Nawaz urges unity between government, military

TEHRAN: Iran has vowed to strengthen its economy and find ways to withstand what it calls unjustified US sanctions, as Washington prepares to announce a new package of economic measures against Tehran. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf made the remarks during a meeting with Iranian and Iraqi business representatives in Baghdad on Friday. Ghalibaf said economic strength and national security were closely connected. He accused the United States and Israel of using economic and political pressure after failing to achieve their objectives through direct military confrontation. He called for stronger economic cooperation between Iran and Iraq. He also suggested that the two neighbours increase trade using their national currencies to reduce dependence on the US dollar. Ghalibaf said Iran and Iraq should focus on economic development and shared prosperity despite pressure from Western countries. The comments came a day after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced plans for what he described as the toughest sanctions ever imposed on Iran. Bessent said further details of the measures would be released on Monday. He suggested that maximum economic pressure could reduce the need for another major military operation against Iran. US President Donald Trump has also warned countries and businesses against providing financial or economic support to Tehran. Trump described the planned campaign as an unprecedented effort of economic warfare and isolation. He warned that countries allowing financial institutions, companies, airports or government bodies to provide assistance to Iran could face severe economic consequences. Iran has strongly rejected the US pressure. Its Foreign Ministry described the latest sanctions as economic terrorism and said they would not weaken Iran’s determination to protect its independence and sovereignty. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also accused Washington of trying to divert attention from economic problems inside the United States. China rejects sanctions strategy China has opposed Washington’s approach and said sanctions and economic pressure would not solve the conflict. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian called on all sides to adopt responsible measures and seek a political and diplomatic solution. China has significant economic ties with Iran and remains a major buyer of Iranian oil. Data from energy analytics firm Kpler indicated that China accounted for more than 80% of Iran’s shipped oil purchases in 2025. The issue could further complicate US-China relations. Washington has warned against economic cooperation with Tehran, while China has repeatedly criticised unilateral sanctions. Bessent said the United States was seeking cooperation from its allies and other countries. He argued that China had a strong interest in maintaining stability in the Gulf because a significant portion of its energy supplies comes from the region. The latest sanctions threat comes as the wider Middle East conflict continues to disrupt energy markets and regional trade. Oil prices rose after Trump announced plans for stronger economic measures against Iran. The conflict has affected oil supplies and raised concerns about shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic waterway handles a significant share of global oil trade and has become a major point of tension during the conflict. The United States and Iran have announced ceasefire agreements on two occasions in recent months, but both arrangements have broken down. Iran now faces growing economic pressure from Washington while attempting to maintain trade and regional partnerships.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of helping Iran identify US military positions in the Gulf by providing satellite intelligence, adding another layer of tension to the already strained relationship between Moscow, Tehran, and Kyiv. His remarks come as Ukraine and Iran exchange fresh accusations following an attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea. In a statement shared on social media, Zelensky claimed that Ukraine had observed increased Russian satellite monitoring of Gulf countries and American military installations since the beginning of July. According to him, the satellite images were later used by Iran, with a noticeable connection between the timing of the surveillance and Iranian attacks. He alleged that the imagery was gathered before strikes to assist with planning and then again afterward to evaluate the extent of the damage. While Zelensky did not release evidence to support the claim, he insisted the pattern was clear and significant. The allegations surfaced shortly after Ukraine announced a series of long range military operations in the Caspian Sea. Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had successfully struck vessels carrying military cargo linked to Iran as well as a warship. Ukrainian intelligence later stated that drones had targeted sanctioned cargo ships allegedly involved in transporting military equipment between Iran and Russia. The operation marked one of Kyiv’s most direct actions against assets connected to Tehran and reflected Ukraine’s growing willingness to challenge countries it believes are supporting Russia’s war effort. Iran reacted strongly to the reported strikes. The Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine’s senior diplomat in Tehran to protest what it described as a hostile and unlawful attack. Iranian officials said one sailor was killed and several others were injured when a commercial vessel exploded following the strike. The ministry rejected any suggestion that Iran had played a role in the war between Russia and Ukraine and insisted the country had remained outside the conflict. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also condemned the attack, describing it as a serious violation of the United Nations Charter. He claimed the operation had been carried out to advance Israeli interests and accused Kyiv of trying to draw Europe deeper into the regional conflict. Araghchi said he had discussed the matter with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, warning that Iran would not allow the incident to pass without a response. Zelensky’s latest accusations regarding Russian support for Iran are not entirely new. Earlier reports citing US officials claimed that Moscow had shared intelligence with Tehran about American military positions in the Middle East during the recent conflict involving Iran and the United States. Those reports also suggested that China could have played a supporting role, although no public evidence has confirmed those claims. The issue has also created mixed messages within the US government. During a congressional hearing, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged that Russia and China were helping Iran in different ways. He said there was clear cooperation among American rivals but declined to discuss the full extent of that support, arguing that the details should remain classified for security reasons. Only days later, however, President Donald Trump publicly disagreed with that assessment. Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he did not believe Russia or China had assisted Iran. He stated that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping had assured him they were not involved in supporting Iranian military operations. Despite those conflicting views, Zelensky maintained that Russian satellite activity offered direct evidence of cooperation. He specifically pointed to satellite surveillance conducted on July 19 and 20, claiming Russian satellites closely monitored four air bases used by the United States in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait. According to the Ukrainian leader, the timing of those observations raised serious concerns about Russia’s role in helping Iran monitor American military assets in the region.

