Month: June 2025

Iran on Thursday vowed to “significantly” increase its output of enriched uranium in defiance of US demands ahead of a new round of nuclear talks, and amid reports of an imminent Israeli attack.

The announcement came after a UN nuclear watchdog resolution accused Iran of “non-compliance” with its obligations, prompting Israel to say the world must respond “decisively”.

The United States, Israel and other Western countries have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, an accusation Tehran has categorically denied.

Uranium enrichment has emerged as the key point of contention in nuclear talks with the United States, with the next round due on Sunday in Oman.

“The necessary orders have been issued by the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation to launch a new enrichment centre in a secure location,” said a joint statement from the organisation and the foreign ministry.

Iran will also be “replacing all of these first-generation machines with sixth-generation advanced machines” at the Fordow uranium enrichment plant south of Tehran, the organisation’s spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said.

This means “our production of enriched material will increase significantly,” he told state TV.

– Threats to US bases –
The United States and Iran have held five rounds of talks since April to hammer out a new nuclear deal, replacing a 2015 accord that President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in office.

Iran has threatened to target US military bases in the region in the event that the talks fail and conflict erupts.

Trump appeared to shift his previously optimistic tone this week, saying he was “less confident” a deal could be reached, and on Wednesday ordered US personnel to be moved from the potentially “dangerous” Middle East.

On Thursday, the US embassy in Jerusalem restricted staff movements over security concerns, citing “increased regional tensions”.

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi has nonetheless confirmed in a post on X on Thursday that the “6th round of Iran US talks will be held in Muscat this Sunday”.

– ‘Suffer more losses’ –
Israel has repeatedly warned that it could attack Iranian nuclear sites, vowing to stop its arch foe from acquiring an atomic bomb.

Iran has warned it would respond to any attack.

“All its (US) bases are within our reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation we will target all of them in the host countries,” Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said in response to US threats of military action if the talks fail.

“God willing, things won’t reach that point, and the talks will succeed,” the minister said, adding that the US side “will suffer more losses” if it came to conflict.

A US official had earlier said that staff levels at the embassy in Iraq were being reduced over security concerns, while there were reports that personnel were also being moved from Kuwait and Bahrain.

An Iraqi security official said it was “not complete evacuation” and the US was taking precautionary measures in case of the failure of talks.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the US embassy in Manama said the mission “has not changed its staffing posture and remains fully operational”.

– ‘Strategic mistake’ –
The latest developments come amid a diplomatic standoff over Iran’s uranium enrichment, which Tehran has defended as a “non-negotiable” right while Washington has called it a “red line”.

Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close though still short of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in major state policies, has recently said enrichment is “key” to Iran’s nuclear programme and that the United States “cannot have a say” on the issue.

On May 31, after the fifth round of talks, Iran said it had received “elements” of a US proposal for a nuclear deal, with Araghchi later saying the text contained “ambiguities”.

Iran has said it will present a counter-proposal to the latest draft from Washington, which it had criticised for failing to offer relief from sanctions — a key demand for Tehran, which has been reeling under their weight for years.

On Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors adopted a resolution condemning Iran’s “non-compliance” with its nuclear obligations, carried by 19 votes in favour, out of 35 in total, diplomats said.

The resolution could lay the groundwork for European countries to invoke the “snapback” mechanism under the 2015 nuclear deal, reinstating UN sanctions in response to Iranian non-compliance — an option that expires in October.

On Wednesday, Iran’s permanent UN representative Amir Saeid Iravani, said Tehran would consider “proportionate responses” if the snapback mechanism is triggered — including “starting the process of withdrawal” from the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Rescue personnel at the site said at least 30 bodies have been recovered so far from a building at the site of the plane crash. More people were trapped inside, Reuters quoted the rescue workers as saying.

Air India said the Boeing 787-8 aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and crew members, it said, adding that the injured were being taken to the nearest hospitals.

 

Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 said signal from the plane was lost less than a minute after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38pm (1:18pm PKT).

According to air traffic control at the Ahmedabad airport, the aircraft gave a “Mayday” call, signalling an emergency, but thereafter, there was no response from the aircraft.

 

According to The Guardian: “The Air India tragedy in Ahmedabad is the first time a Boeing 787 Dreamliner has crashed.

“While airlines using the Boeing plane have had widespread problems with engines on the 787 plane, leaving many having to ground planes and reduce flights, the 787’s safety record in service has been so far good,” the report by Guardian’s transport correspondent Gwyn Topham added.

Al Jazeera also reported that it was the “first crash ever of a Boeing 787 aircraft”, citing the Aviation Safety Network database.

 

Visuals from right after the crash showed debris on fire, with thick black smoke rising up into the sky near the airport. TV channels also showed visuals of people being moved in stretchers and being taken away in ambulances.

