A key point in a US proposal aimed at resolving Iran’s nuclear program has been rejected by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has pledged that Tehran will continue to enrich its uranium.
As the US and Iran continue to bargain over details of a potential new nuclear deal, the comments were made in a speech on Wednesday. The US reportedly wants a complete stop or low-level enrichment in exchange for lifting Western sanctions against Tehran, but the issue of uranium enrichment has remained a sticking point in the talks.
In a speech addressed to the commemoration of the death of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Khamenei said, “The US nuclear proposal contradicts our nation’s belief in self-reliance and the principle of “We Can.”
Khamenei claimed that Iran’s quest for energy independence remained crucial despite the controversy surrounding uranium enrichment.
He continued, “Independence means not waiting for the approval of America and the likes of America,” noting that the US proposal was “100 percent against” the ideals of the Islamic revolution of 1979.
He asserted that Tehran wouldn’t demand Washington’s consent before making any decisions.
This is not rationality, Khamenei said, because “some people believe that being a subordinate to America and giving to the oppressive power means bowing down to it.”
Why do you have an influence on Iran’s decision to enrich itself? You are invincible.
Tehran was reportedly ready to reject the most recent US proposal to end a decades-old nuclear conflict, according to an unnamed diplomat, who claimed the proposal was a “non-starter” that neither addressed Tehran’s interests or softened its position on uranium enrichment.
Tehran has long refuted claims made by Western powers that it wants to develop nuclear weapons, saying it wants to master it for peaceful purposes.
Steve Witkoff, the US envoy in Iran talks, has called for President Donald Trump to follow the country’s “red line” in a statement expressing his opposition to Tehran’s continued enrichment.
Iran’s production of enriched uranium close to nuclear weapons increased by 50% in the last three months, according to a report leaked from the UN. However, it falls short of the roughly 90% needed for atomic weapons, but it is still significantly higher than the roughly 4% needed for power production.
As part of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, about two million Muslims will be performing a once-in-a-lifetime religious service this week. The key stages of this holy Islamic journey are described in Alma Milisic from Al Jazeera.
After the French side’s final game of the season, Roberto de Zerbi discreetly disclosed that his coach told him to “start following Marseille and Chris Waddle” when I was 13-14 when I was in the AC Milan youth academy.
I fell in love with Marseille that year. I started following the club because of Waddle”. With Les Phoceens, the England winger would triumph in the 1991 European Cup final and win three Ligue 1 titles.
De Zerbi’s revelation came after a season filled with upbeat and occasionally stomping news conferences at La Commanderie and the Velodrome. The Italian found in France’s oldest city something that mirrored his past and his own temperament.
“In some ways, the city of Marseille and the club of Marseille are similar to me.” In the beginning of February, the former Brighton boss said, “I was looking for a place that could make me dream.”
De Zerbi is a natural fit for the heat at Olympique de Marseille. Both his team and the city need conviction. Here, you must take sides, as the famous local poet Jean-Claude Izzo once said. Be passionate. Be in favor or oppose. Be yourself with all your heart.
At the end of the season the Italian was caught up in jubilant celebrations, waving a flare with supporters that had greeted the Marseille squad at 4am at Provence Airport. De Zerbi just a few weeks prior to the event, “I was born an ultra.”
Although it wasn’t a title win, it did feel incredibly impressive to finish second in Ligue 1 and make it to the Champions League.
The appointment of the passionate Italian was viewed as an “impossible dream” by club president Pablo Longoria when he made a call last summer after De Zerbi departed Brighton.
The summer overhaul of OM’s “The Port of Exiles”
Images courtesy of Getty
“Marseille has always been the port of exiles… Anyone arriving at the port on one day in this place is bound to feel at home,” according to Izzo, who also wrote about Marseille.
The club underwent a radical overhaul after finishing eighth last season, welcoming a mix of misfits and experienced players attracted to De Zerbi’s new project. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Neal Maupay and Adrien Rabiot all arrived citing De Zerbi as a factor.
Along with Derek Cornelius from Canada, English duo Jonathan Rowe and Mason Greenwood joined the Anglophone lineup at the club.
“Roberto de Zerbi called me out of the blue, which made a big difference.” I was a bit taken aback by it because it’s the first time a manager has gone out of his way to call me and say he wants me”, former Norwich winger Rowe told BBC Sport.
Your body type, how you play, how you think and stay focused during a game have all been a little more studied by the coach. There is a lot of information to consider.
“He’s very demanding, one of the best coaches in the world. Before the final game of the season, Greenwood remarked, “One of the reasons I came here.” He places me in the best position possible so that I can express myself and we have a great relationship.
