Afghan Election Staff Abducted as Taliban Claims Attack in Kandahar

Gunmen attack a voter registration station in Ghor, Afghanistan. (AFP)
Gunmen attack a voter registration station in Ghor, Afghanistan. (AFP)
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Afghan Election Staff Abducted as Taliban Claims Attack in Kandahar

Gunmen attack a voter registration station in Ghor, Afghanistan. (AFP)
Gunmen attack a voter registration station in Ghor, Afghanistan. (AFP)

Gunmen attacked on Tuesday a voter registration center in Afghanistan where they kidnapped five people.

Three of the captives are employees. They also destroyed documents, official said of the incident that took place in the central province of Ghor.

It sparked concerns about security in the lead-up to the war-torn country's long-delayed legislative elections scheduled for October 20.

Armed men stormed the center in Aliyar district as Independent Election Commission staff were registering voters, provincial police spokesman Mohammad Iqbal Nizami told AFP, blaming the Taliban.

The group was not immediately available for comment.

Nizami said the militants abducted three IEC staff and two policemen charged with protecting the registration center.

"They also set all the voter registration materials on fire," Nizami said. "We are investigating and have launched a search operation."

Ghor governor spokesman Abdul Hai Khatibi confirmed the incident and said tribal leaders and elders were in talks with the local Taliban to free the IEC staff and police.

On Wednesday, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a bombing in the southern Kandahar province.

The attack left five people dead, including a police commander, an Afghan official said.

A Kandahar police spokesman said Colonel Janan Mama, commander of the border rapid reaction force, three of his police bodyguards and a civilian were killed in the blast.

The spokesman, Zia Durrani, said the sticky bomb was placed on the commander's vehicle in Kandahar city, the provincial capital.

The Taliban claimed responsibility in a statement sent to media. The insurgent group routinely targets Afghan officials and security forces.

Afghanistan last weekend began registering voters as it seeks to ensure that the parliamentary and district council elections -- which are a test-run for the presidential poll next year -- are seen as credible and fraud-free.

In an operation that will last for two months, authorities hope to register up to 14 million adults at more than 7,000 polling centers -- an ambitious goal in a country where militants control or contest much of the territory.

IEC officials have acknowledged that ensuring security at voter registration centers, particularly in rural areas, will be a major challenge.

Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces, already struggling to get the upper hand on the battlefield, have been tasked with protecting voter registration centers, which will be used as polling stations on election day.

More than 50,000 people in major cities have so far registered to vote, an IEC official told AFP on Wednesday.

He acknowledged it had "started slowly" but the process was gaining momentum.

The polls were originally set to be held in 2015 following presidential elections the previous year, but were repeatedly pushed back due to security fears and logistical issues within the fragile unity government.

If held, candidates will contest the 249 seats in the National Assembly for five-year terms. The country will also hold regional elections in tandem in hundreds of districts across Afghanistan -- some of which are outside Kabul's control.



Macron Concerned About Trajectory of Iranian Nuclear Program

France's President Emmanuel Macron awaits the arrival of Madagascar's President for a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on June 9, 2023. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron awaits the arrival of Madagascar's President for a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on June 9, 2023. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
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Macron Concerned About Trajectory of Iranian Nuclear Program

France's President Emmanuel Macron awaits the arrival of Madagascar's President for a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on June 9, 2023. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron awaits the arrival of Madagascar's President for a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on June 9, 2023. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed concerns about the trajectory of the Iranian nuclear program, his office said in a statement on Saturday.

Macron also warned Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi about the consequences of delivering drones to Russia, Macron's office said.

In a phone call, Macron urged Iran to "immediately cease" the support it is giving Russia in the war against Ukraine.

Britain, France, Germany, the United States and Ukraine say the supply of Iranian-made drones to Russia violates a 2015 UN Security Council resolution enshrining the Iran nuclear deal.

