Author: Steven Sahiounie

Iran’s foreign minister has described as “definitive” the country’s response to Israel’s assassination of senior Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh last month. In a phone call with his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani on Sunday, Abbas Araghchi said the response is “definitive” but it “will be measured and well calculated.” The top Iranian diplomat added that, unlike Israel, Iran is not seeking escalation but at the same time “we do not fear escalation.” Earlier, Araghchi also had a telephone conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss bilateral and regional issues. Both diplomats talked about the ongoing…

On Sunday, the Telegram team responded to CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest in France by rejecting any blame directed at the platform or its owners for potential misuse. They stated that “Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving.” The statement also asserted that Durov has “nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe,” calling it “absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.” The team also expressed their hope for a swift resolution to the matter. The billionaire co-founder and CEO of…

There was no agreement on Sunday in the Gaza ceasefire talks that took place in Cairo, with neither Hamas nor Israel agreeing to several compromises presented by mediators, two Egyptian security sources said, casting doubt on the chances of success in the latest US-backed effort to end the 10-month old war.A senior US official, however, described the talks as “constructive,” saying they were conducted in a spirit on all sides to reach “a final and implementable agreement.”“The process will continue over the coming days through working groups to further address remaining issues and details,” said the official, speaking on the…

The European Union might sanction two Israeli far-right extremist ministers in an attempt to restore its credibility in the Middle East, The Guardian reported.  EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell will pan out potential sanctions to be imposed on Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for the genocidal statements and behavior they have been exhibiting throughout the 10-month Israeli onslaught in Gaza and aggression in the West Bank.  Two weeks ago, Ben-Gvir was internationally blasted after he raided the courtyards of the al-Aqsa Mosque, alongside at least 2,200 settlers, under the protection of occupation police forces, on the anniversary of…

Reuters news agency confirmed that its safety adviser Ryan Evans, who worked as part of the agency’s team covering developments in Ukraine, was killed in Kramatorsk, a Kiev-controlled city in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the agency reported on Monday. According to the agency, “Evans, a former British soldier, had been working with Reuters since 2022 and advised its journalists on safety around the world including in Ukraine, Israel and at the Paris Olympics. He was 38.” “We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Ryan’s family and loved ones. Ryan has helped so many of our journalists cover events…

Hamas’ delegation left Cairo after being briefed about the results of the latest round of Gaza ceasefire talks, Hamas spokesman Izzat al-Risheq said. “The Hamas negotiators have left Cairo after meetings with mediators from Egypt and Qatar who informed them about the results of the latest round of talks. The movement’s representatives demand that Israel be bound to implement the conditions that were accepted by Hamas on July 2 and that were based on the initiatives advanced by [US President Joe] Biden and the UN Security Council resolution,” he wrote on his Telegram channel. According to the spokesman, Hamas confirmed…

The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia agree that there is an urgency to stop the crimes of Israel against the Palestinians and deliver humanitarian aid to the war-stricken people in the besieged Gaza Strip. In a phone conversation on Sunday, Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his newly appointed counterpart Abbas Araqchi discussed the latest developments in Gaza amid the continuation of the Israeli regime’s crimes in the Strip and the intensification of tensions in the region. The top Iranian and Saudi diplomats also said that mutual relations are on the right track and discussed ways to further enhance…

Following the arrest of Telegram messaging platform creator Pavel Durov the Russian embassy in France accused French authorities on Sunday of “refusing to cooperate.” The billionaire co-founder and CEO of Telegram was arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday evening, according to TF1 TV. Durov, who was traveling from Azerbaijan on his private jet, was detained around 8 p.m. local time due to an outstanding arrest warrant in France. According to French media, this comes as part of a preliminary police investigation. The 39-year-old Russia-born entrepreneur has been residing in Dubai and holds dual citizenship in France and the UAE. The embassy…

Pope Francis condemned Kiev’s legislative ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Sunday during his weekly prayers. “Do not touch churches,” the pope said, one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky enacted the bill into the legislation on the country’s independence day from the Soviet Union. “In thinking of the law recently adopted in Ukraine, I fear for the liberty of those who pray,” the Catholic Church leader added. Ukraine has sought to distance itself from the church since 2014. The efforts were expedited following the start of its war with Russia in February 2022. Although the church severed ties with the Moscow Patriarchate in 2022, Ukrainian…

Relations between Syria and Turkey cannot be restored without settling problems that caused their severance, Syrian President Bashar Assad said. “Amid the current global crisis <…> we tried to consider all the initiatives proposed to us in the context of restoring relations with Turkey as soon as possible and in a positive manner. But no problem can be resolved if it real causes are ignored and relations cannot be restore without settling the problem that caused their reverence,” the SANA news agency quoted him as saying in his address to the new People’s Assembly (parliament). According to Assad, to settle…