Trump announces ceasefire between Iran and Israel

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Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others. (AFP)
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An injured man is treated in a hospital, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Tehran, Iran, June 21, 2025. (REUTERS)
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Updated 24 June 2025
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Trump announces ceasefire between Iran and Israel

  • The US president called said there will be a ‘complete and total’ truce
  • Iran FM says ‘no intention’ to continue strikes if Israel ‘stops’

RIYADH/DUBAI: US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel hours after Tehran attacked a US base in Qatar in retaliation for US strikes on military sites in Iran over the weekend.

The Iranians said there was no agreement but will stop attacks if Israel halted too.

The US president said both sides had agreed to a staggered cessation of hostilities until there is an end to the conflict.

Iran will begin observing the ceasefire first, with Israel watching if Tehran complies for the following 12 hours, if it does, then Tel Aviv will join in, bringing to an end what Trump is calling a “12 Day War”.

The deal allows for a six hour window for both sides to wrap up ongoing operations, the president explained in a Truth Social post on Monday evening.

The president wrote: “This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!” 

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said early on Tuesday that there was no “agreement” on any ceasefire between Israel and Iran.

But he added that if Israel stopped its “illegal aggression” against the Iranian people no later than 4 a.m. Tehran time (0030 GMT) on Tuesday, Iran had no intention of continuing its response afterwards.
“The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later,” Araqchi added in a post on X.

Around the same time as Trump made the announcement, several loud explosions were heard in Iran’s Karaj and Rajai Shahr, according to local media. 

Reports from the Iranian capital said the city was under an intense attack. 

A senior Iranian official confirmed to Reuters that Tehran is agreeing to Qatar mediated, US-proposed ceasefire with Israel. 

Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 950 people and wounded 3,450 others, a human rights group said Monday.

The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists offered the figures, which covers the entirety of Iran. It said of those dead, it identified 380 civilians and 253 security force personnel being killed.

Human Rights Activists, which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country.

Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. On Saturday, Iran’s Health Ministry said some 400 Iranians had been killed and another 3,056 wounded in the Israeli strikes.




Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. (AFP)

Qatar suspends air traffic as precautionary measure: statement

Qatar temporarily suspended air traffic around the country, its foreign ministry said Monday, after nearby Iran threatened retaliation for US strikes on its nuclear sites.

“The competent authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country’s airspace, as part of a set of precautionary measures taken based on developments in the region,” the foreign ministry said. 

It comes as the US embassy in Qatar advised Americans there to “shelter in place” on Monday, with other Western embassies echoing the warning.

Read the full story here.

Israeli strikes on Iran may have violated international law, UN mission says

A fact-finding mission mandated by the United Nations said on Monday that some of Israel’s strikes on Iran may have broken international humanitarian law, citing the killing of civilians in an apartment block and three aid workers in the capital Tehran.

“Among those killed in Tehran were dozens of residents of an apartment complex and three humanitarian workers from the Iranian Red Cross, while damaged sites included a clinic for children with autism and a hospital in Kermanshah,” the investigative body said in a statement to journalists.

“This, and the reported lack of effective advance warning by Israel, which may affect the population’s ability to reach safety, raise serious concerns in relation to the principles of proportionality, distinction, and precaution under international humanitarian law.”

 

However, NATO chief Mark Rutte told reporters on Monday US strikes on Iran over the weekend did not violate international law. He was speaking during a briefing ahead of a summit for the military alliance. 

Tehran vows to avenge attack on nuclear sites

Tehran threatened on Monday to inflict “serious” damage in retaliation for US strikes on the Islamic republic’s nuclear facilities, as the Iran-Israel war entered its 11th day despite calls for de-escalation.

Aerial assaults meanwhile raged on, with air raid sirens sounding across Israel and AFP journalists reporting several blasts were heard over Jerusalem.

The Israeli military said it had struck missile sites in western Iran as well as “six Iranian regime airports” across the country, destroying fighter jets and helicopters.

President Donald Trump said US warplanes used “bunker buster” bombs to target sites in Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz, boasting the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Other officials said it was too soon to assess the true impact on Iran’s nuclear program, which Israel and some Western states consider an existential threat.

Iranian armed forces spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari said on state television that the US “hostile act,” following more than a week of Israeli bombardments, would “pave the way for the extension of war in the region.”

“The fighters of Islam will inflict serious, unpredictable consequences on you with powerful and targeted (military) operations,” he warned.