The White House said on Friday that Russia appeared to be deepening its defense cooperation with Iran and had received hundreds of one-way attack drones that it is using to strike Ukraine.


French Prosecutor: Syrian Knife Attack Suspect Placed in Detention

French Prosecutor Line Bonnet (R) and Judicial Police Director Damien Delaby (L) hold a press conference in Annecy on June 10, 2023. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)
French Prosecutor Line Bonnet (R) and Judicial Police Director Damien Delaby (L) hold a press conference in Annecy on June 10, 2023. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)
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French Prosecutor: Syrian Knife Attack Suspect Placed in Detention

French Prosecutor Line Bonnet (R) and Judicial Police Director Damien Delaby (L) hold a press conference in Annecy on June 10, 2023. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)
French Prosecutor Line Bonnet (R) and Judicial Police Director Damien Delaby (L) hold a press conference in Annecy on June 10, 2023. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)

The suspect in a knife attack in which four toddlers and two pensioners were wounded in the southeastern French town of Annecy on Thursday has been placed in detention, the local prosecutor said on Saturday.

The suspect, a Syrian refugee born in 1991, is under formal investigation for attempted murder and resisting arrest with a weapon, the prosecutor said.

The injured are no longer in critical condition, Annecy Prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis told a news conference, adding that the four children were still in hospital.

The suspect has chosen not to speak while in police custody and when presented before judges, the prosecutor said.

He was examined by a psychiatrist who considered that he was fit to be held in custody.

Drug and alcohol tests were negative.

"Presently it is premature to assess his motivations," Bonnet-Mathis said.

BFM television said the suspect was being held in solitary confinement at Aiton prison in the region of Savoie, some 80 km from Annecy.

The suspect was granted asylum in Sweden 10 years ago, having arrived from Türkiye. The prosecutor said the man was believed to be married with a young child.

He entered France in October 2022, having travelled through Italy and Switzerland, she said, adding that he had no police record in France and was thought to be homeless.

His request for asylum in France was refused on the grounds that Sweden had already approved one.


Ukraine President: 'Counteroffensive, Defensive Actions' Taking Place

A handout photo made available by Ukraine's Presidential Press Service shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L, front) welcoming Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L, back) to Kyiv, Ukraine, 10 June 2023, amid Russia's invasion.  EPA/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE
A handout photo made available by Ukraine's Presidential Press Service shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L, front) welcoming Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L, back) to Kyiv, Ukraine, 10 June 2023, amid Russia's invasion. EPA/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE
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Ukraine President: 'Counteroffensive, Defensive Actions' Taking Place

A handout photo made available by Ukraine's Presidential Press Service shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L, front) welcoming Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L, back) to Kyiv, Ukraine, 10 June 2023, amid Russia's invasion.  EPA/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE
A handout photo made available by Ukraine's Presidential Press Service shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L, front) welcoming Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L, back) to Kyiv, Ukraine, 10 June 2023, amid Russia's invasion. EPA/PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that counteroffensive and defensive actions were underway against Russian forces, asserting that his top commanders were in a “positive” mindset as their troops engaged in intense fighting along the front line.
The Ukrainian leader, at a Kyiv news conference alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, responded to a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin's comment a day earlier that Ukraine's counteroffensive had started — and Ukrainian forces were taking “significant losses.”
Zelensky said that “the counteroffensive, defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine. I will not speak about which stage or phase they are in.”
“I am in touch with our commanders of different directions every day,” he added, citing the names of five of Ukraine’s top military leaders. “Everyone is positive. Pass this on to Putin.”
Trudeau, the first foreign leader to visit Ukraine since devastating floods caused by a breach in a Dnieper River dam, offered up monetary, military and moral support for Ukraine. He pledged $500 million in new military aid, on top of $8 billion that Canada has already provided since the war began in February 2022, and announced $10 million for humanitarian assistance for the flood response.
Trudeau said the dam’s collapse was “a direct consequence of Russia’s war,” but he didn't blame Moscow directly.
According to The Associated Press, Ukraine’s General Staff said Saturday that “heavy battles” were ongoing, with 34 clashes over the previous day in the country’s industrial east. It gave no details but said Russian forces were “defending themselves” and launching air and artillery strikes in Ukraine’s southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
At the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest, which is occupied by Russian forces, five out of six reactors were already in a state of cold shutdown, That's a process in which all control rods are inserted into the reactor core to stop the nuclear fission reaction and generation of heat and pressure.
Energoatom, the Ukrainian nuclear agency, said in a statement late Friday that there was “no direct threat” to the Zaporizhzhia plant due to the breach of the Kakhovka dam further down the Dnieper River, which has forced thousands of people to flee flooding and also sharply reduced water levels in a reservoir used to help cool the facility.
Energoatom said it shut down the final reactor due to that, and also because of shelling near the site that has damaged overhead lines connecting the plant to Ukraine’s energy system.
With all nuclear reactions stopped, temperatures and pressure inside reactors gradually decline, reducing the required intensity of water cooling of the radioactive fuel. This is a nuclear power plant’s safest operating mode. Energoatom employees are still working at the power plant, although it remains controlled by the Russians.
The site’s power units have not been operating since September last year. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is due to visit Ukraine in the coming days.
Also on Saturday morning, Ukrainian authorities reported that at least four civilians have died across the country as Russian forces launched Iranian-made Shahed drones, missiles, and artillery and mortar strikes.


