Trump says Iran sanctions relief off the table after Khamenei's comments
In a post on Truth Social, the US President said he had spared Mr Khamenei from a 'very ugly and ignominious death'
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Khaleej Times
an hour ago
- Khaleej Times
Iran reopens central and western airspace to international transit flights
Iran has reopened its central and western airspace to international transit flights, state-run Nour News said on Saturday. Iran had closed its skies since June 13 after Israel launched a major bombing campaign that prompted Iran to retaliate with waves of missile strikes. A ceasefire between the two came into effect on Tuesday.
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
UAE official calls on Iran to rebuild trust with Gulf neighbours
Tehran must work to restore trust with Gulf states, which has been damaged by its decision to attack Qatar, the diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed said on Saturday. The missile attack came despite Gulf states' opposition to Israel 's strikes on Iran and their efforts to de-escalate the situation, Dr Anwar Gargash said Qatar said it repelled 19 missiles launched by Iran on Monday evening. Tehran said these were targeted at the Al Udeid airbase, which is used by American forces, as retaliation against the US for joining Israel's attacks on its nuclear sites. 'The Gulf states took a strong and influential stand against the Israeli war on Iran. They sought to de-escalate tensions in all international forums and called for a political resolution to outstanding issues, most notably the nuclear issue,' Dr Gargash said in a post on X. 'Despite this, Iran targeted the sovereignty of the sisterly state of Qatar, a targeting that affects us all. 'Today, as we turn the page on the war, Tehran remains called upon to restore trust with its Gulf neighbours, which was damaged by this aggression.' The attack was strongly condemned by the UAE and other members of the GCC – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain – as well as other Arab states. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim described it as a flagrant breach of Qatar's sovereignty and airspace, and 'inconsistent with the principle of good neighbourliness and the close relations between the two countries', when Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made a phone call to express his regret over the attack. The attack disrupted air travel across the region as Qatar and some other Gulf states closed their airspace and flights were diverted. In an interview with AFP published on Saturday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said that as leaders were weighing their response to the attack, a call came from US President Donald Trump to Sheikh Tamim, saying 'there is a possibility for regional stability … and that Israel has agreed to a ceasefire'. 'Qatar could have taken the decision to escalate,' Mr Al Ansari said. 'But because there was a chance for peace … we opted for that.' The ceasefire Mr Trump announced in the hours following the attack on Qatar has so far held.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Gaza ceasefire talks intensify as Trump suggests a deal may be within reach
Gaza ceasefire talks being held in Cairo have moved up a gear, with US President Donald Trump saying an agreement could be reached within a week and mediator Qatar speaking of a window of opportunity that should be seized. Speaking from the Oval Office during the signing on Friday of a peace accord between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, Mr Trump said he had spoken earlier with people involved in brokering the previous truce in the 20-month Israel-Gaza war. 'We think within the next week, we're going to get a ceasefire,' he said without elaborating. In Qatar, which has been mediating in the conflict together with the US and Egypt, Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said negotiators are engaging with Israel and Hamas to build on momentum from this week's Israel-Iran ceasefire and work towards a Gaza truce and the release of hostages held by Hamas -led groups. 'If we don't utilise this window of opportunity and this momentum, it's an opportunity lost among many in the near past. We don't want to see that again,' he told AFP in an interview. "We have seen US pressure and what it can accomplish," he said, referring to a truce agreed in January. The US, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to broker a new ceasefire after that truce collapsed on March 18 when Israel resumed military operations, two weeks after it ordered a halt to relief aid entering the coastal strip where hundreds of thousands are facing hunger and shortages of basic items. Mr Trump did not explain why he was optimistic about reaching a truce soon. The US has said several times previously that a deal was within reach, only for the talks to reach a deadlock as both Israel and Hamas stuck to their conditions. Sources familiar with the peace effort in Cairo told The National that the talks have gathered pace in recent days, with US envoy Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American, engaging intense conversations with the Egyptian mediators and senior Hamas officials who have been in Cairo since Monday. Mr Trump's special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in the region early next week, when he will visit Egypt, Israel and Qatar, according to the sources. A mid-level Israeli official was in Cairo earlier this week and senior negotiators from the Mossad spy agency and military were expected soon, the sources said. There has been no confirmation of this yet from the Israeli government. The sources told The National earlier this week that the proposals on the table to pause the war and secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza were not significantly different from those discussed in previous rounds. However, the current discussions are centred on modifying those proposals to provide for a "comprehensive accord" to be negotiated during a proposed 60-day truce, which includes a long-term ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, they said on Saturday. However, Israel remained reluctant to agree at present to anything beyond a temporary truce and the release of all the hostages, they said. Additionally, Israel continues to demand a security presence in Gaza as well as the complete dismantling of Hamas's military and governing capacities. Hamas has meanwhile shown some flexibility over the timeline for the initial release of 10 living hostages and the remains of half of those who died while in captivity, as provided for in the proposals, said the sources. Hamas still holds about 50 hostages, of whom 20 are believed to be alive, according to Israel's military. Hamas had previously said it wanted to stagger the release of the 10 living hostages over the 60-day truce to ensure Israel's compliance with the deal. Israel rejected this, insisting all 10 must be freed the day the truce goes into effect. Hamas also wants Israel to remove its troops from designated land corridors for the delivery and distribution of aid to Gazans, the sources said. It also insists that a proposed commission of independent Palestinian technocrats start running the war-battered enclave the day the truce goes into force. The sources said proposals for Hamas to lay down its arms and keep them in storage, as well as the departure from Gaza of senior Hamas officials to live in exile, are still on the negotiating table. The group is open to both conditions, but categorically refusing to disarm, and will agree to the exile of some of its leaders only if Israel guarantees not to target them. The Gaza war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. Israel responded with a devastating military campaign that has killed more that 56,000 Palestinians and wounded more than twice that number, according to authorities in Gaza. The fighting has also displaced most of the territory's 2.3 million residents and reduced much of its built-up area to rubble.
