Iran Launches New Strikes on Kurdish Sites

A photo distributed by Fars News Agency shows an Iranian rocket launched towards Kurdistan last Thursday (AFP)
A photo distributed by Fars News Agency shows an Iranian rocket launched towards Kurdistan last Thursday (AFP)
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Iran Launches New Strikes on Kurdish Sites

A photo distributed by Fars News Agency shows an Iranian rocket launched towards Kurdistan last Thursday (AFP)
A photo distributed by Fars News Agency shows an Iranian rocket launched towards Kurdistan last Thursday (AFP)

Iran renewed bombing of sites in the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq, said an official from Komala Iranian-Kurdish opposition.

Atta Nasser said that the Iranian forces launched artillery fire and drone strikes on bases used by exiled Iranian group Komala in the Mount Halgurd area, near the Iranian border.

The strikes "destroyed some outposts, without causing casualties among our ranks," Nasser said.

On Thursday, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced they would continue their attacks in Iraqi Kurdistan against the Iranian-Kurdish opposition.

For more than a week, Iran has launched sporadic strikes in northern Iraq, the most violent of which was on Wednesday, with more than 70 missiles and drone strikes in the autonomous region, targeting Iranian-Kurdish opposition groups.

At least 14 people, including a pregnant woman, were killed in the attacks, and 50 others were injured, mostly civilians.

The IRGC said in a statement that it launched a series of operations targeting terrorists in Iraq with "precision missiles" and "suicide drones."

The attacks come as unrest continues across Iran over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman.

Meanwhile, Iraqi President Barham Salih confirmed the Iranian bombing was a serious escalation and a violation of the country's sovereignty, security, stability, and safety of its citizens.

Salih met with National Security Advisor Qassim al-Araji to discuss the recent developments in politics and security-related matters in Iraq.

He also condemned the continued Turkish shelling of the Kurdish area, emphasizing that it is not sustainable or acceptable and has to be ceased immediately to prevent its ramifications.

The meeting reiterated the need to follow up on the security issues with high-level officials of neighboring countries, describing it as a "serious escalation."

They reiterated the need to promote dialogue and for Iraq and its neighbors to address the security challenges, noting that it should be based on shared security interests and in ways that would maintain Iraq's sovereignty and safeguard its citizens.

Earlier, Iraq summoned Iran's ambassador to hand over a worded note of protest to the Iranian government.

Iraq's note of protest said it "condemns this crime in continuous aggression by the Iranian forces against Iraq's sovereignty and territorial sanctity," the Foreign Ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry said the attack was a "dangerous development that threatens Iraq's security and sovereignty."

It is not yet clear whether Iraq will protest at the UN Security Council or will be satisfied with the position expressed by the protest letter.

However, linking the Iranian bombing with the continuation of Turkish shelling of Iraqi areas is a new Iraqi position in terms of dealing with both countries.



Türkiye Condemns Closing of 8 Turkish Schools in Greece

View of the island of Halki from a ferry sailing to the island of Rhodes, off the island of Halki, Greece, April 13, 2021. (Reuters)
View of the island of Halki from a ferry sailing to the island of Rhodes, off the island of Halki, Greece, April 13, 2021. (Reuters)
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Türkiye Condemns Closing of 8 Turkish Schools in Greece

View of the island of Halki from a ferry sailing to the island of Rhodes, off the island of Halki, Greece, April 13, 2021. (Reuters)
View of the island of Halki from a ferry sailing to the island of Rhodes, off the island of Halki, Greece, April 13, 2021. (Reuters)

Türkiye's foreign ministry on Sunday condemned a decision by Greece to close eight schools catering to the country's Turkish-speaking minority, accusing its neighbor of discrimination.

In a communique, the ministry condemned "systematic practices aimed at undermining the right to education of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace".

"We once again call on Greece to act in accordance with its contractual obligations regarding minority rights and fundamental rights," it added.

The number of Turkish-language schools left in the north-east region of Thrace -- near the border between the two countries -- is now 76.

