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Iran FM: Attacking Our Nuclear Sites Would Be ‘One of Biggest Mistakes US Could Make’

An Iranian woman walks past Iran's national flags as the country marks the 46th anniversary of Khomeini's return from his Paris exile, in Tehran, Iran, 31 January 2025. (EPA)
An Iranian woman walks past Iran's national flags as the country marks the 46th anniversary of Khomeini's return from his Paris exile, in Tehran, Iran, 31 January 2025. (EPA)
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Iran FM: Attacking Our Nuclear Sites Would Be ‘One of Biggest Mistakes US Could Make’

An Iranian woman walks past Iran's national flags as the country marks the 46th anniversary of Khomeini's return from his Paris exile, in Tehran, Iran, 31 January 2025. (EPA)
An Iranian woman walks past Iran's national flags as the country marks the 46th anniversary of Khomeini's return from his Paris exile, in Tehran, Iran, 31 January 2025. (EPA)

Iran will respond immediately and decisively if its nuclear sites are attacked which would lead to an "all-out war in the region," Tehran's foreign minister told Al Jazeera TV in an interview aired on Friday.

Israel and the US launching a military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would be "one of the biggest historical mistakes the US could make," Abbas Araqchi said through a translator.

Concerns have grown among Iran's top decision-makers that US President Donald Trump might in his second term empower Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strike Iran's nuclear sites while further tightening US sanctions on its oil industry.

Those concerns, coupled with mounting anger within Iran over economic conditions, could drive Tehran toward engaging in negotiations with the Trump administration over the fate of its fast-advancing nuclear program.

Araqchi suggested that the United States could free blocked Iranian funds as a first confidence-building step between the two hostile countries.

"Iranian assets and funds have been frozen at various points by the US(which) has not fulfilled its previous pledges (to free them). These things can be done by the US administration in order to bring confidence between us," Araqchi said.

In 2018, then-President Trump reneged on the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and a group of world powers and re-imposed harsh US sanctions as part of his "maximum pressure" policy against the country.

In response, Tehran breached the deal in several ways including by accelerating its uranium enrichment.

Trump has vowed to return to the policy he pursued in his previous term that sought to use economic pressure to force the country to negotiate a deal on its nuclear program, ballistic missile program and regional activities.

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Seven Dead in India Avalanche as Survivors Recall Rescue

A still image shows what the Indian Army says is a rescue operation by Indian Army members during heavy snowfall, after an avalanche struck a camp near Mana village, in a location given as Garhwal Sector, Uttarakhand state, India, in this image released on February 28, 2025. (Indian Army/Handout via Reuters)
A still image shows what the Indian Army says is a rescue operation by Indian Army members during heavy snowfall, after an avalanche struck a camp near Mana village, in a location given as Garhwal Sector, Uttarakhand state, India, in this image released on February 28, 2025. (Indian Army/Handout via Reuters)
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Seven Dead in India Avalanche as Survivors Recall Rescue

A still image shows what the Indian Army says is a rescue operation by Indian Army members during heavy snowfall, after an avalanche struck a camp near Mana village, in a location given as Garhwal Sector, Uttarakhand state, India, in this image released on February 28, 2025. (Indian Army/Handout via Reuters)
A still image shows what the Indian Army says is a rescue operation by Indian Army members during heavy snowfall, after an avalanche struck a camp near Mana village, in a location given as Garhwal Sector, Uttarakhand state, India, in this image released on February 28, 2025. (Indian Army/Handout via Reuters)

The death toll from an avalanche in northern India climbed to seven on Sunday as survivors recalled their dramatic rescue after hours buried under the snow and debris.

Rescuers recovered three bodies and were looking for the last remaining person still missing, the army said.

More than 50 workers were submerged under snow and debris after the avalanche hit a construction camp on Friday near Mana village on the border with Tibet in the northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.

Authorities revised down the number of workers on site at the time of the avalanche from 55 to 54 after one worker, previously believed to be buried, was found to have safely made his way home before the avalanche hit.

Relief teams managed to rescue 50 workers, but among them four later died of their injuries.

Construction worker Anil, who only gave his first name, recalled his rescue hours after being buried by the avalanche.

"It was if God's angels had come to save us," Anil, who is in his late 20s, told AFP on Sunday by phone from his hospital bed.

"The way we were engulfed in snow, we had no hope of surviving."

Being alive now felt "like a dream", he said.

The army said it had airlifted a drone-based detection system to assist in its search operations.

Multiple drones and a rescue dog were also being employed.

- 'Not all made it' -

Working on a project by the Border Roads Organization, the workers were living on site in steel containers considered stronger than tents and capable of withstanding harsh weather.

Anil said many workers were fast asleep and a few others were in makeshift toilets when the avalanche struck around 6:00 am Friday.

As the ground beneath them shook, the container in which Anil and his colleagues were in began to slide down.

"At first we did not understand what was happening but when we looked out of the window of the containers, we saw piles of snow all around," he said.

"The roof of the containers was also slowly bending inwards."

Everyone started screaming for help and a few men were lucky to get out of their containers.

"But not all of them made it out and they remained trapped," he said.

- 'Like thunder' -

His colleague Vipin Kumar thought "this was the end" when he found himself unable to move as he struggled for air under the thick layer of snow.

"I heard a loud roar, like thunder ... before I could react, everything went dark," he told the Times of India newspaper.

At an altitude of more than 3,200 meters (10,500 feet), minimum temperatures in the area were down to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit).

Dhan Singh Bisht said his son and nephew were alive only because of the prompt action by the relief teams.

"I am grateful to them," an overwhelmed Bisht told AFP by phone on Saturday.

Avalanches and landslides are common in the upper reaches of the Himalayas, especially during the winter season.

Scientists say climate change is making weather events more severe, while the increased pace of development in the fragile Himalayan regions has also heightened fears about the fallout from deforestation and construction.

In 2021, nearly 100 people died in Uttarakhand after a huge glacier chunk fell into a river, triggering flash floods.

And devastating monsoon floods and landslides in 2013 killed 6,000 people and led to calls for a review of development projects in the state.