Iran’s Reformists: Regime Should Voluntarily Halt Uranium Enrichment

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian holds a meeting with members of Iran's Reform Front on July 22 (Iranian Presidency) 
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian holds a meeting with members of Iran's Reform Front on July 22 (Iranian Presidency) 
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Iran’s Reformists: Regime Should Voluntarily Halt Uranium Enrichment

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian holds a meeting with members of Iran's Reform Front on July 22 (Iranian Presidency) 
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian holds a meeting with members of Iran's Reform Front on July 22 (Iranian Presidency) 

Iran's Reformist Front, the highest coordinating body for parties backing President Massoud Pezeshkian, said on Sunday the regime must voluntarily halt uranium enrichment and allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections in exchange for sanctions relief.

In a statement, the Front, a coalition of 30 reformist parties and blocs, has outlined an urgent 11-item plan for structural reforms in both domestic and foreign policy in Iran.

The group also highlighted the significant risks and threats facing the country, particularly following Iran’s recent 12-day war with Israel.

It said advocating for a strategy of national reconciliation and an end to internal and external hostility are the only means to save Iran and create a “golden opportunity for change.”

The Front also warned that the European troika could trigger the snapback mechanism very soon and therefore, expose Iran to Chapter VII of the UN charter and to new sanctions.

The Reformist Front called for a change in all aspects of Iran’s economy, security, military, intelligence and politics.

Key demands included lifting the house arrest of opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Zahra Rahnavard, releasing political prisoners, and granting a general amnesty to Iranians prosecuted for expressing dissent.

The Front then urged a change in the ruling institution's discourse by focusing on development instead of prioritizing ideological conflicts.

Economically, it advocated for greater equality and opportunities and the creation of a more attractive environment for local and foreign investors.

The statement said regional integration and cooperation with neighbors are essential to bring about lasting peace. It backed the formation of an independent Palestinian state in accordance with the will of its people.

The reformists noted that Iran must cooperate with Saudi Arabia and regional countries to reshape Iran's image as a peaceful and responsible nation.

The Front’s statement came days after Prominent Iranian reformist Mehdi Karroubi on Thursday blasted the ruling establishment’s “disastrous” policies, particularly its nuclear program, accusing it of driving the nation “to the edge of the abyss.”

Meanwhile, former president Hassan Rouhani urged a “new strategy” to reduce tensions with the United States, saying Iran’s waning regional influence, domestic unrest and frayed ties with Europe had emboldened Washington and Israel to launch a June attack on Tehran.

Karroubi, freed in May after 14 years under house arrest for co-leading the 2009 Green Movement, told a group of reformists the government had promised to lift the nation to “the summit” through nuclear power but instead “dragged it to the bottom.”

He said the authorities had failed to offer domestic reforms or free political prisoners, urging senior leaders to “return to the people” and lay the ground for structural change “before it is too late.”

Meanwhile, Iranian reformist media outlets said Karroubi received on Sunday three senior advisers of his ally Mirhossein Mousavi.

 

 



Gunmen Kill 9 Police Officers near Dam Project in Southwest Pakistan

A Pakistani security official stands guard in Quetta, Pakistan, 01 July 2026.  EPA/FAYYAZ AHMAD
A Pakistani security official stands guard in Quetta, Pakistan, 01 July 2026. EPA/FAYYAZ AHMAD
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Gunmen Kill 9 Police Officers near Dam Project in Southwest Pakistan

A Pakistani security official stands guard in Quetta, Pakistan, 01 July 2026.  EPA/FAYYAZ AHMAD
A Pakistani security official stands guard in Quetta, Pakistan, 01 July 2026. EPA/FAYYAZ AHMAD

Gunmen killed nine police officers, and others are missing, following an attack on a checkpost at a dam project in Pakistan's restive southwestern Balochistan province, officials said on Tuesday.

"Nine policemen are dead and many are missing after an attack on a checkpost that was guarding the Mangi Dam project," Abdul Qudoos, a senior district official, told AFP.

A spokesman for the provincial government confirmed the toll, saying senior officers from several police stations were among the dead and blaming the attack on extremist militants.

Paramilitary, police and counter-terrorism personnel had "successfully carried out the joint clearance operations" against the militants, Balochistan's government spokesman Shahid Rind said in a statement.

