Iranian Advisor: Ukraine War Will Eventually Push US to Agree to an Agreement

EU coordinator Director Enrique Mora (Asharq Al-Awsat)
EU coordinator Director Enrique Mora (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Iranian Advisor: Ukraine War Will Eventually Push US to Agree to an Agreement

EU coordinator Director Enrique Mora (Asharq Al-Awsat)
EU coordinator Director Enrique Mora (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The growing problems of the Ukraine war will eventually push the US to agree to an agreement with Iran, announced a senior Iranian expert.

The political advisor of the Iranian negotiating team, Mohammad Marandi, told the official news agency IRNA that the failure to reach an agreement was due to US internal problems.

Marandi reiterated Iran's determination to reach a good and lasting agreement.

"According to the Americans, Iran has been able to gain significant concessions in Vienna, so during the talks, some members of the American delegation resigned and left the team in protest," Marandi said.

The expert referred to the "negative reactions" in Congress after the statement of the US envoy to Iran, Rob Malley.

Marandi was among the new members that joined the nuclear negotiating team after the hard-liner, Ali Bagheri Kani, took over the team's presidency instead of the former deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi.

He reported that things were moving fast during the last days of the negotiations, but the US team stopped working at once on various issues, including verification, lifting of sanctions, guarantees, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Experts say that the current team did not discuss beyond the issues stipulated in the 2015 Vienna agreement regarding Iranian nuclear steps, but the government insists on removing the IRGC from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO).

Tehran's demands to ease pressure on the IRGC came while the government refused to discuss its ballistic missile program or regional activities in the nuclear negotiations.

Marandi said that "there is no problem in European capitals and all other parties have no problem finalizing the deal, but "it remains to be seen what Biden will do to go on."

Marandi stressed Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian's discussions with the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, who is represented by EU coordinator Enrique Mora in the Vienna talks.

A statement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that the phone call between the officials dealt with the nuclear negotiations.

Abdollahian said the consultations would continue to lift the sanctions, adding that there is no doubt about the determination of the Iranian government to reach a "good, strong and lasting agreement."

He added that the White House must put aside excessive demands and hesitation and take a step towards realism and propose solutions.

The EU foreign policy chief said the prolongation of the break in the talks is not constructive and suggested that talks between the EU envoy and Iran's chief negotiator be resumed closely.

Borrell also referred to the war in Ukraine, describing it as a global crisis that could have negative consequences.

The European official said, "We believe that Iran wants an agreement and that there have been various initiatives which still exist and continue."

Earlier, IRGC commander Ali Reza Tangsiri said that Iran would not abandon plans to avenge the 2020 US killing of al-Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, despite "regular offers" from Washington to lift sanctions and provide other concessions in return.

A State Department spokesperson told Reuters that if Iran wanted sanctions relief beyond the 2015 nuclear deal, it must address US concerns beyond the pact.

"If Iran wants sanctions lifting that goes beyond the JCPOA, they will need to address concerns of ours beyond the JCPOA," the US spokesperson said, referring to the deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"Conversely, if they do not want to use these talks to resolve other bilateral issues beyond the JCPOA, then we are confident that we can very quickly reach an understanding of the JCPOA and begin reimplementing the deal."

"Iran needs to make a decision," the spokesperson added.



6.5-magnitude Quake Shakes Mexico City

People wait outside their homes and buildings after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico, January 2, 2026. REUTERS/Henry Romero
People wait outside their homes and buildings after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico, January 2, 2026. REUTERS/Henry Romero
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6.5-magnitude Quake Shakes Mexico City

People wait outside their homes and buildings after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico, January 2, 2026. REUTERS/Henry Romero
People wait outside their homes and buildings after an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico, January 2, 2026. REUTERS/Henry Romero

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake shook Mexico City and southwestern Guerrero state on Friday, sending people rushing into the streets but causing no serious damage, according to preliminary reports.

President Claudia Sheinbaum was forced to evacuate the presidential palace during her regular morning press conference, along with the journalists in attendance, when the earthquake alert sounded.

The Seismological Service said that the earthquake's epicenter was situated 14 kilometers (nine miles) southwest of San Marcos, in the southern state of Guerrero, about 400 kilometers from Mexico City.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck around 8:00 am east of Acapulco, a major port and beach resort.