Iran foreign minister Abbas Araghchi described Sunday’s attacks “lawless and criminal” behavior. (AFP)

Iran foreign minister to meet key ally Putin

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was due to hold “important” talks with key ally Vladimir Putin on Monday, 48 hours after a major US attack on Iran’s key nuclear facilities.

Moscow is a crucial backer of Tehran, but has not swung forcefully behind its partner since Israel launched a wave of attacks on June 13, strikes that triggered Iran to respond with missiles and drones.

While Russia condemned the Israeli and US strikes, it has not offered military help and has downplayed its obligations under a sweeping strategic partnership agreement signed with Tehran just months ago.

“In this new dangerous situation ... our consultations with Russia can certainly be of great importance,” Russian state media reported Araghchi as saying after landing in Moscow.

Australia says it supports US strike, calls for return to diplomacy

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday that Canberra supported the United States strike on Iran and called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy.

“The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon and we support action to prevent that,” Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

Albanese said “the information has been clear” that Iran had enriched uranium to 60 percent and “there is no other explanation for it to reach 60, other than engaging in a program that wasn’t about civilian nuclear power.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog that inspects Iran’s nuclear facilities, reported on May 31 that Iran had enough uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons.

“Had Iran complied with the very reasonable requests that were made, including by the IAEA, then circumstances would have been different,” said Albanese, referring to limitations on enrichment.

 

 


‘Everybody is tired’ of war in Ukraine, UN migration chief says

Updated 26 min 57 sec ago
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‘Everybody is tired’ of war in Ukraine, UN migration chief says

  • Russia’s invasion has triggered Europe’s biggest refugee crisis this century, with 5.6 million Ukrainian refugees globally and 3.8 million uprooted in their country

ROME: Fatigue over the war in Ukraine and US-led foreign aid cuts are jeopardizing efforts to support people fleeing hardship, the head of the UN migration agency warned in an interview on Friday. International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Amy Pope was speaking a day after a Ukraine recovery conference in Rome mobilized over €10 billion ($11.69 billion) for the country.

“It’s three-and-a-half years into the conflict. I think it’s fair to say that everybody is tired, and we hear that even from Ukrainians who’ve been experiencing the ongoing attacks in their cities and often have been displaced multiple times,” she said.

“The response to it, though, has to be peace, because ultimately, without peace, there won’t be an end, not only to the funding request, but also to the support for the Ukrainian people.”

Russia’s invasion has triggered Europe’s biggest refugee this century, with 5.6 million Ukrainian refugees globally and 3.8 million uprooted in their country, according to UN data. The IOM and other UN agencies are hampered by major funding shortages as US President Donald Trump slashes foreign aid and European donors like Britain shift funds from development to defense.

US decisions will give the IOM a $1 billion shortfall this year, Pope said, saying budget reductions should be phased gradually or else Trump and others risk stoking even worse migration crises.

“It doesn’t work to have provided assistance and then just walk away and leave nothing. And what we see happening when support falls is that people move again … So (the cuts) can ultimately have a backlash,” she said.

Warning for US, praise for Italy

Pope, 51, is the first woman to lead the IOM and a former adviser to the Obama and Biden administrations who is now working with Trump’s White House on so-called “self-deportations.”

She said the IOM has decades of experience of such programs in Europe and they take time to implement, especially to prepare returnees and check they are going voluntarily.

“That doesn’t always move as quickly as governments would like,” Pope said.

Asked whether the IOM would stop working with the US if the returns turned out to be forced, she said: “We’ve made clear to them what our standards are, and as with every member state, we outline what we can do and what we can’t do, and they understand that, and it is part of the deal.”

After Rome, Pope was on her way to Washington to meet with Trump administration officials and US lawmakers. Turning to Europe, she praised Italy’s decision to increase migrant work permits to nearly 500,000 for 2026-2028, coming from a right-wing government otherwise pursuing tough border policies.

“What Italy is doing is taking a realistic look at what labor they need, what skills they need, what talent they need. And then they’re designing a system to allow people to come in through a safe and legal channel,” Pope said.


Australia’s Aboriginals ask UNESCO to protect ancient carvings site

Updated 11 July 2025
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Australia’s Aboriginals ask UNESCO to protect ancient carvings site

  • Murujuga, a remote area in the state of Western Australia, houses around one million petroglyphs
  • These carvings, located on the Burrup peninsula, that could date back 50,000 years

PARIS: A delegation of Australia’s Aboriginal people has traveled to Paris to win UN backing for the protection of a heritage site back home they say is threatened by harmful mining.

