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Iran has received no written US proposal: FM

Abbas Araghchi

“Iran has not received any written proposal from the United States, whether directly or indirectly,” Araghchi said in a post on his X account on Friday.

The post comes after US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran had received an alleged proposal from his administration and cautioned about what he referred to as Tehran’s not heeding the urgency of a response.

“Yeah they have a proposal, but more importantly, they know they have to move quickly or something bad, something bad is going to happen,” Trump told reporters.

In his post, Araghchi stated that Iran and the world continue to receive “confusing and contradictory” messaging.

“Iran nonetheless remains determined and straightforward: Respect our rights and terminate your sanctions, and we have a deal,” the top Iranian diplomat added.

Throughout his previous tenure as the US president from 2017 to 2021, and his incumbency now, Trump has rarely abandoned his adversarial language concerning Iran.

He has maintained the discourse, although the two sides have been engaged in indirect talks since April.

Araghchi also responded to reports about Iran’s acceptance of temporary restrictions on how much uranium it enriches and to what level.

“Mark my words: there is no scenario in which Iran abandons its hard-earned right to enrichment for peaceful purposes.”

Enrichment, the Iranian foreign minister stated, is a right afforded to all other signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), too.

Araghchi noted the great Iranian nation has shown its “power and fortitude” in the face of those who have attempted imposition.

“We ALWAYS welcome dialogue based on mutual respect and ALWAYS reject any diktat.”

Iranian authorities have unexceptionally rejected Washington’s intimidatory approach and warned about its contradiction with diplomacy.

On May 15, Araghchi said Iran would not dismantle any of its nuclear facilities — as repeatedly pursued by the US and some of its allies.

The top diplomat also asserted the nation’s right to enrich uranium, adding, “Defending the rights of the Iranian people in the nuclear field, including enrichment, is one of these principles and rights of the people that we will not compromise on.”

Iran has held four rounds of indirect talks with the US on a replacement for the 2015 deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which have been generally described as positive by the two sides.

In 2018, Trump walked out of the landmark agreement that gave it sanctions relief in return for confidence-building restrictions on its nuclear activities.

Iran now wants guarantees that the US will remove all the sanctions and won’t again unilaterally derail the new deal.

UN refutes US-backed Gaza aid plan

Gaza War

“This particular distribution plan does not accord with our basic principles, including those of impartiality, neutrality, independence, and we will not be participating in this,” deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters.

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will start work in Gaza by the end of May under a heavily criticised aid plan that the UN aid chief Tom Fletcher described as a “fig leaf for further violence and displacement” of Palestinians in Gaza.

Speaking to reporters in Antalya, Turkiye, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the criticisms and said Washington was open to any alternative plan to get aid to civilians “without Hamas being able to steal it”.

“We’re not immune or in any way insensitive to the suffering of the people of Gaza, and I know that there’s opportunities here to provide aid for them,” Rubio stated after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“There are criticisms of that plan. We’re open to an alternative if someone has a better one,” he added.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs announced on Thursday that the UN “has a solid and principled operational plan to deliver humanitarian aid and life-saving services at scale and immediately across the Gaza Strip”.

A report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative released on Monday said the Gaza Strip “is still confronted with a critical risk of famine” after more than a year and a half of devastating war, with the vast majority of its approximately 2.1 million people at severe risk.

In a bid to address some concerns, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has asked Israel to expand an initial limited number of so-called secure aid distribution sites in Gaza’s south to the north within 30 days. It has also asked Israel to let the UN and others resume aid deliveries now until it is set up.

Israel and the US have urged the UN and aid groups to cooperate and work with the foundation.

It is unclear how the foundation will be funded. A Department of State spokesperson said no US government funding would go to the foundation.

A fact sheet on the foundation, circulating among the aid community last week, listed respected former UN World Food Programme chief David Beasley as a potential adviser. However, a source familiar with the effort said Beasley was not currently involved.

Russia, Ukraine agree to exchange 1,000 POWs from each side

Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war from each side, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov told Ukrainian TV on Friday as talks in Istanbul ended.

If the exchange goes ahead, it would be the biggest prisoner swap in more than three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia also announced on Friday that the first direct talks with Ukraine in more than three years had yielded a deal to swap 1,000 prisoners of war each soon and to resume talks after each side had set out its vision for a future ceasefire.

In a short statement shown live on Russian state TV after the negotiations in Istanbul had wrapped up, Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia’s delegation, said that Moscow was satisfied with progress made and was ready to keep talking to Kyiv.

“In general, we are satisfied with the result and are ready to continue contacts. In the coming days, there will be a massive thousand-for-thousand prisoner exchange,” said Medinsky.

That would be one of the largest exchanges of its kind since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022 in what he called a special military operation.

“The Ukrainian side requested direct talks between the leaders of our states. We have taken note of this request,” Medinsky added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had challenged Putin to fly to Turkey for direct talks with him on Thursday, but Putin – who had proposed the talks in the first place but had not said who was going for Russia – sent a mid-level delegation of experienced negotiators instead.

In the event, the talks took place on Friday, not Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has tried to pressure both sides to move towards a peace settlement, has stated he wants a 30-day ceasefire in an attempt to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.

Kyiv, which is on the defensive on the battlefield, has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire.

But Russia – which is slowly but steadily advancing on the battlefield and is worried that Ukraine will use such a pause to regroup and re-arm – has said it needs to nail down the terms of a ceasefire before signing up to one.

Medinsky noted Russia and Ukraine had agreed to go away and set out in detail and in writing their vision for what a future ceasefire would look like.

