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Trump Says Iran 'Better Get Serious' in Mideast War Talks

US President Donald Trump speaks during the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraising dinner at Union Station on March 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump was this year's keynote speaker at the dinner. AFP
US President Donald Trump speaks during the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraising dinner at Union Station on March 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump was this year's keynote speaker at the dinner. AFP
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Trump Says Iran 'Better Get Serious' in Mideast War Talks

US President Donald Trump speaks during the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraising dinner at Union Station on March 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump was this year's keynote speaker at the dinner. AFP
US President Donald Trump speaks during the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraising dinner at Union Station on March 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump was this year's keynote speaker at the dinner. AFP

US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Thursday to engage in talks to end the Middle East war "before it is too late", after Tehran publicly spurned US overtures to resolve the nearly four-week conflict.

Trump's warning came as Israel said it had killed the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' navy, calling him "directly responsible" for throttling the Strait of Hormuz since the war's outbreak.

Hopes for a negotiated end to the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has engulfed much of the region, rose after Washington was said to have put a peace plan to Tehran, only for Tehran to deny the sides were speaking, AFP reported.

But Pakistan confirmed Thursday it was indeed facilitating "US-Iran indirect talks" by relaying messages -- and that a 15-point American plan was being "deliberated upon" by Tehran.

"They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won't be pretty!" Trump warned on social media, saying Iran had been "militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback".

Iran's foreign minister flatly denied Wednesday that "negotiations" had been engaged with Trump's administration -- but did concede messages were being exchanged through "friendly countries".

"We seek an end to the war on our own terms," Abbas Araghchi said on state TV.

Islamabad has been touted as a go-between, given its longstanding ties with both neighbouring Iran and the United States, as well as its network of regional contacts.

 

 

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World

Russia Says Downed 419 Ukrainian Drones

A woman walks past Russian security personnel standing guard in central Moscow, Russia June 29, 2026. (Reuters)
A woman walks past Russian security personnel standing guard in central Moscow, Russia June 29, 2026. (Reuters)
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Russia Says Downed 419 Ukrainian Drones

A woman walks past Russian security personnel standing guard in central Moscow, Russia June 29, 2026. (Reuters)
A woman walks past Russian security personnel standing guard in central Moscow, Russia June 29, 2026. (Reuters)

Russia shot down 419 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight, the defense ministry said Tuesday.

Kyiv has stepped up its long-range drone strike campaign against Russia in recent months, particularly against energy infrastructure to target a vital source of the Kremlin's revenue to fund its war effort, now in its fifth year.

Air defense systems "intercepted and destroyed 419 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles" around the country, the defense ministry posted on the state-run Max platform.

It did not say if there were any deaths or injuries.

Moscow's Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said earlier that air defense forces had shot down 50 "enemy drones" overnight headed for the capital.

The swarm came days after Russia shot down 660 Ukrainian drones between Thursday and Friday, one of the highest figures since the start of the conflict.

A Ukrainian attack also caused a fire last week at a refinery in the southeast of Moscow.

World

Two Revolutionary Guards Killed in Attack by Unknown Gunmen in Western Iran

A handout photo made available by Sepahnews shows members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during a military drill around the capital city of Tehran, Iran, 12 May 2026. (EPA/Handout)
A handout photo made available by Sepahnews shows members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during a military drill around the capital city of Tehran, Iran, 12 May 2026. (EPA/Handout)
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Two Revolutionary Guards Killed in Attack by Unknown Gunmen in Western Iran

A handout photo made available by Sepahnews shows members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during a military drill around the capital city of Tehran, Iran, 12 May 2026. (EPA/Handout)
A handout photo made available by Sepahnews shows members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during a military drill around the capital city of Tehran, Iran, 12 May 2026. (EPA/Handout)

Two members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards were killed and two ‌others wounded ‌in what the ‌Guards ⁠described as a "terrorist" ⁠shooting in the western province of ⁠Kermanshah on ‌Monday ‌evening, state ‌media ‌reported on Tuesday.

The attackers opened fire outside ‌the Guards members' home and ⁠authorities ⁠were investigating to identify those responsible, state media reported.

World

Satellite Data: Over 58,000 Buildings Likely Damaged or Destroyed in Venezuela

Rescue workers search for survivors among the rubble following two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela, 29 June 2026. EPA/Henry Chirinos
Rescue workers search for survivors among the rubble following two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela, 29 June 2026. EPA/Henry Chirinos
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Satellite Data: Over 58,000 Buildings Likely Damaged or Destroyed in Venezuela

Rescue workers search for survivors among the rubble following two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela, 29 June 2026. EPA/Henry Chirinos
Rescue workers search for survivors among the rubble following two earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 in Catia La Mar, La Guaira state, Venezuela, 29 June 2026. EPA/Henry Chirinos

The powerful twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week damaged or destroyed more than 58,000 buildings, according to a preliminary assessment of satellite data published by US space agency NASA.

Some 1,700 people were killed and thousands remain missing following the quakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 -- the strongest to hit the South American nation in more than a century.

"Approximately 58,870 buildings were likely damaged or destroyed across the affected region" based on satellite radar data gathered on June 25, the day after the earthquakes, according to researchers Corey Scher and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University.

The duo were citing data from the European Space Agency's high-resolution radar imagery satellite Sentinel-1, AFP reported.

"This is a preliminary, rapid assessment. It reflects abrupt surface change consistent with damage," the researchers wrote, adding that the figure should only be read as an indicator and was not verified on the ground.

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez reported on Monday that 855 buildings have been damaged, including 189 "total collapses."

NASA said that its satellites were "providing critical support, capturing imagery and data to help teams on the ground assess impacts and guide response efforts."