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Iran refutes imminent deal touted by Trump

Three dead as Russia, Ukraine exchange strikes MOSCOW: Three civilians died in Russian and Ukrainian border regions, officials said yesterday, as the two sides lobbed overnight strikes at each other in the latest exchange of fire in the war. In Russia, two civilians were killed and two wounded in the border region of Bryansk after Kyiv struck the settlement of Suzemka with artillery, said acting governor Egor Kovalchuk. In Ukraine, a 44-year-old woman working as a rail station operator died on her way to a shelter during a drone attack in the border region of Sumy, said the Ukrainian Railways head Oleksandr Pertsovkyi. Another woman, a station attendant, was wounded in the attack, he added. Three people were also wounded in separate strikes on Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region. In recent months, Kyiv has carried out an increasing number of attacks on Russian territory, in response to nearly daily bombardments by Moscow since it sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. In other news, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Russia’s National Day, voicing full support for Moscow’s domestic and foreign policies, state media KCNA said yesterday. Kim said ties between North Korea and Russia are strengthening into an alliance based on a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, and pledged to “always be with” Russia, KCNA reported. Separately, Russian and North Korean officials visited a monument and cemetery of fallen Soviet army fighters to mark Russia’s National Day, while Russia’s embassy hosted a reception for North Korean senior officials, KCNA said. Ties between the countries have been deepening amid North Korea’s deployment of thousands of troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine. Officials in Washington and Seoul have accused Pyongyang of supplying artillery shells, missiles and other military materials for use in Ukraine, although Moscow and Pyongyang deny arms transfers. – AFP Kremlin claims two villages captured MOSCOW: Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday its forces have captured two new settlements, namely Rozkishne village in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, near the key town of Kostiantynivka, and Okhrimivka in the neighbouring Kharkiv region. Ukrainian reports gave no indication of either settlement changing hands but the General Staff of the Ukrainian military said Russian forces had launched attacks around Okhrimivka. A Ukrainian account described difficult conditions for Kyiv’s forces around Kostiantynivka. The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces took control of Rozkishne after an intelligence operation and deployment of artillery and drones. Rozkishne is about 30km west of Kostiantynivka, long a target of Moscow’s military as part of its drive to advance through eastern Ukraine. The ministry said its forces established control over eastern districts of the town on Thursday amid street fighting. The Ukrainian news outlet Hromadske on Wednesday quoted Ukraine’s 28th Separate Mechanised Brigade Commander Serhiy Yaryi as saying the Ukrainian force defending the town was “semi-encircled” because of Russian advances to the east. Russian forces have been engaged in a slow advance to capture eastern Donetsk region and take control of the broader Donbas region. – Reuters

o US president has claimed ‘impending deal’ 38 times in previous two months: Tasnim news agency

but they would also seize control of Iran’s oil export facility on Kharg Island in the Gulf. Kuwait also reported that Iran had targeted its territory and damaged an airport radar, forcing an airspace closure. With US threats escalating, Iranian general Ali Abdollahi earlier in the day said if the United States attacked, “it will receive a harsher response than before and the flames of war, in addition to creating insecurity in the region, will become more widespread and far-reaching”. Civilians facing renewed strikes in Tehran were pessimistic. Majid, a 35-year-old pharmacist, said the economic knock-on effects of the fighting are crippling normal life. “I am absolutely not optimistic about the agreement being finalised because the gap between the two countries is too wide,” he said, blaming the lack of progress on Israel, which also traded fire with Iran in recent days, as well as hardliners at home. Iran has also renewed its warnings over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil and gas transport that it has essentially closed since early in the war, roiling global energy markets. Iran’s new body overseeing the strait said it “will be closed until further notice”. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy said yesterday explosions heard earlier in waters off the coast of Sirik in southern Iran were linked to the interception of a vessel attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, Anadolu Ajansi reported. – AFP

WASHINGTON: Tehran said yesterday it has not reached a final decision on a deal to end the Middle East war, despite US President Donald Trump claiming an agreement could be signed in days and cancelling threatened strikes on Iran. Claiming that talks with Iran have been “brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved”, Trump said he has “cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening”. “Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly,” he added. Trump said the finer points of the arrangement have been approved by the United States and its allies in the region, including Israel. However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran “had not reached a final conclusion on the agreement”. He added that “most of the text of the agreement was finalised, but the problem began when the US side made new demands and changed its positions”. The Tasnim news agency noted that Trump has announced that a deal “is imminent” 38 times in the previous two months. “Until Iran announces the matter of a

potential understanding, any news from Trump on this subject should be regarded the same as his previous messaging,” it added. Trump later doubled down, telling reporters: “I understand the answer is yes”, when asked if Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has approved the deal. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he spoke to Trump, who vowed that any memorandum of understanding would include the removal of Tehran’s enriched nuclear material as well as the dismantling of missile infrastructure. Trump’s statements suggested that back-channel mediation led by US allies such as Pakistan and Qatar may have borne fruit, despite previously saying he would hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT”. “Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel (and Gulf states)”, he posted. Egypt said the United States and Iran should seize an “available opportunity” for a deal to end the war, after Trump cancelled the threatened new strikes on Iran. Just a day earlier, Trump had declared that not only would US forces step up air strikes,

A Palestinian boy sitting amid the rubble of a destroyed building in the Bureij refugee camp in Gaza. – AFPPIC

Italy backs sanctions on Israeli settlers, National Security minister ISTANBUL: Italian Prime Minister

has been wanted by the International Criminal Court since 2024 on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Palestinians in Gaza, where nearly 73,000 people have been killed and more than 173,000 injured in a war since October 2023. Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice brought by South Africa and supported by several countries, accusing it of committing genocide in the Palestinian enclave. – Bernama-Anadolu

ahead of the European Council. “It does not reflect the strategic importance that the issue has for Italy. The council should reflect on the direction of relations between the European Union and Israel,” she added. Meloni also expressed support for sanctions targeting Israeli settlers. She added that Italy supports measures against violent settlers who foment hatred and extremism. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday Italy supports sanctions against Israeli settlers and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, calling for broader discussions on relations between the European Union and Israel, Anadolu Ajansi reported. “On this, I would like, for once, a discussion here that goes beyond the emphasis of facile polemics, which generates immediate returns in terms of visibility,” she said in Parliament