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Australia responsible for ‘consequences’ of expelling Iran’s envoy: Tehran

By
IFP Media Wire
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Iranian Foreign Ministry

Iran’s Foreign Ministry made the remarks in a statement on Tuesday, after Canberra decided to expel Tehran’s ambassador over allegations of attacks on Jewish sites.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran regrettably considers the Australian government’s request for the ambassador and several Iranian diplomats to leave the country unjustified and contrary to the tradition of diplomatic relations between the two countries,” it said.

The ministry further rejected allegations that the Islamic Republic was behind two anti-Semitic attacks in Australia, vowing to take appropriate reciprocal action.

Additionally, the ministry highlighted the historical and documented fact that anti-Semitism is primarily a Western-European phenomenon that has been manifested in various forms at different times, suggesting that the recent misuse of this concept is aimed at suppressing protests against the occupation, apartheid, and genocide against the Palestinians.

While denouncing the ongoing crimes and genocide in Gaza, the ministry announced that Iran emphasizes the accountability of all supporters and those justifying these actions, and criticizes the Australian government’s accusations against the Islamic Republic as in alignment with the Israeli regime’s strategy of diverting attention from the humanitarian crisis in Palestine and escalating tensions in the region.

The ministry further added that Iran, while reserving the right to take reciprocal action, urges the Australian government to reconsider its decision and holds Canberra responsible for the consequences and repercussions of the decision, including the challenges it may pose for the Iranian community residing in the country.

On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused Iran of orchestrating two attacks on Jewish sites in October and December, allegations made without presenting evidence.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi refuted Canberra’s allegation, describing it as an act of appeasement toward a “regime led by war criminals.”

Iran’s ambassador – now persona non grata – and other diplomats have been given seven days to leave Australia.

Trump threatens Russia, Ukraine with sanctions and tariffs

By
IFP Media Wire
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Donald Trump

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said that it “takes two to tango,” and suggested that Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky “was not exactly innocent.”

“Thousands of young people, mostly young people, are dying every single week. If I can save that, by doing sanctions or by just being me, or by using a very strong tariff system that’s very costly to Russia or Ukraine or whoever we have,” Trump stated.

He also reiterated his readiness to slap new restrictions on Moscow. “We want to have an end. We have economic sanctions. I’m talking about economic because we’re not going to get into a world war,” he said.

Trump criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, calling him “grossly incompetent” for allowing the Russia-Ukraine conflict to happen in the first place.

“Nobody goes into a war thinking they’re going to lose. They go in – I’m sure that Ukraine thought they were going to win. It’s going to be, you know, we’re going to win. You’re going to beat somebody that’s 15 times your size. Biden shouldn’t have let that happen,” Trump stated.

The US president also appeared to dismiss Moscow’s concerns about the Zelensky’s legitimacy.

“Doesn’t matter what they say. Everybody’s posturing. It’s all bullsh*t, ok? Everybody’s posturing,” Trump told reporters.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s stance in an interview with NBC aired on Sunday, calling Zelensky the “de facto head of the regime,” and stressed the person signing any peace deal must have legal authority to do so.

US soldiers begin withdrawal from key Iraqi bases

By
IFP Media Wire
-

The US began a sudden withdrawal from Ain al-Asad base in Anbar province and the Victory Base Complex, located within the Baghdad International Airport, on Sunday, Iraqi news site Kurdistan 24 reported.

According to the report, the withdrawal of all US soldiers from the bases is being conducted in stages, but they will be emptied within “days”. Some of the US soldiers will relocate to Erbil, in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, the report added.

Iraq’s Shafaq news site reported earlier that a convoy of US soldiers from Ain al-Asad was en route to Syria – the US maintains several bases in northest Syria – and that others would redeploy to Erbil.

The pullout signals that the Trump administration is pushing ahead with a plan to withdraw US soldiers from Iraq.

In September 2024, Reuters reported that US and Iraqi negotiators had agreed on a plan during the Joe Biden administration to end the US military presence, which required only the sign-off of leaders in Baghdad and Washington.

According to Reuters, the plan called for all US-led coalition forces to leave Ain al-Asad air base in western Anbar province and significantly reduce their presence in Baghdad by September 2025.

