Blinken, Baerbok Affirm Support for Iranian Protesters

The US and German foreign ministers attend a forum in the historic western German city of Münster ahead of a G7 meeting (EPA)
The US and German foreign ministers attend a forum in the historic western German city of Münster ahead of a G7 meeting (EPA)
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Blinken, Baerbok Affirm Support for Iranian Protesters

The US and German foreign ministers attend a forum in the historic western German city of Münster ahead of a G7 meeting (EPA)
The US and German foreign ministers attend a forum in the historic western German city of Münster ahead of a G7 meeting (EPA)

The US and German foreign ministers on Thursday strongly expressed their support for the protests in Iran, stressing that the issue would play a bigger role at the two-day G7 meeting in the western German city of Münster on Friday.

“This is really a moment saying we bring up a human rights issue, we bring up an issue of democracy and freedom at this G7 meeting to coordinate the different bilateral actions we are doing, because we are running out of time,” said Annalena Baerbok during talks with Anthony Blinken.

The two ministers attended the US-German Futures Forum entitled “The Future of Democracy in a Digital World,” ahead of the G7 foreign ministers meeting.

The German FM then criticized the Iranian government for the violent security crackdown on the protest movement.

She said that for weeks one has been experiencing “the brutal violence with which the Iranian regime is treating its own citizens. How it beats its youth, its society, while its people are dying.”

Baerbok then commented on Germany’s statement on Thursday urging its citizens to leave Iran or risk arbitrary arrest and long prison terms there, warning that dual nationals were particularly at risk.

“The German move comes in response to the tight security situation,” she stressed, according to Germany’s news agency.

Baerbok also said: “It’s not only women but the diversity of the Iran society that is saying: enough, and we want to live in freedom like every-many other countries.”

For his part, Blinken said that with regard to technology, “one of the things that we’re trying to do together is to make sure that Iranians have the ability to communicate with each other and with the outside world.”

He added: “Technology is at the heart of that, making sure that there are no barriers to the extent we have anything to say about it to that technology getting to people who need it and want to use it.”

Germany hosts and leads the meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Münster on Thursday and Friday.

The G7 includes Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, the US, and Britain.

Shortly before the start of the G7 meeting, dozens of people gathered in the German city to show support for the Iranians, according to AFP.



Blast at Los Angeles Sheriff's Facility Leaves 3 Dead

A Los Angeles County sheriff's officer stands watch as a police vehicle passes by, while officers block the road to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility,in East Los Angeles, California, US July 18, 2025. REUTERS/ Mike Blake
A Los Angeles County sheriff's officer stands watch as a police vehicle passes by, while officers block the road to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility,in East Los Angeles, California, US July 18, 2025. REUTERS/ Mike Blake
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Blast at Los Angeles Sheriff's Facility Leaves 3 Dead

A Los Angeles County sheriff's officer stands watch as a police vehicle passes by, while officers block the road to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility,in East Los Angeles, California, US July 18, 2025. REUTERS/ Mike Blake
A Los Angeles County sheriff's officer stands watch as a police vehicle passes by, while officers block the road to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Biscailuz Center Academy Training facility,in East Los Angeles, California, US July 18, 2025. REUTERS/ Mike Blake

An explosion at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department training facility has killed three deputies, local media reported on Friday, though officials have yet to confirm any deaths.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said an explosion occurred at the Biscailuz Center Academy Training in East Los Angeles. The spokesperson said the cause was under investigation and that they were not yet ready to confirm any deaths or injuries, Reuters reported.

The Los Angeles Times newspaper, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, reported that three deputies were killed in the blast, which took place when a bomb squad moved some explosives.

Hilda Solis, who serves on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said in a written statement that "my heart goes out to the families, friends, and colleagues of the three individuals who lost their lives in what appears to have been a devastating explosion."

US Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on social media that she had spoken with Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna along with US Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli "about what appears to be a horrific incident that killed at least three at a law enforcement training facility in Los Angeles."

Bondi said that federal agents were at the scene and working to learn more.