Türkiye, Iran Warn of Israel’s Efforts to Expand Conflict

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi during a joint press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi during a joint press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya
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Türkiye, Iran Warn of Israel’s Efforts to Expand Conflict

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi during a joint press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi during a joint press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya

Türkiye and Iran have warned that Israel's attempts to spark conflict in the region could lead to serious global consequences.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saturday Israel’s efforts to spread war should not be underestimated.

At a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul, Fidan accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to create new fronts and drag Iran into the conflict.

Fidan warned that Israel plans to target vital infrastructure in Iran, especially in energy and oil, which could provoke a strong reaction from Tehran.

He stressed that the risk of war spreading throughout the region should not be underestimated, as it could have serious global consequences.

“Türkiye does not want war in our region,” he said during a meeting with Araghchi, where they discussed bilateral relations and regional threats.

Araghchi echoed these concerns, accusing Israel of sparking conflict through its attacks in Gaza and Lebanon.

He called the escalation a serious threat.

“We are for peace, but we are prepared for any scenario,” affirmed the top Iranian diplomat.

He condemned Israel’s actions, saying the government does not respect boundaries in its war crimes and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

Araghchi also condemned the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, insisting that such actions will not deter the resistance. He appreciated Türkiye’s support for the Palestinian people and its opposition to Israel’s actions.

The Iranian minister also highlighted the importance of strengthening ties with Türkiye.

“We see no limits to improving our relations with Türkiye,” he said, adding that both countries, with their rich histories, will enhance their friendship and cooperation.

In his discussions with Fidan, Araghchi focused on deepening collaboration in trade, joint investments, energy, counter-terrorism, and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

He also mentioned the recent 3+3 regional cooperation meeting in Istanbul, which included the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.

Araghchi described the meeting as constructive, emphasizing peace and stability in the region.

The ministers agreed that foreign powers complicate regional issues and stressed the need for joint efforts to boost economic development.

According to Iranian news agency Nour News, Araghchi stated that Iran believes a two-state solution will not achieve lasting peace, asserting that “the only solution is a single Palestinian state on Palestinian territory.”



France Arrests Russian Captain of Moscow-Linked Tanker

A French Navy vessel sails by the Russian oil tanker "Tagor", suspected of flying a false Cameroonian flag and boarded by the French Navy on May 31, 2026, as it arrives in Douarnenez Bay, western France on June 2, 2026. (AFP)
A French Navy vessel sails by the Russian oil tanker "Tagor", suspected of flying a false Cameroonian flag and boarded by the French Navy on May 31, 2026, as it arrives in Douarnenez Bay, western France on June 2, 2026. (AFP)
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France Arrests Russian Captain of Moscow-Linked Tanker

A French Navy vessel sails by the Russian oil tanker "Tagor", suspected of flying a false Cameroonian flag and boarded by the French Navy on May 31, 2026, as it arrives in Douarnenez Bay, western France on June 2, 2026. (AFP)
A French Navy vessel sails by the Russian oil tanker "Tagor", suspected of flying a false Cameroonian flag and boarded by the French Navy on May 31, 2026, as it arrives in Douarnenez Bay, western France on June 2, 2026. (AFP)

French authorities have taken into custody the Russian captain of a seized oil tanker believed to be part of Moscow's "shadow fleet", a prosecutor said Wednesday.

The French navy detained the Tagor on Sunday in international waters with British help on suspicion the ship was flying a false flag and after its captain refused to comply with orders.

It is the fourth ship that France has seized since September on suspicion of belonging to the "shadow fleet", which Russia is accused of using to circumvent Western sanctions.

The tanker arrived in a harbor in Brittany on Tuesday.

The captain was arrested on Tuesday and faces up to one year in prison and a 150,000-euro ($174,000) fine, said the prosecutor in the northwestern city of Brest, Stephane Kellenberger.

The owner of the vessel, currently being identified, may be subject to the same penalties, he added.

The Russian embassy in France said it had demanded "consular access be granted to the captain immediately", in a post on Telegram. It rejected what it called "baseless accusations" and urging the captain to be released "as soon as possible".

The Kremlin has likened the seizure to "international piracy".

The Tagor is suspected of carrying Russian or Iranian oil despite international sanctions. It is linked to shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, according to open-source database Opensanctions.org.

Shamkhani is the son of Ali Shamkhani, who was a security adviser to the former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. They were both killed on February 28, the first day of the US-Israeli attacks that started the Middle East war.