The 2024 talks took place under very different conditions, underscoring just how much the region has changed.

By September 2024, Iranian-backed fighters had launched at least 70 attacks on US forces in Iraq, as part of the simmering regional conflict unleashed by the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel.

US soldiers also came under attack in Jordan.

The Iraqi militias who attacked US troops belong to a group aligned with Tehran called the “Axis of Resistance”, which included Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis, and Bashar al-Assad’s former government in Syria. That loose network has been pummelled.

Less than a year later, Hezbollah’s leadership was assassinated by Israel, and its forces were severely decimated. Islamist rebels ousted Assad from power in late 2024.

Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Units, the umbrella organisation of Iraqi state-funded and Iran-aligned Shia militias, was spared the fate of Assad and Hezbollah. But Tehran was put on its back heels from Israel’s surprise attack and the US’s bombing of its nuclear sites.

The US and Baghdad had an agreement to keep US soldiers in Iraq as part of efforts to defeat the Islamic State militant (IS) group. However, as Israel’s genocide on Gaza escalated, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani faced new calls to end the US presence.

The Trump administration itself showed little interest in remaining in Iraq. Earlier this year, it already started downsizing its troop presence in Syria despite resistance from Israel. Critics of the US’s “forever wars” are likely to welcome the withdrawal.

US and coalition soldiers are expected to stay in Erbil, in the Kurdish semi-autonomous region, for just one more year. The withdrawal of US troops from this region would leave just a smaller US military presence in northeastern Syria.

The US’s legal justification for being in Syria, home to roughly 1,400 US troops, is also based on Washington’s agreement with Baghdad.

US troops are officially in Syria to ensure the enduring defeat of IS, but their presence is also seen as a strategic wedge against Iran and its proxies.

However, with Assad gone and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa now aligned with Turkey and Sunni Gulf Monarchs, the US military footprint in Syria could diminish further.

American diplomat prompts outrage in Lebanon after telling media to ‘act civilised’

By
IFP Media Wire
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Tom Barrack, the United States ambassador to Turkiye and the special envoy for Syria, made the comments on Tuesday after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Beirut to discuss plans for the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Briefing local media after the meeting, Barrack, who is of Lebanese descent, chided reporters for shouting out questions all at once, and appeared to draw a link between their behaviour and conflict in the Middle East.

“We’re going to have a different set of rules… please be quiet for a moment,” Barrack said.

“And I want to tell you something, the moment this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone. So, you want to know what’s happening? Act civilised, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what is happening in the region.”

“In cadence with your kindness, your interest and your thoughtful questions, we’ll give you responses,” Barrack added.

“If that’s not how you’d like to operate, we’re gone.”

Barrack’s remarks prompted a swift backlash in Lebanon and farther afield, with commentators accusing the diplomat of displaying arrogance and a colonial mentality.

The Lebanese Presidency expressed regret over the comments, saying in a statement on X that the government has “full appreciation for all journalists” and “extends to them its highest regards for their efforts and dedication in fulfilling their professional and national duties”.

The Union of Journalists in Lebanon called on Lebanese and Arab media outlets to boycott future events involving the envoy until he issues a formal public apology.

“The union considers Barrack’s comments against journalists not as a mere slip of the tongue or an individual stance, but rather as a reflection of an unacceptable superiority in dealing with the media and an implicit disdain for the essence of journalistic work,” the media union announced in a statement.

“Furthermore, the content of his remarks reflects ingrained colonial arrogance towards the peoples of the region and constitutes a blatant violation of basic diplomatic etiquette and the values that diplomacy should represent – chief among them respect for press freedom and the people’s right to knowledge.”

Time for Europeans to give diplomacy ‘time and space’: Iran’s Deputy FM

By
IFP Media Wire
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Nuclear Negotiations in Vienna

Gharibabadi made the remarks in an X post on Tuesday after he and Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi met with senior diplomats from the three European signatories to the JCPOA, namely the UK, Germany, and France, in Geneva, focused on Resolution 2231.

Resolution 2231 is due to expire in October, officially lifting restrictions imposed on Iran’s nuclear program 10 years ago after the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the US, the E3, Russia, and China.

