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Cyclone-ravaged Mayotte on High Alert as New Storm Approaches

FILE PHOTO: A boy carries a roofing sheet on the beach in the aftermath of Cyclone Chido, in Passamainty, Mayotte, France December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A boy carries a roofing sheet on the beach in the aftermath of Cyclone Chido, in Passamainty, Mayotte, France December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
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Cyclone-ravaged Mayotte on High Alert as New Storm Approaches

FILE PHOTO: A boy carries a roofing sheet on the beach in the aftermath of Cyclone Chido, in Passamainty, Mayotte, France December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A boy carries a roofing sheet on the beach in the aftermath of Cyclone Chido, in Passamainty, Mayotte, France December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

Residents of the French territory of Mayotte braced Sunday for a storm expected to bring strong winds and flash floods less than a month after the Indian Ocean archipelago was devastated by a deadly cyclone.

Mayotte was placed on red alert from 1900 GMT on Saturday in anticipation of the passage of Dikeledi, a storm forecast to skirt about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the territory, AFP reported.

It hit the northern coast of Madagascar as a cyclone on Saturday evening and weakened into a severe tropical storm, but is expected to regain intensity as it moves towards Mayotte.

It could be reclassified as a cyclone by Monday morning, according to French weather service Meteo-France.

At around 6:00 am local time (0300 GMT) the storm was around 260 kilometers southeast of Mayotte, moving at 22 kilometers per hour.

"In terms of impact, Antsiranana province in Madagascar has sustained the most intense conditions in recent hours," Meteo-France said, referring to the island's northern tip.

Authorities called for "extreme vigilance" on Mayotte following the devastation wrought by Cyclone Chido in mid-December.

"Very heavy rains could generate flash floods," Meteo-France said in its update, warning that "floods and landslides are expected in the coming hours".

Wind gusts could reach 90 km/h (55 mph) on the French territory, while "dangerous sea conditions" are also forecast.

Residents were advised to seek shelter and stock up on food and water.

"Nothing is being left to chance," Manuel Valls, France's overseas territories minister, told AFP.

Cyclone Chido, the most devastating storm to hit France's poorest department in 90 years, caused colossal damage last month, killing at least 39 people and injuring more than 5,600.

Francois-Xavier Bieuville, the top Paris-appointed official on the territory, said Mayotte was placed on a red weather alert from 1900 GMT on Saturday to allow the public to take shelter.

"I have decided to bring forward this red alert to 10:00 pm to allow everyone to take shelter, to confine themselves, to take care of the people close to you, your children, your families," Bieuville said on television.

During the alert all travel is banned except for rescue and other authorized personnel.

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Iran Warns Europeans That Reimposing Sanctions Could Have Irreversible Consequences

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via Reuters)
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via Reuters)
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Iran Warns Europeans That Reimposing Sanctions Could Have Irreversible Consequences

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via Reuters)
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via Reuters)

Iran's foreign minister warned Britain, France and Germany on Monday that a decision to trigger a UN mechanism reimposing sanctions on Tehran could lead to an irreversible escalation of tensions.

Under the terms of a UN resolution ratifying a 2015 nuclear pact, the three European powers could reimpose United Nations sanctions against Tehran before October 18, known in diplomatic circles as the "snapback mechanism".

"Iran has made its position clear. We have officially warned all JCPOA (nuclear pact) signatories that abuse of the snapback mechanism will lead to consequences — not only the end of Europe's role in the agreement, but also an escalation of tensions that could become irreversible," Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote in a column in French weekly magazine Le Point.

US President Donald Trump exited Tehran's 2015 nuclear accord with six world powers in 2018 during his first term and reimposed tough sanctions that have devastated Iran's economy.

The European powers are not part of current negotiations between Iran and the United States, the fourth round of which ended in Oman on Sunday.

But the three powers have sought to coordinate closely with Washington with a view to whether and when they should use the snapback mechanism to raise pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.

Trump said on Monday that Iran was "talking intelligently."

"We want Iran to be wealthy and wonderful and happy and great, but they can't have a nuclear weapon, it's very simple. So I think they understand that I mean business and I think they're being very reasonable thus far," he told reporters.

Talks between the so-called E3 and Iran in Rome earlier in May were postponed. Araqchi said that a meeting between Iran's deputy foreign minister and E3 counterparts had since taken place, describing them as a "promising, but fragile start."

France's foreign ministry declined to comment. The British and German foreign ministries were not immediately available to comment.

According to diplomats and a document seen by Reuters, the E3 countries may trigger a snapback by August if no substantial deal can be found by then. The window closes on October 18.

Relations between the E3 and Iran have worsened over the last year despite sporadic meetings, against a backdrop of new sanctions imposed on Tehran over its ballistic missile program, its detention of foreign citizens and support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Iran, which has long said its nuclear program is peaceful, has breached the 2015 pact's nuclear curbs since 2019, including "dramatically" accelerating its enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% level that is weapons-grade, according to the UN nuclear watchdog.

It denies it is seeking nuclear weapons.