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Iran’s Deputy Parl. speaker: IAEA chief ‘liar’, ‘Zionist agent’

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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IAEA Grossi

Ali Nikzad said Grossi was behind fueling the Zionist regime’s recent military aggression against Iran through false reports.

Nikzad stated that during the 12-day war with the Israeli regime and the United States, over 260 Iranian lawmakers remained active in open and closed parliamentary sessions to ensure legislative and oversight functions continued.

He emphasized that Parliament had passed two “crucial and defensive” bills, one of which suspended the agency’s operations in Iran and barred IAEA inspectors and Grossi himself from entering the country.

Nikzad further condemned Grossi for facilitating Israel’s aggression through “false and provocative reports,” asserting that Iran will not allow the return of IAEA inspectors until the agency fulfills its legal obligations with transparency and fairness.

He also cited legislative action to regulate drone activity domestically and urged government bodies to accelerate post-war reconstruction efforts.

Iranian medical chief: Israeli strikes on hospitals direct attacks on vulnerable civilians

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iran Hospital Surgery Doctor Nurse

“These strikes have directly endangered lives, especially patients in need of urgent surgeries or treatments like radiotherapy,” Khosronia said. Many patients have been forced to flee unsafe zones, missing essential treatment, leading in some cases to death or severe complications.

He warned that the displacement of patients and fear of returning to hospitals has disrupted care across the country.

Khosronia emphasized the urgent need for emergency infrastructure in hospitals, such as backup generators, highlighting that power cuts impact vital departments like dialysis units and operating rooms.

Referring to the June 13 Israeli airstrikes and subsequent 12-day conflict, which resulted in 935 deaths—including 38 children and 102 women—he reiterated the need to protect medical sites under international law.

Senior Tehran clerics declare Trump, Netanyahu ‘Enemies of Islam’ in harsh religious ruling

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Trump Netanyahu

The statement brands both leaders as “Kafir Ḥarbi” (belligerent non-believers), “Mufsid fī al-Arḍ” (corrupt on Earth), and “Mahdur al-Damm” (worthy of death), citing threats made against senior Shia religious figures.

The ruling, signed by over a dozen senior clerics and teachers of jurisprudence from the Tehran seminary, was in response to statements by Trump targeting Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

The scholars described the US president as a “reckless clown” and warned that any aggression against Islamic leaders would provoke wide-scale retaliation from Muslims around the world.

Quoting Quranic verses and Islamic legal principles, the statement slammed Trump and Netanyahu for war crimes, including inciting regional conflict, violating international agreements, and causing mass civilian casualties in the Middle East.

The signatories called on Muslims globally, especially the youth, to remain vigilant and follow the directives of religious leaders in resisting perceived foreign aggression.

Conflicting reports on the release of Iranian sociologist Saeed Madani

By
IFP Media Wire
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Evin Prison

Earlier on Thursday, journalist and rights advocate Emadeddin Baghi claimed in a social media post that Madani had been released from prison, calling it “one of the best pieces of news in these wartime days” and a “strong response to Iran’s enemies who are counting on internal divisions.”

However, Madani’s wife, Mansoureh Etefagh, later denied the claim, clarifying that her husband remains incarcerated.

She explained that the misunderstanding arose after a phone call between Madani and Baghi was arranged, during which Baghi mistakenly assumed Madani had been freed. “There has been no indication or action toward his release,” she confirmed.

Madani, a well-known sociologist and reformist thinker, was arrested on May 16, 2022. Authorities accused him of “contact with suspicious foreign actors” and “transmitting operational plans to internal elements.”

In a leaked audio file published by BBC Persian in November 2022, a senior intelligence official allegedly cited Madani as one of three key figures targeted by the US for coordinating protests inside Iran.

EU presses China over exports of rare earth elements and Russia-Ukraine war

By
IFP Media Wire
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The statement from Kaja Kallas came on Wednesday after a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Brussels.

The EU is seeking to improve its relations with China amid United States President Donald Trump’s tariff war, which has rocked major trading powers.

But instead of improvements, a trade spat has only deepened between Brussels and Beijing over alleged unfair practices by China. The 27-nation bloc is also railing against the flow of vital tech to Russia’s military through China.

On Wednesday in her meeting with Wang, Kallas “called on China to put an end to its distortive practices, including its restrictions on rare earths exports, which pose significant risks to European companies and endanger the reliability of global supply chains”, a statement from her office said.