European countries, which have long threatened to trigger the so-called snapback mechanism, have said they will wait until the end of August to decide whether Tehran is serious about further negotiations on its nuclear work or whether they should invoke the snapback mechanism.

“Iran remains committed to diplomacy and a mutually beneficial diplomatic solution,” Gharibabadi added.

Iran asserts that European states lack both the legal standing and moral authority to invoke the “snapback” mechanism, a provision of the 2015 nuclear deal that would reimpose six UN Security Council resolutions against Tehran, originally adopted between 2006 and 2010.

To avert an imminent confrontation between Iran and Western governments, Russia has reportedly circulated a draft resolution proposing an extension of the current arrangement.

Under Moscow’s plan, the snapback provision would be extended but barred from activation for at least six months.

Iranian deputy foreign ministers Majid Takht-Ravanchi and Gharibabadi, along with senior representatives from the E3 countries, held a closed-door meeting at Iran’s Consulate General in Istanbul on July 25. The meeting, which lasted more than three hours, followed a similar round held on May 16 in Istanbul.

IAEA chief says first team of inspectors in Iran

By
IFP Media Wire
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IAEA

“Now the first team of IAEA inspectors is back in Iran, and we are about to restart,” he said.

“When it comes to Iran, as you know, there are many facilities; some were attacked, some were not,” Grossi added.

“So we are discussing what kind of modality is practical, [what kind of] modalities can be implemented, in order to facilitate the restart of our work there.”

“It’s not an easy situation, as you can imagine, because for some in Iran, the presence of international inspectors is detrimental to their international security. For some, that is not the case, ” the IAEA director-general stated.

He added that he had a “very good meeting” with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

This comes after Iranian officials met with representatives of the E3 countries, UK, France, and Germany, in Geneva on Tuesday.

A diplomat said representatives of three European countries threatening to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program failed to agree with their Iranian counterpart on Tuesday on how to avoid the measures days ahead of a deadline,

The diplomat added efforts would continue to search for a solution ahead of an E3 deadline at the end of this month to invoke the so-called “snapback mechanism” of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal over what the countries have deemed Iran’s lack of compliance.

The snapback would mean a return to wide-ranging UN sanctions in place before the agreement, including a conventional arms embargo, restrictions on ballistic missile development, asset freezes, travel bans and a ban on producing nuclear-related technology.

The talks in Switzerland between representatives of Britain, France and Germany — known as the E3 — and Iran “ended without a final outcome,” stated the diplomat with knowledge of the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the sensitive discussions.

On July 2, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian gave the final approval to a resolution that suspends cooperation with the IAEA.

The rationale for the move was the UN atomic agency’s politically-motivated resolution which paved the way for the US-Israeli acts of aggression against the Islamic Republic.

The resolution was approved during the public session of Iran’s Parliament on June 25.

According to the resolution, IAEA inspectors will not be permitted to enter Iran unless the security of the country’s nuclear facilities and that of peaceful nuclear activities is guaranteed, which is subject to the approval of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

Iran is also considering an entry ban on the IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, who has come under fire for his politically motivated reports against Iran.

In an unprovoked, brazen assault on June 13, Israel targeted Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists who had previously been placed on sanctions lists based on IAEA reports. Israel also killed civilians.

On June 22, the US military bombed Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan nuclear sites in violation of the United Nations Charter, international law and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Grossi remained silent. He did not condemn the onslaught, drawing criticisms from Iranian officials.

President Pezeshkian says Iran installs over 1,000 MW of solar panels

By
IFP Media Wire
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Speaking at the National Industry and Mining Day ceremony in Tehran on Tuesday, Pezeshkian outlined the government’s target of generating at least 7,000 megawatts of electricity from solar power.

The president called on companies and financial institutions to actively support the expansion of this sector.

“Without energy, development is meaningless,” the president stated.

“We must move toward clean energy.”

Hundreds of former EU ambassadors, officials call for tougher stance on Israel

By
IFP Media Wire
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Gaza War

“We express our profound disappointment that, in response to the deteriorating situation in Gaza, no substantive measures have been taken by the EU to pressure Israel to end its brutal war, to resume vital humanitarian assistance by mainstream providers, and to dismantle its illegal occupation of both Gaza and the West Bank,” signatories wrote in the letter seen by Irish broadcaster RTE News.