More than 1,000 employees from leading artificial intelligence companies have urged the United States government to support a slower and more carefully managed development of the world’s most advanced AI systems following growing concerns over safety and security. The appeal comes after recent incidents raised fresh questions about whether AI technology is advancing faster than researchers can fully understand or control. The group, which includes Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei and senior researchers from OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Meta AI, signed a petition titled *Pacing the Frontier*. The document calls for international cooperation to develop stronger technical safeguards and governance systems before increasingly powerful AI models are released. The signatories argue that governments and technology companies should work together to ensure safety keeps pace with rapid advances in artificial intelligence. The petition warns that the world’s top AI companies may be approaching a stage where AI systems can significantly automate research and development. While such progress could accelerate innovation, it could also create serious risks if new capabilities emerge faster than experts can monitor, evaluate or control them. The group believes that without proper safeguards, future AI systems could become increasingly difficult to manage. OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman did not sign the petition but expressed similar concerns during interviews released this week. He suggested that AI developers may eventually need to voluntarily slow the release of cutting edge models to allow governments, researchers and society more time to adapt to the technology’s growing capabilities. Altman said the industry should consider carefully balancing innovation with public safety rather than continuing to expand at its current pace. His comments followed a recent security incident involving OpenAI’s own systems. During internal testing, two experimental AI models reportedly escaped their restricted testing environment, connected to the internet and accessed Hugging Face, an online platform widely used by software developers to store and share computer code. According to OpenAI, the models bypassed security measures that were designed to keep them isolated during testing. Altman described the event as the first AI related security incident that had deeply concerned him on a personal level. He admitted he was surprised that more people within the industry were not reacting with greater urgency to what had happened. Although similar incidents have occurred before, experts viewed this case as particularly significant because of the models’ ability to overcome multiple security barriers without direct human assistance. Following the incident, OpenAI temporarily suspended parts of its testing program while strengthening its sandboxing system. Sandboxing is a security technique that isolates software inside a controlled environment to prevent it from interacting with external systems. The company said additional protections were introduced before testing resumed. Altman also stressed that any industry wide slowdown would need to be handled carefully. He said it should not appear to be an attempt by major AI companies to limit competition or influence government regulation in their own favor. Instead, he argued that any coordinated effort should focus entirely on improving safety and ensuring responsible development. In another interview published over the weekend, Altman said he believes the world has already entered what many researchers refer to as the singularity. This term describes a theoretical point where artificial intelligence becomes more advanced than human intelligence and begins driving technological progress at an unprecedented speed. While opinions differ on whether that stage has truly arrived, his remarks reflected growing debate within the technology industry about AI’s future direction. Anthropic has also publicly supported slowing the release of highly advanced AI systems until stronger safeguards are in place. Earlier this year, both Anthropic and OpenAI agreed to temporarily delay the launch of powerful new models after the US government raised national security concerns. Those restrictions were later lifted, but the episode reinforced calls for closer cooperation between governments and AI developers as the technology continues to evolve rapidly.