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Türkiye Rejects US Condolences over Blast

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. (AFP)
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. (AFP)
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Türkiye Rejects US Condolences over Blast

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. (AFP)
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu. (AFP)

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu on Monday said that Türkiye rejected the condolences message from the US embassy following the deadly explosion in Istanbul that killed six people and left tens wounded.

“We have received the message, but we will not accept and are rejecting condolences from the US embassy,” Soylu told journalists, as quoted by the Russian RTarabic.

“We know who supports terrorism in north Syria, and we know the message they want to deliver to Türkiye through this bombing,” he added.

Soylu also blamed the United States, saying a condolence message from the White House was akin to “a killer being first to show up at a crime scene.”

Türkiye has been infuriated by US support for Syrian Kurdish groups.

The Turkish official pointed the finger at Syria-based Kurdish YPG group as the people behind the bombing attack, claiming that “the terror plot came from Ayn al-Arab” – the district in northern Syria where the predominantly Kurdish city of Kobani is located.

The bombing killed six people and wounded 81 others in the popular shopping street of Istiklal Avenue on Sunday shortly after 4:00 pm (1300 GMT).

There has been no claim of responsibility.

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Trump Says Iran Has Agreed to Not Have a Nuclear Weapon

President Donald Trump waves after his arrival at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala, Florida on May 1, 2026. (Getty Images/AFP)
President Donald Trump waves after his arrival at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala, Florida on May 1, 2026. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Trump Says Iran Has Agreed to Not Have a Nuclear Weapon

President Donald Trump waves after his arrival at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala, Florida on May 1, 2026. (Getty Images/AFP)
President Donald Trump waves after his arrival at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala, Florida on May 1, 2026. (Getty Images/AFP)

US President ‌Donald Trump said Iran has agreed not to have a nuclear weapon and that he would probably meet with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei at some point if things "work out".

"They've already agreed they're not going to have a nuclear weapon," Trump told "Pod Force One" in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, while speaking about Iran.

Asked about Khamenei's involvement in talks with ‌the US on ending ‌hostilities, Trump said, "He's involved, ‌absolutely. ... I ⁠think they have ⁠a lot of respect for him."

Trump said he was hearing Iran's leader was not doing too well but was giving his approval during the negotiations. He added that he had not had "the privilege of meeting" ⁠Khamenei.

"I'd like to meet him. We ‌probably will meet ‌at some point, depending on how it all ‌works out," Trump said.

The US president said ‌he viewed the Iran war as a success because the country's military had been defeated.

The conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes on February ‌28, has upended the global energy market and has proven unpopular with Americans ⁠months ⁠before November congressional elections.

"Iran's a big success," Trump said in the interview. "We'll see what happens. We're going to, we're working on a deal, and that happens fine. If it doesn't happen, that's OK too. We'll do it the other way."

He did not specify what that might mean, but has said in the past that the US would resume strikes.

World

Iran Executes Man Convicted of Killing Police Officer During Protest

People walk around Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, Iran, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP)
People walk around Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, Iran, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP)
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Iran Executes Man Convicted of Killing Police Officer During Protest

People walk around Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, Iran, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP)
People walk around Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, Iran, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP)

Iran's judiciary on Wednesday announced the execution of a man convicted of killing a police officer during the wave of anti-government protests that swept the country earlier this year.

Iran executes more people annually than any other nation besides China, according to rights groups, and has carried out a string of executions for security-related cases since the outbreak in February of war with Israel and the United States.

"The death penalty has been carried out against Fathollah Avari, who had killed a police commander during the January protests in Hamedan" in western Iran, according to the judiciary's website, Mizan.

No date was provided for Avari's arrest, trial or execution.

On Wednesday, Iran's prosecutors accused Avari of "fatally stabbing a police officer" during a protest in Hamedan on January 8, at the height of the protests.

In late December, a protest movement sparked by economic pains quickly expanded into mass anti-government rallies and was met by a crackdown that rights groups say killed thousands.

Iranian authorities portrayed the protests as riots backed by the United States and Israel, and said the violence killed around 3,000 people.

Rights groups abroad put the toll higher and accused the security forces of firing at demonstrators.

World

NATO Chief Visits Kyiv After Russian Strikes

In this handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on June 3, 2026, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (L) greets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) upon his arrival in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Handout / Ukrainian Foreign Ministry / AFP)
In this handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on June 3, 2026, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (L) greets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) upon his arrival in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Handout / Ukrainian Foreign Ministry / AFP)
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NATO Chief Visits Kyiv After Russian Strikes

In this handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on June 3, 2026, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (L) greets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) upon his arrival in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Handout / Ukrainian Foreign Ministry / AFP)
In this handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on June 3, 2026, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (L) greets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (R) upon his arrival in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Handout / Ukrainian Foreign Ministry / AFP)

NATO chief Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday for an unannounced trip, after a series of large-scale fatal Russian attacks on the Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is expected to meet with Rutte, has been appealing to members of the defense bloc for help protecting Ukraine from Russian ballistic missile attacks.

A spokesman confirmed Rutte had arrived along with NATO ambassadors from alliance members after Ukraine's national railway operator posted images of his arrival in Kyiv.

"We are gladly welcoming NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte," Ukrzaliznytsia wrote on social media.

"This visit is extremely important, just like all the previous ones, because it is a gesture of solidarity and support from the Alliance for our country," Ukrzaliznytsia added. The post was later deleted.

His visit comes hours after Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in the northern Russian city of Saint Petersburg where officials and visiting dignitaries were gathering for a flagship economic forum.

Russian missile and drone attacks a day earlier killed 23 people in strikes on Kyiv and the eastern city of Dnipro.

Zelensky has been pushing NATO countries to up their deliveries of air defense systems -- in particular US-made Patriot batteries and ammunition, which Kyiv says it needs to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles.