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US-Israeli strikes on Iran

Rosatom staff evacuated from Bushehr NPP to leave Iran within 2-3 days — CEO

A total of 198 Rosatom employees are already heading toward the Iranian-Armenian border by bus, Alexey Likhachev said

YEKATERINBURG, April 4. /TASS/. A total of 198 Rosatom employees evacuated from the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant are already heading toward the Iranian-Armenian border by bus, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev said during a working visit to Yekaterinburg.

"From the Bushehr plant toward the Iranian-Armenian border, 198 people, to be precise, are on buses. We very much hope that within two to three days our colleagues will safely cross nearly the entire territory of Iran and return home to our country," Likhachev noted.

Earlier, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) reported that a projectile had hit an area near the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, killing one of the facility’s security guards. The main installations were not damaged.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) emphasized that strikes on NPP sites and adjacent areas are unacceptable as they contain equipment critical to nuclear safety.

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Situation around Bushehr NPP approaching critical line — Russian MFA

Zakharova also said the US and Israel have "completely erased their former reputation in the field of nuclear non-proliferation, as well as nuclear and physical nuclear security, demonstrating that they themselves recognize no norms or restrictions."

Iran war puts Europe in difficult position amid rejection of Russian resources — media

With the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, European countries are seeing "a second important source of energy supplies dry up," the newspaper said

Strike by Kinzhal missile in Ukraine confirmed its efficiency — Defense Ministry

The Kinzhal missile is used with a conventional warhead

Iran launches another wave of missiles at Israeli territory — news agency

Mehr reported that the main target of the strike is northern Israel

Russia’s MFA puts forward its requirements for a future UN chief

Kirill Logvinov emphasized that in any conflict situation, the UN chief should hold an equidistant position, use neutral terminology, focus on mandatory or consensus decisions, and refrain from making legally void conclusions

Europe is forming decision-making center without US participation — Russian senator

Grigory Karasin observed that the trend of convening meetings without US involvement is becoming "not just indicative, but increasingly routine"

Trump often gives right assessments of conflict in Ukraine — Russian upper house speaker

Valentina Matviyenko said that Ukraine is fooling everyone

Tanker with Iranian oil change course, heading to China — PTI

The change in the destination of Pin Shun appears to be payment-related, Sumit Ritolia, Lead Research Analyst at Kpler, noted

Spain to refrain from seizing personal items of Russian arrivals in EU from outside Russia

Russian travelers may also import gold jewelry into the European Union if it is intended for personal use and not for sale

Iran rejects US proposal for 48-hour ceasefire — Fars

According to the news agency, the proposal followed the emergence of serious problems for the US Armed Forces due to a miscalculation of the military potential of the Islamic Republic of Iran

US, Israel strike petrochemical facilities in southwestern Iran

As a result of the air attack by the American and Israeli enemy on Mahshahr, the Fajr-1, Fajr-2, Redzhal, and Amir Kabir petrochemical companies were hit, the deputy governor of Khuzestan Province reported

Russia not to be flexible for states providing airspace to Ukraine — upper house speaker

Moscow has issued very harsh warnings to these countries, the Federation Council Speaker emphasized

US secretly encourages companies to ramp up purchases of Russian fertilizers — Bloomberg

Russian fertilizer exports are down 24% this year, agency reported

Iranian deal offer, US stance: what we know about situation around Strait of Hormuz

Head of the Government Information Council Elias Hazrati said that Iran will invite European, Asian, and Arab countries that want to use the Strait of Hormuz to enter into an agreement

Iran offers agreement on use of Strait of Hormuz

Tehran is ready to reach agreements with European, Asian, and Arab countries on this issue, Head of the Government Information Council Elias Hazrati said

US would side with Russia if it understood Donbass conflict — Ritter

According to the former US Marine Corps intelligence analyst, there is an inherited policy in the United States that downplays Russia’s importance in the eyes of American politicians

EU may turn into very hostile military alliance for Russia, worse than NATO — Medvedev

