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Iran says Israel, US ‘cannot do a damn thing’ against Tehran
In 2018, Trump pulled the U.S. out of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy.
Iran said on Monday that U.S. and Israeli threats against it were a blatant violation of international law and that they could not “do a damn thing” to hurt Tehran, Reuters reported.
The comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem on Sunday and said their countries were determined to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its influence in the Middle East.
Netanyahu said Israel had dealt a “mighty blow” to Iran since the start of the war in Gaza and that with the support of U.S. President Donald Trump “I have no doubt we can and will finish the job”.
Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei responded: “When it comes to a country like Iran, they cannot do a damn thing”.
“You cannot threaten Iran on one hand and claim to support dialogue on the other hand,” Baghaei said, state media reported.
Trump has expressed an openness to a deal with Tehran while also reinstating the “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran that was applied during his first term to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, read the report.
While stopping short of renewing a ban on direct talks with Washington decreed in 2018, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has criticised Trump’s previous administration for not honouring its promises.
In 2018, Trump pulled the U.S. out of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with world powers and reimposed sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy.
A year later, Iran reacted by breaching the pact’s nuclear curbs, accelerating enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% of weapons grade. It says its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes
Despite spokesman Baghaei’s defiant words, Tehran’s influence throughout the region has weakened severely with its regional allies – known as the “Axis of Resistance” – either dismantled or badly hurt since the start of the Hamas-Israel conflict in Gaza and the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria in December, Reuters reported.
The Axis includes not only Hamas but also Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and various Shi’ite armed groups in Iraq and Syria.
Over the 16 months since the Gaza war erupted, Israel has assassinated leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, and Israel and Iran have carried out limited attacks against each other.
Regional
At least 15 infants killed in Islamabad hospital fire
WATCH VIDEO: There were 16 newborns at the hospital’s gynaecology ward when the fire broke out, one of whom was rescued.
At least 15 infants were killed when a fire broke out at a state-run hospital in Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad, triggered by a fault in air conditioning systems, local broadcaster Geo TV reported on Wednesday.
The fire, which broke out at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital, started around two hours ago, the broadcaster said, adding that “cooling operations” were ongoing, Reuters reported.
There were 16 newborns at the hospital’s gynaecology ward when the fire broke out, one of whom was rescued, according to Geo.
Regional
Pakistan and Iran make significant progress in talks on Iran conflict
Pakistan and Iran have made “significant progress” in talks focused on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and efforts to find a path toward peace, Pakistan’s interior minister said on Tuesday after a visit to Tehran.
The discussions focused on measures to prevent further escalation, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and accelerating an end to the conflict, according to a statement from the Pakistani military following a meeting between army chief General Asim Munir and Iranian leaders.
The two sides also discussed regional peace and possible ways to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict, the statement said.
“Iranian President candidly shared his government’s perspective and we had a very constructive exchange on the issues involved,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who accompanied Munir, said in a post on X.
Munir spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump before travelling to Tehran, Reuters reported on Monday.
Trump last week warned of economic consequences for countries providing “any type of lifeline to Iran” as Washington seeks to isolate Tehran. Iran, meanwhile, has threatened to halt all oil exports from the Gulf.
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Pakistan’s Munir spoke to Trump ahead of Tehran visit, sources say
The White House Office of the Press Secretary did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear what Munir and Trump discussed in detail.
US President Donald Trump spoke with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir last week ahead of Munir’s trip to Tehran on Monday, according to three Pakistani sources, with one saying the main US request was to use Pakistan’s influence to bring Iran back to negotiations, Reuters reported.
Trump last week warned of economic consequences against any country that provided “any type of lifeline to Iran” as he seeks to isolate the Islamic Republic. Iran has in turn vowed to shut down all oil exports from the Gulf.
Last week’s call, which has not been previously reported, was initiated by Trump, according to two Pakistani sources.
The White House Office of the Press Secretary did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear what Munir and Trump discussed in detail.
Munir arrived in Tehran on Monday accompanied by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan’s military confirmed, saying it was “part of Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability.”
Pakistan, which has played a key mediating role between the US and Iran this year, has remained a trading partner of Iran throughout the recent fighting.
Munir was expected to meet with people close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday, one Pakistani source said.
Another Pakistani government source said while US-Iran tensions were a focus of the visit, Munir was also expected to discuss recent attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi fighters on Pakistan’s ally Saudi Arabia as well as the recently signed mutual defence agreement between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan’s earlier mediation efforts between the U.S. and Iran resulted in an interim peace agreement signed in June. But the Islamabad Memorandum quickly faltered, amid new fighting between Iran and the US that has threatened to spiral into a wider regional conflict in recent weeks.
“There is a trust deficit on both sides,” a third Pakistani source said about the US and Iran, adding that Munir’s aim was to mitigate the lack of mutual trust on Monday.
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