Dubai, Jun 21 (AP) 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, US.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 US while Israel continued attacking.
Here is the latest:
Evacuees in Cyprus recall missiles flying overhead
Noah Page says it's one thing to watch missiles crisscrossing the sky on the news and another to experience it firsthand.
“You see it on the news, you see everything, but you never really expect it to actually hit you when you're there,” the Ohio-native told the Associated Press.
“As someone who grew up in Canada, it's so foreign to me to even think about missiles or a war and you hear about it on the news and it's just so separate from you,” said the 23-year-old who didn't want to give her last name. "It sort of felt like fireworks at first until the reality of the situation set in. I need to run or I might end up hurt.”
Page and Pe'er were among an estimated 1,500 other young people from around the world visiting Israel who were evacuated by cruise ship on Saturday to Cyprus, the closest European country to Israel, at around 270 kilometres.
It was the second such trip by the cruise ship bringing people out while ferrying stranded Israelis back to their homeland.
Florida native Alex Rosenblum had been in Israel before in times of war, when the sounds of sirens urging citizens to rush to shelters had become almost routine. But he says this time it was different.
“This situation with Iran has been a lot scarier because there's a big difference between a rocket and a missile,” he said.
The three young people found safety in underground shelters when digital alerts were sent out. But Pe'er says you can never shake the feeling that you're in danger.
Iran's Araghchi says it will be 'very dangerous' if US gets involved in war Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said it would be “very, very dangerous for everyone” if the United States becomes actively involved in the war with Israel.
He spoke to reporters in Istanbul on his way home from talks in Geneva.
Araghchi said American military involvement “would be very unfortunate.”
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 neighbouring 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 programme 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. (AP) GRS
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