The deputy head of the Russian Security Council that said until now the Russian rhetoric about EU membership had been restrained and calm in relation to all neighbors, even to Ukraine

IRGC calls for US Air Force chief to resign after aircraft downed in Iran

The IRGC Navy also congratulated the air defense forces of the Islamic republic’s army on intercepting an US F-15E fighter jet and an A-10 attack aircraft in the skies over Iran

Iran threatens to throw US military back to period before Stone Age — TV

According to the report, the Iranian troops "after many years of intensive training are fully ready" to defend their country

General HQ of Iranian army warns of potentially larger strikes on Tel Aviv

The Iranian military also advised "host countries of US military bases to force the Americans to leave their territory, if they want to avoid damage"

Strikes on NPPs, surrounding areas unacceptable — IAEA on Bushehr NPP attack

The IAEA added that it had no information about any increase in radiation levels following the incident

Iran uses new air defense system to intercept hostile targets — military official

The IRGC’s ground-based air defense, in turn, intercepted an A-10 fighter jet and two Black Hawk helicopters, Ebrahim Zolfaghari said

French court approves Lithuania's request for extradition of ex-banker Antonov

Vladimir Antonov owned 68% of shares of Lithuania’s fifth largest commercial bank Snoras

Attack on Arctic Metagaz tanker shows Zelensky getting out of control — expert

Ralph Bosshard said there is "almost an awkward silence in Western media" regarding the incident

Israel reports carrying out new strikes on air defense systems, missile sites in Iran

The military added that a facility storing ballistic missiles was also hit, along with several enterprises linked to the development and production of weapons

Europe moving away from idea of sending troops to Ukraine — Reuters

In addition to Kiev's position and Washington's stance, the initiative to send European troops is hampered by fierce opposition from Russia and logistical constraints, the sources said

UNSC draft resolution on Strait of Hormuz cannot be approved — Russian foreign minister

It does not contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, Sergey Lavrov said

IN BRIEF: Downed F-35 in Iran, failure of the US rescue operation

Axios reported that US forces are actively seeking to recover the two pilots of the downed aircraft

Ukrainian forces used OSCE mission’s cameras to adjust fire on DPR troops, says Pushilin

The DPR head added that this is how they directed fire on infrastructure facilities - gas distribution stations and water purification stations

Developer of Russian industrial zone in Egypt to be determined soon

Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Roman Chekushov said that several candidates are now present

IRGC reports striking Israel-linked vessel in Strait of Hormuz

According to the IRGC, a major fire broke out on board

Putin, Erdogan discuss Middle East conflict consequences for energy sector

During the telephone conversation, the two leaders stated coincidence of positions as regards the need for the soonest possible ceasefire

More tension within NATO than ever before — Belgian defense minister

Theo Francken fears that even if the US does not leave the alliance, NATO’s defense capabilities could still suffer

Libya, Russia discuss coordination on Arctic Metagaz tanker

The parties paid special attention to cooperation on technical and environmental issues

Russia outraged by news that its church in Tehran was damaged in airstrike — diplomat

Maria Zakharova pointed out that we are talking about a unique historical and architectural site, "a one-of-a-kind Orthodox church operated by the Russian Orthodox Church and included in the Iranian national cultural heritage list"

Press review: Trump puts NATO at risk as Houthis threaten to block Bab el-Mandeb

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, April 3rd

Europe needs Brussels to lift ban on Russian energy, not its advice — Szijjarto

If this happened, Europe would be able to avoid a sharp increase in prices and a shortage of energy resources, as well as a weakening of energy security, the Hungarian Foreign Minister said

Some Middle Eastern countries may be helping US, Israeli aggression — Iranian diplomat

According to Esmaeil Baghaei, a downed UAV is neither American nor Israeli

Russia coordinates with China on support of candidates for UN chief — senior diplomat

Moscow and Beijing are explaining their rationale regarding candidates in detail to other countries, including CIS and BRICS members, Kirill Logvinov siad

Hungary, Slovakia to push EU to lift sanctions on Russian energy supplies — Hungarian PM

