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Summary
Official figures say at least 70 people have been killed and over 1,200 injured in the explosion.
Iran, US continue talks but major hurdles complicate a deal
Negotiations between Iran and the United States are making cautious progress, but the outcome remains highly uncertain as fundamental divisions persist and any overlap between the two sides’ red lines remains elusive.
Enrichment inside Iran a red line in Trump negotiations, Tehran says
Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday that any agreement with the US must respect Tehran’s key demands, including the continuation of uranium enrichment inside the country and the effective lifting of sanctions.
Senior Iranian cleric likens Trump talks to a real estate deal
A top Iranian cleric has described ongoing talks with the administration of US President Donald Trump led by his special envoy and fellow property magnate Steve Witkoff as akin to a real estate negotiation in which Iran will prevail.
Summary
A technical team from the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency has arrived in Tehran for discussions with officials from Iran's Atomic Energy Organization.
Canada's Poilievre talked tough on IRGC, will he walk the walk?
Pierre Poilievre, a contender to become Canada’s next prime minister, has vowed to purge the country of “IRGC thugs” who, he says, feast on “stolen money from the Iranian people.” If elected on Monday, will he—or can he—deliver?
Iran, Israel race to court Azerbaijan as rivalry in Caucasus heats up
The Iranian president’s visit to Azerbaijan, soon to be followed by the Israeli prime minister's trip, highlights Baku’s sophisticated geopolitical maneuvering as Tehran and Tel Aviv vie for influence in the strategically vital South Caucasus.
Mideast Crisis
Israel says it intercepted Iranian planes sent to aid Syria's Assad
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the air force diverted Iranian aircraft carrying troops to help former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad amid the country’s revolution last year.
US urges Syria to curb Iran influence at UN meeting
The United States urged Syria’s interim authorities to prevent Iran and its allied groups from exploiting the country’s territory, while Iran accused Washington of worsening Syrians' suffering through sanctions, during a UN Security Council meeting on Friday.
Iranian envoy walks back criticism of Lebanese bid to disarm Hezbollah
Iran's Ambassador to Beirut Mojtaba Amani visited Lebanon’s foreign ministry to walk back earlier comments which appeared to call the Mediterranean country's delicate efforts to disarm the Iran-back Hezbollah group a conspiracy.
Iran says major cyberattack on infrastructure repelled
Iran said it foiled a major cyberattack targeting its infrastructure on Sunday in the midst of blazing fires following the explosion which rocked its key container port in Bandar Abbas.
Port explosion
Port shutdown halts over half of Iran's cargo as fire not yet contained
More than half of Iran's port activity remains offline following a major explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, according to Iranian port authority data.
Iran denies presence of military cargo at blast-hit port
Iran's Ministry of Defense said on Sunday that no military-related cargo was present at the Shahid Rajaei Port in Bandar Abbas, where a deadly explosion occurred over the weekend.
Tehran newspapers split over causes of port explosion
Tehran's morning newspapers on Sunday presented divergent accounts of the explosion at Rajaei port in southern Iran, exposing political fault lines over the incident’s cause.
Domestic Politics
Iranian hardliners, officials fall in line behind Khamenei’s shift on US talks
Iran’s political and religious establishment is closing ranks to defend Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s backing of renewed negotiations with the United States, with clerics and hardliners urging the public to view flexibility as a continuation of revolutionary goals.
Iran’s minister attends Pope Francis’ funeral under heavy US security presence
Iran’s Minister of Culture Abbas Salehi represented the Islamic Republic at the funeral of Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, appearing alongside global dignitaries in a rare display of Tehran’s diplomatic outreach.
Sweden urges Iran to release death row scientist as he pleads from prison
Sweden on Friday called on Iran to immediately release Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian academic detained and sentenced to death nine years ago after he released an appeal from prison warning he was at his breaking point.
Human Rights
Beyond the hijab: discrimination against women pervades Iranian law
Camel-denominated blood money and minutes-long temporary marriages are among the peculiar features of a medieval theocratic legal system by which Iran systematically enforces second-class citizenship on women.
Economy
Iran signs $4bn deal with Russian firms to develop oil fields, minister says
Iran has finalized four agreements worth a total investment of $4 billion with Russian companies to develop seven oil fields, Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said.
Eye for Iran Podcast
Tehran needs US talks to live, ex-Iranian diplomat says
The Islamic Republic will seek a new lease on life in US talks, former Iranian diplomat Hossein Alizadeh told the Eye for Iran podcast, adding that Iran's rulers will never abandon their hardline ideology against the West.
Iran: deal or no deal?
In Case You Missed It
Paraguay designates Iran’s Guards as terror group, US applauds
Paraguay has formally designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization and expanded its classification of Hamas and Hezbollah to include all components of both groups.
Tehran Insider
No deal for us: how Iran–US talks affect ordinary Iranians
I’ve grown the habit of checking the dollar exchange rate every few hours, even though I sold all that I had a few months ago—or perhaps because I sold all that I had a few months ago.
'Martyr families': Iran's last war leaves bitter legacy
My 23-year-old cousin, Ali, newly married and the father of a two-month-old baby, was killed in the Iran-Iraq war in 1985. From that moment, everything in my uncle’s family changed.