The World Heritage Committee at UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural organization, has been deliberating since the start of the week on what sites to include in the latest edition of the body’s world heritage list.

Among the dozens of sites under consideration is Murujuga, a remote area in the state of Western Australia that according to estimates houses around one million petroglyphs – carvings that could date back 50,000 years.

“It’s possibly the most important rock art site in the world,” said Benjamin Smith, a rock art specialist at the University of Western Australia.

“We should be looking after it.”

The site is located on the Burrup peninsula, home to the Mardudunera people, and under threat from nearby mining developments.

Making the UNESCO’s heritage list often sparks a lucrative tourism drive, and can unlock funding for the preservation of sites.

It does not in itself trigger protection for a site, but can help pressure national governments into taking action.

“It’s absolutely crucial that the Australian government takes it more seriously and regulates industrial pollution in that area more carefully,” Smith said.

Giant mining corporations have been active in the resource-rich Pilbara region for decades.

Australian company Woodside Energy operates the North West Shelf, an industrial complex that includes offshore platforms, undersea pipelines, and hydrocarbon processing facilities.

The project consistently ranks among Australia’s five largest emitters of greenhouse gas, according to figures from the country’s Clean Energy Regulator.

“These carvings are what our ancestors left here for us to learn and keep their knowledge and keep our culture thriving through these sacred sites,” said Mark Clifton, a member of the three-person delegation meeting with UNESCO representatives.

“This is why I am here.”

Environmental and indigenous organizations argue the presence of mining groups has already caused damage with industrial emissions.

They are “creating hundreds of holes in the surface. And that is causing the surfaces with the rock art to break down,” Smith said.

In an emailed statement to AFP, Woodside Energy said it recognizes Murujuga as “one of Australia’s most culturally significant landscapes.”

It added that, according to independent peer-reviewed studies, “responsible operations” could help protect the heritage.

Woodside had taken “proactive steps,” it said, “to ensure we manage our impacts responsibly.”

In May, the Australian government extended the operating license for the liquefied gas plant by 40 years, with conditions.

Australia insists that extending the plant – which each year emits millions of tons of greenhouse gas – does not tarnish a pledge to reach net zero by 2050.

But activists, saying the government is not taking their concerns seriously enough, demand that UNESCO make any decision to put the site on the world heritage list contingent on the government offering adequate protection.

Delegation leader Raelene Cooper said she wanted guarantees.

“There needs to be, at the highest level, safeguards and measures of protection,” she said.

The Australian government has sent a separate delegation to Paris, also comprising members of the region’s Aboriginal population, to push for the site’s recognition.

Australia’s strong presence at the heritage committee meeting “is a meaningful opportunity to support the protection and conservation of some of the world’s most important cultural and natural sites,” Environment Minister Murray Watt said.

Icomos, a non-governmental organization partnering with UNESCO, said it was urgent for the Australian government to oversee “the complete elimination of harmful acidic emissions that currently affect the petroglyphs.”

UNESCO is expected to announce its update to the list by Sunday.


‘Adopt a Coral’ community restoration initiative unveiled

Updated 11 July 2025
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‘Adopt a Coral’ community restoration initiative unveiled

  • SHAMS has developed the program using proven scientific methods for identifying damaged reef areas
  • The project represents a significant step in Saudi Arabia’s marine conservation efforts

RIYADH: A new environmental initiative aimed at directly involving local communities in coral reef rehabilitation will be launched on Saturday.

The innovative “Adopt a Coral” scheme, by the General Organization for the Conservation of Coral Reefs and Turtles in the Red Sea (SHAMS), will also promote awareness of marine ecosystem preservation.

The project represents a significant step in Saudi Arabia’s marine conservation efforts, supporting Vision 2030 sustainability goals and the Saudi Green Initiative’s mission to prevent ecosystem decline and protect biodiversity.

SHAMS has developed the program using proven scientific methods for identifying damaged reef areas and implementing cutting-edge rehabilitation techniques. The organization’s track record includes successful long-term monitoring systems that measure ecosystem recovery over extended periods.

The initiative offers a range of opportunities for those taking part, from hands-on coral seedling planting to educational workshops addressing major reef threats, including climate change and marine pollution. It particularly targets Saudi Arabia’s diving community as active contributors to reef monitoring and public education efforts.

Central to the program is a symbolic adoption concept, where participants take responsibility for specific coral sections.

