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Iran Says US Strikes Render Ceasefire 'Meaningless,' Talks on Funds Mechanism Still on Track

A banner with a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei and the late senior Iranian military commander, General Qassem Soleimani, on a building in Tehran, Iran, June 11, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
A banner with a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei and the late senior Iranian military commander, General Qassem Soleimani, on a building in Tehran, Iran, June 11, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
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Iran Says US Strikes Render Ceasefire 'Meaningless,' Talks on Funds Mechanism Still on Track

A banner with a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei and the late senior Iranian military commander, General Qassem Soleimani, on a building in Tehran, Iran, June 11, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
A banner with a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei and the late senior Iranian military commander, General Qassem Soleimani, on a building in Tehran, Iran, June 11, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Iran's foreign ministry condemned on Thursday the latest US strikes on the country, saying the attacks rendered the nearly two-month ceasefire "practically meaningless.”

In a statement, the ministry said "the illegal and criminal attacks perpetrated by the United States in recent hours not only constitute a flagrant violation... but also render the ceasefire practically meaningless.”

It added that the "responsibility for the extremely serious consequences of this criminal act lies with the leaders of the United States.”

Despite the foreign ministry statement, three Iranian sources told ⁠Reuters that efforts to reach a preliminary deal between Iran and the ⁠US have intensified, as they discuss a ⁠mechanism ⁠over releasing frozen Iranian funds.

The sources said Iran and the US were still exchanging ⁠messages over details ⁠of a memorandum of understanding.

The Iranian sources said a political understanding had been reached, but some issues remained to ⁠be discussed in detail, including a mechanism for the release of tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks.

"Iran wants $6 billion to $12 billion of its frozen funds to be released to Tehran, while Washington wants to release funds in stages for ⁠humanitarian ⁠goods and rejects returning funds to Iran outright," said one of the Iranian sources.

CNN also reported, citing a ⁠diplomatic source, that talks to reach a deal are still on track after overnight negotiations.

The US and Iran traded air attacks for a second straight day on Thursday, with President Donald Trump vowing ⁠further strikes ⁠if Tehran does not immediately agree to a peace deal.

Qatari negotiators have departed Tehran following discussions on the war, a diplomat told AFP on Thursday.

"The Qatari delegation departed from Tehran this morning following talks with Iranian officials... that lasted into the early hours of this morning," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity, adding the discussions were "conducted in coordination with the United States.”

The US strikes overnight Thursday on Iran wounded at least three people at sites in Tehran province, Iranian media reported.

"Three people were injured in incidents related to the brutal US attacks in Tehran province," said head of the province's emergency services Mohammad Esmail Tavakoli, according to the Fars news agency.

The strikes were largely focused on southern Iran but the country's Revolutionary Guards said other sites near the capital were hit including in Karaj, Nazarabad and Pishva.

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Five Dead in Turkish Wedding Party Road Crash

File picture for illustration only shows a Turkish ambulance on an emergency call. (AFP)
File picture for illustration only shows a Turkish ambulance on an emergency call. (AFP)
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Five Dead in Turkish Wedding Party Road Crash

File picture for illustration only shows a Turkish ambulance on an emergency call. (AFP)
File picture for illustration only shows a Turkish ambulance on an emergency call. (AFP)

A Turkish minibus taking a family to a wedding party overturned Saturday killing five people, including two children, and injuring 11, authorities said.

The vehicle, transporting a family to a wedding in the southeastern city of Mus, was at Lice in Diyarbakir province when a tire burst and the driver lost control, NTV television reported.

The dead children were aged 10 and four, while three of the injured were in a critical condition, authorities said.

World

Xi Calls for Improving Disaster Prevention as Floods, Landslides Batter China

Scooters pass by a tree fallen during the hit of Typhoon Dolphin in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China, 10 August 2026. EPA/Yu Riqian CHINA OUT
Scooters pass by a tree fallen during the hit of Typhoon Dolphin in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China, 10 August 2026. EPA/Yu Riqian CHINA OUT
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Xi Calls for Improving Disaster Prevention as Floods, Landslides Batter China

Scooters pass by a tree fallen during the hit of Typhoon Dolphin in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China, 10 August 2026. EPA/Yu Riqian CHINA OUT
Scooters pass by a tree fallen during the hit of Typhoon Dolphin in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China, 10 August 2026. EPA/Yu Riqian CHINA OUT

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for improving the country's ability to prevent, mitigate and respond to natural disasters, after a string of deadly floods and landslides this summer.

Xi's remarks, published on Saturday in Qiushi, a journal central to Communist Party messaging, follow China's strongest typhoon this year and a series of landslides that killed dozens, underscoring the growing toll of extreme weather on the world's second-largest economy.

"As global warming continues, extreme weather events and disasters such as torrential rains, floods, typhoons, and droughts are ⁠increasing significantly, exacerbating ⁠their destructive impact," Xi said, according to the article.

Xi urged a shift towards pre-disaster prevention, stronger monitoring and early-warning systems, and efforts to close gaps in flood-control and drainage infrastructure in northern China, the article said.

His remarks were drawn from a speech ⁠delivered at a Politburo study session on April 28, Reuters reported.

China's strongest typhoon this year battered the capital with bouts of intense rain that flooded key roads and stranded vehicles, while lashing wide swathes of the country.

