TEHRAN -- Iran's atomic chief on Thursday called on the United Nations nuclear watchdog to immediately end its "inaction" and condemn Israeli attacks on Iran's "peaceful" nuclear facilities, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Mohammad Eslami made the remarks in a letter addressed to President of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi following an Israeli strike on the Arak heavy water research reactor facility in Khondab County in Markazi province early Thursday.
Eslami called on the IAEA to immediately end its "inaction" and condemn Israel's actions, which are in contradiction with international law.(Iran-Israel-Attacks)
- - - -
TEHRAN -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Thursday appointed Majid Khademi as the new head of its intelligence organization, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported.
The appointment was made by IRGC's Chief Commander Mohammad Pakpour only days after Mohammad Kazemi, the organization's former chief, and his deputy Hassan Mohaghegh were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Iranian capital Tehran on Sunday.
Prior to his appointment to the new post, Khademi served as the head of the IRGC's Intelligence Protection Organization. (Iran-IRGC-Appointment)
- - - -
ST. PETERSBURG -- Each Russian spends an average of 5.5 hours daily on their smartphone, while young people spend almost 7 hours daily, said Alexey Goreslavsky, head of Russia's Institute for Internet Development, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday.
"On average, a Russian spends 5.5 hours daily on a smartphone. Everyone is online every day. Young people spend almost 7 hours online daily," Goreslavsky said. "Of course, it's not just for communication... And certainly, it's not only educational or useful content. No matter how much we support quality content, trendy phenomena and so-called 'brainrot' still emerge."
He noted that consuming such content seems harmless on the surface, but as a cultural phenomenon, it "strongly captivates minds." (Russia- nternet)
- - - -
NEW YORK -- U.S. President Donald Trump will make a decision on whether he will order a strike against Iran in the next two weeks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing on Thursday.
"Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiation that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go in the next two weeks," Leavitt read a statement from Trump who responded to speculation about whether the United States would directly get involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Iran must agree to no enrichment of uranium, and Tehran must not be able to achieve a nuclear weapon as part of any diplomatic agreement, Leavitt said.
Correspondence between the United States and Iran "has continued" as the two sides engage in negotiations, Leavitt said, echoing earlier Thursday reports that U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have talked by phone several times since Israel began its strikes on Iran on Jun 13, in a bid to find a diplomatic end to the crisis.(US-Iran-Trump)
- - - -
UNITED NATIONS -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for investment in development to prevent conflict.
Prevention is the best cure for instability and conflict. And there is no better preventive measure than investing in development, he told a Security Council open debate on poverty, underdevelopment and conflict.
"Peace is not built in conference rooms. Peace is built in classrooms, in clinics, in communities. Peace is built when people have hope, opportunity and a stake in their future," he said. "Investing in development today means investing in a more peaceful tomorrow."
He warned that the world is losing ground in this respect.(UN-Conflict-Guterres) ■
