Racing Int’l Demands Ask Tehran to Resume Nuclear Negotiations

The logo of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is seen at their headquarters during a board of governors meeting (Reuters)
The logo of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is seen at their headquarters during a board of governors meeting (Reuters)
TT

Racing Int’l Demands Ask Tehran to Resume Nuclear Negotiations

The logo of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is seen at their headquarters during a board of governors meeting (Reuters)
The logo of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is seen at their headquarters during a board of governors meeting (Reuters)

World states partaking in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference are demanding that Iran cooperates with the UN nuclear watchdog and resume negotiations in Vienna to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

Meanwhile, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi is still waiting on an Iranian confirmation for his upcoming visit to Tehran.

In his opening remarks at the conference, Grossi voiced hope in rebooting cooperation with Tehran.

Grossi said he hoped to be in Tehran “very soon to address these pressing matters that will provide the necessary assurances to the world that there is no concern and also pave the way for other important diplomatic efforts which are needed to come to a satisfactory situation when it comes to the nuclear program in Iran.

On the sidelines of the conference, Grossi held discussions with the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Mohammad Eslami.

Grossi had traveled to Tehran for a quick visit about ten days ago. Hours after his visit, the IAEA chief announced that Iran had agreed to allow IAEA inspectors to maintain surveillance cameras in its nuclear facilities.

Concerning his upcoming visit to Iran, Grossi said that he had an agreement with Iranian officials but did not reveal the trip's date.

He said he hoped to “return soon” to Tehran to complete talks with Iranian officials.

The European Union (EU), which is mediating indirect nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran, expressed its concern about Iran’s continued violation of the nuclear agreement and its “irreversible repercussions” related to the nuclear technology it acquires.

It urged Iran to immediately return to negotiations and reverse its violations of the nuclear agreement.

The EU also pressed Iran to fully cooperate with the IAEA without delay or conditions to resolve outstanding issues.

To date, Iran is accused of failing to provide conclusive and credible answers to questions related to inspectors finding traces of enriched uranium in secret sites.



Russia: Man Suspected of Shooting Top General Detained in Dubai

An investigator works outside a residential building where the assassination attempt on Russian Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev took place in Moscow, Russia February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova
An investigator works outside a residential building where the assassination attempt on Russian Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev took place in Moscow, Russia February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova
TT

Russia: Man Suspected of Shooting Top General Detained in Dubai

An investigator works outside a residential building where the assassination attempt on Russian Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev took place in Moscow, Russia February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova
An investigator works outside a residential building where the assassination attempt on Russian Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev took place in Moscow, Russia February 6, 2026. REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Sunday that the man suspected of shooting top Russian military intelligence officer Vladimir Alexeyev in Moscow has been detained in Dubai and handed over to Russia.

Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of the GRU, ⁠Russia's military intelligence arm, was shot several times in an apartment block in Moscow on Friday, investigators said. He underwent surgery after the shooting, Russian media ⁠said.

The FSB said a Russian citizen named Lyubomir Korba was detained in Dubai on suspicion of carrying out the shooting.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Ukraine of being behind the assassination attempt, which he said was designed to sabotage peace talks. ⁠Ukraine said it had nothing to do with the shooting.

Alexeyev's boss, Admiral Igor Kostyukov, the head of the GRU, has been leading Russia's delegation in negotiations with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on security-related aspects of a potential peace deal.


Factory Explosion Kills 8 in Northern China

Employees work on an electric vehicle (EV) production line at the Volkswagen Anhui factory in Hefei, Anhui province, China, February 4, 2026. REUTERS/Florence Lo
Employees work on an electric vehicle (EV) production line at the Volkswagen Anhui factory in Hefei, Anhui province, China, February 4, 2026. REUTERS/Florence Lo
TT

Factory Explosion Kills 8 in Northern China

Employees work on an electric vehicle (EV) production line at the Volkswagen Anhui factory in Hefei, Anhui province, China, February 4, 2026. REUTERS/Florence Lo
Employees work on an electric vehicle (EV) production line at the Volkswagen Anhui factory in Hefei, Anhui province, China, February 4, 2026. REUTERS/Florence Lo

An explosion at a biotech factory in northern China has killed eight people, Chinese state media reported Sunday, increasing the total number of fatalities by one.

State news agency Xinhua had previously reported that seven people died and one person was missing after the Saturday morning explosion at the Jiapeng biotech company in Shanxi province, citing local authorities.

Later, Xinhua said eight were dead, adding that the firm's legal representative had been taken into custody.

The company is located in Shanyin County, about 400 kilometers west of Beijing, AFP reported.

Xinhua said clean-up operations were ongoing, noting that reporters observed dark yellow smoke emanating from the site of the explosion.

Authorities have established a team to investigate the cause of the blast, the report added.

Industrial accidents are common in China due to lax safety standards.
In late January, an explosion at a steel factory in the neighboring province of Inner Mongolia left at least nine people dead.


Iran Warns Will Not Give Up Enrichment Despite US War Threat

Traffic moves through a street in Tehran on February 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Traffic moves through a street in Tehran on February 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
TT

Iran Warns Will Not Give Up Enrichment Despite US War Threat

Traffic moves through a street in Tehran on February 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Traffic moves through a street in Tehran on February 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Iran will never surrender the right to enrich uranium, even if war "is imposed on us,” its foreign minister said Sunday, defying pressure from Washington.

"Iran has paid a very heavy price for its peaceful nuclear program and for uranium enrichment," Abbas Araghchi told a forum in Tehran.

"Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up even if a war is imposed on us? Because no one has the right to dictate our behavior," he said, two days after he met US envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman.

The foreign minister also declared that his country was not intimidated by the US naval deployment in the Gulf.

"Their military deployment in the region does not scare us," Araghchi said.