Israel reportedly refused to adhere to the advise of its closest ally, the US, to not attack Iran’s nuclear sites or scientists in the future and give diplomatic channels a chance

According to the Tasnim News Agency, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel landed on a tanker which the US was trying to confiscate and later steered it into Iranian waters

The talks in Vienna between Iran and the remaining signatories of the nuclear deal stopped after six rounds following the election of Ebrahim Raisi in June. Iran said that it wanted to review the outcome of the rounds held so far

The two sides met just days before a meeting of the IAEA’s board of governors. As per the agreement, IAEA’s inspectors are permitted to service the identified equipment and replace their storage media

Iran is currently facing the fifth wave of COVID-19 pandemic, with many cases of the highly contagious Delta variant being reported. The country is facing problems importing the vaccines due to sanctions imposed by the US

Israel, the US, and the UK have accused Iran of carrying out a drone attack on an Israeli-owned oil tanker off the Omani coast last week which killed two crew members

Pressure from Israel was pivotal in US’ withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Successive Israeli governments have opposed calls for its revival

Newsclick’s Prabir Purkayastha analyses the recent decision by the US to ‘seize’ 33 sites, including those of the Iranian Press TV

The move has been criticized by activists as an attempt by the US government to censor unfavorable content, an attack on the freedom of the press, and a deliberate act of hostility 

Ebrahim Raisi won 61.95% of the votes cast in the elections held on Friday. The voter turnout was around 49%

The Guardian Council headed by supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei approved a list of seven candidates out of a total of 592 applicants. Most of the approved candidates belong to conservative groups

The extension follows the expiry of a three-month agreement signed in February between the Iranian government and the IAEA providing the UN body access to Iranian nuclear sites through photos despite an Iranian law restricting physical inspection