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Zarif Softens Critique of ‘Strategic’ Law After Khamenei Endorsement

FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference, March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference, March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo
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Zarif Softens Critique of ‘Strategic’ Law After Khamenei Endorsement

FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference, March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference, March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Khalid Al-Mousily/File Photo

Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has announced that President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian’s government is ready to negotiate to restore the 2015 nuclear deal.
This comes alongside adhering to the “Strategic Action Plan to Lift US Sanctions and Protect Iranian Nation’s Interests,” which led Iran to suspend many of its nuclear commitments.
Zarif, appointed by Pezeshkian to lead a committee for selecting candidates for 19 key government positions, had previously criticized the “Strategic Action Plan.” However, he has now stated that the law is binding and must be followed, calling his earlier stance “personal.”
In a recent message to the UN, Zarif held the US and three European countries accountable for their failures under the deal, which he says harmed the Iranian people and triggered legislative reactions.
Zarif emphasized that it is in these countries’ interest to correct their behavior and allow Iran to benefit from the agreement. He added that Iran has taken compensatory actions within its rights under the deal.
Despite this, Zarif stressed that Pezeshkian’s administration is open to good faith negotiations based on the nuclear agreement and Iranian laws to ensure both sides uphold the deal.
Zarif’s change of position seems to align with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s support for the 2020 law.
Khamenei has urged parliamentarians to approve Pezeshkian’s government and avoid disputes, stressing the need for a unified stance on major issues.
Pezeshkian had previously expressed his intention to review and amend the law with parliament.
Zarif had criticized the law for blocking US President Joe Biden’s return to the nuclear deal and suggested that Iranian oil sales have been facilitated by the Biden administration’s flexibility.
He also predicted that if Republican candidate Donald Trump wins the November elections, he might return to a maximum pressure strategy.
Khamenei’s recent reaffirmation of support for the law, which mandates government compliance and could lead to legal action against non-compliant officials, is the first since the elections.
In a related development, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Reza Najafi said indirect negotiations with the US, mediated by Oman, are ongoing. However, he noted that the US is not ready for serious talks on lifting sanctions due to its internal issues.
Najafi highlighted that Pezeshkian’s positions suggest negotiations will continue, but the US needs to be ready for serious discussions, and the future US administration’s policy will be crucial. He reaffirmed Iran’s readiness to continue talks.

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World

Moscow Shoots Down Nearly 60 Drones; Russian Attacks Kill Five in Ukraine

Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)
Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)
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Moscow Shoots Down Nearly 60 Drones; Russian Attacks Kill Five in Ukraine

Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)
Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)

Moscow shot down dozens of drones in the early hours of Monday and briefly suspended flights at airports, authorities in the Russian capital said, just days after Ukraine hit the city's oil refinery again.

Ukrainian authorities said Russian drones had hit civilian merchant vessels, killing an Egyptian crew member, while drone attacks elsewhere killed at least five people, including three members of the same family in Ukraine's northern Sumy region.

Nearly 60 drones headed for Moscow were downed, Mayor ‌Sergei Sobyanin said on ‌Telegram.

He said emergency services had been dispatched to the areas where ‌drones ⁠were downed but ⁠gave no further information.

The airports of Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, as well as Zhukovskiy near the Russian capital, had suspended flights, though they were later resumed, the aviation watchdog said separately. In total, Russian defense systems downed 301 drones overnight, local newswires said, citing the defense ministry. That tally included Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

The latest attacks come after drones again hit Moscow's sole oil refinery last week, in one of the biggest air attacks on the city since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The drone attack early ⁠on Monday in Ukraine's Sumy region killed a 13-year-old boy, his 36-year-old ‌father and 73-year-old grandmother, while the boy's mother and two ‌siblings were injured, regional prosecutors said.

In the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, a woman was killed and three other ‌people injured after a drone attack, Ivan Fedorov, the local governor, said on Telegram on ‌Monday.

Russia also hit the southern Odesa region with an Iskander ballistic missile on Sunday evening, killing one and injuring three people, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.

Vehicles and fuel storage tanks caught fire after the strike hit an agricultural facility, he said.

Elsewhere, the city of Sevastopol in Russia-annexed Crimea cancelled all open-air public events ‌on Monday and will keep street lights switched off, its governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said, as he called on people to curb electricity usage.

Crimea, ⁠a popular tourist destination ⁠for Russians, has suspended fuel sales to the public and businesses, with supplies restricted to government agencies responsible for essential services and security, as Ukraine's drone attacks on its supply routes and energy facilities elsewhere led to a fuel crisis.

THREE VESSELS UNDER RUSSIAN DRONE ATTACK

Russian drones hit a Turkish dry cargo vessel, the Victress, which was sailing under the Panamanian flag, Ukraine's navy said.

