Iran Warns Washington That Pressure ‘Doesn’t Work’

 A pro-government demonstrator waves an Iranian flag during a gathering in a square in Tehran, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP)
A pro-government demonstrator waves an Iranian flag during a gathering in a square in Tehran, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP)
TT

Iran Warns Washington That Pressure ‘Doesn’t Work’

 A pro-government demonstrator waves an Iranian flag during a gathering in a square in Tehran, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP)
A pro-government demonstrator waves an Iranian flag during a gathering in a square in Tehran, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP)

Iran warned the United States on Friday that "pressure doesn't work" against the Islamic republic, calling on Washington to honor its commitments, after six months of conflict between the sworn enemies.

The Middle East war started in late February with US-Israeli strikes against Iran, which retaliated with attacks mostly against Washington's regional allies and shuttered the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

An April ceasefire put an end to nearly 40 days of intense fighting, but sporadic attacks, mainly around the Strait, have dimmed the prospects for a final peace agreement.

"Putting diplomacy back on track isn't impossible. It hinges on US understanding of one simple fact: pressure doesn't work," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X.

His statement came a day after he met Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who was visiting Tehran in an effort to revive the diplomatic track, which has been at a standstill for weeks.

Al Thani's visit comes at a time when the United States is increasing its economic pressure on Iran, which has already been under international sanctions for decades.

Tehran has been holding talks on the future of Hormuz with Oman for weeks, while insisting that the strait will remain closed as long as Washington has not fulfilled its commitments under the June memorandum of understanding, which calls for lifting the US counter-blockade of Iranian ports and removing sanctions.

"The US should build trust, speak respectfully, acknowledge our rights, and uphold commitments," Araghchi said.



Iran Presses Other Countries to Refrain from Implementing US Sanctions

 A pro-government demonstrator waves an Iranian flag during a gathering in a square in Tehran, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP)
A pro-government demonstrator waves an Iranian flag during a gathering in a square in Tehran, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP)
TT

Iran Presses Other Countries to Refrain from Implementing US Sanctions

 A pro-government demonstrator waves an Iranian flag during a gathering in a square in Tehran, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP)
A pro-government demonstrator waves an Iranian flag during a gathering in a square in Tehran, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP)

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said all countries were obliged to refrain from implementing US sanctions against Tehran, adding that participation in them amounted to complicity in imposing ‌one state’s ‌unlawful will ‌on independent ⁠states.

In a statement ⁠published on its X account on Friday, the ministry described new US economic measures ⁠as illegal and reprehensible "state ‌terrorism" ‌and a crime ‌against humanity, saying they ‌put the health and livelihoods of millions of civilians at serious ‌risk.

It called on the international community ⁠to ⁠uphold the rule of law and said Tehran would use all its capabilities to defend itself against what it called a combined US-Israeli military and economic assault.


Russia Strikes Ukraine’s Capital with Waves of Drones

Parts of a shot-down kamikaze drone at a site of a Russian strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the town of Vyshneve in Kyiv region, Ukraine, August 28, 2026. (Reuters)
Parts of a shot-down kamikaze drone at a site of a Russian strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the town of Vyshneve in Kyiv region, Ukraine, August 28, 2026. (Reuters)
TT

Russia Strikes Ukraine’s Capital with Waves of Drones

Parts of a shot-down kamikaze drone at a site of a Russian strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the town of Vyshneve in Kyiv region, Ukraine, August 28, 2026. (Reuters)
Parts of a shot-down kamikaze drone at a site of a Russian strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the town of Vyshneve in Kyiv region, Ukraine, August 28, 2026. (Reuters)

Russia launched waves of drones at Ukraine's capital Kyiv and surrounding region on Friday, damaging warehouses and homes in a second consecutive day of strikes Ukrainian officials said were an attempt to derail daily life for millions of residents.

At least one person was killed outside Kyiv, said Governor Tymur Tkachenko, adding that 14 warehouse premises, 16 homes and three blocks of apartment buildings had been damaged.

