Iran says parliament is preparing bill to leave nuclear non-proliferation treaty

Iranian parliamentarians are preparing a bill that could push Tehran toward exiting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty the foreign ministry said on Monday, while reiterating Tehran’s official stance against developing nuclear weapons, Reuters reported.

“In light of recent developments, we will take an appropriate decision. Government has to enforce parliament bills but such a proposal is just being prepared and we will coordinate in the later stages with parliament,” the ministry’s spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said, when asked at a press conference about Tehran potentially leaving the NPT.

The NPT, which Iran ratified in 1970, guarantees countries the right to pursue civilian nuclear power in return for requiring them to forego atomic weapons and cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.

Israel began bombing Iran last week, saying Tehran was on the verge of building a nuclear bomb. Iran has always said its nuclear program is peaceful, although the IAEA declared last week that Tehran was in violation of its NPT obligations, according to Reuters.

 

Israel says Tehran residents to 'pay price' after Tel Aviv, Haifa attacks

Iranian missiles struck Israel's Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa before dawn on Monday, killing at least eight people and destroying homes, prompting Israel's defence minister to warn that Tehran residents would "pay the price and soon," Reuters reported.

Iran said its parliament was preparing a bill to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), adding that Tehran remains opposed to developing weapons of mass destruction. Passing the bill could take several weeks.

Israel is presumed to have a sizable nuclear arsenal but neither confirms nor denies it. It is the only Middle East state that has not signed the NPT.

Israel's military, which has gutted Iran's nuclear and military leadership with airstrikes, said on Monday it had killed four senior intelligence officials including the head of the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence organisation, according to Reuters.

Elderly man dies in Chitwan rhino attack

An elderly man died in a rhino attack in Chitwan.

The deceased has been identified as Jange Kumal (60) of Bharatpur Metropolitan City-28 in Chitwan.

Kumal, who was critically injured in the attack while fishing in the Rapti River behind the Meghouli Serai Hotel on Sunday night, died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bharatpur, DSP Rabindra Khanal, spokesperson at the Distrct Police Office, said. 

Police said that they are looking into the case.

 

 

 

G7 leaders gather in Canada for a summit overshadowed by Israel-Iran crisis and trade wars

Leaders of some of the world’s biggest economic powers arrived in the Canadian Rockies on Sunday for a Group of Seven summit, overshadowed by an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran and U.S. President Donald Trump’s unresolved trade war, Associated Press reported.

Israel’s strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation, which appeared to catch many world leaders unawares, is the latest sign of a more volatile world. 

Trump in recent days vetoed an Israeli plan to kill Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a U.S. official told The Associated Press, in an indication of how far Israel was prepared to go.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had discussed efforts to de-escalate the crisis with Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as other world leaders and said he expected “intense discussions” would continue at the summit, according to Associated Press.

Trump says must expand efforts to deport people illegally in US

President Donald Trump on Sunday said efforts to deport people who are illegally in the United States must be expanded, including from cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, which have seen protests since immigration raids were ramped up, Reuters reported.

"I have directed my entire Administration to put every resource possible behind this effort," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social social media site.

Trump did not elaborate on how specifically he intended to ramp up efforts.

The comments come after a week of tension in Los Angeles, where Trump called in National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to help keep the peace, over the objections of the state's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, according to Reuters.

Trump is carrying out a campaign promise to deport immigrants, employing forceful tactics consistent with the norm-breaking political style that got him elected twice.

Trump administration weighs adding 36 countries to travel ban, memo says

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is considering significantly expanding its travel restrictions by potentially banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the United States, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters.

Earlier this month, the Republican president signed a proclamation that banned the entry of citizens from 12 countries, saying the move was needed to protect the United States against "foreign terrorists" and other national security threats.

The directive was part of an immigration crackdown Trump launched this year at the start of his second term, which has included the deportation to El Salvador of hundreds of Venezuelans suspected of being gang members, as well as efforts to deny enrollments of some foreign students from U.S. universities and deport others, according to Reuters.

In an internal diplomatic cable signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department outlined a dozen concerns about the countries in question and sought corrective action.

Trump vetoed Israeli plan to kill Iran's supreme leader, US officials say

President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan in recent days to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Sunday.

"Have the Iranians killed an American yet? No. Until they do we're not even talking about going after the political leadership," said one of the sources, a senior U.S. administration official.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said top U.S. officials have been in constant communications with Israeli officials in the days since Israel launched a massive attack on Iran in a bid to halt its nuclear program, according to Reuters.

Iran rejects ceasefire negotiations while under Israeli attack, official says

Iran has told mediators Qatar and Oman that it is not open to negotiating a ceasefire while it is under Israeli attack, an official briefed on the communications told Reuters on Sunday, as the two foes launched fresh attacks and raised fears of a wider conflict, Reuters reported ​​​​​.

"The Iranians informed Qatari and Omani mediators that they will only pursue serious negotiations once Iran has completed its response to the Israeli pre-emptive strikes," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the conflict.

Iran made "clear that it will not negotiate while under attack," the official said.

Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran on Friday morning that wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command and damaged its nuclear sites, and says the campaign will continue to escalate in coming days, according to Reuters.

Iran has vowed to "open the gates of hell" in retaliation in what has emerged as the biggest ever confrontation between the longstanding enemies.