On trade, Kallas urged “concrete solutions to rebalance the economic relationship, level the playing field and improve reciprocity in market access”.

She also “highlighted the serious threat Chinese companies’ support for Russia’s illegal war poses to European security”.

China announced it does not provide military support to Russia for the war in Ukraine. But European officials say Chinese companies provide many of the vital components for Russian drones and other weapons used in Ukraine.

Kallas called on China “to immediately cease all material support that sustains Russia’s military industrial complex” and support “a full and unconditional ceasefire” and a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine”.

Wednesday’s discussions were to lay the groundwork for a summit between EU and Chinese leaders on July 24 and 25. European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to China for the summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

Earlier in the day, Wang also met Costa as part of those preparations.

In that meeting, Wang called on both sides to respect each other’s core interests and increase mutual understanding, adding that “unilateralism and acts of bullying have seriously undermined the international order and rules”, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.

Besides discussions on improving bilateral ties, Kallas and Wang also discussed the situation in Iran.

While both leaders welcomed the de-escalation between Israel and Iran, Kallas stated she had “urged Iran to immediately restart negotiations on its nuclear programme and that Europe stands ready to facilitate talks”, according to a statement from her office.

Kallas and Wang also “agreed on the importance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime”.

British MPs vote to ban Palestine Action as ‘terrorist’ group

By
IFP Media Wire
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Parliament voted 385-26 in favour of the measure against the group on Wednesday, the move coming after its activists broke into a military base last month and sprayed red paint on two planes in protest at the UK’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza.

Critics decried the chilling effect of the ban, which puts Palestine Action on a par with armed groups like al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) in the UK, making it a criminal offence to support or be part of the protest group.

“Let us be clear: to equate a spray can of paint with a suicide bomb isn’t just absurd, it is grotesque. It is a deliberate distortion of the law to chill dissent, criminalise solidarity, and suppress the truth,” said lawmaker Zarah Sultana, a member of the ruling Labour party.

Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of Amnesty International UK, slammed the move as “unprecedented legal overreach”, pointing out that it gave the authorities “massive powers to arrest and detain people, suppress speech and reporting, conduct surveillance and take other measures”.

“Using them against a direct-action protest group is an egregious abuse of what they were created for,” he added.

The proscription order will reach parliament’s upper chamber, the House of Lords, on Thursday. If approved there, the ban on Palestine Action would become effective in the following days.

The group, which has called its proscription unjustified and an “abuse of power,” has challenged the decision in court and an urgent hearing is expected on Friday.

Launched in July 2020, Palestine Action says it uses “disruptive tactics” to target “corporate enablers” and companies involved in weapons manufacture for Israel, such as Israel-based Elbit Systems and French multinational Thales.

The British government has accused the group of causing millions of pounds of damage through its actions.

On Tuesday, the group announced its activists had blocked the entrance to an Elbit site in Bristol, southwestern England. Other members reportedly occupied the rooftop of a subcontracting firm in Suffolk, eastern England, that the group had linked to Elbit.

United Nations experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council had previously urged the UK government to reconsider its threat to proscribe the group, arguing that acts of property damage without the intention to endanger life should not be considered “terrorism”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the UK’s interior minister, states that violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest, and that a zero-tolerance approach was necessary for national security.

In addition to Palestine Action, the proscription order approved by parliament includes neo-Nazi group Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement, a white supremacist group which seeks to create a new Russian imperial state.

US says ‘stands with Israel’ after calls by Israeli ministers to annex West Bank

By
IFP Media Wire
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Israeli settlement

Asked by Anadolu about Israeli ministers’ urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately annex the occupied West Bank, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce directed questions to the White House.

“Our position regarding Israel, the choices it makes, is that we stand with Israel and its decisions and how it views its own internal security,” she said.

Pressed on whether the US still backs a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Bruce stated President Donald Trump is “realistic about the current state of affairs.”

“Clearly, Gaza is an uninhabitable place. It needs to be rebuilt with the help of Arab partners,” she continued, adding, “We don’t have a ceasefire yet. Hopefully, that will change. But that is getting quite ahead of the dynamic in general. So that is what the president is focused on.”

Fourteen ministers from Netanyahu’s Likud Party urged the premier on Wednesday to immediately annex the occupied West Bank.