They warned that if the EU fails to take “an effective stand,” action will be left to individual member states or “groups of like-minded countries,” which would lack the “full force of EU-wide collective action.”

The officials also expressed “dismay” that, in the four weeks since their previous letter – signed by 58 former EU ambassadors – no cease-fire has been agreed in Gaza. Instead, they noted, Israel has begun implementing plans to empty Gaza City.

The letter condemned Israeli government plans to expand illegal settlements in East Jerusalem, calling it an “openly declared aim … to sabotage the longstanding two-state solution, backed by the vast majority of UN member states and the EU.”

“If this was not bad enough, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed on 22 August that a man-made famine now exists in these same areas of Gaza, with half a million people there facing starvation, destitution and death,” it added.

The letter was addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, as well as the leaders and foreign ministers of the 27 member states.

Amnesty says Israel’s destruction in Lebanon could amount to war crimes

By
IFP Media Wire
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Lebanon War

The human rights organisation announced on Tuesday it found Israel manually laid explosives and bulldozers to “devastate civilian structures, including homes, mosques, cemeteries, roads, parks and soccer pitches, across 24 municipalities”.

Erika Guevara Rosas, a senior director at Amnesty, stated in the statement that the destruction had “rendered entire areas uninhabitable and ruined countless lives”.

In November 2024, a ceasefire ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, including two months of open war during which Israel sent in ground troops and conducted a major bombing campaign. Israel has been violating the ceasefire since, on a near-daily basis.

Amnesty said its analysis from October 1 of last year – at about the start of Israel’s ground offensive – until late January of this year showed “more than 10,000 structures were heavily damaged or destroyed during that time”. It added that “much of the destruction took place after November 27”, when the ceasefire took effect.

“In some videos, soldiers filmed themselves celebrating the destruction by singing and cheering,” it noted, adding that much of the destruction was done “in apparent absence of imperative military necessity and in violation” of international humanitarian law.

Amnesty said it sent Israeli authorities questions in late June about the destruction but had not received a response.

“Given the scale of destruction carried out by the Israeli military, many residents of southern Lebanon have nothing to return to,” Rosas stated, adding, “The Israeli authorities must provide prompt, full and adequate reparations to all victims of violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes, both individuals and entire communities.”

Amnesty also urged states to end weapons transfers and other military support to Israel.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has also previously accused Israel of war crimes in its latest war with Hezbollah.

In October 2024, HRW stated that Israeli attacks on Lebanese medics were apparent war crimes. In April 2025, it said Israel conducted indiscriminate attacks on civilians between September and November 2024.

Israel claims to target Hezbollah sites and operatives, but attacks from October 2023 to the day before the ceasefire killed nearly 4,000 people in Lebanon, many of them civilians.

In March, the World Bank put the war’s total economic cost on Lebanon at $14bn, including $6.8bn in damage to physical structures.

Under the November agreement, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back from near the border, with the Lebanese army deploying to the south and dismantling the armed group’s infrastructure there, a process the new government has begun.

Earlier this month, Lebanon approved a United States-backed plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year, in exchange for an end to Israeli army attacks on its territory. Israel was to fully withdraw its troops from Lebanon, but it has so far refused. Hezbollah has refused to disarm.

Syria condemns Israeli military incursion countryside of Damascus, demands UN action

By
IFP Media Wire
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Israeli Army

In a statement, the Syrian Foreign Ministry described the incursion in Beit Jinn town in the Damascus countryside, carried out by 11 military vehicles and nearly 60 soldiers, as a “grave threat to regional peace and security” and a “flagrant violation of international law.”

The ministry added the escalation represents “a direct threat to peace and regional stability,” warning that such practices undermine international efforts to restore security.

It also called on the UN Security Council to adopt “urgent and effective measures to deter Israel from its aggressive practices and ensure the protection of Syria’s sovereignty.”

After the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government in late 2024, Israel expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria.

The new Syrian administration, in place since late December 2024, has not posed any threat to Israel, yet the Israeli military has repeatedly crossed into Syrian territory and carried out airstrikes that killed civilians and destroyed Syrian military sites and infrastructure.

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