In its statement, Air India detailed that 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and a Canadian national were among the people on board, with the nationalities of the 12 others not specified. Times of India quoted the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) as saying that the 242 people comprised 230 passengers, two pilots and 10 crew members.

 

The airline affirmed that it was giving its “full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident”. It also provided a dedicated passenger hotline number for more information: 1800 5691 444.

In a statement, Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran expressed “profound sorrow” over the tragic accident.

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event,” said a statement shared by the Tata Group on X.

 

“At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.”

The Air India chairman noted an emergency centre had been activated and a support team had been set up for families seeking information.

India’s Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said on X “many people” have died in the crash.

Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu directed “all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action”.

“Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site,” he added.

“My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families.”

Boeing said it was aware of initial reports and was working to gather more information. Boeing shares fell 6.8pc to $199.13 in pre-market trade.

London’s Gatwick airport said on X that more information on the crash would follow.

 

In August 2020, an Air India Express plane crash-landed at Kerala’ state’s Kozhikode airport, claiming the lives of 21 people, including 19 passengers and the flight’s two pilots, and injuring 76.

In 2010, an Air India Express jet crashed and burst into flames at Mangalore airport in southwest India, killing 158 of the 166 passengers and crew on board.

In one of the worst aviation disasters in India, two passenger planes collided mid-air near New Delhi in 1996, with the loss of all 349 on board both flights.

Decades earlier, an Air India Boeing 747 flying from Montreal to London in June 1985 crashed into the sea off Ireland with 329 people on board and leaving no survivors.

Condolences poured in as leaders across the world reacted to the aviation incident.

Former foreign minister Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari said he was “saddened to hear a tragic incident occurred”, mentioning the Air India crash.

KARACHI/QUETTA: Karachi has experienced unusual seismic activity since June 1, with 36 minor earthquakes recorded so far due to the activation of the Landhi fault line, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Thursday.

The most recent tremor, with a magnitude of 2.6 and a depth of 10 kilometres, struck today at 1:45am, with its epicentre located 8km southeast of Malir.

The PMD officials have confirmed that all 36 quakes in this seismic swarm in the port city have been of a minor nature and come amidst other earthquake events reported across Pakistan.

Another earthquake was recorded on the same day near Quetta when residents felt tremors with a magnitude of 2.8.

According to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the quake had a depth of 23km, with its epicentre located 75km northeast of Quetta.

Just a day before these quakes, Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was rattled by a mild earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7 on the Richter Scale. The seismological centre reported that the tremors originated from Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountain range, with a depth of 211km.

These recent events follow a series of earlier quakes that have affected various parts of Pakistan.

Around a month ago, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake hit Islamabad and parts of KP, including Mardan, Swat, Nowshera, Swabi, and North Waziristan. Its epicentre was also located in the Hindu Kush region of Afghanistan at a depth of 230km.

Before that, two more significant quakes impacted KP, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Punjab, and parts of Afghanistan.

On April 12, a 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck several cities across northern Punjab, KP, and the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, at a reported depth of 12km.

Cities in Punjab like Attock and Chakwal, and in KP such as Peshawar, Mardan, Mohmand, Swabi, Nowshera, Lakki Marwat, Lower Dir, Malakand, and Shabqadar, all reported experiencing the tremors.

Days later, on April 16, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake again hit several areas of KP, AJK, Punjab, and parts of Afghanistan.

Earthquakes are a common occurrence in Pakistan, a country situated on the active boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. The Indian plate’s continuous northward push into the Eurasian plate makes large parts of South Asia seismically active.

United States Central Command (Centcom) Chief General Michael Kurilla has lauded Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner” in global counter-terrorism efforts, highlighting its successful operations against Daesh-Khorasan and the ongoing fight against terrorism.

“Through a phenomenal partnership, Pakistan has gone after Daesh-Khorasan, killing dozens of them… through a relationship we have with them and providing intelligence, they have captured at least five ISIS Khorasan high-value individuals,” he said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington.

Last month, Islamabad and Washington reaffirmed the continuation of counter-terrorism cooperation to advance regional and global security and stability during a counter-terrorism dialogue.

The dialogue underscored the cooperation between the two countries in addressing the most pressing challenges to regional and global security, including the threats posed by terrorist organisations such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh-Khorasan.

Pakistan has been reeling under rising violent attacks since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

During the congressional hearing, General Kurilla was questioned about the security situation along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan.

“… right now what we saw is the Taliban is going after Daesh-K…they hate each other, pushed a lot of them into the tribal areas on the Afghan-Pakistan border through a phenomenal partnership with Pakistan,” he said.

“They [Pakistan] have extradited back Jaffar, who was one of the key individuals behind the Abbey Gate bombing,” he added, referring to Daesh operative Mohammad Sharifullah, an Afghan national who was arrested by Pakistan earlier this year.

