Turkey's Ilisu Dam on Tigris Starts Generating Energy at Full Capacity

An old cemetery is seen in Hasankeyf, which will be significantly submerged by the Ilisu Dam, with new Hasankeyf in the background in southeastern Batman province, Turkey, Feb. 20, 2020. (Reuters)
An old cemetery is seen in Hasankeyf, which will be significantly submerged by the Ilisu Dam, with new Hasankeyf in the background in southeastern Batman province, Turkey, Feb. 20, 2020. (Reuters)
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Turkey's Ilisu Dam on Tigris Starts Generating Energy at Full Capacity

An old cemetery is seen in Hasankeyf, which will be significantly submerged by the Ilisu Dam, with new Hasankeyf in the background in southeastern Batman province, Turkey, Feb. 20, 2020. (Reuters)
An old cemetery is seen in Hasankeyf, which will be significantly submerged by the Ilisu Dam, with new Hasankeyf in the background in southeastern Batman province, Turkey, Feb. 20, 2020. (Reuters)

Energy production at the Ilisu Dam in southeast Turkey has reached full capacity, Agriculture Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said on Thursday, adding that it is expected to contribute 2.8 billion lira ($366 million) a year to the economy.

The dam was approved by the Turkish government in 1997 to generate electricity for the region and, after years of setbacks and delays, the first turbine was launched in May this year.

The project has faced opposition from some activists because it has uprooted about 80,000 people from 199 villages, while authorities in neighboring Iraq fear it could affect their water supply from the Tigris river.

The Ilisu Dam’s total installed power stands at 1,200 megawatts, making it Turkey’s fourth-largest dam in terms of energy production.



Europeans Warn Iran of UN Sanctions Unless Concrete Progress on Nuclear Talks

Traffic flows past a huge billboard bearing a painting of a missile falling on Israel with the slogan in Farsi: "The missile has fallen amidst the demons", on a main road in central Tehran on July 16, 2025. (AFP)
Traffic flows past a huge billboard bearing a painting of a missile falling on Israel with the slogan in Farsi: "The missile has fallen amidst the demons", on a main road in central Tehran on July 16, 2025. (AFP)
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Europeans Warn Iran of UN Sanctions Unless Concrete Progress on Nuclear Talks

Traffic flows past a huge billboard bearing a painting of a missile falling on Israel with the slogan in Farsi: "The missile has fallen amidst the demons", on a main road in central Tehran on July 16, 2025. (AFP)
Traffic flows past a huge billboard bearing a painting of a missile falling on Israel with the slogan in Farsi: "The missile has fallen amidst the demons", on a main road in central Tehran on July 16, 2025. (AFP)

France, Britain and Germany told Iran on Thursday that they wanted Tehran to resume diplomacy immediately over its nuclear program and warned if there were no concrete steps by the end of the summer they would restore UN sanctions. 

The foreign ministers of the so-called E3, along with the European Union's foreign policy chief, held their first call with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi since Israel and the United States carried out air strikes in mid-June on Iran's nuclear program. 

Speaking after the call, a French diplomatic source said the ministers had called on Iran to resume diplomatic efforts immediately to reach a "verifiable and lasting" nuclear deal. 

The three countries, along with China and Russia, are the remaining parties to a 2015 deal with Iran that lifted sanctions on the country in return for restrictions on its nuclear program. 

A UN Security Council resolution which enshrines the deal expires on October 18 and under its terms UN sanctions can be re-imposed beforehand. The process would take about 30 days. 

The Europeans have repeatedly warned that unless there is a new nuclear accord they will launch the "snapback mechanism", which would restore all previous UN sanctions on Iran if it is found to be in violation of the agreement's terms. 

"The ministers also reiterated their determination to use the so-called 'snapback' mechanism in the absence of concrete progress toward such an agreement by the end of the summer," the diplomatic source said. 

The source did not elaborate what concrete progress would entail. 

Since the air strikes, inspectors from the UN atomic watchdog have left Iran. While Iran has suggested it is open to diplomacy, there are no indications a sixth round of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran will resume imminently. 

Diplomats say that even if they were to resume talks, reaching a comprehensive accord before the end of August - the final deadline the Europeans have given - seems unrealistic, especially without inspectors on the ground to assess Iran's remaining nuclear program. 

Two European diplomats said they hoped to coordinate strategy with the United States in the coming days with a view to possibly holding talks with Iran soon.