Damaged unit of Iran's South Pars refinery back operating, Nour News says
June 26 (Reuters) - A damaged unit of the South Pars refinery's Phase 14, which was hit by Israel in its first strike on Iran's oil and gas sector, has returned to operation, the Iranian state-run agency Nour News reported on Thursday.
South Pars, the world's biggest gas field, is located offshore in Iran's southern Bushehr province and is responsible for the lion's share of the country's gas production.
Iran is the world's third largest gas producer after the United States and Russia.
Gas production was not halted and the damaged unit was repaired in about 10 days, the agency added.
On June 14, the Israeli strike caused a fire, which has been extinguished, in one of the four units of Phase 14.
Israel launched an air offensive against Iran on June 13 killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites, saying it wanted to stop Tehran building an atomic weapon.
After a 12-day air war between Israel and Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday a ceasefire between them.
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The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
What next for Gaza as Israel's shaky truce with Iran holds?
In the wake of Donald Trump 's extraordinary outburst of profanity outside the White House, a fragile US-brokered truce between Israel and Iran appears to be tentatively holding. In recent days, this has been accompanied by a flurry of messaging from Israel that this cessation of hostilities is just the start. Benjamin Netanyahu, in a brief but emphatic video on Thursday, insisted that after Israel achieved 'a great victory' over its staunchest foe, a new opportunity had opened up for a 'dramatic expansion of peace agreements'. 'There is a window of opportunity here that must not be wasted. We must not waste even a single day,' he said with emphasis. For the two million Palestinians in Gaza facing starvation and slaughter, the hope is that this new climate of negotiations might herald the end of 20 months of Israel's unprecedented bombardment, which has reduced the 25-mile-long strip to ashen rubble and claimed over 56,000 lives, according to local officials. Senior Palestinian health workers told The Independent that without a ceasefire and the immediate delivery of desperately needed aid, they were 'scared we are teetering on the very edge'. 'We are so tired—we can't keep going,' said Yosef Abureesh, Gaza's deputy health minister, outlining how half of the essential drugs list is missing and that none of the 38 hospitals in Gaza are fully functioning. 'Don't rely on our resilience. We are no longer able to continue as health staff,' he added. But what would this peace actually look like - and at what cost? Over the weekend, Netanyahu proclaimed a 'tectonic shift' in the Middle East with Iran weakened, claiming it could herald many more regional states signing the Abraham Accords and thereby recognising and normalising relations with Israel. 'We have broken the axis,' he told reporters triumphantly. 'This is a huge change, and Israel's status is rising—not just in the Middle East but across the world.' Netanyahu's comments on Thursday, though still animated, were more vague. The entire statement lasted just 28 seconds, during which he referred to a 'window of opportunity' alongside 'the defeat of Hamas' and 'the release of the hostages'. There are thought to be around 50 Israelis seized by Hamas during its bloody 7 October 2023 assault in southern Israel who remain in Gaza. Of those, only 20 are believed to still be alive. Netanyahu has faced mounting pressure from the families of the captives and the deceased to sign any truce that could bring the hostages home. According to leaks in Israeli media, the US is also piling on pressure for a rapid peace deal in Gaza that could include broader regional implications . The left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Friday that senior Trump administration officials have urged Israel to send its negotiating team to Cairo next week to advance talks with Hamas. Israel Hayom reported a four-way call involving Trump, secretary of state Marco Rubio, Netanyahu, and Israel's minister of strategic affairs, in which they discussed the possibility of a rapid end to the war in Gaza—possibly within just two weeks. The newspaper said the deal discussed could lead to an expansion of the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia and a post-Assad Syria. The Accords, announced in 2020, saw diplomatic normalisation and trade deals signed between Israel and Arab states including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The deal would allegedly be conditional on Hamas being replaced by an 'Arab coalition' to administer Gaza, with multiple nations accepting large numbers of Gaza residents 'seeking emigration'—a potentially alarming indication of transfer of the population. In exchange, the leaks said, the US would recognise 'limited Israeli sovereignty' in the occupied West Bank —likely meaning Trump is preparing to acknowledge Israel's de facto annexation of parts of territory that Palestinians hope to include in a future state. This includes settlements considered illegal under international law and a major obstacle to peace. In return, Israel would have to declare a willingness for a future resolution to conflict based on a 'two-state concept'—a notable watering down of the long-held and widely accepted belief that the creation of two sovereign states - Israel and Palestine - is the best solution to the conflict. But even these conditions will likely face push back from Netanyahu's extreme-right cabinet. Extreme-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have repeatedly called for the permanent conquest of Gaza and the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza that were dismantled in 2005. Without their support, Netanyahu risks the collapse of his razor-thin governing coalition. In a statement on Thursday, Smotrich declared: 'Mr prime minister, let it be clear: you do not have a mandate - not even a hint of one, or a lip-service one. If there are countries that want peace in exchange for peace - welcome. If they want a Palestinian state - they can forget it. It won't happen.' Secondly, these are conditions that the Palestinian leadership is unlikely to accept - especially if the proposal excludes the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and involves annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank. The Independent reached out to Hamas for comment on the reported leaks but has yet to receive a reply. Hamas badly needs a ceasefire. It is struggling to survive in Gaza, short of commanders - many of whom have been eliminated by Israel - deprived of much of its tunnel network , and now unsure of continued support from Iran (whose own military leadership has been battered). Yet, according to Gershon Baskin - a veteran Israeli hostage negotiator and peace activist - even under extreme conditions Hamas is still unlikely to accept the proposed terms. 