Frequent air-raid sirens blared throughout the city on Friday morning, a day after an hours-long missile and drone attack on Ukraine that targeted major retailers and consumer ‌logistics in Kyiv ‌and elsewhere.

Those strikes continued on Friday, destroying sorting centers ‌belonging ⁠to Ukraine's top ⁠private courier Nova Poshta near Kyiv and in the northern city of Sumy, the company said.

In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, a Russian drone tore into major home-improvement store Epicenter, wounding at least four people, Governor Ivan Fedorov said on Friday.

GOAL IS TO 'PARALYSE' KYIV

Ukraine's state emergency service said Russia had attacked the Kyiv region 38 times during the past 24 ⁠hours, warning residents not to approach areas where firefighters ‌were still battling blazes.

Friday's attacks appeared aimed ‌at prolonging the snarl-up sparked by strikes a day earlier, which delayed trains across several ‌regions and left passengers stranded for long periods.

"The enemy is ‌launching small numbers of jet-powered UAVs in waves with the aim of paralyzing Kyiv," said Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD), a branch of the National Security Council.

"The aim - to wear down the air defenses and the population."

Ukraine's ‌state railway said on Friday that delays were gradually decreasing, but that the effects of frequent strikes and ⁠air-raid alerts ⁠would be felt at least another day. Kyiv spent nearly 15 hours under air-raid alert on Thursday, according to Ukraine's foreign ministry.

NEW STRIKES ON RETAILERS, LOGISTICS

Russian forces also attacked a shopping center in the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, said Mayor Ihor Terekhov, the second such attack there in two days.

Russia and Ukraine have stepped up strikes in recent weeks on consumer logistics and online retailers in a bid to dent each other's economies and weaken their respective war efforts.

Also on Friday, a Russian drone attack destroyed a warehouse in Kyiv region for a major book retailer that shipped thousands of titles per day, the company said.


Congo Starts Ebola Vaccinations for Health Workers

A Uganda Red Cross Society worker in protective gear sprays disinfectant at the home of a suspected Ebola victim in Kampala on May 26, 2026. (AFP)
A Uganda Red Cross Society worker in protective gear sprays disinfectant at the home of a suspected Ebola victim in Kampala on May 26, 2026. (AFP)
TT

Congo Starts Ebola Vaccinations for Health Workers

A Uganda Red Cross Society worker in protective gear sprays disinfectant at the home of a suspected Ebola victim in Kampala on May 26, 2026. (AFP)
A Uganda Red Cross Society worker in protective gear sprays disinfectant at the home of a suspected Ebola victim in Kampala on May 26, 2026. (AFP)

Democratic Republic ‌of Congo on Thursday began vaccinating frontline health workers with a vaccine approved for a different Ebola species, as authorities seek to contain the country's largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak on record.

* Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said Congo had received more than 50,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine and would begin vaccinations in provinces affected by ‌the outbreak, ‌prioritizing health workers.

* Ervebo is licensed ‌against ⁠the Zaire species ⁠of Ebola and was used successfully in previous outbreaks. The current epidemic is caused by the Bundibugyo species, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment.

* Early animal studies suggest Ervebo could provide ⁠some protection against Bundibugyo, and authorities ‌are using 20,000 of ‌the 70,000 doses allocated to Congo in ‌a clinical trial to assess its effectiveness ‌in humans.

* Several vaccines specifically targeting the Bundibugyo species are also under development, including candidates from the University of Oxford and the International ‌AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).

* Vaccinations began in the northeastern city of Kisangani, the capital ⁠of ⁠Tshopo province, one of six provinces affected by the outbreak.

* Kamba said the campaign would first cover provinces surrounding Ituri, where the outbreak was first detected and remains most heavily concentrated, before progressively moving inward.

* The outbreak, declared on May 15, has infected 5,794 people and killed 2,786, according to the latest government figures, making it the world's second deadliest Ebola epidemic on record.