Middle East
Smotrich opposes any Hamas hostage deal, warns Netanyahu

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced yesterday that he is strictly against any hostage exchange deal with Hamas, even a partial one, warning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and cabinet members.
Smotrich emphasized that he would not permit such a deal to be signed.
Smotrich stated his strong opposition to any step leading to an agreement with Hamas, saying, “It would be meaningless now to sign a partial deal that would reduce pressure on Hamas and give it a lifeline to recover.”
The Israeli minister clarified his threat with the words, “I will not allow such a thing, period.”
According to the Israeli website Kipa, Smotrich argued in a post on the X platform that pressure on Hamas must continue and that Hamas should be forced into a full surrender agreement, including the release of all hostages at once.
Smotrich’s firm stance followed reports of a possible hostage exchange deal, as well as “expected changes in the humanitarian aid distribution mechanism in the Gaza Strip.”
The Kipa website noted that this is not the first time Smotrich has made such threats and that he has failed to follow through on them in the past.
The report recalled that the minister threatened to resign from the government last month over the decision to allow aid into Gaza.
The site stated, “Despite this, when the cabinet later approved the entry of aid, Smotrich did not act on his resignation threat. On the contrary, he defended the decision, asserting that the aid did not reach Hamas.”
Smotrich later supported this decision, explaining that the entry of aid was a “necessary order” and allowed Israel to meet the minimum needs of Gaza residents while “protecting its war aims.”
Furthermore, the Israeli newspaper Maariv previously reported allegations of a “political deal” between Netanyahu and Smotrich, involving the construction of new settlements in the West Bank in exchange for humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
The families of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip responded to Smotrich’s statements with a declaration, stating, “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
The statement also demanded, “Stop playing with the fate of the hostages because history will remember you. Abandon the false offers and empty promises, do what the public wants, bring back all 58 hostages, and stop the war.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also responded to Smotrich via the X platform.
Sa’ar stated, “As long as there is an opportunity to release the hostages, it is right to do so, and this is the will of the overwhelming majority of the people in Israel. Actions should be guided by public interest, not by political pressures and threats.”
Middle East
Call from the the Nedaye Iranian Party: ‘Let Us Unite Against Israeli Oppression’

The Nedaye Party, a political party from the reformist camp in Iran, issued a letter calling on more than 100 political parties and international organizations worldwide to unite in condemning Israel’s attacks.
Presenting itself as a “young, reformist, and peace-loving” political party, the Nedaye Iranian Party released a letter addressing more than 100 global political parties and international organizations across five continents, regarding Israel’s attacks on Iran and especially its war crimes committed against civilians, children, women, and peace-loving civil activists in Gaza.
The letter, signed by the Secretary-General of the party, Seyed Shahabeddin Tabatabaei, proposed the formation of a global coalition capable of taking serious measures against the spread of violence and threats to global peace.
The letter suggested that anti-war and peace-loving political parties cooperate to unite against Israel’s aggression and war crimes. The concrete proposals were listed as follows:
1- Officially, firmly and publicly condemn the recent Israeli attack on Iran.
2- Pressure your governments to stop military, intelligence and technological cooperation with this regime.
3- Support the referral of these crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the initiation of legal proceedings against its officials.
4- Demand that the competent UN bodies conduct independent, transparent and impartial investigations into these attacks.
5- Actively participate in launching international awareness campaigns to expose the dimensions of these crimes.
6- Hold partisan and international meetings to coordinate political and legal measures against the Zionist regime.
At the end of the letter, the Nedaye Party proposed the formation of an international coalition capable of taking effective and serious steps to oppose the spread of violence and threats to global peace, calling for a “shared stance.” It emphasized that organizing a joint meeting among various parties across the world would be “a first but strategic step on the path to international political solidarity.”
The letter concluded with the following words:
“This is not just a call to issue a statement; it is a call for collective action, for solidarity in defending human dignity, and to prevent the repetition of tragedies that may occur tomorrow in another corner of the world.
The memory of all the innocents lost calls us to a historic responsibility. Let us stand against warmongering and destruction at this critical moment, with unity and determination, and build a more humane world.”
Middle East
Plight of refugees in Iran

