U.S.-Iran peace talks open in Switzerland amid Hormuz dispute
U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Switzerland on Sunday for peace talks with Iran, as Tehran’s renewed claim that it had blocked the Strait of...
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
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Both leaders spoke on the phone and discussed the latest situation in the Middle East and the military cooperation between the UK and US through the use of RAF bases in support of the collective self-defence of partners in the region.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer his heartfelt condolences with President Trump and the American people following the deaths of six US soldiers.
It comes after stinging public criticism from President Trump (see 04.31).
Emmanuel Macron called the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, today (8 March).
The French president expressed his country’s solidarity and support for Azerbaijan after Iranian strikes hit the country earlier in the week.
Macron also expressed his gratitude to Aliyev for the safe evacuation of French citizens in Iran through Azerbaijan.
The IRCS says 1,332 Iranians have been killed in US-Israeli attacks so far. The conflict started on Saturday 28th February.
In a post on X, the Ministry of Interior said that Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Imad Al-Sharrah and Captain Fahd Abdulaziz Al-Majmoud were killed "while performing duties".
In a statement, the IDF says it will continue to 'pursue every successor' of Khamenei and those who choose him. The next leader is expected to be announced today, however an in-person meeting can't be held to ratify the decision (see 06.43).
(Translation below)
پس از خنثیسازی خامنهای ستمگر، رژیم تروریستی ایران تلاش میکند خود را بازسازی کرده و رهبر جدیدی انتخاب کند.
مجلس خبرگان ایران که دهها سال است تشکیل جلسه نداده، بهزودی در شهر قم گرد هم خواهد آمد. میخواهیم به شما بگوئیم که دست کشور اسرائیل همچنان هر جانشین و هر کسی را که در پی… — ارتش دفاعی اسرائیل | IDF Farsi (@IDFFarsi) March 8, 2026
Translated into English according to Grok AI: After neutralizing the tyrant Khamenei, the terrorist regime of Iran is attempting to rebuild itself and select a new leader. Iran's Assembly of Experts, which has not convened for decades, will soon gather in the city of Qom. We want to tell you that the hand of the State of Israel will continue to pursue every successor and every person who seeks to appoint a successor. We warn all those who intend to participate in the successor selection meeting that we will not hesitate to target you either. This is a warning!
Assembly of Experts member Ayatollah Mohammad-Mahdi Mirbagheri said a majority consensus had been reached, according to Mehr news agency.
UPDATE:
Ayatollah Mohsen Heidari Alekasir, another member of the Assembly of Experts, says a candidate had been picked and that the U.S (whom Mohsen calls the 'Great Satan') has mentioned his name. Heidari Alekasir says the decision is based on the late supreme leader's advice that Iran's top leader should "be hated by the enemy" instead of praised by it.
He continues by saying that an in-person meeting by the assembly for a final vote was not possible under current conditions.
These comments came in video released by Nournews on Sunday.
Israel's military say it is responsible for the “significant strike” of an oil storage facility in Iran's capital Tehran (see video below). Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it retaliated by launching missiles at an oil refinery in Haifa, Israel.
The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait's military say their air defence systems are intercepting missiles and drones launched from Iran on Sunday, AFP is reporting.
The commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC, Esmail Qaani, has safely returned to Israel. Reports say he was instrumental in the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last weekend and has previously helped been behind the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine.
Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the State Department, Thomas Pigott released the following statement:
"The United States strongly condemns the unprovoked drone attack on March 5 by the Iranian regime against the Republic of Azerbaijan, targeting Nakhchivan International Airport and a children’s school, which injured innocent civilians and caused damage to critical civilian infrastructure.
These strikes are a flagrant violation of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and a needless escalation of Iran’s aggression. The United States stands in full solidarity with Azerbaijan against these threats. Attacks on the territory of our partners in the region are unacceptable and will be met with resolute U.S. support for those partners."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan responded through the Azerbaijan agency Report:
"We highly appreciate the statement of the United States Department of State condemning the drone attacks carried out by Iran against the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan and expressing solidarity with our country,
Through this statement, the US side has demonstrated to the whole world its support for its partners. The position expressed by the United States fully corresponds to the letter and spirit of the Charter on Strategic Partnership between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the United States of America, signed on February 10 this year.
On such a tense period, many countries have demonstrated their support and solidarity with Azerbaijan. We are grateful to each and every one of them. Obviously, the support shown by the United States, the most powerful country in the world, carries particular significance.
We express our gratitude to the United States for the demonstrated principled position."
Welcome to AnewZ's coverage of day eight of the conflict that started with the United States and Israel bombing Iran and killing its Supreme Leader, plunging the country into a leadership crisis.
The U.S. President says the UK was once America's greatest ally but is no longer under the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer
A train driver has been killed and nine people remain in a critical condition in hospital, after two trains collided near Beford in the east of England on Friday. The passenger trains heading to London collided at around 17:15 local time (1615 GMT).
Morocco captain and PSG defender Achraf Hakimi will face trial in France after an appeals court ruled there was enough evidence for the case to proceed.
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck southwest of Greece’s island of Crete on Saturday, with no immediate reports of damage.
Paraguay kept their World Cup hopes alive with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Türkiye, but the celebrations were tempered by a costly red card for veteran forward Miguel Almirón.
Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire, a senior U.S. official has said. Hezbollah has released a statement saying Israel must leave southern Lebanon. Israel has said it agrees to the ceasefire, but has said its armed forces won't leave Lebanon and will resume hostilities if attacked.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received a delegation led by Mazen Torki Saud Al-Qadi, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Jordan, on 21 June.
Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least nine people in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, including a child and an Al Jazeera journalist, Palestinian health officials said.
A new film by Swedish filmmaker Mikael Silkeberg traces a cultural journey from Scandinavia to Azerbaijan. The documentary ‘The Homeland in Memory’, available to watch now on AnewZ, looks at how cultural memory in Western Azerbaijan has resisted displacement through its preservation in tradition.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for killing two Syrian soldiers in the northern provine of Aleppo, in a statement on the group's Telegram channel.
At least seven people were killed and several others injured after two roadside bombs exploded in quick succession in northwest Pakistan on Saturday (20 June), according to local police.
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