In the daily newsletter, we introduce the most important events and news that happened in the world during the past day.
The US has temporarily lifted sanctions on Iran
The US suspended sanctions against Iran for 60 days starting Monday after the first talks on a peace deal. Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has resumed and oil prices continue to fall.
US Vice President Jay Dee Vance said the talks had laid a good foundation for a final peace deal.
As a first step in providing economic relief to Iran, the US Treasury announced that it would suspend sanctions until August 21. This allows Tehran to sell and receive payments for oil and related products.
Vance also said Tehran had agreed to bring in nuclear inspectors, manage its frozen assets overseas and create mechanisms to monitor the ceasefire.
But the official representative of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Ismail Baqaei, said that Iran has not yet discussed nuclear issues and has not made any new commitments.
And Trump wrote on Monday that Iran would agree to weapons inspections to ensure “nuclear integrity.” “If Iran doesn’t comply with the deal or if it doesn’t behave properly, I will do what I have to do,” Trump later said.
According to Vance, Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, devised a process whereby unfrozen Iranian funds would come under the control of the United States and Qatar. These funds can be used to buy corn, soybeans and wheat from the United States. “So the money that we remove the restriction will go to our farmers,” Trump told reporters.
However, the head of Iran’s Central Bank, Abdulnasir Himmati, said there was no such commitment and said at least some of the frozen funds could be used to buy other non-sanctioned goods.
Ukraine hit a Russian missile electronics factory
The Ukrainian military on Monday struck a factory that produces electronics for missiles in the Russian border region of Voronezh. The missile attack on Voronezh was the next major blow to the Russian defense industry.
The Ukrainian side reported that it hit this object, which is located 200 kilometers from the border, with air-launched cruise missiles. Ukrainian drone forces also took part in this operation.
“Electronics used in Russian missiles, in particular, Iskander tactical missile systems, are produced there,” the Ukrainian General Staff wrote.
Footage from a car showed huge black smoke billowing from at least two parts of the plant.
According to the governor of Voronezh, Alexander Gusev, at least five people died as a result of the blow to the industrial enterprise, dozens of citizens sought medical help. 10 apartment buildings and 6 private apartments were damaged.
In recent months, Kiev has been attacking several Russian military production facilities one by one, especially missile factories. Despite Kiev’s increased strike capabilities, Russian airstrikes are also moving deeper into Ukraine and causing more damage.
The British Prime Minister resigned
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday amid mounting political pressure. After much deliberation over the weekend, he revealed his plans; he has carefully considered what is the best option for the country, according to ministers.
Starmer also resigned from the leadership of the Labor Party. Nominations for Starmer’s replacement as party leader and prime minister will begin on July 9.
The main and obvious candidate is Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Manchester, who won Sunday’s by-election and returned to parliament. He has previously fought for the leadership of the Labor Party twice.
Less than two hours after Starmer’s announcement, Burnham confirmed his candidacy as party leader and prime minister. It is not yet known whether he will be directly elected without opponents or whether other members of the parliament will appear as opponents.
Starmer’s tenure got off to a shaky start when his government announced a policy to scrap winter fuel payments for millions of seniors. After sharp criticism, the party was finally forced to abandon this decision.
Starmer’s decisions to raise the payroll tax and the minimum wage have angered businessmen.
His cabinet has also been rocked by a series of scandals, including the resignation of his former deputy, Angela Reiner, over unpaid property taxes. Recently, Starmer fired Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador to the United States, after his close ties with the pedophile criminal Jeffrey Epstein were revealed.
An explosion at a gas complex in Qatar
13 people were killed and dozens injured as a result of an explosion at a gas processing plant inside the Ras Laffan industrial complex in Qatar. This is one of the worst accidents in the gas industry in more than two decades.
According to Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi, the explosion did not affect the liquefied natural gas facilities. State-owned QatarEnergy is working to restore operations at the plant.
According to officials, a “technical accident” occurred at the local gas processing enterprise “Barzan” on Sunday evening. The business in this area was restarted just two days ago. “QatarEnergy” has started a comprehensive investigation into the causes of the incident.
The lives of 66 people injured after the explosion in “Barzan” are not in danger. The dead were citizens of India and Pakistan.
The force of Sunday’s blast shook windows and was felt even across central Doha. This caused panic among the residents of the capital, which is located 70 km from Ras Laffan.
The Qatari authorities specifically emphasized that the incident was not a subversive or hostile act and that it did not pose any threat to the environment.
Qatar, home to a major US military base, has been the target of several missile and drone attacks during the Iran war. At the huge Ras Laffan facility, two technological lines were damaged by an Iranian strike in March, and the production volume was reduced by 17%.
18 people died from the heat in France
At least 18 people have died in France, including two children who were trapped in a car, as a heat wave swept across Europe on Monday.
According to a French government official, deaths were mostly among the elderly due to health problems caused by the heat and those who drowned trying to cool off.
Absolute records for air temperature were broken in several European cities.
In France, schools are closing or changing timetables. In the western French city of Bordeaux, the thermometer reached 41.9 degrees Celsius, breaking the record set in August last year.
Temperatures are also expected to reach 40 degrees in San Sebastián, in the usually cooler north of Spain. Temperatures across Europe could reach record highs for June this week, according to British forecasters.
The European continent is warming twice as fast as the global average, according to an April report by the World Meteorological Organization.
Earlier, scientists said that this heat wave, which is affecting a large part of Europe, is pulling hot air up from North Africa, that is, from the Sahara Kabir.
