The second week of the Israel-Iran war started with a renewed round of strikes despite talks between European ministers and Iran’s top diplomat.
Friday's talks, which aimed at de-escalating the fighting between the two adversaries, lasted for four hours in Geneva, but failed to produce a breakthrough. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump continued to weigh his country's military involvement and concerns spiked over potential strikes on nuclear reactors.
Still, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was open to further dialogue but stressed Tehran wasn't interested in negotiating with the U.S. while Israel continued attacking.
Here is the latest:
UN refugee agency calls for de-escalation
The UNHCR said Saturday that the intensity of the attacks is already triggering population movements in Israel and Iran: Some from Tehran and other parts of Iran have crossed into neighboring countries while shelling has caused people in Israel to seek shelter elsewhere in the country and, in some cases, abroad.
The agency urged states in the region to respect the right of people to seek safety where needed and to facilitate humanitarian access.
“This region has already endured more than its share of war, loss, and displacement — we cannot allow another refugee crisis to take root,” the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said. “The time to de-escalate is right now. Once people are forced to flee, there’s no quick way back — and all too often, the consequences last for generations.”
Tehran vows to make Grossi ‘pay’
A senior adviser for Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, vowed in a social media post Saturday to make the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency “pay” once the war with Israel is over.
Ali Larijani's threat comes as IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has become a major target for many Iranian officials who say his conflicting statements about the status of Iran’s nuclear program incited the Israeli surprise attack last week.
Grossi told the United Nations’ Security Council Friday that while Iran has the material to build a nuclear bomb, it appears they have no plans to do so.
