Iran-U.S.-Israel tensions rise after strikes and threats of retaliation- 31 March
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is intensifying, with fresh strikes near Tehran, European calls for restraint, and Iran threatening to target U.S. fi...
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have had a telephone conversation following the recent resolution passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The monitoring agency had demanded in a resolution that Tehran’s must inform it “without delay” of the status of its enriched uranium stock and access to “enable the agency do its job”.
The conversation which held via telephone also touched on “bilateral ties, and regional and international developments”.
Tehran said on Friday it had withdrawn from a deal IAEA reached last September in Cairo, Egypt after the agency’s Board of Governors passed a resolution on Thursday.
In a statement released by Russia’s Foreign Ministry, it said, “The conversation focused on regional security,” without giving specific details about what was discussed.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi referred to Tehran’s diplomatic initiatives and consultations with regional countries aimed at strengthening regional peace and stability, and “stressed the importance of continuing this process with the participation of all relevant parties.”
“Lavrov considered the formation of a regional consultation and cooperation framework as an appropriate method for resolving issues between regional countries and announced Moscow's readiness to continue close coordination with Tehran in this regard,” read Iran’s press release.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran withdrew from the Cairo agreement on Friday.
“Iran considers the resolution approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which was adopted under pressure of the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom as illegal and unjustified,” read the statement issued on Friday.
Iran suspended its ties with the IAEA and ceased the nuclear negotiations with the United States mediated by Oman in the wake of airstrikes by Israel and US on its major civilian nuclear sites in June.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed earlier that IAEA officials inspected some Iranian sites including Tehran Research Reactor last week after receiving the clearance from the Supreme National Security Council which is required by a legislation passed by Parliament.
Iran had laid down the condition that it will consider the new cooperation agreement null and void if UN nuclear sanctions were reimposed, but it did not act after the sanctions were reinstalled in September.
China and Russia who are permanent members of the UN Security Council wielding the veto power, voted against return of UN nuclear sanctions on Iran.
They had tabled a joint draft resolution at the Security Council to postpone return of the sanctions.
Last week, ahead of the IAEA board meeting in Vienna, Austria, Araghchi and Lavrov discussed the planned meet over a telephone call.
They reviewed the situation within the IAEA Board of Governors “where France, the UK and Germany have been seeking to launch an anti-Iranian campaign”, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.
“They reaffirmed their shared commitment to fully carrying out the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Russia and Iran,” it added.
Iran and Russia signed the strategic treaty in January 2025 which came into effect on October 2 and is valid for 20 years.
In 2021, Iran and China signed a 25-year cooperation agreement to further develop their existing relations but unlike the Russian treaty, its provisions are not publicised.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S is in talks with the new Iranian regime. He said this in a post on his Truth Social account but warned that the U.S. will "Obliterate" Iran's electric and oil facilities if no deal is reached, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz closure.
NASA is aiming to launch its Artemis 2 mission on Wednesday (1 April), sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, officials confirmed. According to the Space Administration, the launch window is due to open at 23:24 GMT, with additional opportunities to 6 April if delays occur.
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is intensifying, with fresh strikes near Tehran, European calls for restraint, and Iran threatening to target U.S. firms in the region, raising fears of a broader escalation across the Middle East.
The war in Iran has rapidly upended regional security, triggering spillover across the Middle East and raising fears of wider economic disruption that could threaten globalisation.
The Israeli military said on Monday that Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, and an attack had also been launched from Yemen for the second time since the U.S.-Israeli war began on Tehran. It said two drones from Yemen were intercepted early 30 March but gave no further details.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum says around 25 kilometres of the TAPI gas pipeline have been laid in Herat province, as work continues on one of the region’s largest energy projects.
Three Armenian citizens have been charged following an alleged attempt to attack Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at St Anna Cathedral in Yerevan on 29 March. Analysts say the incident reflects rising tensions between the government and the Church ahead of upcoming elections.
A man previously convicted of spying on Türkiye has been arrested by Turkish and Syrian authorities after more than a decade on the run, Turkish security sources said on Monday.
Uzbekistan is hosting the fifth-anniversary Space Technology Conference - Central Eurasia (STC 2026), bringing together more than 400 delegates, 24 sponsors and representatives from 32 countries to discuss the region’s space industry and expand international cooperation.
Kazakhstan remains among the least dependent countries in Central Asia on Chinese capital, maintaining a diversified external debt structure and greater financial flexibility than its regional peers.
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