” We’ve also had to learn when to be patient, when to play a bit quicker when we have a lot of the ball and break down defences. He has also provided me with a lot of knowledge about my game.
Greenwood left Manchester United for the club last summer in a deal worth up to 31.6 million euros (£26.66 million). Serious charges against him, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped in February 2023.
We internally made the choice. Yes, there was some opposition, but it was objective, according to Longoria, president of the Marseille club. But at the same time that gave us power to maybe not investigate, because I’m not a judge, but to use all the information to make the best decision, which I think we did. “
In his Ligue 1 debut, Greenwood scored twice in a 5-1 win over Brest, going on to finish with 21 goals, breaking the record for the most goals scored in a debut season for a Marseille player in the 21st century behind Bafetimbi Gomis (20) and Didier Drogba (19).
Opta claims that his goals contributed to the club’s 16 additional points, which is the most of any player in Ligue 1 this season.
reports of a Roman rebirth and mutiny
Images courtesy of Getty
Yet after a run of five losses in seven games, the season would take a turn for the surreal. A report from French newspaper L’Equipe went as far as to suggest a “mutiny” had occurred following De Zerbi’s defeat by Reims in March.
De Zerbi retorted, “Some people made me appear to be a criminal.” It’s not fair. I have a good personality. What did you do, my mother called me this morning and asked. “
In the same press conference, former Brentford and Brighton striker Maupay claimed, “There is no rift between us.” He is so dedicated and passionate… In families or couples, you have to be able to talk things through. “
De Zerbi, Longoria, and Medhi Benatia collectively decided to take the squad on a training retreat to Rome after concerns about the team’s environment.
Following a defeat earlier in the season by Auxerre, OM had been attending a team bonding camp, but the team’s 50-person sporting operation had to relocate to the edge of the Italian capital late in the season as a result.
” We’ve thought with the club about doing everything we can to reach our objective, “said De Zerbi”. It’s just to help the team reconnect, not as punishment. The players reaffirmed. It won’t change their lives, but it could change their careers. “
Marseille discovered a kind of rebirth in the Eternal City as the world turned its attention to Rome following Pope Francis’ death. Before returning to Champions League qualification, De Zerbi and club representatives paid their respects at the Vatican.
Ping-pong, rooftop barbecues and work on the training pitch, away from the prying eyes of La Commanderie, ended up being what was needed to make the difference in the final games of the season.
I smiled Rowe and said, “I had the pleasure of celebrating my birthday there because I had never been there before.” We actually managed to foster better cohesion and unity.
Sixteen goals in the final five games of the season earned big wins over Brest and Montpellier, with a victory at Le Havre sparking scenes of celebration. De Zerbi, his players, and the rest of his staff drew the attention away section, which created tension.
The Italian later said, “I believe this is more than a miracle.”
” We spent time together, had dinner together. It was a family, and we trained less, but we worked very hard on unity on the pitch.
Images courtesy of Getty
I enjoy disagreement and conflict.
The De Zerbi story’s opening scene at Marseille has turned out to be a whirlwind that has brought about the desired outcome for everyone: Champions League qualification.
“I love conflict, I love controversy. It’s a part of football and the DNA of this club, in my opinion. At his end-of-season press conference, Longoria remarked, “You can’t change that.
“With Roberto, we started a cycle that we set out in a three-year contract. We’re in a good place, in my opinion.
We want to find consistency; don’t let this club’s adrenaline run out.
After a summit held in the US, Marseille confirmed the commitment between Longoria, De Zerbi, Benatia and American owner Frank McCourt to continue working together.
De Zerbi’s odyssey will have a second act in the south of France, one in which the coach will compete for the first time since his 2021 tenure at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Workers are diligently restoring the renowned rabbi’s temple in a busy district of Baghdad in an effort to revive the country’s long-faded Jewish community’s history.
The tomb of Rabbi Isaac Gaon was filled with garbage just a few months ago. Its windows and doors were rusted, and the walls had been neglected for a long time.
A large tombstone with a verse, the rabbi’s name, and the year of his death, 688, is now covered in marble tiles, and the former small grave has been adorned with one. The wall behind it has a silver menorah hung.
The 62-year-old head of Iraq’s Jewish community, Khalida Elyahu, remarked, “We were not allowed to restore it because it was a garbage dump.”
The Jewish community in Iraq once had one of the largest populations in the Middle East, but it has since slowed to a paltry ten.
There are no rabbis in Baghdad, but there is still only one synagogue left.
The Jewish community is providing the estimated $150, 000 for the restoration of the shrine.
Elyahu predicted that the project will “revive our community, both internally and internationally.”
She hoped to restore further neglected sites with the assistance of Iraqi officials.