Canada’s Trudeau Visits Kyiv in Show of Support

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau . (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau . (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
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Canada’s Trudeau Visits Kyiv in Show of Support

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau . (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau . (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Kyiv on Saturday in a gesture of support as Ukraine braces for a major counter-offensive against Russian forces and grapples with regular air strikes.

Trudeau paid his respects at a memorial site in central Kyiv to Ukrainian soldiers who have been killed fighting pro-Russian forces since 2014.

NATO member Canada, which has one of the world's largest Ukrainian diasporas, has supplied military and financial assistance to Ukraine during the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in February 2022.

Trudeau's trip to Kyiv followed a night of Russian missile and drone attacks on targets outside the capital, including Odesa, Poltava region and Kharkiv.


UK Ex-prime Minister Boris Johnson Resigns as MP

'I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically... with such egregious bias,' said Johnson
JUSTIN TALLIS
'I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically... with such egregious bias,' said Johnson JUSTIN TALLIS
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UK Ex-prime Minister Boris Johnson Resigns as MP

'I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically... with such egregious bias,' said Johnson
JUSTIN TALLIS
'I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically... with such egregious bias,' said Johnson JUSTIN TALLIS

Britain's former prime minister Boris Johnson on Friday said he was quitting as a member of parliament.

The 58-year-old populist politician has been under investigation by a cross-party committee about whether he repeatedly lied to parliament over Covid lockdown-breaking parties when he was in office.

In evidence earlier this year he angrily insisted he had not, AFP reported.

But as the committee prepares to make public its findings, he said they had contacted him "making it clear... they are determined to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of parliament".

Ordinarily, suspension of more than 10 working days leads to a by-election in the MP's constituency.

"It is very sad to be leaving Parliament - at least for now -- but above all I am bewildered and appalled that I can be forced out, anti-democratically... with such egregious bias," he said.


5 killed in Blast at Rocket, Explosives Factory in Türkiye

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and new cabinet members attend a wreath laying ceremony at Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara, Turkey, 06 June 2023. EPA/NECATI SAVAS
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and new cabinet members attend a wreath laying ceremony at Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara, Turkey, 06 June 2023. EPA/NECATI SAVAS
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5 killed in Blast at Rocket, Explosives Factory in Türkiye

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and new cabinet members attend a wreath laying ceremony at Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara, Turkey, 06 June 2023. EPA/NECATI SAVAS
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) and new cabinet members attend a wreath laying ceremony at Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara, Turkey, 06 June 2023. EPA/NECATI SAVAS

An explosion at a rocket and explosives factory on Saturday killed at least five workers, Türkiye’s defense ministry said.