'Hamas is ready to release all of the hostages and give up control over Gaza, but not as a surrender to Israel or to Trump - it must be part of a wider plan, which includes the reconstruction of Gaza,' he told The Independent. 'The idea of expanding the pie and adding extra components is good, but it must include ending the war and Israel withdrawing from Gaza. 'If it includes annexation of parts of the West Bank, Hamas - and all Palestinians - will never agree.' In the interim, time is running out for civilians in Gaza. On Friday, the World Health Organization warned that their first delivery of medical supplies to Gaza since March - when Israel imposed a full blockade on the strip - was merely a 'drop in the ocean' compared to what is needed. 'Open the routes and make sure that we can get our supplies in,' said WHO's Dr Rik Peeperkorn from Jerusalem, adding that Israel had denied entry to nearly 45 percent of the organisation's aid teams. From inside Gaza, Dr Abureesh warned that the population simply cannot continue in these conditions. 'Even someone working in Hollywood preparing a horror movie would not be able to invent the scenario that people in Gaza are living through right now,' he told The Independent. 'All the ways to kill people are being used together.'
Metro
18 minutes ago
- Metro
Trump told he might be nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by world leader
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Donald Trump was told by a reporter that he might be nominated for one of the world's most prestigious prizes after his help in brokering a peace deal. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have signed a peace deal facilitated by the US to help end the decades-long fighting, which has killed over 6,000,000 people. The agreement, signed on Friday, was lauded by Trump as a 'big day for the world, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio signified how important it was after 30 years of war. The deal, signed by the foreign ministers of the two countries, will also help the US government and American companies gain access to critical minerals needed for much of the world's technology. 'President Félix Tshisekedi is thinking of nominating you for the Nobel Peace Prize. You deserve it,' a reporter told Trump in the White House. 'You have been working to bring peace in the world, not only in the Congo, and he's very hopeful to meet you in the future,' she added. 'Tshisekedi told me that for many years, American presidents have overlooked this conflict. They didn't do anything.' Do you think Trump should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize? The fighting between Rwanda and the DRC has been going on for more than 30 years. The tensions began shortly after the Rwandan genocide in 1994, which saw Hutu extremists murder more than 800,000 Tutsis. After the government which allowed the genocide was overthrown, the Hutu extremists fled to the DRC, which borders Rwanda. The dense jungle and lack of government in the rural area allowed the extremist group to hide among civilians and continue their onslaught against Rwanda, leading to multiple wars that have lasted until today. Millions have been killed and millions of others displaced as armed groups took over areas of the DRC. The DRC is known for its mines of cobalt, which is vital for tech, making this conflict even more heightened, as other countries bid to get the natural resources. Official details of the agreement aren't known, but earlier drafts have given an insight into key details of the peace agreement. More Trending Each side would have to respect the other's territory and stop hostilities towards one another. They would also disarm and return refugees and displaced persons to their homes. But the elephant in the room is the minerals across the DRC, which Trump said the US was getting 'a lot of rights to'. The DRC previously offered a deal which would trade some of their precious minerals for a security guarantee, and it appears this might have gone ahead. We'll know more in the coming days, but for now, it appears the two countries have agreed to a historic peace deal. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Trump warns it 'will only get worse' for Iran as he lays into 'so-called' Supreme Leader MORE: What the US Supreme Court ruling means for Donald Trump's birthright citizenship plan MORE: Donald Trump is already selling 'Daddy' T-shirts for £20
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump says he would ‘absolutely' consider bombing Iran again following ‘unbelievable' nuclear strikes
Donald Trump has said that he would 'absolutely' consider bombing Iran again if Tehran is enriching uranium to "concerning" levels. Taking questions at a White House press conference on Friday (27 June), the US president said he would attack the country 'without question', describing last week's bombing of nuclear sites as 'unbelievable'. The US struck three nuclear facilities in Iran - Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan - on Sunday (22 June) with bunker bombs. Centrifuges at the Fordo site are now 'no longer operational', the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on Thursday (26 June). Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the strikes had achieved nothing significant, but Mr Trump responded by doubling-down on his claims that the country's nuclear sites had been 'obliterated'.
