Abdollahian: No Agreement on Palestine was Reached without Consulting Iran

Abdollahian speaks to a group of Tehran University students on Saturday. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Abdollahian speaks to a group of Tehran University students on Saturday. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
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Abdollahian: No Agreement on Palestine was Reached without Consulting Iran

Abdollahian speaks to a group of Tehran University students on Saturday. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Abdollahian speaks to a group of Tehran University students on Saturday. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Abdollahian said that no agreement on Palestine had been reached without consulting Iran, and warned of an “uncontrollable explosion” in the Middle East if the United States continued to support Israel in the war against Hamas in Gaza. This came after Washington used its veto against a draft resolution in the UN Security Council.
 In a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday, Abdollahian said: “As long as America supports the crimes of the Zionist regime and the continuation of the war… there is a possibility of an uncontrollable explosion in the situation of the region.”
The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s statement came after the United States used its veto, on Friday, against a draft resolution in the UN Security Council calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip.
He praised the UN chief’s decision to use Article 99 of the UN Charter, as “brave action to maintain international peace and security.”
In a speech to the students of the University of Tehran on Saturday, Abdollahian said that no agreement had been reached on Palestine without consulting Iran, stressing the close coordination between diplomacy and the field, in reference to the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Quds Force, which is entrusted with the foreign operations of the Revolutionary Guards.
“We support the resistance groups, and this is within the framework of our values, but they make decisions according to their interests and conditions,” Abdollahian said.
He continued: “The resistance’s decision to attack US bases in the region was because of [US] explicit support [for Israel].”
 The Iranian minister reiterated previous statements about his country receiving messages from the US, saying: “In one of these messages, they asked us to tell the resistance groups, to stop their attacks on [US] bases.”
He added: “Our answer was clear: We will not issue any orders because they are independent, and Iran respects their decisions and continues to support them.”



Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
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Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)

The Sudanese army carried out a surprise military operation in the early hours of Saturday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, regaining several positions in the city’s far southwest that it had previously abandoned to advancing Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Military sources reported that calm returned to El Fasher after intense clashes on Friday between the army and RSF fighters, who attempted a major offensive to deepen their hold inside the city. In a statement, the army said its Sixth Infantry Division successfully repelled a fresh RSF attack, inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment, and restored control over all frontline areas.

RSF militants had infiltrated southern neighborhoods, seizing the Central Security Reserve headquarters and the Shalla prison. According to army sources, these forces were pushed back through ground combat supported by extensive drone strikes, forcing them to retreat to their original positions. The sources confirmed there were no significant breakthroughs or territorial gains by the RSF following the operation.

In a statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Kamel Idris expressed “deep anger, pain, and responsibility” over the worsening humanitarian disaster in El Fasher. He condemned the “suffocating and inhumane siege imposed by the RSF militia,” describing it as “one of the most brutal cases of collective extortion and systematic starvation in recent history.”

Idris vowed that the government would not stand idly by in the face of this “atrocious” crime and pledged to use all political, diplomatic, and humanitarian means to break the siege and ensure urgent aid reaches civilians trapped in El Fasher amid widespread starvation and international silence.

He called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with international and humanitarian organizations, to act immediately to pressure the militia to open humanitarian corridors and end the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians.

The prime minister highlighted the RSF’s refusal to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which demands lifting the siege on El Fasher, and their rejection of UN calls for a humanitarian ceasefire. He held the militia responsible for obstructing aid and accountable for the ongoing starvation and terror inflicted on civilians.

Idris warned against silence over these crimes, including the killing of civilians fleeing the siege and bombardments. He also cited the systematic destruction of hospitals by RSF suicide drone and strategic attacks, threatening the lives of millions of innocent civilians.

“What is happening in El Fasher is a major crime committed in full view and hearing of the world,” he said, urging the international community to move beyond lukewarm statements to real action and pressure on those besieging, starving, and attacking civilians.

The RSF continues to attempt to seize the city and its army base, the last stronghold of government forces across all Darfur states. Military sources said defenders repelled the assault and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers.

The RSF has maintained a tight siege on El Fasher since May 2024, blocking all roads and supply routes and preventing humanitarian aid from entering, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths from starvation and medical shortages.