The Daesh operative allegedly helped carry out the 2021 suicide bombing outside Kabul airport during the chaotic US military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Sharifullah has confessed to scouting out the route to the airport, where the suicide bomber later detonated his device among packed crowds trying to flee days after the Taliban seized control of Kabul, the Justice Department said.

The blast at the Abbey Gate killed at least 170 Afghans as well as 13 US troops who were securing the airport’s perimeter.

Furthermore, the Centcom chief said, he received a call from Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir after Sharifullah’s arrest, saying, “He said ‘I’ve caught him, I’m willing to extradite him back to the United States, please tell the secretary of defence and the president’.

“We’re seeing Pakistan — with limited intelligence that we provided them — go after them using their means to do that and we’re seeing an effect on Daesh Khorasan,” he added.

Gen Kurilla added that there have been 1,000 terrorist attacks in “the western area” of Pakistan since the start of 2024, noting that the country was “in an active counter-terrorism fight right now”. “They have been a phenomenal partner in the counter-terrorism world,” he added.

He concluded by saying that the US needs to maintain ties with both Pakistan and India. “I do not believe it is a binary switch that we can’t have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India. We should look at the merits of the relationship for the positives that it has,” he said.

ISLAMABAD/ABU DHABI:  Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reached the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on an official one-day visit where he was welcomed by the host Abu Dhabi’s Deputy Ruler and National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Al Bateen Airport.

The premier is accompanied by Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Field Marshal Asim Munir, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi Special Assistant to the PM (SAPM) Tariq Fatemi.

The visit reflects the deep-rooted fraternal ties between Pakistan and the UAE, which are marked by mutual trust, shared values, and close cooperation across multiple sectors, stated a Foreign Office (FO) press release.

During the visit, PM Shehbaz will hold high-level meetings with the UAE leadership, including a bilateral meeting with the President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

A wide range of bilateral, regional, and global issues of mutual interest and concern will be discussed during the high-level interactions.

According to the FO, the premier’s visit will serve to further strengthen the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and the UAE, deepen economic ties, and foster multifaceted collaboration.

It is also a manifestation of the shared commitment of Pakistan and the UAE to bolstering the mutually beneficial strategic partnership, enhancing cooperation in existing areas of mutual interest, and exploring new avenues for further strengthening the bilateral cordial relations.

Earlier this year, the UAE president visited Pakistan and landed in Rahim Yar Khan in January.

During a meeting, the UAE ruler and PM Shahbaz expressed their shared commitment to deepening economic, political, and cultural ties.

They discussed a wide range of issues, including economic collaboration, regional stability, climate change, and the promotion of mutual interests on the global stage.

Sheikh Mohamed highlighted the UAE’s keen interest in collaborating with Pakistan in the mining, minerals, and agriculture sectors.

The prime minister extended his gratitude to Sheikh Mohamed for the UAE’s unwavering support during critical times, particularly in humanitarian assistance and development aid.

Both leaders reaffirmed their dedication to peace and progress in the region, vowing to work closely on matters of mutual interest.

The meeting concluded with a joint resolve to foster greater cooperation, particularly in priority sectors, ensuring a brighter future for both nations.

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi have emphasised the importance of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Line Project for regional connectivity.

During a telephone conversation between FM Dar and his Afghan counterpart on Sunday, the two leaders agreed to work closely for an early finalisation of the framework agreement, the Foreign Office spokesperson said in an official statement.

A day ago, Dar held a telephone conversation with Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Saidov Bakhtiyor Odilovich as well and discussed the modalities for early finalisation of the framework pact for the UAP railway, including details of its signing ceremony in consultation with the leadership of Afghanistan.

The UAP Railway Line Project is a trilateral initiative that will enhance regional connectivity by connecting Central Asia with the ports of Gwadar and Karachi through Afghanistan. This project will link Tashkent to Peshawar via Kabul through a 573-kilometre track that will be built with an estimated cost of $4.8 billion.

Talking about the upgradation of diplomatic ties between the brotherly countries, Muttaqi welcomed the decision of Pakistan to upgrade its diplomatic relations to the ambassador level and informed that Afghanistan has decided to reciprocate the same.

He termed it a very positive development in bilateral relations.

Both leaders also reviewed the implementation of decisions taken during the deputy prime minister’s visit to Kabul on April 19 and vowed to continue working together to establish mutual trust between the two brotherly nations.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have embassies in each other’s capitals but they are led by charge d’affaires, not ambassadors.

Islamabad on Friday announced upgrading the chargé d’affaires in Afghanistan to the level of an ambassador amid improving ties with the neighbouring country.

In response, the next day, Kabul also announced elevating its diplomatic post in Islamabad to full ambassadorial status.

China was the first country to accept an ambassador from the Taliban-run administration in Kabul, though it does not formally recognise its government. Several other states, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), followed.