The defending champions left little chance for the opposing side, bringing the US team to its knees.
With this win, Iran moves one step closer to retaining its world title.
In the championship final, Iran will face Italy.
Iran defeat USA to reach Final of U21 Volleyball World Championship
President Pezeshkian: No foreign power allowed to undermine Iran-Armenia friendship
He was speaking on Saturday during a meeting with Secretary of Armenia’s National Security Council Armen Grigoryan.
Pezeshkian said no foreign power should be allowed to undermine the close and strategic friendship between Tehran and Yerevan.
Referring to the positive outcomes of his recent visit to Armenia, Pezeshkian welcomed progress on the North–South Corridor project, describing it as a major step toward enhancing economic and political ties.
The Iranian president further called for swift implementation of bilateral agreements.
For his part, the secretary of Armenia’s National Security Council praised Iran’s commitment to deepening ties.
Grigoryan noted that Armenia is ready to finalize a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement with Iran.
He also welcomed greater involvement of Iranian companies in Armenia’s infrastructure and development projects and voiced hope for a significant boost in economic exchanges.
Iranian president to visit China for SCO summit and Victory Day Parade
Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said the visit will focus on participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit as well as the “Shanghai Plus” gathering, which brings together member states, observer countries, and representatives of regional and international organizations, including the UN secretary general.
The Iranian president will also attend China’s grand military parade marking the 80th anniversary of its victory in World War II.
Rahmani Fazli described Pezeshkian’s presence at the parade as a sign of the close and constructive relationship between Tehran and Beijing.
The ambassador referred to Iran’s active role in the SCO, noting that the country has taken part in over 100 meetings and committees during China’s chairmanship, with participation at ministerial and even top state levels.
He also cited recent visits to China by Iran’s judiciary chief and several cabinet ministers as evidence of strong engagement.
Rahmani Fazli underlined that Iran’s participation underscores opposition to unilateralism and commitment to multilateral cooperation for peace, security, and development at both regional and global levels.
EU says ‘not optimistic’ on sanctioning Israel over Gaza war
Foreign ministers meeting in Denmark will discuss a proposal to suspend EU funding to Israeli start-ups as initial punishment for the situation in Gaza.
But the bloc has so far failed to garner the majority needed to take that step — let alone move ahead with more forceful measures against Israel.
“I’m not very optimistic, and today we are definitely not going to adopt decisions,” Kallas told journalists at the start of the Denmark meeting.
“It sends a signal that we are divided.”
Splits within the European Union between countries backing Israel and those favouring the Palestinians have seen the 27-nation bloc often left hamstrung in the face of the dire humanitarian crisis in the besieged and bombardment enclave.
A string of EU countries are pushing for more far-reaching punishment for Israel, but have been frustrated.
Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, insisted the bloc “must change words into action”.
He stated that Copenhagen backed suspending trade cooperation with Israel, sanctioning far-right Israeli ministers, and banning imports from illegal settlements.
Israel is facing pressure at home and abroad to end its offensive in Gaza, where the vast majority of the population has been displaced at least once and the United Nations has declared a famine.
The war in Gaza has killed at least 63,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Gaza that the UN considers reliable.
Iran faces severe drought amid poor water management, environment chief warns
She said the crisis is partly driven by climate change, but also by mismanagement of water resources.
Speaking on Saturday, Ansari criticized years of planning that ignored the country’s ecological capacities, citing examples such as the establishment of water-intensive industries in arid cities and unregulated urban expansion.
“To supply these areas, inter-basin water transfers were carried out, creating new environmental and social challenges,” she noted.
Ansari also pointed to unsustainable agricultural practices, including water-intensive crops and outdated irrigation methods, as major contributors to the crisis.
She urged a comprehensive review of water policies, emphasizing the need for better consumption management in agriculture, industry, and urban areas.
Proposed solutions include expanding wastewater treatment systems, reusing reclaimed water, and adopting sustainable consumption models.
On transboundary water issues, Ansari stressed the importance of environmental diplomacy, particularly in managing shared resources like the Hoor al-Azim wetland along the Iran-Iraq border, which suffers from seasonal drying and fires.
She called for stronger regional and international engagement to secure Iran’s environmental water rights.
US backing ‘Chinese peacekeepers’ in Ukraine: FT
According to four FT sources, Trump suggested that China station troops in a prospective neutral zone along the 1,300km front line as part of a peace settlement with Russia. The proposal was reportedly made during a meeting at the White House last week involving European leaders and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
However, a senior Trump administration official dismissed the report as “false,” stressing that there has been no discussion on the matter.
The idea has reportedly met with resistance from EU nations and was previously rejected by Zelensky, who cited what he called Beijing’s failure to prevent the conflict both in 2014 and 2022.
Previous reports claimed that US, Ukrainian, and European officials have discussed the concept of a demilitarized zone patrolled by neutral peacekeepers as the first layer of a peace settlement. Other reports suggest that another idea is to deploy Western troops for this purpose – which Moscow is vehemently opposed to.
Earlier this month, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denied reports that Beijing had expressed willingness to join a potential international peacekeeping force in Ukraine. Since the start of the Ukraine conflict, Beijing has positioned itself as a neutral actor, calling on both belligerents to end the hostilities and stressing that it is essential to promote a sustainable political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.
While Russia has indicated in principle that it does not oppose Western security guarantees for Ukraine, it insists that any arrangement be supported by UN Security Council permanent members, including China. It has stressed that guarantees should not be “one-sided” and aimed at containing Russia.
Moscow has opposed the deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine in any form, arguing that the expansion of the bloc’s military infrastructure towards Russia’s borders was one of the key reasons for the conflict.
Renowned Iranian composer Ahmad Pejman dies in Los Angeles
Born in July 1935 in Iran, Pejman began his musical journey in high school, studying violin under Heshmat Sanjari and music theory with Hossein Naseri.
