to dry completely by the end of summer.

According to the official, autumn rainfall will not significantly improve the situation, as most seasonal precipitation occurs during winter and spring.

“The lake has essentially become seasonal since around 2011…without a substantial change in water management, it will only retain water in wet seasons and dry up in summer”, Jabbari said.

Experts warn that complete drying of Lake Urmia will have severe environmental, health, and socio-economic consequences for West and East Azarbaijan Provinces.

Iran prioritizes strengthening defense capabilities and post-war recovery

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iran Air Defense System

Pourmohammadi noted that relevant meetings are underway to expedite these efforts and ensure that the armed forces can operate effectively.

Responding to questions about the government’s plans following the 12-day war, Pourmohammadi said strengthening national defense is the foremost priority for the entire system, with coordinated efforts between the government, parliament, and the judiciary.

He also referred to the efforts during the war to support the armed forces and first responders during the recent war, noting that in the early days, the Red Crescent and emergency services received necessary resources.

Given that several provinces were affected by the conflict, funds were allocated to help local authorities provide better services to citizens.

Pourmohammadi added that with coordination from the Armed Forces General Staff, the Plan and Budget Organization has efficiently managed logistical support for the military.

Iran to host three-way talks with Russia and China amid efforts to prevent snapback sanctions

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran is in continuous consultations with these two countries to prevent the activation of the snapback mechanism, aimed at reimposing inti-Iran sanctions, or at least mitigate its consequences.

Responding to a question about how much Iran can rely on Russia and China if the snapback threat materializes, Baqaei noted that both countries are parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal known as JCPOA and are also permanent members of the UN Security Council, which gives them influential roles in any process of the top world body.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman added that Iran shares aligned positions with Moscow and Beijing and enjoys strong relations with both nations.

Baqaei further said that from legal, ethical, and political perspectives, there is no valid basis to reinstate the sanctions lifted under the JCPOA.

Iran leader’s advisor: National unity requires tangible change and public satisfaction

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Ali-Akbar Velayati

Echoing Ayatollah Khamenei’s repeated calls for cohesion, Velayati suggested that true unity may require adjustments in the government’s social approach, with a stronger focus on the people’s satisfaction in ways they can tangibly feel.

“The people have proven themselves,” he said, “and now it is the officials’ turn”.

Velayati also noted that outdated governance methods are no longer effective for the purpose of addressing the needs of the post-war society.

Israel seeking to fund tour for MAGA and pro-Trump influencers: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
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The daily on Sunday reported that the planned tour will feature 16 influencers, all under the age of 30, who support US President Donald Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) and America First campaigns.

The influencers each have hundreds of thousands to millions of followers. They will be flown in to counter what the Israeli government sees as declining support for Israel among young Americans, the report said, without citing any date.

“With the rise of the America First movement and MAGA in American politics, it’s essential for Israel that the movement adopt a pro-Israel position,” Yacov Livne, senior deputy director of the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Department of Public Diplomacy, was quoted as saying in the report.

The Israeli foreign ministry aims to bring 550 influencer delegations to Israel by the end of the year through such tours, it added.

“[While] older Republicans and American conservatives still hold pro-Israel views, positive perspectives towards Israel are falling across all younger age groups,” it noted, according to the report.

The influencers will be pushed to share messaging that aligns with Israeli policy regarding the Palestinians. “We are working with influencers, sometimes with delegations of influencers,” an unnamed source from the ministry told Haaretz.

“Their networks have huge followings and their messages are more effective than if they came directly from the ministry.”

The tour will be carried out through an organisation called Israel365, which is in a “unique position to convey a pro-Israel stance that aligns entirely with the MAGA and America First agenda”, Haaretz quoted the foreign ministry as saying.

Israel365 promotes support for Israel, specifically among Christians, based on biblical principles. Its website says the group “stands unapologetically for the Jewish people’s God-given right to the entire Land of Israel”.

The organisation also rejects a two‑state solution as a “delusion” and describes its mission as defending “Western civilization against threats from both Progressive Left extremism and global jihad”.

The ministry said it has struck a 290,000-shekel ($86,000) deal to carry out the tour, Haaretz reported.

Since the war on Gaza began in October 2023, Israel365 “deepened ties with MAGA and America First movements, appearing at their major events and helping recruit prominent conservative figures to visit Israel”, the report added.

Iran says European trio has lost legal standing in nuclear deal

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Abbas Araghchi

In a letter to the UN Secretary‑General António Guterres, the Security Council presidency and EU foreign‑policy chief Kaja Kallas, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said the three countries had forfeited their status by giving political and material support to the unlawful aggression.

Any European bid to reactivate sanctions rescinded by Resolution 2231 is therefore “null and void,” he wrote.

Araghchi noted that after the United States quit the nuclear accord, JCPOA, in 2018, Iran first used the accord’s dispute mechanism and later adopted remedial nuclear steps allowed under Paragraph 36 of the deal.

The E3, he argued, ignored their own commitments and aligned with US pressure, culminating in backing the latest strikes.

“The E3 cannot and should not be allowed to undermine the credibility of the UN Security Council by abusing a Resolution to which they themselves have not been committed,” Araghchi said, asserting that Iran can defeat “dirty work” yet remains open to genuine diplomacy.

Iranian Leader’s aide meets Putin in Kremlin to discuss nuclear, regional issues

By
IFP Media Wire
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Ali Larijani, top advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin | X

During the surprise meeting in Moscow on Sunday, Larijani “conveyed assessments of the escalating situation in the Middle East and around the Iranian nuclear program”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

He added that the Russian president had expressed Moscow’s “well-known positions on how to stabilize the situation in the region and on the political settlement of the Iranian nuclear program”.

Meanwhile, the Russian presidency also confirmed the meeting and said that, at the instruction of Ayatollah Khamenei, Larijani presented Iran’s views on the current escalation in the region and, notably, surrounding Iran’s nuclear program.

Putin expressed support for stabilizing the situation in the region and resolving any issues pertaining to Iran’s nuclear program via political means, it added.

The meeting was held amid reports that Iran and the European troika – France, Germany, and Britain – have agreed in to hold fresh nuclear negotiations on Friday in Istanbul, Turkey.

In a statement last week, Russia’s Foreign Ministry dismissed a report claiming that President Putin had urged Iran to agree to a zero enrichment agreement with the United States, describing it as “defamation.”

The statement came after the American news website Axios, citing three sources familiar with the matter, reported that Putin had “encouraged” Iran to accept a nuclear deal that would exclude uranium enrichment.

“Invariably and repeatedly, we have emphasized the necessity of resolving the crisis concerning Iran’s nuclear program exclusively through political and diplomatic means, and expressed our willingness to help find mutually acceptable solutions,” the ministry said.

Iran has consistently announced that it does not seek a nuclear weapon, while defending its “legitimate rights” to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

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