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Military Intelligence Officer Reportedly Injured in Moscow Car Bomb Attack

A group of Rosgvardia (National Guard) servicemen and people with umbrellas walk under the rain through Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Monday, July 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
A group of Rosgvardia (National Guard) servicemen and people with umbrellas walk under the rain through Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Monday, July 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
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Military Intelligence Officer Reportedly Injured in Moscow Car Bomb Attack

A group of Rosgvardia (National Guard) servicemen and people with umbrellas walk under the rain through Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Monday, July 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
A group of Rosgvardia (National Guard) servicemen and people with umbrellas walk under the rain through Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Monday, July 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

A car bomb injured an officer from Russia's military intelligence agency in northern Moscow on Wednesday, the Kommersant newspaper reported.
Russia's interior ministry said that two people were injured in a blast caused by the detonation of an unidentified device, adding a criminal case had been opened.
The explosion ripped through a Toyota Land Cruiser shortly after the officer and an unidentified woman got into the vehicle, according to Russian media which showed footage of the explosion.
Kommersant, one of Russia's leading newspapers, said that the injured man served in the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, widely referred to as GRU.
Baza, which has sources in Russia's security services, also said the injured man was a GRU officer.
State news agency TASS said that an officer and his wife had been injured in the blast. The man's feet were blown off, according to TASS. Five other cars were damaged in the blast, the agency said.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports.

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Iran Divided Over Araghchi’s Call for New Nuclear Talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. (AFP)
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Iran Divided Over Araghchi’s Call for New Nuclear Talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. (AFP)

Iranian newspapers are split over the first comments made by new Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi about the 2015 nuclear deal and whether it can be revived to lift US sanctions.

On Sunday, Araghchi denied that the deal between Iran and world powers is “dead,” walking back from earlier comments suggesting the agreement was finished and needed new negotiations.

His remarks came in his first TV interview after taking office last Wednesday.

The nuclear deal fell apart after former US President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018, criticizing it for not addressing Iran's regional activities, especially its ballistic missile program.

In response, Iran gradually stopped complying with the deal, including significantly increasing uranium enrichment after President Joe Biden took office.

Efforts by the Biden administration to revive the deal failed after six rounds of negotiations in Vienna, led by Araghchi, and further talks with Iran’s previous government.

The diplomatic process stalled further with the Ukraine war and Iran’s growing isolation after mass protests in September 2022.

During his election campaign, President Masoud Pezeshkian promised to lift sanctions and improve living conditions, criticizing a 2020 law that allowed Iran to further pull away from the deal.

However, after winning the elections, Pezeshkian, and former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, pledged to follow domestic laws in any negotiations.

Araghchi, too, affirmed his commitment to these laws in parliament and noted that reviving the nuclear talks would be harder now due to changing international conditions, such as the Ukraine war and conflict in Gaza.

He suggested that if the deal is to be revived, it would need amendments, which would be challenging.

Later, Araghchi clarified that his comments did not mean the deal was dead and that Iran would continue negotiations, consulting with other parties to protect Iranian interests.

His remarks came after phone calls with his counterparts in France, Germany, the UK, and the EU’s foreign policy chief.

The reformist newspaper Sazandegi reported that Araghchi told European officials the current deal couldn’t be revived without changes.

Meanwhile, the hardline Khorasan daily highlighted the challenges Araghchi faces, including the expiration of a related UN Security Council resolution in October.

The newspaper Farhikhtegan, linked to a top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, questioned the value of new negotiations.

An analyst suggested that Iran's foreign policy remains consistent despite government changes, with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei having the final say.

The reformist Arman-e Melli newspaper accused opponents of the deal of distracting from Araghchi's comments and suggested that the new government would pursue national interests if not obstructed.

Some lawmakers who previously opposed the deal now support reviving talks, but one political analyst argued that the deal is effectively dead and cannot be brought back.