In 1964, he received a scholarship to study composition at the Vienna Academy of Music. Upon returning to Iran, he became a composer for Tehran’s Roudaki Hall and a music professor at the University of Tehran.
During this period, Pejman composed notable operas, including The Farmer’s Celebration, The Hero of Sahand, and The Phoenix.
In 1975, he moved to the US to pursue a doctorate in composition at Columbia University, studying under prominent composers such as Vladimir Ussachevsky and Jack Beeson.
Pejman’s prolific career spanned classical works, orchestral compositions, and memorable scores for Iranian cinema. His innovative style and dedication to both performance and research cemented his legacy as one of Iran’s most influential music figures.
Iran, Armenia discuss security and regional stability
The visit, made at Larijani’s official invitation, focused on expanding bilateral relations and addressing regional security concerns.
Larijani emphasized Iran’s opposition to any geopolitical changes in the South Caucasus and reaffirmed Tehran’s support for Armenia’s sovereignty and regional stability.
He also highlighted the importance of cooperation in completing the North-South Transport Corridor, which would link the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea, describing it as a key economic and strategic project.
“Iran has always supported the independence and strength of regional countries to ensure lasting security,” Larijani stated, expressing satisfaction with the current level of political, economic, security, and defense relations between Tehran and Yerevan.
Grigoryan described bilateral ties as “unprecedented” and expressed Armenia’s readiness to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Iran in the near future.
He reiterated Yerevan’s adherence to five key principles, including national sovereignty, respect for territorial integrity, judicial authority, inviolability of borders, and reciprocity, and assured Tehran that Armenia remains firmly opposed to any attempt to alter the region’s geopolitical landscape.
The Armenian official also underscored that recent peace negotiations with the Republic of Azerbaijan have preserved Armenia’s exclusive control over its security, military, and customs affairs, providing reassurances to Iran about its regional position.
Iran rules out negotiations under pressure, backs Russia, china nuclear proposal as ‘practical step’
Speaking to a gathering of reporters on Friday in New York, Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeed Iravani categorically rejected the unlawful notification by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom to trigger the dispute resolution procedure under the 2015 nuclear deal, saying that it sidesteps the mechanism.
On Thursday, the three European states – Britain, France and Germany – invoked the anti-Tehran snapback procedure, a clause enshrined in the nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The clause reinstates pre-JCPOA era sanctions on Iran over claims of the Islamic Republic’s “significant non-compliance” with the landmark pact.
According to Iravani, the move has been done “with the sole intention of blackmailing Iran and exerting political pressure.”
“The E3 has no legal or moral standing to use the so-called snapback. Their notification is null and void,” he added.
The Iranian envoy stated that the E3 has failed to meet its own obligations, noting that several Security Council members, including China and Russia, agreed that the E3 had not followed the proper procedures.
“The E3 and the US violated the JCPOA first. They cannot now claim to act in good faith,” he said.
He was referring to the United States’ withdrawal from the JCPOA under President Donald Trump in 2018 and the subsequent failure of the European parties (E3/EU) to meet their own commitments, which included the imposition of new, unlawful sanctions.
He added that Iran has consistently notified the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, and the EU as the JCPOA coordinator, the repeated failures and significant non-compliance of the United States and the E3 over the past years.
France: Putin ‘played’ Trump if no Zelensky meeting commitment by Monday
“If that doesn’t happen by Monday, the deadline set by President Trump, it means that once again President Putin played President Trump,” Macron said Friday during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Macron added he hopes the meeting between Zelensky and Putin, one that Russian officials so far have rejected, takes place, but added if it doesn’t, European leaders would push for primary and secondary sanctions to pressure the Kremlin to negotiate a peace accord.
Last Friday, while speaking with reporters at the White House, Trump said he expects to make a move in two weeks if a direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin is not set.
“We’re going to see whether or not they have a meeting, It’ll be interesting to see. If they don’t, why didn’t they have a meeting, because I told them to have a meeting,” the president continued, adding, “But I’ll know what I am going to do in two weeks.”
Zelensky on Friday also noted a previous statement by Trump that he would give Putin a week or two to agree on a meeting before possibly imposing penalties on Russia.
“Two weeks will be on Monday. And we will remind everybody.”
So far, Russia has slow-walked Washington’s effort to broker a peace deal to end the 3 1/2 year war in eastern Europe. Ukraine has balked at making territorial concessions but says it’s ready for Zelensky to meet with Putin as it also negotiates postwar security guarantees with the U.S. and Europe.
Russian officials have questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy, and Moscow’s military has continued to pound Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with drones and missile assaults.
When asked Friday about Macron’s comments, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller called the question “absurd” and added that the president has “achieved seven peace deals in seven months.”
“Literally no president, not just in our lifetimes, but then I can think of an American history and no world leader anywhere today, anywhere on Earth has done more to advance world peace than President Trump,” Miller told reporters.
Miller echoed Trump’s claim that the Russia-Ukraine war is “Joe Biden’s war” and emphasized that Trump is working “steadfastly to end the killing, and that’s something that everybody in the world should celebrate.”
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak and Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia in New York City on Friday, where they discussed Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukraine.
Yermak stated he invited Witkoff, who has met with Putin five times this year, to visit Ukraine “in the near future.”
“Ukraine supports President Trump’s firm resolve, as well as that of all partners, to achieve a lasting peace as soon as possible. Ukraine welcomes all peace initiatives put forward by the United States. But unfortunately, each of them is being stalled by Russia,” Yermak added after the meeting.
Yermak called for “global pressure” to “ensure Russia is genuinely ready to move toward peace and, in particular, to hold critically important leaders’ meetings for that purpose.”