The explosion occurred at around 8:45 a.m. at the compound of the state-owned Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation, in the outskirts of the capital, Ankara.

An investigation was launched into the cause of the explosion.

Several ambulances and fire trucks were dispatched to area.

Shop and house windows in surrounding areas were shattered by the force of the blast, NTV television reported.


Israeli Maneuvers Simulate Raids Against Iran

Israeli soldiers during the Firm Hand drills (dpa)
Israeli soldiers during the Firm Hand drills (dpa)
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Israeli Maneuvers Simulate Raids Against Iran

Israeli soldiers during the Firm Hand drills (dpa)
Israeli soldiers during the Firm Hand drills (dpa)

Recent Israeli military exercises included several unannounced targets, including the implementation of direct raids on Iranian territory and several ground incursions into Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine.

It was also revealed that a US army force participated in the drills and that the Israeli army leadership set a goal to avoid Russia's mistakes in the Ukraine war.

At the end of the exercise, dubbed the Firm Hand, a senior military source said that an investigation and learning process was conducted throughout the training to improve the army's readiness and performance.

The process involved investigative and learning actions, including Ukraine, where the Russian army entered with massive forces, but the Ukrainian military stopped the attack and inflicted heavy losses on the Russians.

Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said the Israeli army thoroughly studied Russia's experience and mistakes during the invasion to avoid them if it was forced to invade neighboring lands.

The Israeli army stated that the US army participated in these exercises through the Commander of the US Central Command (Centcom), General Michael Corella, and its affiliated forces.

The US Arcent battalion joined the 7th Brigade of the Gaash division. They played for the first time a substantial role in an Israeli exercise under the leadership of the commander of the 7th Armored Brigade.

The Israeli army launched the 11-day exercises on May 29 and included the participation of the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, and the entire cabinet.

Troops from the standing and reserve army, from nearly all units, participated in the exercise too.

The army spokesman said that the forces trained on defense scenarios along the Lebanese front, then the divisions embarked on large-scale attack scenarios.

The Air Force trained on fierce fighting and complex air defense scenarios, including interception operations, strategies for launching strategic raids deep in enemy territory, and heavy and deadly attacks on thousands of specific targets.

During the second week, a multi-arms combat exercise was conducted on a battlefield for the division's forces, including infantry and armored vehicles, in cooperation with the Air Force, intelligence, and communications units.

The Air Force focused on air support and maneuver participation, scenarios for troop transport, air logistics, and fire assistance for maneuver. It also included large-scale raids in depth in several arenas.

The navy practiced in a multi-arena scenario with dozens of naval vessels, focusing on offensive and defensive capabilities, protecting Israel's maritime borders, and securing sea lanes.

The Intelligence Agency trained on collecting and extracting intelligence information and challenging the capabilities of terminating intelligence circles.


Netanyahu to Blinken: Israel Rejects Any Agreement with Iran

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken leaving Saudi Arabia (State Department)
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken leaving Saudi Arabia (State Department)
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Netanyahu to Blinken: Israel Rejects Any Agreement with Iran

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken leaving Saudi Arabia (State Department)
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken leaving Saudi Arabia (State Department)

A phone call between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken witnessed disagreements over two main issues, according to political sources in Tel Aviv and Washington.

Blinken reprimanded Netanyahu for breaching commitments on the Palestinian issue, and the latter responded by criticizing the US rush to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran.

The Israeli PM asserted that "no agreement with Iran is binding to Israel."

The two sides described the phone call as "positive" and touched on several issues, including military and intelligence cooperation reaching its highest levels.

Netanyahu's office said the Prime Minister and Secretary discussed regional challenges and opportunities.

The Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the frank talks that took place recently in Washington between the two teams and for the close coordination between Israel and the United States.