As the process of deporting Afghan migrants from Iran intensifies, Iranian officials say that in the past week, more than 120,000 people have entered Afghanistan from Iran, both forcibly and voluntarily.
The district governor of Taybad in Iran says that nearly 8,000 undocumented Afghan citizens enter Afghanistan daily through the Dogharun border alone.
Meanwhile, some deported immigrants say they left all their assets in Iran and were forced to return home empty-handed.
Hossein Jamshidi, the district governor of Taybad, told Iranian media that in the past week alone, more than 95,000 undocumented citizens and about 25,000 documented migrants from all over Iran have been identified and returned to Afghanistan from this border.
Dogharoon border is the largest crossing point for the deportation of Afghan migrants from Iran. Every day, thousands of migrants, most of whom were living in Iran without documents, are now transported in large convoys, in dozens of passenger buses from all over Iran, to this border point zero.
But in this side of the border!
But on this side of the border, at the Islam Qala crossing, thousands of people, including women and children, are standing in long lines in the scorching sun, wearing only a few layers of clothing, waiting to cross the border and enter Afghan territory.
Many of these migrants say they have nowhere to go and have been forced to leave all their belongings on the other side of the border, on Iranian soil, and return empty-handed.
The Taliban have called for the establishment of a “coordinated mechanism” with the Iranian government for the return of refugees.
UN agencies have called for increased financial assistance following the significant expulsion of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries.
The Norwegian government has expressed concern about the deportation of migrants in recent days and has allocated nearly $1 million to support them.
Middle East
US proposes $30 billion deal to Iran for halting uranium enrichment

The administration of US President Donald Trump is reportedly discussing the possibility of providing Iran with up to $30 billion in financial access to develop its peaceful nuclear program as part of efforts to return to negotiations with Tehran.
According to a CNN report citing sources familiar with the matter, this offer requires Tehran to completely halt uranium enrichment, a condition emphasized as “non-negotiable.”
Under the proposed plan, the funds would not be provided by the US but by Arab nations. An administration official stated, “The US is ready to lead these negotiations. Someone will have to pay for the implementation of the nuclear program, but we will not make such a commitment.”
Other proposals on the table
American officials have indicated that other offers are also being considered. These include the potential lifting of some sanctions against Iran and granting Tehran access to $6 billion of its frozen assets in foreign banks.
Another idea involves US allies in the Persian Gulf covering the cost of building new infrastructure to replace the Fordow nuclear facility, which was damaged in US attacks. This new facility would also lack uranium enrichment capabilities.
Washington’s “comprehensive peace” initiative
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Special Representative for the Middle East, told CNBC that the US aims to achieve a “comprehensive peace agreement.”
A White House statement emphasized that all proposals are designed to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Following the events of the past two weeks, which include mutual attacks with Israel and a US strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, the White House hopes Tehran will accept Washington’s terms.
Experts are skeptical, fearing the offer could backfire
Conversely, Iran experts cited by CNN believe these events will further convince the country’s leadership of the necessity of possessing nuclear weapons.
Earlier this week, the Iranian parliament approved the suspension of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Even before the US attack on the night of June 22, the Iranian government had already significantly restricted agency officials’ access to its facilities.
According to IAEA data from mid-May, Iran possessed approximately 409 kilograms of highly enriched uranium.
Bloomberg reported that this amount is theoretically sufficient to produce ten nuclear warheads. The agency’s Director General, Rafael Grossi, stated that the location of this material is unknown.
While Tehran claims it moved its uranium stockpiles from the attacked facilities beforehand, the IAEA assesses that a significant portion of the stocks may have survived the strike.
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