Greek authorities have said they were closing schools, and not solely in Turkish-speaking areas, because of declining numbers of pupils.

According to 2021 statistics, some 120,000 Muslims of Turkish origin live in Thrace, where they enjoy specific rights in regards to religion and education under the Treaty of Lausanne, signed after the First World War.


5.5 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Peru’s Andes Region, Killing at Least 5 People

This handout picture released by Peru's Defense Ministry shows a collapsed house on the outskirts of Huancayo, about 300 km east of Lima, on July 19, 2026, following a 5.5 magnitude quake. (Handout / Peruvian Ministry of Defense / AFP)
This handout picture released by Peru's Defense Ministry shows a collapsed house on the outskirts of Huancayo, about 300 km east of Lima, on July 19, 2026, following a 5.5 magnitude quake. (Handout / Peruvian Ministry of Defense / AFP)
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5.5 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Peru’s Andes Region, Killing at Least 5 People

This handout picture released by Peru's Defense Ministry shows a collapsed house on the outskirts of Huancayo, about 300 km east of Lima, on July 19, 2026, following a 5.5 magnitude quake. (Handout / Peruvian Ministry of Defense / AFP)
This handout picture released by Peru's Defense Ministry shows a collapsed house on the outskirts of Huancayo, about 300 km east of Lima, on July 19, 2026, following a 5.5 magnitude quake. (Handout / Peruvian Ministry of Defense / AFP)

A 5.5 magnitude earthquake shook the Andes region of Peru, killing at least five people, local authorities said on Sunday.

More than 20 people were injured, and 300 have been displaced so far.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported the quake struck on Saturday at 9:24 p.m. local time, with its epicenter located 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) west-southwest of the city of Sicaya, in Huancayo province. The incident took place at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.21 miles).

Peru’s National Civil Defense Institute said in a statement the total number of people missing is still unknown.

Several buildings collapsed or suffered structural damage, including the local church and convent.

Images broadcast by local media captured the anguish of victims’ relatives in one of the hardest-hit areas, the agricultural region of Chongo Bajo, where residents huddled under blankets outside severely damaged homes. Animals were also seen under the rubble.

In 2007, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the province of Pisco in the Ica region, leaving nearly 600 people dead.

Earthquakes are frequent in Peru, as the country is located in the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire.”


UN Watchdog Calls for Restraint as Iran Says US Attacked Unfinished

Iranians walk past an anti-US banner in Tehran on July 19, 2026. (AFP)
Iranians walk past an anti-US banner in Tehran on July 19, 2026. (AFP)
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UN Watchdog Calls for Restraint as Iran Says US Attacked Unfinished

Iranians walk past an anti-US banner in Tehran on July 19, 2026. (AFP)
Iranians walk past an anti-US banner in Tehran on July 19, 2026. (AFP)

The UN's nuclear watchdog called for restraint on Sunday after Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said the United States had attacked an under-construction nuclear power plant in the country's southwest.

The US and Iran have been trading escalating attacks for days, and Washington carried out fresh airstrikes on Sunday to "punish" Iran for the deaths of two US service members in Jordan on Friday -- its first reported losses since the return to open hostilities in the Middle East war.

Tehran's Atomic Energy Organization said US forces "in an aggressive and brutal act contrary to international law, attacked the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant... with a number of projectiles on Sunday", according to a statement carried by state TV.

The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency said it was looking into the reports, noting the plant "is in the very early stages of construction and contained no nuclear material when last visited by the IAEA".

While the incident "is not believed to pose any radiological risk", IAEA director Rafael Grossi reiterated his "call for military restraint in the vicinity of all nuclear-related sites", the agency said, in a post on X.

Iran's nuclear program has long been a major point of contention between it and the West, including in negotiations aimed at ending the current war.

While foreign powers including the US and Israel suspect it of seeking a bomb, Tehran has always maintained its program is peaceful, though it insists on its right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.