Pakistan has for years been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan, where militants target state forces and foreign investment and infrastructure projects in the mineral-rich province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

That is part of intensifying militant attacks in Pakistan's border regions, which Islamabad says emanate from Afghanistan -- where authorities have repeatedly denied any involvement.

Pakistan has launched airstrikes on Afghan territory in recent months that it says targets militants but that Taliban government officials and the United Nations say have killed dozens of civilians.


Crowds Bid Farewell to Khamenei in Iranian City of Qom

Mourners attend a prayer for Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Jamkaran Mosque, in Qom, Iran, July 7, 2026. Mohammad Asadi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Mourners attend a prayer for Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Jamkaran Mosque, in Qom, Iran, July 7, 2026. Mohammad Asadi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Crowds Bid Farewell to Khamenei in Iranian City of Qom

Mourners attend a prayer for Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Jamkaran Mosque, in Qom, Iran, July 7, 2026. Mohammad Asadi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Mourners attend a prayer for Iran's slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in Israeli and US airstrikes, at the Jamkaran Mosque, in Qom, Iran, July 7, 2026. Mohammad Asadi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Thousands of people took to the streets on Tuesday in the Iranian city of Qom during a fourth day of marathon funeral proceedings for late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The remains of Khamenei, who was killed in late February on the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran, are lying in state at the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom.

Aerial footage broadcast by state television showed the streets of Qom -- home to about 1.5 million people -- packed with mourners.

The massive crowd at the service chanted in unison, "death to America", a rallying cry frequently heard at official gatherings in Iran.

Other television footage showed mourners, including clerics, paying their respects at the coffins of Khamenei and four relatives killed alongside him, including a granddaughter reportedly only 14 months old.

The previous day, a lengthy funeral procession in Tehran drew huge crowds, with authorities keen to project an image of strength and unity following the war, and after massive, bloody anti-government protests across Iran six months ago.

Iranians flooded the streets of the capital in an event comparable to the 1989 funeral of Khamenei's predecessor, Khomeini, the founder of the republic.

But so far in the ceremonies there has been no sign of Khamenei's successor and son Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since his appointment in early March.

Iranian officials have said he was wounded in the airstrike that killed his father and it remains unknown if he will appear for the ceremonies.

Another funeral procession is scheduled to be held on Wednesday in neighboring Iraq, which is home to a large Shiite community.

The final burial of Khamenei, who ruled Iran for over three decades until his death at the age of 86, will take place on Thursday in his hometown of Mashhad, a city in the northeast of the country.


Trump Expected to Tell Türkiye He is Ready to Restore Access to F-35 jets, NYT Reports

US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the NATO summit in The Hague in 2025 (Turkish Presidency)
US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the NATO summit in The Hague in 2025 (Turkish Presidency)
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Trump Expected to Tell Türkiye He is Ready to Restore Access to F-35 jets, NYT Reports

US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the NATO summit in The Hague in 2025 (Turkish Presidency)
US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the NATO summit in The Hague in 2025 (Turkish Presidency)

US President Donald ‌Trump is expected to tell Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he is prepared to allow the country to rejoin the F-35 stealth fighter program, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing four senior administration officials.

The report comes as Trump heads to Ankara for a NATO summit, where he is expected to meet Erdogan. The summit is set to begin on Tuesday ‌evening, said Reuters.

According to ‌the New York Times report, ‌the ⁠officials differed on the ⁠details of how Trump would seek to work around congressional and legal restrictions, but suggested there could be an exchange of letters on the subject between the two leaders.

The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for ⁠comment on the report.

Türkiye’s 2019 acquisition ‌of the Russian ‌S-400 air defense system has soured ties with the United ‌States and hampered congressional support for Ankara. ‌In response, Washington imposed sanctions and removed Türkiye from the F-35 fighter jet program.

Congress also passed a law prohibiting any sales of F-35s to Türkiye as long ‌as Ankara remained in possession of the S-400s, saying the Russian system poses ⁠a security ⁠risk to US-made combat aircraft.

The issue has remained a major point of contention between the two countries even though Türkiye enjoys warmer ties with Washington under Trump.

The reported development is a sign of improving ties between the two countries, especially after Trump’s administration formally notified Congress of its intention to sell dozens of jet engines worth more than $700 million to Türkiye last month, according to a copy of the formal notification seen by Reuters.