Initial implementation will focus on selected Red Sea coastal sites, with gradual expansion planned to maximize both long-term environmental impact and sustainable community involvement.

As environmental pressures mount, “Adopt a Coral” initiative offers a practical model for community-based conservation of the fragile underwater habitats and reflects SHAMS’s broader mission to transform environmental protection into tangible community action.


Greece to adopt legislation against migrant ‘invasion’ from Libya

Updated 11 July 2025
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Greece to adopt legislation against migrant ‘invasion’ from Libya

  • Conservative lawmakers are expected to approve emergency legislation enforcing the temporary ban
  • Proposed law to allow authorities to detain asylum seekers in camps for up to 18 months

ATHENS: Greece on Friday was to enforce a three-month freeze on asylum claims from migrants arriving by boat from North Africa, to stem a surge from Libya that the government has called an “invasion.”

Conservative lawmakers, who hold a parliamentary majority, are expected to approve emergency legislation enforcing the temporary ban, allowing authorities to detain asylum seekers in camps for up to 18 months.

“We have made the difficult but absolutely necessary decision to temporarily suspend the examination process of asylum applications for those arriving by sea from North African countries,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a statement to German tabloid Bild on Friday.

“This decision sends a clear message, leaving no room for misinterpretation, to human trafficking networks: Greece is not an open transit route. The journey is dangerous, the outcome uncertain, and the money paid to smugglers ultimately wasted,” he said.

Greece’s migration ministry says over 14,000 migrants have reached the country this year, including over 2,000 in recent days from Libya.

“Greece cannot have boats totaling 1,000 people a day,” Migration Minister Thanos Plevris told Skai TV, adding that the country will undertake a “draconian revision” of how it deals with migrants.

Plevris – formerly a member of the far-right LAOS party and now part of Mitsotakis’s New Democracy party – has called the recent influx an “invasion from North Africa.”

The move has been criticized by rights groups as a violation of international and EU law, and opposition parties have called it unconstitutional.

Noting an “exceptional” situation, European Commission migration spokesperson Markus Lammert said on Thursday: “We are in close contact with the Greek authorities to obtain necessary information on these measures.”

Greece took similar steps in 2020 during a migration surge at its land border with Turkiye.

To manage the influx, the government could reopen camps built after the 2015 migration crisis, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said this week.

Mitsotakis also told parliament that it would build up to two additional camps on the island of Crete.


Islamabad, Moscow sign protocol to restore and modernize Pakistan Steel Mills

Updated 11 July 2025
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Islamabad, Moscow sign protocol to restore and modernize Pakistan Steel Mills

  • The Pakistan Steel Mills has been non-operational since 2015 due to years of financial mismanagement, political interference and mounting losses
  • Both sides discussed plans to modernize the major steel complex on the sidelines of the recent INNOPROM Annual Industrial Forum in Yekaterinburg

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia have signed a protocol to restore and modernize the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) in Karachi, Pakistani state media reported on Friday.

The development comes days after the two sides discussed plans to modernize the major steel complex and expand industrial cooperation on the sidelines of the INNOPROM Annual Industrial Forum in Yekaterinburg.

INNOPROM, Russia’s largest annual industrial trade fair, brings together government delegations, business leaders and technology firms from over 30 countries to explore partnerships in manufacturing, engineering and high-tech industries.

The protocol was signed at the Pakistan Embassy in Moscow by Pakistan’s Secretary of Industries and Production Saif Anjum and Russian General Director of Industrial Engineering LLC Vadim Velichko, reaffirming the long-standing industrial partnership.

“The project aims to restart and expand steel production [in Pakistan], marking a new chapter in bilateral cooperation,” read a report on Radio Pakistan broadcaster.

The PSM, once Pakistan’s flagship industrial complex, was built in the 1970s with Soviet assistance. While it symbolized national self-sufficiency, the mill has been non-operational since 2015 due to years of financial mismanagement, political interference and mounting losses.

Moscow is also expected to finalize an agreement with Islamabad this summer to construct a new steel mill in Karachi, Russian Consul-General Andrey B. Fedorov told Arab News this month.

Technical experts from Russia have already inspected the proposed site for the new facility, and another delegation is expected soon to draft a detailed roadmap.

Russia has a long history of industrial cooperation with Pakistan, having previously built key infrastructure projects such as the Guddu Power Station in Sindh in the 1980s, one of the country’s major electricity producers.
Moscow and Islamabad have expanded cooperation in recent years despite global tensions over the war in Ukraine.