However, Netanyahu said Israel is not bound to any nuclear agreement that does not entirely stop the Iranian nuclear program.

Netanyahu "expressed his appreciation for the military and intelligence cooperation between Israel and the United States, which is at an all-time high," the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

The two discussed the challenges and opportunities in the region, it continued, adding that Netanyahu expressed his appreciation for the "frank talks” that took place recently in Washington between the two teams.

The US State Department stated that Blinken and Netanyahu discussed areas of mutual interest, including expanding and deepening Israel's integration into the Middle East through normalization with regional countries.

Spokesman Matthew Miller said Blinken and Netanyahu also discussed broader regional challenges, such as the threat posed by Iran, and underscored the United States ironclad commitment to Israel's security and 75-year-old partnership.

However, political sources in Tel Aviv confirmed the call with Netanyahu when Blinken was on his plane returning from Saudi Arabia after a three-day visit.

Blinken rebuked Netanyahu and told him that the White House was disappointed with the Israeli government's practices in the Palestinian territories, especially the restart of the Homesh settlement in the northern West Bank.

He considered it a violation of the commitments of the Netanyahu government made at the Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh meetings.

In Tel Aviv, several experts reported that significant differences are evident in all Israeli-US meetings and talks, including Netanyahu's call with Blinken.

They explained that these differences severely affect Israel's policy towards Iran and impede the possibility of launching significant strikes against it.

Military editor of Haaretz newspaper Amos Harel said that the new US-Iranian agreement would be turning the page on a possible Israeli air attack against nuclear facilities.

Harel added in a report that Iran would become a legitimate nuclear threshold state after the agreement, which would be an absolute collapse of Netanyahu's strategy to stop the Iranian nuclear program.

The military analyst of Ynet, Ron Ben-Yishai, wrote that Israel expressed its opposition to a nuclear agreement with Iran during dialogues with Washington and the recent army joint exercises.

Ben Yishai said the purpose of the Israeli army's maneuver is to remind Washington that even if they sign an interim agreement with Tehran, Tel Aviv will not be bound by it and will act against Iran following its interests.

He added that Netanyahu is taking advantage of the maneuver to tell the US that it is better to coordinate before rushing to sign an agreement with Iran.

The analyst noted that the Prime Minister wanted to tell US officials they would use the Israeli army following Israel's security interests, even if that contradicts Washington's global strategy.

The writer pointed out that Netanyahu is hinting at this, and not in a friendly way, but it would be more appropriate for Biden to invite him to Washington to meet to coordinate expectations and positions if he wants Israel to integrate into Western interests.


Runway Closed at Tokyo Airport after 2 Planes Collide on Ground

An aerial view shows Thai Airways and Eva Air airplanes on a taxiway after making contact at Haneda Airport, in Tokyo, Japan, June 10, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERS
An aerial view shows Thai Airways and Eva Air airplanes on a taxiway after making contact at Haneda Airport, in Tokyo, Japan, June 10, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERS
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Runway Closed at Tokyo Airport after 2 Planes Collide on Ground

An aerial view shows Thai Airways and Eva Air airplanes on a taxiway after making contact at Haneda Airport, in Tokyo, Japan, June 10, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERS
An aerial view shows Thai Airways and Eva Air airplanes on a taxiway after making contact at Haneda Airport, in Tokyo, Japan, June 10, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERS

Two passenger planes bumped into each other on a runway at a major Tokyo airport Saturday but no injuries were reported, Japanese media reports said.

A Thai Airways International jet headed to Bangkok accidentally hit an Eva Airways plane headed to Taipei at Haneda airport and the runway was subsequently closed and some flights were delayed, the reports said.

Footage broadcast by TBS TV News showed two commercial jets stopped on the same runway.

Part of the wing of the Thai Airways plane looked to be broken, and what appeared to be fragments could be seen near the runway.

The cause of the accident was not clear.


