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Türkiye, Iran Agree to Boost Ties, Cooperation

Türkiye, Iran Agree to Boost Ties, Cooperation
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Türkiye, Iran Agree to Boost Ties, Cooperation

Türkiye, Iran Agree to Boost Ties, Cooperation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, asserted the importance of taking a joint stance against "Israeli atrocities and brutality in the Palestinian territories."

During a phone call, the two leaders discussed the "unlawful attacks" on Gaza, humanitarian aid efforts, and possible measures to achieve a permanent ceasefire.

Earlier, Türkiye and Iran reaffirmed their support for the Palestinian people in the face of the escalating Israeli aggression, their continued diplomatic efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire, and the arrival of aid to the Gaza Strip.

The two countries expressed their desire to enhance further cooperation in various political, security, and economic fields and about regional and international issues of common interest.

- Developments in Gaza

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, also discussed the recent developments in Gaza, bilateral relations, and ongoing efforts to boost cooperation in various fields over the phone.

Diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Fidan confirmed Türkiye will continue to exert all possible efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and prevent the conflict between Israel and Hamas from spreading to other regions.

The sources added that Fidan stressed the need to achieve the two-state solution and establish an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the borders of June 4, 1967.

He also called for mobilizing the efforts of Islamic countries to achieve this goal.

The sources noted that Fidan was satisfied with the announcement of various parties about their readiness to consider guarantorship, which Türkiye proposed for post-war on Gaza.

In turn, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that the discussions between Amirabdollahian and Fidan focused on recent developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and several issues of bilateral concern.

The Ministry added in a statement that Amirabdollahian stressed the need for Iran and Türkiye, along with other Islamic countries, to take more decisive measures to support the Palestinian people.

The FM underscored the "need for a complete end to the Zionist regime's crimes against the Palestinian nation in Gaza and the West Bank."

- Strengthening cooperation

Amirabdollahian said he was pleased with the growing trend of cooperation between the two countries on different fronts, expressing hope that the continuation of high-level diplomacy between the two countries will lead to the ever-increasing enhancement of cooperation.

The recent developments in Gaza prompted more coordination and consultation between Ankara and Tehran.

The top Iranian diplomat visited Ankara in early November and discussed the situation in Gaza with Fidan.

He also met Erdogan, and the two sides called for a regional conference to discuss the situation, end the Israeli aggression and provide aid to the Palestinian people.

According to diplomatic sources, Fidan discussed the developments in Syria with Amirabdollahian.

The Iranian FM asserted that Tehran would continue its efforts to normalize relations between Ankara and Damascus.

The meeting also addressed the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) issue in northern Iraq and its extension into Syria, the Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG), the largest component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Fidan stressed at the International Strategic Communications Summit (Stratcom) in Istanbul last Friday that terrorist groups exploit social media and carry out organized crimes to ensure financing, noting that old methods have become insufficient in the war against terrorism.

He reiterated that the support provided by allies, especially the US, to the Kurdistan Workers' Party and its affiliated YPG Units, claiming to fight the terrorist organization ISIS, was a major strategic mistake.

Fidan stressed that Türkiye will continue to take all necessary steps and precautions to enhance its national security.

Türkiye seeks tripartite cooperation with Iran and Iraq in combating the Kurdistan Workers' Party, as it is a threat to the three countries.

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Death Toll from Catastrophic Flooding in Texas over the July Fourth Weekend Surpasses 100

A portion of Highway 1340 is covered by the Guadalupe River in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, US, July 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A portion of Highway 1340 is covered by the Guadalupe River in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, US, July 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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Death Toll from Catastrophic Flooding in Texas over the July Fourth Weekend Surpasses 100

A portion of Highway 1340 is covered by the Guadalupe River in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, US, July 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A portion of Highway 1340 is covered by the Guadalupe River in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, US, July 7, 2025. (Reuters)

The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend surpassed 100 on Monday as search-and-rescue teams continued to wade into swollen rivers and use heavy equipment to untangle trees as part of the massive search for missing people.

Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the flooding that killed at least 104.

The officials spoke only hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced that they lost 27 campers and counselors to the floodwaters. Kerr County officials said 10 campers and one counselor were still unaccounted for Monday.

Searchers have found the bodies of 84 people, including 28 children, in the county home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, officials said.

With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise.

The raging flash floods, among the nation’s worst in decades, slammed into camps and homes along the edge of the Guadalupe River before daybreak Friday, pulling sleeping people out of their cabins, tents and trailers and dragging them for miles past floating tree trunks and cars. Some survivors were found clinging to trees.

Piles of twisted trees sprinkled with mattresses, refrigerators and coolers littered the riverbanks Monday. The debris included reminders of what drew so many to the campgrounds and cabins in the Hill Country — a volleyball, canoes and a family portrait.

Nineteen deaths were reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, local officials said.

Among those confirmed dead were 8-year-old sisters from Dallas who were at Camp Mystic and a former soccer coach and his wife who were staying at a riverfront home. Their daughters were still missing.

Calls for finding why warnings weren't heard

Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in a place long vulnerable to flooding that some local residents refer to as “flash flood alley.”

That will include a review of how weather warnings were sent out and received. One of the challenges is that many camps and cabins are in places with poor cellphone service, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said.

“We definitely want to dive in and look at all those things,” he said. “We’re looking forward to doing that once we can get the search and rescue complete.”

Some camps were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather. At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods.

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, said recent government spending cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service did not delay any warnings.

“There’s a time to have political fights, there’s a time to disagree. This is not that time,” Cruz said. “There will be a time to find out what could been done differently. My hope is in time we learn some lessons to implement the next time there is a flood.”

The weather service first advised of potential flooding on Thursday and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare step that alerts the public to imminent danger.

Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months of rain. Some residents said they never received any warnings.

President Donald Trump, who signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County and plans to visit the area, said Sunday that he does not plan to rehire any of the federal meteorologists who were fired this year.

“This was a thing that happened in seconds. Nobody expected it,” the president said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said local and federal weather services provided sufficient warnings.

“That was an act of God. It’s not the administration’s fault that the flood hit when it did, but there were early and consistent warnings,” Leavitt said.

More than three dozen people were unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing, Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday.

Search-and-rescue crews at one staging area said Monday that more than 1,000 volunteers had been directed to Kerr County.

Little time to escape floods

Reagan Brown said his parents, in their 80s, managed to escape uphill as water inundated their home in the town of Hunt. When the couple learned that their 92-year-old neighbor was trapped in her attic, they went back and rescued her.

“Then they were able to reach their tool shed up higher ground, and neighbors throughout the early morning began to show up at their tool shed, and they all rode it out together,” Brown said.

Elizabeth Lester, a mother of children who were at Camp Mystic and nearby Camp La Junta during the flood, said her young son had to swim out his cabin window to escape. Her daughter fled up the hillside as floodwaters whipped against her legs.