Rabbi Isaac is not well known. Iraq’s National Security Advisor, Qasim al-Araji, claimed the rabbi was a financial official when he visited the tomb earlier this year.
During the Gaonic era, also known as the time of the Babylonian rabbis’ academies, Rabbi Isaac was a well-known figure.
His role as the head of one such academy is likely to be referenced by the title “Gaon.”
According to Professor Simcha Gross of the University of Pennsylvania, his name was quoted in the 10th century by another rabbi who told a tale that is unknown from any other sources.
During one of his conquests in central Iraq, Rabbi Isaac led 90,000 Jews to meet Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Islamic caliph and a relative of the Prophet Muhammad, who was revered as the first imam.
There are reasons to be skeptical about this event, according to Gross, who claims that we don’t have any other proof for it.
Rabbi Isaac has no other known religious beliefs, not even his.
Jews were imprisoned by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar II, in 586 BC after Solomon’s Temple was destroyed in Jerusalem, according to biblical tradition.
The Babylonian Talmud was compiling in Iraq.
Jews made up 40% of Baghdad’s population thousands of years later, under Ottoman rule.
After the founding of Israel in 1948 and the Palestinian Nakba, which means “catastrophe,” in other Arab countries, the Jewish population of Iraq changed dramatically. Nearly all of Iraq’s 135,000 Jews went into exile soon afterward.
The community was further diminished by decades of conflict and insecurities, including Saddam Hussein’s rule, the US-led invasion of 2003, and subsequent violence.
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Amy Canavan
Koning Willem II Stadion for BBC Sport Scotland
Twelve hours prior to kick-off, Scotland’s Tilburg airport’s tarmac was there.
The Netherlands, ranked 10th in the world, made a trip that was already daunting even more challenging due to team travel disruptions.
What should have been a flight on Monday afternoon quickly turned into an evening and, ultimately, a Tuesday morning flight.
This scenario would not have been in the script, even though Melissa Andreatta anticipated her first away game with the Scots.
Scotland didn’t leave the Koning Willem Stadion, though, with a spring in their step.
With significantly lower expectations, they were unable to enter their final Nations League Group A1 game.
There was a concern that the Dutch might be able to teach a significant lesson to the spin, which they had already lost six games to before their plane problems.
She believes in us so strongly.
Andreatta and her players didn’t huff and puff despite their unconventional preparations.
If you hadn’t heard of their problems and had to rock up to the stadium, you could probably forgive yourself for thinking everything was done before the game.
There was no mention of justifying it or describing it as a special circumstance. Instead, it provided a chance to impress.
Impressively, they succeeded. The Scots were at ease for a large portion of the Netherlands’ home turf.
Kirsty MacLean, a midfielder for the Rangers, was the person who was putting the pressure on.
Scotland has long sought a deep-minded midfielder to complement Caroline Weir and Erin Cuthbert’s attacking prowess.
The 20-year-old “Ini” – a nod to former Spain maestro Andres Iniesta – staked her claim in Tilburg for that role.
Cuthbert and Weir appeared more like the people they see playing for clubs, but they frequently lack that quality for Scotland fans.
Weir, who wore the captain’s armband, was unable to conceal her excitement over the performance.
The 29-year-old told BBC Scotland, “It’s huge going forward.”
It gives us confidence,” he said. We established a new standard for ourselves, and we must continue. I’m extremely proud of both how we approached the game and the performance.
The 2027 World Cup is in everyone’s sights.
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On the touchline, Andreatta’s enthusiasm and energy were palpable.
She was pacing up and down the touchline, her arms swinging in support, and her legs kicked every ball, whether it was minute eight, 58, or 88.
A giant tactics board was used to redirect the players twice during breakups in the match, and the switch to a back three at half-time helped to restore the momentum.
There were heartening hollers and dramatic dashes throughout the entire game for her players’ efforts.
In these early days, it is obvious how invested the Australian is.
With only five or six sessions remaining, and players entering their final seasons, the head coach expressed excitement about the team’s growth after the draw.
We had no chance to win the second half, in my opinion.
“We have a little bit of a break, and we’ll start again in October,” he said. “We’ll get a chance to look at players who aren’t even here.” This is a good way to close this campaign.
Up until the final game, the campaign had been bitterly unsatisfying.
Former Scotland international Leanne Crichton made it clear that she was desperate to see the back of the campaign when she had a preview of the final dance in Tilburg.
The former midfielder claimed that because we had already qualified for two major tournaments, including the 2018 World Cup, we had fallen off the edge of a cliff.
“We are currently in a significant transitional period.”
Scotland still faces disappointment this summer by lounging on their sofas in Switzerland while competing in the Euros.
And a run of eight games without a victory is not exactly good reading.
However, if this performance does prove to be the “baseline and benchmark,” it will give some hope ahead of the 2027 World Cup in Brazil in 2027.
All eyes are on that World Cup, Weir said of Real Madrid, “but there is still a long way to go.”
While Charli XCX is riding an all-time career high, there could be even bigger reasons to celebrate, with fans convinced that the pop icon and her musician fiancé, George Daniel, may have already tied the knot.
Have George Daniel and Charli XCX already tied the knot?(Image: Getty Images)
Charli XCX is in her golden era, having kicked off 2025 with three Grammy and five BRIT Awards wins along with a slew of hits like 360, Apple, and Guess from her hugely successful sixth studio album Brat.
While the songstress, whose real name is Charlotte Emma Aitchison, continues to enjoy tremendous success in her career, she also has cause to celebrate in her personal life, with the singer expected to marry The 1975 drummer, George Daniel, this summer.
Charli has been dating The 1975 musician George Daniel since 2022 and the pair got engaged in November 2023. At the time, the Boom Clap hitmaker announced the news of her engagement on Instagram as she showed off her dazzling diamond ring in a since-deleted post.
After a report earlier this year revealed several details about the couple’s rumoured Italian wedding, fans have cause to believe the singer may have tied the knot already — or at the least, is very close to doing so.
READ MORE: Inside Charli XCX and George Daniel’s huge Italian wedding and star-studded guest list
Who is Charli XCX’s partner?
Speculation is rife that Charli XCX and George Daniel have exchanged vows(Image: Jed Cullen/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
READ MORE: Charli XCX, JADE and more sign open letter in solidarity with trans performers
Born in 1990 in Brussels, Belgium, George grew up in Seattle in the US, with one of his early musical inspirations being Fleetwood Mac. George began playing the drums at school, before he headed off to pursue music production at college.
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The reclusive 1975 drummer has been with the headline-grabbing alt-pop rock band since 2002, back when they made emo music and were called Drive Like I Do. At the time, George replaced the band’s popular frontman Matty Healy as the drummer, with Taylor Swift’s ex-love interest being promoted to lead singer.
Charli XCX and George Daniel’s relationship timeline
Have George Daniel and Charli XCX already tied the knot?(Image: Instagram)
Charli XCX and George reportedly first met at an awards event back in 2019, where they were seen posing together, along with others, in several pictures.
Fast forward a couple of years and the musicians then worked together on the No Rome song Spinning, released in 2021. The pair worked together again on Charli’s 2022 album Crash and have been collaborators ever since.
Charli XCX publicly announced her relationship with George in May 2022 and their engagement in November 2023. Since then, George has been Charli’s muse, with the pop icon having sung about him on her mega-hit album Brat, specifically her song Talk Talk. Fans also believe her songs Welcome to My Island (Remix) and Everything Is Romantic were inspired by the drummer.
George collaborated with Charli on a number of tracks on her album Brat, namely: In the City, Club Classics, and Apple. Aside from Brat, George has produced a multitude of Charli XCX bangers, including her Welcome to My Island remix of Caroline Polachek’s track, as well as No Rome with The 1975 and No Rome. Hot Girl from her Bodies Bodies Bodies soundtrack along with several bops on her album Crash, were also produced by her now-fiancé.
In a 2023 interview with The Sun, Charli spoke of George’s influence on her career and creative process. She said: “Now that I’m in a relationship with another musician, he’s influenced me a lot with his process and how he and his band work. It’s really different to how I work, and that has definitely influenced me and my process.”
Is Charli XCX married?
Is a romantic Italian wedding on the cards for the A-list music couple?(Image: WireImage for Vanity Fair)
READ MORE: Brat summer or brat bummer? Charli XCX’s ’embarrassing’ Coachella outfit leaves fans divided
Speculation has been rife amongst fans that the pair may have tied the knot already for a while now, with the rumours reaching a fever pitch in recent weeks.
While several media outlets had previously reported that the pair had exchanged vows in a private ceremony in Slovakia in Bratislava back in January 2024, a recent report in The Sun hinted at an Italian wedding for the couple.
A source close to the Boys singer revealed to the publication: “Charli and George both love Italy and it holds a special place in their hearts so they decided that’s where they want to get married. They’ve found a venue that they think is perfect for their unique style of wedding, which won’t exactly be traditional. The main aim is to have everyone they love come together and obviously there are plenty of people who are desperate for an invite.”
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Singers Troye Sivan and Robyn, and George’s bandmate Matty Healy are expected to attend the ceremony.
Speaking about marriage, Charli had previously said: “Neither of us are particularly formal about marriage or care about the formalities of the ceremony or whatever. We just want to be together forever and have a party with our friends. That’s what we’re aiming for wedding-wise.”