“After such a vision has been presented, we believe it would be appropriate, as also agreed, to continue our negotiations,” he added.

Iranian sports photographer dies of injuries after racing accident in Tehran

Iranian sports photographer dies of injuries after racing accident in Tehran

The incident occurred during the first round of Iran’s national speed racing competition on Friday when a high-speed vehicle veered off track and struck Darajati, who was behind a concrete barrier.

Initial reports after the incident said Darajati suffered multiple critical injuries, including internal bleeding, fractured ribs and legs and a severe head injury.
Despite continuous resuscitation efforts and intensive care by doctors, his condition remained unstable and he succumbed to his injuries hours later.
The crash caused the race to come to a halt. It has also renewed calls for stricter safety at motorsport events in Iran, particularly for media personnel. Tributes are pouring in from across the sports and journalism communities for Darajati, who was widely respected for his professionalism.

Iran’s cultural heritage protection guards clash with smugglers

He said, acting on prior intelligence about planned illegal activity in the area, officers had set up an ambush. During the fighting, one officer was injured after being stabbed. The suspect was apprehended and handed over to judicial authorities.
Although the extent of damage to the artifact remains unclear, initial reports say the smugglers were attempting to steal the historic inscription, previously cited in media warnings about its vulnerability.

The clash marks yet another instance in a series of confrontations between smugglers and cultural heritage protection guards in the region.

An official in the unit said it’s unmanned and that has put a strain on the guards responsible for protecting Persepolis.

Iran Deputy FM rejects pause in uranium enrichment

kazem-gharibabadi

Addressing a question raised by a user on X, Gharibabadi said, “The right to enrichment is our absolute red line and no pause in enrichment is acceptable”.
He stressed that Iran’s negotiating partners are well aware of the nation’s unwavering position.

According to Gharibabadu, “Our negotiating counterparts know very well that the Islamic Republic of Iran will never treat any achievement, made at the cost of our martyrs’ blood and tremendous sacrifices, as a bargaining chip”.

His comments come as Iran and the US are holding talks to reach an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.

Iran and the major European states- Germany, France and the UK- held a new round of talks in Istanbul on Friday.

Gharibabadi: Iran, European powers reaffirm commitment to diplomacy in Istanbul meeting

The comments came after a meeting held on Friday at the Iranian Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, between Iranian officials and the political directors of the three European powers.

Gharibabadi, along with Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs and a senior member of the Iranian diplomatic team, hosted the talks.

In a post on the social media platform X, Gharibabadi wrote, “We exchanged views and held discussions on the latest status of indirect nuclear negotiations and the issue of sanctions relief.”

He emphasized that all parties were determined to keep diplomatic channels open and make optimal use of dialogue in addressing ongoing concerns.

The talks come at a time when efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal – formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – continue, with Iran and Western powers expressing both frustration and cautious optimism.

Gharibabadi noted that the sides may reconvene if needed, signaling a willingness to continue engagement amid complex geopolitical dynamics.

Palme d’Or winners support Iranian filmmaker’s documentary on Gaza journalist

The film chronicles the life of Fatema Hasoona, a 25-year-old Palestinian photojournalist from Gaza who was killed alongside her father and five siblings in an Israeli airstrike on April 16, one day after the film was accepted into the festival.

In an open letter, Loach and Laverty praised the film and called for international action to stop Israeli “war crimes” and “genocide.”

They cited independent investigations, including a recent report by Forensic Architecture, based at Goldsmiths, University of London, which presented extensive documentation of war crimes in Gaza.

They also criticized the International Court of Justice for delaying its ruling on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel until 2026, calling the inaction “shameful.”

Farsi’s film uses archival footage and personal correspondence to depict Hasoona’s life, tragically cut short. “She once said she wanted a loud death,” the letter states. “Can we make her death truly heard?”

This marks the second major artist-led protest against Israel’s actions at Cannes.

Calligraphy exhibition ‘Khoshnegaran’ opens at Avicenna Cultural Center in Tehran

The exhibition is the result of a collaborative effort by calligraphy master Mohammad Veisi and students from Allameh Helli 6 High School in Tehran, with school manager Dr. Mehran Baba-Mohammadi organizing the event.

The show features 131 calligraphy works, including classic texts, well-known poetic verses, and traditional Persian script styles.

The exhibition aims to highlight the artistic achievements of young calligraphy students and celebrate the enduring cultural value of Persian calligraphy.

It offers a unique opportunity for visitors to witness both mastery and emerging talent in this centuries-old art form.

Art lovers and the general public are invited to visit the exhibition through Tuesday, May 20.

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Ali Daei congratulates Tractor FC on historic league title, hopes for Asian glory

In a message shared on Instagram, Daei praised the team’s achievement and expressed hope for their future success in continental competitions.

“I congratulate the great and popular Tractor team on this championship,” Daei wrote.
“My congratulations go to the fans, Azarbaijani-speaking community, officials, professional coaching staff, and the players. May this be the beginning of greater victories in Asia. Long live Iran, long live Azarbaijan, long live Tractor.”

Tractor, managed by Dragan Skočić, secured the league title for the 2024-25 season with 68 points – finishing ahead of rivals Sepahan and Persepolis, which each ended the campaign on 60 points.

In the final match of the season, Tractor defeated Esteghlal Khuzestan 3-1 away from home, sealing their championship with a celebratory victory.

Ali Daei, a former national team captain and league champion with Saipa in the 2007-08 season, remains a respected voice in Iranian football. His tribute to Tractor’s triumph quickly gained attention among fans, especially those in the Azarbaijani-speaking regions.

The club now sets its sights on representing Iran in the AFC Champions League with aspirations of continental success.