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China, Belarus Agree to Strengthen Cooperation in Trade, Security

FILE - In this photo provided by the Belarusian Presidential Press Service, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to military personnel during his visit to Oshmyany District, Grodno region of Belarus on March 26, 2024. A Belarusian human rights group said Thursday, July 4, 2024 that at least 10 political prisoners have been freed since the country’s authoritarian president this week promised to release seriously ill people jailed in connection with massive protests nearly four years ago. (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via AP, File)
FILE - In this photo provided by the Belarusian Presidential Press Service, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to military personnel during his visit to Oshmyany District, Grodno region of Belarus on March 26, 2024. A Belarusian human rights group said Thursday, July 4, 2024 that at least 10 political prisoners have been freed since the country’s authoritarian president this week promised to release seriously ill people jailed in connection with massive protests nearly four years ago. (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via AP, File)
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China, Belarus Agree to Strengthen Cooperation in Trade, Security

FILE - In this photo provided by the Belarusian Presidential Press Service, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to military personnel during his visit to Oshmyany District, Grodno region of Belarus on March 26, 2024. A Belarusian human rights group said Thursday, July 4, 2024 that at least 10 political prisoners have been freed since the country’s authoritarian president this week promised to release seriously ill people jailed in connection with massive protests nearly four years ago. (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via AP, File)
FILE - In this photo provided by the Belarusian Presidential Press Service, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko speaks to military personnel during his visit to Oshmyany District, Grodno region of Belarus on March 26, 2024. A Belarusian human rights group said Thursday, July 4, 2024 that at least 10 political prisoners have been freed since the country’s authoritarian president this week promised to release seriously ill people jailed in connection with massive protests nearly four years ago. (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via AP, File)

China and Belarus have agreed to strengthen cooperation in a range of sectors including trade, security, energy and finance, a joint communique showed.

Belarus, which has been hit by Western sanctions over its support for Russia's offensive in Ukraine, said Thursday it will sign a free trade deal with China for services and investment.

China's Prime Minister Li Qiang was in Belarus to meet President Alexander Lukashenko, following a visit to Moscow where he hailed strengthening ties with Russia and met President Vladimir Putin.

Minsk and Beijing will sign a series of bilateral partnership agreements during his visit, the Belarusian presidency said in a statement on its website.

"One of them can definitely be called historic -- an agreement on the creation of a free trade zone for services and investment," it quoted Lukashenko as saying.

Minsk said the deal would create "transparent and predictable rules" that would boost Belarus' exports to China by at least 12 percent and Chinese investment into Belarus by 30 percent over the next five years.

According to AFP, Belarus has been targeted by sanctions over its support of Russia's military offensive on Ukraine and Lukashenko's crackdown on protesters following his disputed 2020 re-election.

It is hugely reliant on economic support from Moscow.

China meanwhile is flexing its economic muscle across Eurasia through vast infrastructure and financial projects, seeking to build up its soft power in an investment splurge that has concerned the West.

Both Belarus and China have been accused of enabling and supporting Moscow's military offensive on Ukraine.

Lukashenko said he wanted to see a "large influx of Chinese technology" into Belarus over the coming years.

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Ghalibaf: Any Attack on Iran Will Ignite the Entire Region

Iranians display cartoon models representing the US president and the Israeli prime minister during a march in Tehran on March 28, 2025 (AFP).
Iranians display cartoon models representing the US president and the Israeli prime minister during a march in Tehran on March 28, 2025 (AFP).
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Ghalibaf: Any Attack on Iran Will Ignite the Entire Region

Iranians display cartoon models representing the US president and the Israeli prime minister during a march in Tehran on March 28, 2025 (AFP).
Iranians display cartoon models representing the US president and the Israeli prime minister during a march in Tehran on March 28, 2025 (AFP).

Iran has warned that any US attack on its territory could lead to the explosion of the entire Middle East, hinting at potential strikes on American bases in the region.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated on Friday: “If the United States carries out its military threat against Iran due to the failure to reach a new nuclear agreement, its bases in the region will not be safe.” He added: “Any attack on Iran will mean the explosion of the entire region,” according to Tasnim, a news agency affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Iran claimed that it had exercised “restraint and balance” in its response to a message from US President Donald Trump while reaffirming its rejection of military threats and its willingness for indirect talks with Washington.
Iranian state television quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying that Iran had sent its response to Trump’s message through Oman. He reiterated that Iran’s policy is to avoid direct negotiations with the US while it continues its “maximum pressure” campaign and military threats. However, Araghchi noted that Iran “may engage in indirect negotiations with the US, as it has done in the past.”
Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, described Iran’s response to Trump’s message as “measured,” stating that it included “a willingness for indirect dialogue.” Shamkhani, who oversees Iran’s nuclear negotiations, explained that the country’s specialized agencies had carefully crafted the response, ensuring that Iran’s stance was conveyed clearly while maintaining diplomatic restraint.
“Iran has always conducted indirect talks with the Americans, and if such talks are based on mutual respect, we are open to taking further steps toward negotiation,” Shamkhani said.
He added: “We take every threat seriously—not out of surrender, but to confront it. The Iranian people have never and will never accept submission. We are confident that the United States has no choice but to adopt a fair approach in any dialogue with Iran.”
Meanwhile, Ali Larijani, another senior adviser to Khamenei, expressed optimism about the current diplomatic path between Tehran and Washington, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency.
“We will reach a conclusion, and we are optimistic. The agreement must be acceptable to both parties, not just one,” Larijani stated.
Commenting on US threats of military action against Iran, Larijani remarked: “Those who intend to act do not talk too much.”
Ghalibaf also criticized Trump’s message, stating that it did not contain “any logical discussion about lifting sanctions,” according to Tasnim.