According to French authorities, the Tagor was on its way from Murmansk in northwestern Russia when it was boarded.

It was falsely flying a Cameroonian flag and was heading toward Limbe, a seaside city in the west of the African country, they added.

France previously detained two tankers in the Mediterranean, the Deyna in March and the Grinch in January, but they were freed after paying fines.

In another case, a French court in March issued a one-year jail sentence in absentia and a 150,000-euro ($177,000) fine against the Chinese captain of a tanker, the Boracay, for failing to comply with orders to stop in September last year off the coast of Brittany.

Several Western countries have imposed sanctions on hundreds of vessels believed to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Nearly 600 ships suspected of belonging to the fleet are subject to European Union sanctions.


Zelenskiy Says Strikes on Russia Let Ukraine Negotiate as Equals

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte after talks, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 3, 2026. (Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte after talks, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 3, 2026. (Reuters)
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Zelenskiy Says Strikes on Russia Let Ukraine Negotiate as Equals

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte after talks, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 3, 2026. (Reuters)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte after talks, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 3, 2026. (Reuters)

Ukraine's stepped-up strikes deep inside Russia enable Kyiv to negotiate the end of the war on an equal footing, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, just after one of the barrages struck an oil terminal and naval base hundreds of kilometers away.

For months, Kyiv's troops have been conducting attacks on Russian fossil fuel industry sites, at times daily, aiming to cut Moscow's main funding source for the war and pressure the Kremlin for talks.

"Thank God that today we ‌have security guarantees ‌that allow us to end this ‌war ⁠on equal footing with ⁠the Russians in any format of diplomacy," Zelenskiy told reporters in Kyiv, speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Zelenskiy said it was "only a question of time" for Ukraine to increase the scale of the strikes, which forced some of the Russian refineries to suspend operations and ⁠boosted morale among Ukrainians, who have lived under ‌constant threat of Russian drones ‌and missiles for more than four years.

As Ukraine has ramped ‌up long-range attacks on Russia, Kyiv's troops on the ‌battlefield appear on their best footing in years, analysts say.

Russia's spring offensive is sputtering, partly a result of Ukrainian counterattacks that have kept its gains minuscule, they said.

Zelenskiy said he was ‌ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Kyiv has long insisted was the only ⁠way ⁠to resolve the main stumbling block in so far stalled talks -- the issue of eastern Donbas. Russia failed to fully occupy the area during its full-scale invasion and has demanded Ukraine pull back troops in the region that it still controls.

"I am ready for direct talks with Putin to bring this war to an end, rather than waiting for when all will resolve every conflict in the world before our turn finally comes," Zelenskiy said, in an apparent reference to the US-brokered talks and current US focus on its war on Iran.


Trump Says Iran Has Agreed to Not Have a Nuclear Weapon

President Donald Trump waves after his arrival at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala, Florida on May 1, 2026. (Getty Images/AFP)
President Donald Trump waves after his arrival at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala, Florida on May 1, 2026. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Trump Says Iran Has Agreed to Not Have a Nuclear Weapon

President Donald Trump waves after his arrival at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala, Florida on May 1, 2026. (Getty Images/AFP)
President Donald Trump waves after his arrival at Ocala International Airport, in Ocala, Florida on May 1, 2026. (Getty Images/AFP)

US President ‌Donald Trump said Iran has agreed not to have a nuclear weapon and that he would probably meet with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei at some point if things "work out".

"They've already agreed they're not going to have a nuclear weapon," Trump told "Pod Force One" in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, while speaking about Iran.

Asked about Khamenei's involvement in talks with ‌the US on ending ‌hostilities, Trump said, "He's involved, ‌absolutely. ... I ⁠think they have ⁠a lot of respect for him."

Trump said he was hearing Iran's leader was not doing too well but was giving his approval during the negotiations. He added that he had not had "the privilege of meeting" ⁠Khamenei.

"I'd like to meet him. We ‌probably will meet ‌at some point, depending on how it all ‌works out," Trump said.

The US president said ‌he viewed the Iran war as a success because the country's military had been defeated.

The conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes on February ‌28, has upended the global energy market and has proven unpopular with Americans ⁠months ⁠before November congressional elections.

"Iran's a big success," Trump said in the interview. "We'll see what happens. We're going to, we're working on a deal, and that happens fine. If it doesn't happen, that's OK too. We'll do it the other way."

He did not specify what that might mean, but has said in the past that the US would resume strikes.