04/07/2025

FRIDAY | JULY 4, 2025

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Iran cuts ties with UN nuclear watchdog

Iran began scaling back its commitments a year later. Iranian officials have warned that the mechanism could prompt their withdrawal from the non-proliferation treaty. Germany’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Martin Giese said Iran’s move to suspend cooperation with the IAEA was a “disastrous signal”. Since the Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Tehran has criticised the IAEA for its silence and condemned a June 12 UN resolution accusing Iran of non-compliance, which Iranian officials say provided a pretext for the attacks. On Wednesday, senior judiciary official Ali Mozaffari accused Grossi of “preparing the groundwork” for Israel’s raids and called for him to be held accountable, citing “deceptive actions and fraudulent reporting”. – AFP years, particularly during repeated crises and armed conflicts. “His passing is a profound loss, not only to his colleagues, but also to his patients and the wider Gaza community who knew him. May he and his family be granted the best place in the hereafter,” said MER-C. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza condemned the attack. “Every crime against medical and humanitarian personnel confirms the bloody methodology and the premeditated insistence on directly and deliberately targeting them.” The Indonesian government also expressed condolences and strong condemnation. It praised Marwan’s “service, commitment and struggle in the name of humanity and for peace in Palestine”, and said Indonesia is continuing to closely monitor developments at the hospital. Indonesia reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to what it described as “Israel’s atrocities”. The Indonesia Hospital in northern Gaza, funded by Indonesian civil society, has provided critical trauma care since 2016, with Marwan playing a central role in sustaining its operations amid ongoing conflict. – Bernama Kyiv “seriously dependent” on US arms supplies, a high-ranking source in the Ukrainian military told AFP. “Europe is doing its best but it would be difficult for us without American ammunition.“ A May report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies said Europe “had only made limited progress” in strengthening its defence industries. In Moscow, the Kremlin said reducing weapons deliveries to Kyiv would help end the conflict. Russia ramped up attacks on Ukraine in June, launching nearly twice as many missiles and over 30% more drones than in May, according to an AFP analysis of Ukrainian air force data. – AFP remains

said the decision was “obviously concerning”. The Pentagon said on Wednesday US intelligence assessments indicated that the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites set the country’s atomic programme back by up to two years. While IAEA inspectors have had access to Iran’s declared nuclear sites, their current status is uncertain. On Sunday, Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said the inspectors’ work have been suspended but denied that there had been any threats against them or IAEA chief Rafael Grossi. He said the “inspectors are in Iran and are safe” but “their activities have been suspended and they are not allowed to access our sites”. The new legislation did not specify any exact steps following the suspension. The ISNA news agency cited lawmaker Alireza Salimi as saying the

inspectors now need approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council to access nuclear sites. The Mehr news agency cited lawmaker Hamid Reza Haji Babaei as saying Iran would stop allowing IAEA cameras in nuclear facilities, although it is unclear if this is a requirement of the new law. After parliament passed the Bill, it was approved by the Guardian Council and President Masoud Pezeshkian formally enacted the suspension on Wednesday, according to state television. In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal to trigger the “snapback” mechanism and reinstate all UN sanctions on Iran. The snapback, set to expire in October, was part of the nuclear accord that collapsed after Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018.

o Unacceptable decision when Tehran could choose path of peace: United States

TEHRAN: Iran officially suspended its cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday. This comes after last month’s 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, which saw unprecedented Israeli and US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and escalated tensions between Tehran and the IAEA. On June 25, a day after a ceasefire took hold, Iranian lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to suspend cooperation with the IAEA. State media confirmed on Wednesday that the legislation has taken effect. The law aims to “ensure full support for the inherent rights of the LONDON: Four Palestine Action activists were due in court yesterday over a break-in at a UK air force base that has provoked Britain’s government to move to ban the protest group. Two aircraft in southern England were sprayed with red paint last week, causing an estimated £7 million (RM40 million) in damages and prompting the government to seek lawmakers’approval for a ban. The group has condemned the move as an “unhinged reaction” and is challenging its planned proscription, as the British government said it could be banned by the end of the week. Counter-terror police on Wednesday charged the four suspects with “conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the United Kingdom, and conspiracy to commit criminal damage”. Prosecutors will argue that the offences were terror-linked. Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 35, Jony Cink, 24, as well as Lewie Chiaramello, 22, were remanded to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrate’s Court. A 41-year-old woman who was arrested “on suspicion of assisting an offender” has been released on bail. The proposed ban on Palestine Action would make it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group, punishable by up to 14 years’ prison. Announcing the clamp-down, Interior Minister Yvette Cooper listed other attacks by Palestine Action at the Thales defence factory in Glasgow in 2022, and two last year against Instro Precision in Kent, southeast England, and Israel-based Elbit Systems in Bristol, in the southwest of the country. An urgent hearing to challenge the proscription will be held at the High Court in London today. – AFP Activists held over UK base break-in

Islamic Republic of Iran” under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, with a focus on uranium enrichment, according to Iranian media. Washington, which has been pressing Tehran to resume the negotiations that were interrupted by Israel’s resort to military action on June 13, condemned the decision. “We will use the word ‘unacceptable’, that Iran chose to suspend cooperation with the IAEA at a time when it has a window of opportunity to reverse course and choose a path of peace and prosperity,” said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. The spokesperson for United Nations (UN) chief Antonio Guterres

Gaza hospital director and family members killed in airstrike

JAKARTA: The director of the Indonesia Hospital in Gaza, Dr Marwan Al-Sultan, was killed along with his family members in an Israeli airstrike on their home in Tal al-Hawa, southwest Gaza City on Wednesday, according to an Indonesian humanitarian organisation.

residence,” a MER-C volunteer said. At least nine Palestinians were killed and several others injured in the attack, the organisation said. Marwan, a Palestinian, was described as a “highly dedicated medical professional” who had served the people of Gaza for many

The Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C), a Jakarta-based NGO that operates the hospital, confirmed the deaths, citing information from its team in Gaza. “We announce the death of Marwan and members of his family, following a direct airstrike on their

Residents watch as

smoke rises nearby after an Israeli strike in

Gaza City. – AFPPIC

Ukraine seeks clarity on US weapons shipments

KYIV: US officials on Wednesday downplayed a White House announcement that Washington was pausing some weapons shipments to Ukraine, after the war-battered country was caught off-guard and appealed for clarity. Ukraine is contending with some of Russia’s largest missile and drone attacks of the three-year war, and a halt to the provision of munitions would be a significant blow to Kyiv. “The Defence Department continues to provide the president with robust options regarding military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this war to an end,“ said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell on Wednesday. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said: “This is not a

commitment Patriot missiles“, referring to an air defence system that has played a key role in defending against Russian attacks. Kyiv and Washington were clarifying details on supplies, said Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. “Continued American support for Ukraine, for our defence, for our people is in our common interest.“ The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned John Ginkel, the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Kyiv, in a rare diplomatic move that is usually reserved for rivals, indicative of the uncertainty about what the cuts would mean for Kyiv. Trump has refused to announce new aid packages and Kyiv has been corralling Washington’s European allies to step up their support. regarding

cessation of us assisting Ukraine or of providing weapons. This is one event, and one situation, and we will discuss what else comes up in the future.” The White House said on Tuesday it is halting some key weapons shipments to Ukraine that were promised under the Biden administration, without providing details on which weapons programmes were affected. It said the decision was taken after a review of US defence needs and its military assistance to foreign countries. Politico and other US media reported that missiles for Patriot air defence systems, precision artillery and Hellfire missiles are among the items being held back. Bruce said on Wednesday “the president has indicated his remaining