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said a 58-year-old Egyptian cook was killed and eight other crew members, including Turkish and Indian nationals, had to evacuate on a lifeboat.

The vessel sustained significant damage, Kuleba said on Telegram.

The operator of the Victress, Türkiye’s Rana Denizcilik according to LSEG data, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Kuleba said vessels operating under the flags of Palau and Belize also came under attack overnight, but nobody was hurt and the vessels resumed their journey.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's maritime export routes, striking vessels and ports vital to foreign trade and the wartime economy.

World

China Sanctions 10 US Defense, Rare Earth Firms Over Pentagon Blacklist

Lockheed Martin showcases advanced capabilities at World Defense Show in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat) 
Lockheed Martin showcases advanced capabilities at World Defense Show in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat) 
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China Sanctions 10 US Defense, Rare Earth Firms Over Pentagon Blacklist

Lockheed Martin showcases advanced capabilities at World Defense Show in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat) 
Lockheed Martin showcases advanced capabilities at World Defense Show in Riyadh. (Asharq Al-Awsat) 

China imposed export controls on 10 US companies involved in defense and rare earths mining in response to Washington's blacklist of Chinese firms, Beijing said on Monday.

Also, exporters are prohibited from providing dual-use items to the listed entities, China's commerce ministry said, adding that “any relevant export activities currently underway must cease immediately.”

The move comes a month after US President Donald Trump visited Beijing, seeking to stabilize fraught relations during talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Although the countries agreed to work towards reducing tariffs, ties have since been tested as both sides stunt the other in tech and defense.

Washington released a new blacklist this month of 80 companies and their subsidiaries it said were aiding the Chinese military.

China's new export controls come “in response to the US government's egregious act of adding to its so-called 'Chinese military enterprise list,’” the commerce ministry said in a statement, adding the move was also to “safeguard national security.”

The 10 entities include Aveox, which holds aerospace defense contracts with the US military, and Oshkosh Defense, which produces military vehicle fleets.

It also lists US rare earths producers MP Materials and USA Rare Earth.

China's finance ministry simultaneously announced a ban on agencies involved in public procurement from buying products made by 46 US firms, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Boeing's defense division.

Companies with US investments operating in China are excluded, according to a statement from the finance ministry, which said measures would take effect from Monday.

The list of companies and their subsidiaries that Washington blacklisted this month include Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, internet search provider Baidu, and automakers BYD and NIO.

 

World

Two Suspects in Custody After Shooting at High School in Philippines Kills 3

Philippines National Flag is pictured as the rainbow displays over it a day before the annual procession to celebrate Black Nazarene feast day at Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Philippines, January 8, 2020. (Reuters)
Philippines National Flag is pictured as the rainbow displays over it a day before the annual procession to celebrate Black Nazarene feast day at Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Philippines, January 8, 2020. (Reuters)
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Two Suspects in Custody After Shooting at High School in Philippines Kills 3

Philippines National Flag is pictured as the rainbow displays over it a day before the annual procession to celebrate Black Nazarene feast day at Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Philippines, January 8, 2020. (Reuters)
Philippines National Flag is pictured as the rainbow displays over it a day before the annual procession to celebrate Black Nazarene feast day at Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Philippines, January 8, 2020. (Reuters)

Two young students opened fire in a high school in the central Philippines on Monday, killing three fellow students and wounding another seven, police said. 

The suspects, aged 14 and 15, were armed with one pistol each. They were arrested. The suspects and the victims were students of the San Jose National High School in Tacloban city, where the mid-morning shooting happened, regional police chief Brig. Gen. Jason Capoy said. 

An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the shooting in the government-run school, which has more than 1,500 students. Capoy said that the suspects, who were close friends, said in initial questioning that they were bullied in school. He did not elaborate. 

They have no criminal records and it's not immediately clear where they got the pistols used in the attack. They managed to bring the guns into the campus because there was only one guard on duty at multiple entrances and exits, Capoy said. 

“The suspects barged into two rooms because after the shooting in the first, the children scampered and the suspects apparently ran after some victims into another room,” Capoy told reporters. 

Most of the dead and wounded were female students, he said. 

One of the suspects was arrested in the school after the attack, but the second fled and hid in a house nearby. He was found by police who were alerted by residents, police said. 

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a thorough investigation of the shooting and asked law enforcers to boost security in all schools, workplaces and public areas, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said. 

“The president was saddened by this incident. Anybody, especially the parents of the victims, will feel sad and terrified,” Castro said. 

The national police have urged the public to remain calm and cooperate with authorities by providing any information that may aid the ongoing investigation. 

Crimes involving the use of firearms are prevalent in the Philippines, partly due to the proliferation of unlicensed firearms, but school shootings are relatively rare.