US and Iran 'do not want' nuclear talks 'to collapse'
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UK re-establishing diplomatic ties with Syria as Lammy visits Damascus
The United Kingdom has announced it is formally restoring diplomatic ties with Syria as British Foreign Secretary David Lammy travelled to the capital Damascus to meet with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Al-Sharaa received Lammy on Saturday alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, according to photos of the meeting released by the presidency. 'After over a decade of conflict, there is renewed hope for the Syrian people,' Lammy said in a statement released by his office, noting that the visit was the first by a British minister to Syria in 14 years. 'The UK is re-establishing diplomatic relations because it is in our interests to support the new government to deliver their commitment to build a stable, more secure and prosperous future for all Syrians,' he said. Syria has been improving relations with Western countries after longtime President Bashar al-Assad was removed from power in December 2024 in an offensive led by al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) armed group. In April, the British government lifted sanctions against a dozen Syrian entities, including government departments and media outlets, to help the country rebuild after al-Assad's fall. Weeks earlier, the UK had dropped sanctions against two dozen Syrian businesses, mostly banks and oil companies. On Monday, United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle a web of sanctions against Syria that had crippled the country's economy under al-Assad. In a statement posted on X, al-Shaibani – the Syrian foreign minister – welcomed Trump's decision, saying it would 'open the door of long-awaited reconstruction and development'. 'It will lift the obstacle against economic recovery and open the country to the international community,' he said. Syria's new leaders have been struggling to rebuild the country's decimated economy and infrastructure after nearly 14 years of civil war that killed half a million people.
Al Jazeera
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US-Israel talks aim 'to impose outcome later'
US-Israel talks aim "to impose outcome later" Quotable Video Duration 01 minutes 37 seconds 01:37 Video Duration 01 minutes 11 seconds 01:11 Video Duration 01 minutes 06 seconds 01:06 Video Duration 01 minutes 01 seconds 01:01 Video Duration 01 minutes 06 seconds 01:06 Video Duration 01 minutes 13 seconds 01:13 Video Duration 01 minutes 26 seconds 01:26
Al Jazeera
9 hours ago
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Iran has not agreed to inspections or given up enrichment, says Trump
United States President Donald Trump has said Iran has not agreed to inspections of its nuclear programme or to giving up enriching uranium. He told reporters on board Air Force One on Friday that he believed Tehran's nuclear programme had been 'set back permanently', although he conceded Iran could restart it at a different location. Trump said he would discuss Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits the White House on Monday, where a potential Gaza ceasefire is expected to top the agenda. Trump said, as he travelled to New Jersey after an Independence Day celebration at the White House, 'I would think they'd have to start at a different location. And if they did start, it would be a problem.' Trump said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear programme, adding that Iranian officials wanted to meet with him. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Friday it had pulled out its inspectors from Iran as a standoff deepens over their return to the country's nuclear facilities that were bombed by the US and Israel. The US and Israel say Iran was enriching uranium to build nuclear weapons. Tehran denies wanting to produce a nuclear bomb, reiterating for years that its nuclear programme has been for civilian use only. Neither US intelligence nor the UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said they had found any proof that Tehran was building a nuclear weapon. Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago, with the US intervening on the side of its staunch ally by launching massive strikes on the sites on June 22. The IAEA's inspectors have been unable to inspect Iran's facilities since the beginning of the conflict, even though Grossi has said that it is his top priority. Grossi stressed 'the crucial importance' of holding talks with Iran to resume its monitoring and verification work as soon as possible. Distrust of IAEA In the aftermath of the US and Israeli attacks, Iran, which has said it is still committed to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), made painfully clear its burgeoning distrust of the IAEA. Since the start of the conflict, Iranian officials have sharply criticised the IAEA, not only for failing to condemn the Israeli and US strikes, but also for passing a resolution on June 12 accusing Tehran of non-compliance with its nuclear obligations, the day before Israel attacked. On Wednesday, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian ordered the country to cut ties with the nuclear watchdog. A bill to suspend cooperation had already been passed in the Iranian parliament and approved by the country's Guardian Council. Guardian Council spokesperson Hadi Tahan Nazif said the decision had been taken for the 'full respect for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran'. The bill itself says the suspension 'will remain in effect until certain conditions are met, including the guaranteed security of nuclear facilities and scientists', according to Iranian state television. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency's inspectors will be able to return to Iran. On Monday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi summarily dismissed Grossi's request to visit nuclear facilities bombed by Israel and the US. 'Grossi's insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent,' Araghchi said. The US claims military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran's three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what had happened to much of Iran's nine tonnes of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400kg (880 pounds) enriched to up to 60 percent purity, a closer step but not in the realm of weapons grade at 90 percent or more.