Last month, landslides triggered by flash floods in northwestern Gansu province killed 25 people, and another landslide in Chongqing in the southwest caused by a collapsed mountain left 51 dead.

China is increasingly battling destructive weather that scientists link to ⁠climate ⁠change, especially this year, as an emerging El Niño pattern boosts temperatures and fuels more frequent and intense typhoons.

China will "continuously improve our ability and level of prevention and response to various natural disasters, and effectively safeguard the lives and property of the people and social stability," Xi said.

Xi said disaster risks must not be allowed to spill into economic, energy, food and social security, and urged the use of technologies including artificial intelligence, drones and satellite remote sensing in rescue efforts.

World

Japan's Takaichi Skips Controversial Yasukuni Shrine Visit on Anniversary of WWII Surrender

Visitors carry Japanese flags and a rising sun flag at Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, including convicted war criminals, as the country marks the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Visitors carry Japanese flags and a rising sun flag at Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, including convicted war criminals, as the country marks the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
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Japan's Takaichi Skips Controversial Yasukuni Shrine Visit on Anniversary of WWII Surrender

Visitors carry Japanese flags and a rising sun flag at Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, including convicted war criminals, as the country marks the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Visitors carry Japanese flags and a rising sun flag at Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, including convicted war criminals, as the country marks the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stayed away from Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni Shrine, apparently to prioritize diplomatic relations with China and South Korea, but did not mention her country’s wartime past in Asia or remorse over it in an address Saturday as Japan marked the 81st anniversary of its surrender in World War II.

Takaichi mourned the victims of major devastation in Hiroshima Nagasaki and Okinawa, as well as those who perished in overseas battlefronts, and thanked them for their sacrifice as the “foundation of Japan's peace and prosperity today.” She did not mention Japanese atrocities in Asia or apologize.

“Japan, since the end of the war, has consistently contributed to global peace and prosperity. We will never let the tragedy of the war be repeated," she said, adding that Japan can play a key role in addressing global challenges as “a dependable nation" in the region.

Visits by Japanese politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine, which also commemorates World War II war criminals, have been criticized by China and South Korea. They see it as showing a lack of remorse over Japan’s wartime atrocities.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, another Cabinet minister and three executives from Takaichi's governing party showed up at the shrine earlier Saturday, The Associated Press reported.

Koizumi has regularly visited the controversial shrine to mark Japan's anniversary of the end of the war on Aug. 15 and other occasions. But as a defense minister pushing to increase Japan’s military capability and weapons sales under Takaichi’s hawkish government, his visit Saturday is seen as more contentious.

The previous shrine visit by a defense minister was in 2024 by Minoru Kihara, the current chief secretary and top government spokesperson for Takaichi’s government.

Japan’s Defense Ministry prohibits group visits by service members of the Self-Defense Forces, on grounds of constitutional separation of religion and state. Koizumi said in October it is natural for anyone in any country to pay respect for those who sacrificed their lives for their nation.

Koizumi did not comment on the visit Saturday and walked past journalists at the shrine.

He is the son of popular former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who outraged China when he visited Yasukuni as a serving leader in 2006.

Three executives from Takaichi’s governing Liberal Democratic Party also prayed together Saturday at the shrine and brought offerings in a rare joint visit on the prime minister's behalf that is seen as a move to make up for Takaichi’s absence and appeal to her right-wing supporters.

Party secretary-general Shunichi Suzuki told reporters he prayed while keeping in mind the prime minister's thoughts for “the spirits of the war dead” and that he brought Takaichi’s cash offerings in her capacity as party leader.

For Takaichi, appealing to right-wing voters is key at a time when her support is seen as rapidly falling, presumably over delayed economic measures addressing rising prices as well as scandals that include alleged negative election campaign videos and unpopular revisions to Japan's imperial family succession rules.

Takaichi has not visited the shrine since taking office but has sent offerings twice for the shrine’s biannual festivals.

Tensions between Japan and China escalated in November when the Japanese leader said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute “a survival-threatening situation” for Japan requiring the use of force. The comments enraged Beijing.

Attention this week was on whether Takaichi, who has repeatedly said she would pray at the shrine on Aug. 15 despite the controversy, would keep her pledge and show up at Yasukuni on Saturday.

Earlier this week, Kihara said Takaichi would make an appropriate decision, followed by Japanese media saying she would not visit the shrine to keep Japan’s already difficult ties with Beijing from worsening and maintain good ties with Seoul.

Takaichi has repeatedly resisted acknowledging Japan's wartime aggression and atrocities, and denied that coercion was used against Korean laborers and women held as sex slaves for Japanese troops. She was previously part of a campaign to remove references to wartime sexual slavery, euphemistically known as “comfort women,” from school textbooks.

She has said she is from the postwar generation who has no responsibility for Japan's past actions and that she has no intention to apologize.

The country has faced revisionist pushbacks since the 2010s under nationalistic former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who pushed to correct a “self-deprecating view” of Japan’s wartime history and regain national pride. Takaichi considers Abe a mentor.

Since 2013, Japanese prime ministers have stopped apologizing to Asian victims for wartime atrocities, under a precedent set by Abe. Last year, however, former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed “remorse” over the war and called it a mistake, though he fell short of mentioning Japan's aggression across Asia or apologizing.