Kazakhstan concludes first Kurultai election with turnout at 74.19%
Kazakhstan has concluded its first election to the new unicameral Kurultai, with turnout reaching 74.19 per cent, as vote counting begins following...
Tehran has declined Egypt’s official invitation to participate in the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit on Gaza ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he cannot sit at the same table with the statemen who attacked his country.
In a post on X, Araghchi expressed gratitude for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s invitation but made it clear that neither President Masoud Pezeshkian nor himself would be meeting with hostile counterparts.
"Iran is grateful for President El-Sisi's invitation to attend the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit. While favouring diplomatic engagement, neither President Pezeshkian nor I can engage with counterparts who have attacked the Iranian people and continue to threaten and sanction us."
He said this in reference to joint Israeli - U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s civilian nuclear facilities in June, as well as the US maximum pressure sanctions targeting the country’s economy, energy and health sectors.
However, he reiterated Tehran’s firm support for any Palestinian decision that ends Israel’s military occupation of Gaza.
“Having said that, Iran welcomes any initiative that ends Israel's Genocide in Gaza and ensures the expulsion of occupation forces," he added.
The summit in Egypt’s Red Sea port city of Sharm al-Sheikh will be co-chaired by el-Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump to formalise a ceasefire and lay out reconstruction and governance steps after the two-year war in Gaza.
Iran does not recognise Israel and therefore has not accepted the two-state solution of Palestine and Israel expressing its reservation on the issue at the international forums on the situation in the Palestinian lands.
Araghchi also rejected Trump's statement saying Iran can join the Abraham Accords which include agreements that established diplomatic normalisation between Israel and some Arab states.
In a televised interview on Saturday, he said that the US President expresses what he wants to achieve in different ways, stressing that Trump’s expectation will never take place.
“Trump usually expresses what he wants to achieve in various ways, but the foundation of the Abraham Accords is fundamentally treacherous and has no alignment with the ideals of the Islamic Revolution or the Iranian nation.”
“It will never happen,” Iran’s top diplomat added.
Iran on Saturday denounced U.S. plans to announce new sanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic's economy and have an impact on its most important trading partners including China.
A large-scale drone attack has hit Russia's Samara region, damaging facilities and disrupting operations at an Ozon logistics complex, according to regional authorities and the company.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected calls for a wartime election, arguing that holding a vote while Russia's full-scale invasion continues would divide the country and undermine national unity.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran was not ready to make what he called the "right deal" with Washington as tensions persisted over the war and the Strait of Hormuz.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 22nd of August, covering the latest developments.
Kazakhstan has concluded its first election to the new unicameral Kurultai, with turnout reaching 74.19 per cent, as vote counting begins following a major overhaul of the country’s parliamentary system.
Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have elevated bilateral ties with a Treaty on Eternal Friendship signed by Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent on 23 August. The leaders also agreed to expand trade, investment, transport, and regional cooperation.
Syria has called for international action after an Israeli drone strike hit a civilian vehicle near Damascus, warning that continued Israeli attacks could deepen instability and put civilians at greater risk.
Pakistan says it has added 12 sites to its UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, taking the total from 25 to 37 and widening the country's roster of potential future nominations.
Uzbekistan and Georgia have launched an electronic permit system for international road freight, replacing paper documents in a move aimed at speeding up cross-border transport and cutting bureaucracy.
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