Sheinbaum said there were no immediate reports of major damage in either Mexico City or Guerrero.

Mexico, which is situated between five tectonic plates, is one of the world's most seismically active countries.

Karen Gomez, a 47-year-old office worker living on the 13th floor of an apartment building in Mexico City, told AFP she was roused from her sleep by a street siren.

"I woke up in terror. My cellphone alert said it was a powerful earthquake."

Norma Ortega, a 57-year-old kindergarten director, living in a 10th-floor apartment, said she could feel her building shake.

"I got a terrible fright."

The center of Mexico City is built on the muddy subsoil of what was once the bed of a lake, making it particularly vulnerable to earthquakes.

Those most strongly felt usually originate off Guerrero state on the Pacific coast.

On September 19, 1985, an 8.1-magnitude earthquake devastated a vast swathe of Mexico City, leaving nearly 13,000 dead, mostly in the city, according to official figures.

In 2017, also on September 19, a 7.1-magnitude quake killed 369 people, also mostly in Mexico City.

Early warning systems, including smartphone apps, have been developed to warn Mexico City residents of strong quakes and urge them to reach safety.

The city has also installed loudspeakers on lampposts to broadcast the alerts.


Zelenskyy Names Ukraine's Head of Military Intelligence as his New Chief of Staff

Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, attends the press conference 'Ukraine, Year 2025' in Kyiv, Ukraine, 23 February 2025 (reissued 02 January 2026), amid the Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO
Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, attends the press conference 'Ukraine, Year 2025' in Kyiv, Ukraine, 23 February 2025 (reissued 02 January 2026), amid the Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO
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Zelenskyy Names Ukraine's Head of Military Intelligence as his New Chief of Staff

Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, attends the press conference 'Ukraine, Year 2025' in Kyiv, Ukraine, 23 February 2025 (reissued 02 January 2026), amid the Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO
Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, attends the press conference 'Ukraine, Year 2025' in Kyiv, Ukraine, 23 February 2025 (reissued 02 January 2026), amid the Russian invasion. EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday appointed the head of Ukraine's military intelligence as his new chief of staff, a move that comes as the US leads a diplomatic push to end Russia's nearly 4-year-old invasion.

In announcing the appointment of Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs to focus on security issues, developing its defense and security forces, and peace talks -- areas that are overseen by the office of the president, The Associated Press reported.

Zelenskyy had dismissed his previous chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, after anti-corruption officials began investigating alleged graft in the energy sector.

Budanov, 39, is one of the country’s most recognizable and popular wartime figures. He has led Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, known by its acronym GUR, since 2020.

A career military intelligence officer, he rose through the defense establishment after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. He also took part in special operations and intelligence missions linked to the fighting with Moscow-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine before the full-scale invasion of February 2022. He reportedly was wounded during one such operation.

Since the full-scale invasion. Budanov has become a prominent face of Kyiv’s intelligence effort, regularly appearing in interviews and briefings that mix strategic signaling with psychological pressure on Moscow. He has frequently warned of Russia’s long-term intentions toward Ukraine and the region, while portraying the war as an existential struggle for the country's statehood.

Under Budanov, the GUR expanded its operational footprint, coordinating intelligence, sabotage and special operations aimed at degrading Russian military capabilities far beyond the front lines. Ukrainian officials have credited military intelligence with operations targeting Russian command structures, logistics hubs, energy infrastructure and naval assets, including strikes deep inside Russian territory and occupied areas.

His appointment to lead the office of the president marks an unusual shift, placing a serving intelligence chief at the center of Ukraine’s political and diplomatic coordination. Zelenskyy has framed the move as part of a broader effort to sharpen the focus on security, defense development and diplomacy.
“Kyrylo has specialized experience in these areas and sufficient strength to achieve results,” Zelenskyy said.

Budanov said on Telegram his new position is "both an honor and a responsibility — at a historic time for Ukraine — to focus on the critically important issues of the state’s strategic security.”

Russian authorities said Friday the death toll from what they called a Ukrainian drone strike on a cafe and hotel in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine’s Kherson region rose to 27. Kyiv strongly denied attacking civilian targets.

Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman of Russia's main criminal investigation agency, the Investigative Committee, said those killed in the village of Khorly, where at least 100 civilians were celebrating New Year's Eve, included two minors, while 31 people were hospitalized.

A spokesman for Ukraine’s General Staff, Dmytro Lykhovii, denied attacking civilians. He told Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne on Thursday that Ukrainian forces “adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law” and "carry out strikes exclusively against Russian military targets, facilities of the Russian fuel and energy sector, and other lawful targets.”

He noted that Russia has repeatedly used disinformation and false statements to disrupt the ongoing peace negotiations.

The Associated Press could not independently verify claims made about the attack.

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday that he, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner had a “productive call” with the national security advisers of Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine “to discuss advancing the next steps in the European peace process.”

The US efforts has faced a new obstacle earlier this week, when Moscow said it would toughen its negotiating stand after what it said was a long-range drone attack against a residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in northwestern Russia early Monday.

Kyiv has denied attacking Putin’s residence, saying the Russian claim was a ruse to derail the negotiations.

In his New Year’s address, Zelenskyy said a peace deal was “90% ready” but warned that the remaining 10% — believed to include key sticking points such as territory — would “determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, how people will live.”

New overnight attacks Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia struck a residential area of Kharkiv with two missiles Friday, Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram page, adding that Moscow's forces "continue the killings, despite all the efforts of the world, and above all the United States, in the diplomatic process.”

At least 15 people in the eastern city were injured, according to regional administration head Oleh Syniehubov.

Earlier Friday, Russia conducted what local authorities called “one of the most massive” drone attacks at Zaporizhzhia. At least nine drones struck the city, damaging dozens of residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure but causing no casualties, according to Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional administration.

Overall, Russia fired 116 long-range drones at Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s air force, with 86 intercepted and 27 striking their targets.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 64 Ukrainian drones overnight in multiple Russian regions.

The Russian city of Belgorod was hit by a Ukrainian missile, according to regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov. Two women were hospitalized after the strike, which shattered windows and damaged an unspecified commercial facility and a number of cars in the region that borders Ukraine, he said.


A Building Under Construction Collapses in Nairobi, Leaving an Unknown Number of People Trapped

Members of The Disaster Response Battalion (DRB) of the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) gather at the site of a 16-storey building under construction that collapsed, as search and rescue operations begin with possible casualties still unconfirmed, in the South C neighborhood of Nairobi, on January 2, 2026. (AFP)
Members of The Disaster Response Battalion (DRB) of the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) gather at the site of a 16-storey building under construction that collapsed, as search and rescue operations begin with possible casualties still unconfirmed, in the South C neighborhood of Nairobi, on January 2, 2026. (AFP)
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A Building Under Construction Collapses in Nairobi, Leaving an Unknown Number of People Trapped

Members of The Disaster Response Battalion (DRB) of the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) gather at the site of a 16-storey building under construction that collapsed, as search and rescue operations begin with possible casualties still unconfirmed, in the South C neighborhood of Nairobi, on January 2, 2026. (AFP)
Members of The Disaster Response Battalion (DRB) of the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) gather at the site of a 16-storey building under construction that collapsed, as search and rescue operations begin with possible casualties still unconfirmed, in the South C neighborhood of Nairobi, on January 2, 2026. (AFP)

A multi-story building under construction in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, collapsed Friday, leaving an unknown number of people trapped.

Rescue workers are digging through the rubble. The building was in an area of Nairobi known as South C, according to the Kenya Red Cross, and local media say it was a 16-story structure.

“A multi-agency response team is on site managing the situation,” the Kenya Red Cross said in a statement.

There was no immediate comment from authorities on the likely cause of the collapse or the number of victims. The toll is not expected to be high, The Associated Press said.

Building collapses are common in Nairobi, where housing is in high demand and unscrupulous developers often bypass regulations or simply violate building codes.

After eight buildings collapsed and killed 15 people in Kenya in 2015, the presidency ordered an audit of buildings across the country to see if they were up to code. The National Construction Authority found that 58% of the buildings in Nairobi were unfit for habitation.