
US, European allies set August deadline for Iran nuclear deal talks: Report
The snapback provision itself expires in October. Since the reimposition process takes 30 days to complete, officials aim to finalise the decision before Russia assumes the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council that same month — a move that could complicate enforcement.According to Axios, European officials plan to engage Iran intensively in the coming weeks, making it clear that the only path to avoiding renewed sanctions is full transparency and meaningful reassurances about the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme.'Snapback isn't just a threat — it's a tool to bring Iran back to the table and keep the global community safe,' said a senior US official, who described the mechanism as both leverage and a last resort.While Iran has not formally responded to the new deadline, Western officials hope the pressure will prompt cooperation and avert escalation.- EndsWith inputs from ReutersTune InMust Watch
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Mint
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Trump admin calls for calm as Israel strikes Syria amid Druze–Bedouin clashes: ‘We're very concerned about it'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed deep concern on Wednesday (July 16) over escalating violence in southern Syria, following a second consecutive day of Israeli airstrikes targeting Syrian government forces near the Israeli frontier. 'We're very concerned about it,' Rubio told reporters in Washington. 'We want it to stop. We're talking to both sides, all relevant sides, on this, and hopefully can bring it to a conclusion.' Tom Barrack, the US special envoy for Syria, said the United States was actively engaging with "all sides to navigate towards calm and integration." The renewed conflict centers around the southwestern Syrian province of Sweida, a predominantly Druze region, where armed clashes erupted earlier this week between Druze militias and government-aligned Bedouin fighters. Israel launched strikes on Syrian tanks and troops, claiming it was acting to prevent harm to the Druze minority and to enforce a demilitarized zone near its border. According to a Reuters journalist on the ground, drones and at least four airstrikes were heard over the predominantly Druze city of Sweida. A damaged tank was seen being towed away, bursts of gunfire echoed through the city, and three bodies were observed lying on the ground. The violence, which erupted on Sunday, has already claimed dozens of lives. Syria's foreign ministry condemned the Israeli strikes, saying it holds Israel "fully responsible" for the attacks and their consequences. The ministry vowed to protect all Syrian citizens, including the Druze. A statement from the Syrian presidency said the country would take legal action against 'anyone proven to have committed violations or abuses, regardless of their rank or position.' Tensions spiked following a video statement from influential Druze religious figure Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, who accused Syrian government troops of breaching a ceasefire agreement. 'We are being subject to a total war of extermination,' al-Hajri said. 'I call on all Druze to confront this barbaric campaign with all means available.' Shortly after, Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra announced a ceasefire and said government troops would only fire in self-defense. He also deployed military police to Sweida to "control military behaviour and hold violators accountable," according to Syria's state news agency SANA. Despite the ceasefire declaration, Reuters reported ongoing shelling and violence in Sweida city, with Syrian army convoys entering neighborhoods and continuing to fire on residential areas. In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel ordered strikes to defend the Druze and enforce a longstanding demilitarization agreement in southern Syria. 'Israel is committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to the deep brotherhood alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel,' the statement read. 'We are acting to prevent the Syrian regime from harming them and to ensure the demilitarization of the area adjacent to our border with Syria.' The Israeli military said on Monday it struck several Syrian tanks approaching Sweida to "prevent their arrival to the area" and mitigate potential threats to Israeli territory. The violence marks a major challenge for Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has struggled to establish control since toppling Bashar al-Assad in December. Sharaa has received backing from the Trump administration but continues to face distrust from minority communities, especially after mass killings of Alawites in March. The latest round of clashes between Druze fighters and government-aligned Bedouin militias has displaced thousands, and competing statements from Druze leaders have complicated efforts to stabilize the region. Earlier Tuesday, Druze spiritual leaders issued a statement calling on militants to surrender and cooperate with incoming Syrian troops. However, al-Hajri later claimed the statement was 'imposed' by Damascus and said Syrian forces violated the agreement by continuing to fire on civilians.


NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Iran's Khamenei Calls Israel "Dog On A Leash" Of US, Warns Of "Bigger Blows"
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that it is ready to respond to any renewed military attack, and that it could deliver an even bigger blow to its adversaries, than what it gave during the 12-day war with Israel. "The fact that our nation is ready to face the power of the United States and its dog on a leash, the Zionist regime (Israel), is very praiseworthy," Khamenei said. Last month, the United States had launched strikes on Iran's nuclear and military facilities, although Iran has said that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. In response, Iran had struck a US base in Qatar. "The base attacked by Iran was an extremely sensitive American regional base and an even bigger blow could be inflicted on the US and others", Khamenei said. Currently, Iran is under pressure to agree to a nuclear deal with the US, as Washington and three European powers have set the deadline for the deal to be at the end of August. If there is no progress till then, France's foreign minister said that a "snapback" mechanism will automatically impose all international sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 Iran deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Despite that, Iran's parliament shared a statement on Wednesday saying that Tehran will not resume nuclear talks with the US unless preconditions are not met, in a statement published by the Iranian Students' News Agency. "In both the diplomatic and military fields, whenever we enter the stage, we do so with our hands full and not from a position of weakness," Khamenei said, adding that diplomats should heed "guidelines" and continue their work.


Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Britain has a rare opportunity to lure American talent
Americans like Britain. Ask restless American graduates where they would most like to move, and it often tops the list. So it is no surprise that, as the Trump administration has attacked America's top universities and slashed funding for research, American interest in British-based science and tech jobs spiked. Britain has a rare opportunity to snap up disillusioned American boffins, as well as global talent that might once have chosen America. Will it seize it? It faces competition. In April Canadian and European institutions pledged tens of millions of dollars to fund international talent. In May Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, urged researchers to 'choose Europe for science', with a package worth €500m ($580m) over three years. Britain was late to the party. On June 22nd it unveiled the Global Talent Fund, a £54m ($72m) scheme to support 11 'world-class' researchers to relocate to Britain with their teams, with funding for five years. Groups such as the Royal Society have set up their own schemes too, taking the UK's total commitments to around £115m. The point of such programmes is to lure the sort of researchers who might one day win Nobel prizes. But plenty of less-established talent is also up for grabs. Many American universities are cutting places on graduate programmes and have frozen hiring for postdocs. Academics in America also report that young researchers from overseas are turning down job offers there. Britain has some advantages to attract such people. Language is one. In data from Indeed, a jobs site, Anglophone countries have seen the biggest jumps in American interest in science and tech roles (see chart). In June more than a quarter of American clicks on international science positions went to Britain (Canada got more than a third). English-speaking countries also appeal to the same globally mobile cohort who like America. According to Studyportals, a directory of university courses, students who search for America-based bachelor's and master's degrees are most likely to browse for British ones too. Brand is another advantage. Britain has more stellar institutions than any other European country or Canada. It produces just 3.4% of the world's academic papers, according to one measure, but 6.1% of those in the top 1% of citations (the only country which does better by this criterion is Singapore). Britain's handicaps are cost and red tape. Moving there means a lengthy visa process, high visa fees and a hefty NHS surcharge—all to be paid upfront. For a family of four relocating for five years, the sum can exceed £20,000. Some British research funders will pay for the applicants' moving expenses, but few cover partners and dependents. And after all that a professor at Oxford may be paid half as much as one at Harvard. Alongside the Global Talent Fund, Britain has announced a task force to target and support incoming researchers. There is talk of fast tracks for some. But the world's best scientists won't come if they have to pay for the privilege.