Iran, US Deny Nearing a Temporary Nuclear Deal

A satellite image of the chosen site (AFP)
A satellite image of the chosen site (AFP)
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Iran, US Deny Nearing a Temporary Nuclear Deal

A satellite image of the chosen site (AFP)
A satellite image of the chosen site (AFP)

Iran and the US denied reports that they were close to a temporary agreement to reduce the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions.

It is no secret that US and European officials have been looking for ways to curb Iran's nuclear program since the collapse of indirect US-Iranian talks on reviving the nuclear deal, formally known as the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

One possible solution was an interim deal under which Iran would accept fewer restrictions on its nuclear program in return for more modest sanctions' relief than in the 2015 deal.

The Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, John Kirby, said that US intelligence officials believe a UAV factory in the Russian Alabuga Special Economic Zone could be operational early next year.

The statement was accompanied by satellite photos taken in April of the plant's site, hundreds of miles east of Moscow, where the factory is likely to be built.

- "Exposing" cooperation with Russia

Kirby confirmed that US officials have also determined that Iran continues to supply the Russian army with one-way attack drones made in Iran to be used in its war on Ukraine.

He revealed that the drones were shipped across the Caspian Sea.

"This is a full-scale defense partnership that is harmful to Ukraine, to Iran's neighbors, and the international community," he said.

"We are continuing to use all the tools at our disposal to expose and disrupt these activities, including sharing this with the public – and we are prepared to do more."

Kirby reported that the US administration would issue a new advisory to help companies and other governments implement procedures to ensure they do not inadvertently contribute to Iran's drone program.

The advisory aimed "to help businesses and other governments better understand the risks posed by Iran's UAV program and the illicit practices Iran uses to procure components for it."

The US, the EU, and the UK have issued in recent months rules to cut the flow of drone components to Russia and Iran.

A National Security Council spokesman said, "Any reports of an interim agreement are false."

A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on such talks, saying it had ways to pass messages to Iran but would not detail their content or how they were delivered.

Iran's mission to the United Nations also cast doubt on the report: "Our comment is the same as the White House comment."

Reuters quoted Iranian officials saying progress had been made, but no agreement was forthcoming.

A third official said US special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, and Iran's ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani met at least three times in the past weeks but gave no details.

"There (has) been some progress, and we have exchanged proposals and messages with Americans," said a senior Iranian official. "Still, there are lots of details that we need to discuss."

- Pressure from US legislators

US President Joe Biden's administration has been under more pressure to halt negotiations with Iran.

Thirty-five House representatives sent a bipartisan letter to the British, French, and German leaders urging them to immediately initiate the snapback mechanism of United Nations sanctions on Iran, according to the JCPOA.

The three European countries are the only partners capable of initiating a "snapback" in the 2015 deal that canceled the lifting of UN sanctions on Iran.

The parties to the agreement rejected a previous US attempt to do so, given Washington's withdrawal from the deal in 2018 under former President Donald Trump.

In their new letter, US lawmakers specifically highlight the urgency of stepping back in light of the upcoming expiration of the UN embargo on Iran's missile and drone programs later this year.

The letter read: "It is clear that Iran has failed to live up to its nonproliferation commitments, and time is running out to curb their nuclear ambitions."

"For nearly four years, Iran has ceased implementing important commitments under the JCPOA, continues to expand its nuclear program, and has rejected all diplomatic offers. As our great nations have seen countless times, appeasing belligerent nations does not lead to peace, it only feeds even greater threats to international peace and security."

The two representatives, Claudia Tenney and Josh Gottheimer sent the message, and they were joined by 32 Republicans and Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz.

"It is indisputable that Iran is in violation of the JCPOA, which is why our European allies must initiate snapback now to reimpose previously lifted sanctions," Tenney added.

"Snapback will send a clear message to Iran that its nuclear extortion has severe consequences and that the expansion of its nuclear program will not be tolerated. The time for bold and decisive action is now."

Gottheimer stressed that lifting sanctions on Iran would fuel its malign activities worldwide.