In a letter addressed to Netanyahu and shared by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on X, signatories demanded the government “apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (West Bank) before the end of the Knesset summer session,” which ends July 27.

The ministers argued that the current “strategic partnership and backing and support of the US and President Donald Trump create a favorable time to lead this move (annexation) now.”

It warned that recognizing settlement blocs while establishing a Palestinian state on the remaining land poses an “existential threat to Israel.”

Among the signatories were the ministers of defense, economy, agriculture, energy, communications, transportation, justice, tourism, innovation, culture, diaspora affairs, education, social equality, regional cooperation and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.

Water returns to Zayandeh Rud river in Isfahan after temporary dam release

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Zayandeh Rood

According to local authorities, the release began on Tuesday, under a resolution by the Water Scarcity Adaptation Task Force.

The aim is to partially meet the irrigation needs of orchards and green spaces along the river basin. The water release allowed flow through the previously dry riverbed, bringing vitality back to the heart of Isfahan, often referred to as “half of the world” due to its historical and cultural significance.

Currently, the Zayandeh Rud Dam holds 371 million cubic meters of water, just 31% of its full 1.4 billion cubic meter capacity, representing a 62% decline from the long-term average. The dam is located approximately 110 kilometers west of Isfahan in Chadegan County.

The province of Isfahan has about 485,000 hectares of arable land, but a significant portion remains uncultivated due to ongoing water shortages. The temporary river flow is expected to offer limited relief to farmers and urban green spaces.

Iranian army commander honors air defense officer martyred in US-Israeli raids, emphasizes commitment to national defense

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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During a visit on Thursday to the family of Colonel Mohammad Alizadeh, an air defense officer who lost his life defending Iran’s airspace in a recent Israeli attack, General Hatami paid tribute to the sacrifices of all martyrs who died during the 12-day conflict.

He stressed that the Iranian armed forces stand united and resolute against any hostile aggressor.

“The mission of air defense is extremely sensitive and vital,” General Hatami said, highlighting how the air defense troops resisted the enemy’s advanced weaponry.

He added that the Iranian forces remain fully prepared to defend the nation’s independence and territorial integrity under any circumstances.

The commander called on society to uphold the culture of resistance, sacrifice, and martyrdom.

Senior military officials accompanied General Hatami during the visit.

Millions of children caught in MENA conflicts: UNICEF

By
IFP Media Wire
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Gaza War

In a statement, the UN agency said recent reports indicate that over 12 million children have been forced from their homes, more than 40,000 have been maimed, and nearly 20,000 have lost their lives, highlighting the devastating impact of ongoing conflicts on the region’s youngest and most vulnerable.

The agency added nearly 110 million children in the MENA region live in countries affected by conflict. These children are regularly exposed to life-threatening situations, extreme emotional distress, and repeated displacement. Many are stripped of their basic right to safety and often grow up with psychological scars that can last a lifetime.

“A child’s life is being turned upside down the equivalent of every five seconds due to the conflicts in the region,” Edouard Beigbeder, the UNICEF regional director for MENA, stated.

“Already, half of the region’s 220 million children live in conflict-affected countries. We cannot allow this number to rise. Ending hostilities – for the sake of children – is not optional; it is an urgent necessity, a moral obligation, and it is the only path to a better future.”

Due to the continued life-threatening risks and vulnerabilities, UNICEF estimates that 45 million children across the MENA region will require humanitarian assistance in 2025, up from 32 million in 2020. This represents a staggering 41 percent increase in just five years.

The UN agency, however, announced it’s grappling with major funding shortfalls across its operations in the MENA region. The situation is likely to worsen as UNICEF’s funding in the region is projected to decline by 20-25 percent by 2026, potentially resulting in a loss of up to $370 million.

This shortfall threatens to jeopardize life-saving programs, including treatment for severe malnutrition, safe water production in conflict zones, and vaccinations against deadly diseases.

“As the plight of children in the region worsens, the resources to respond are becoming sparser,” Beigbeder said, adding, “Conflicts must stop. International advocacy to resolve these crises must intensify. And support for vulnerable children must increase, not decline.”

Meanwhile, UNICEF is urging all parties to conflict in the region to end hostilities and uphold international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights law.

“Member states with influence over parties to conflict must use their leverage to advocate for peace and the protection of children and the essential infrastructure they rely on for survival,” the UN agency noted.

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