Viktor Orban said Budapest and Bratislava see it as necessary to urgently take steps to help EU countries avoid shortages of raw materials and fuel, as well as rising energy prices

Russia delivers 30 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Ukrainian residents from Belgorod region

According to the ministry, the cargo includes food products: cereals, canned meat and fish, confectionery and bakery products, sweets, bottled drinking water

Dubai calls incident with falling debris that affected Oracle office building ‘minor’

No injuries were reported, Dubai Media Office said

Iran downs over 160 US, Israeli drones since start of conflict — commander

Among them are US MQ-9 and Israeli Hermes and Lucas drones, Alireza Elhami stated

Ukraine must withdraw troops from Donbass to stop hot stage of special op — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov emphasized that there was no deadline for a Ukrainian troop withdrawal

Kremlin spokesman says Russia will endure standoff with West

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that in modern conditions, a single country won’t be able to maintain its dominance

German foreign minister supports getting rid of unanimity rule in EU

Johann Wadephul supportы a system of qualified majority voting in the EU

US shifts focus from 'regime change' to search for pilots — Majlis speaker

The Iranian Armed Forces General Staff said earlier that a US F-35 fighter jet had been shot down on Friday morning over central territory of the Islamic Republic

Second US jet crashes in Persian Gulf region in 24 hours — newspaper

The newspaper specified that it was an A-10 Warthog attack aircraft

Iran allows ships with humanitarian cargo to transit Strait of Hormuz — agency

The authorization applies to vessels heading to Iranian ports or currently in the waters of the Gulf of Oman, the Tasnim News Agency reported

Russian troops liberate seven communities in Ukraine operation over week — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted more than 1,535 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed eight enemy armored combat vehicles in its areas of responsibility over the week, the Defense Ministry reported

Russian MP warns of nuclear proliferation risk if Israel uses nukes against Iran

Alexey Pushkov noted that the question of whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will use nuclear weapons in Iran has been actively discussed on American television in recent days

Leaving with reservations: what we know about Moldova’s withdrawal from CIS

The CIS Executive Committee has not yet received a formal note on Moldova’s withdrawal

Gazprom expects heating season in Europe to be extended due to severe cold snap

According to Gas Infrastructure Europe data as of April 1, the level of reserves in European underground gas storage facilities fell to 27.9%, and in the Netherlands, to 4.6%

Russian military satellite delivered into target orbit — top brass

The Defense Ministry reported that stable telemetry contact was established and was maintained with the space vehicle and its onboard systems were operating in normally

Pezeshkian asks global community to judge which side, Iran or US, actually favors dialogue

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian invited the world to judge which side engages in terrorism

Russia grateful to Egypt for its objective stance on Ukraine situation — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister provided detailed information on Russia’s principles and approaches, as well as on developments in the Ukrainian crisis

Russia condemns attempts by some countries to use Taiwanese vote for pressuring China

Taiwan held presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday

US rescue mission for pilot of shot down F-35 fighter jet fails — agency

According to the report, Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 Hercules aircraft took part in the operation

WHO chief confirms more than 20 attacks on medical facilities in Iran over month

According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, many attacks were recorded in Tehran

US journalist Carlson calls Trump’s speech an announcement of the end of American empire

"There’s turbulence ahead, but long term it’s a huge win for the United States," Tucker Carlson said

'Forgotten' Palestine, attempts to disrupt Middle East talks: Lavrov statements

The Russian foreign minister noted that Russia and Egypt are trying to achieve real results in crisis management, not just feigning diplomacy

Russia downs 85 Ukrainian drones over nine regions, Crimea and Black Sea last night

Alert air defense capabilities intercepted and destroyed the unmanned aerial vehicles over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol, Rostov, Samara, Saratov, Tula, and Voronezh regions, Russia’s Defense Ministry siad

US must stop its strikes, not demand that Iran open Strait of Hormuz — Lavrov

As soon as the US finishes military operations, the shipping in the Strait of Hormuz will resume normally, the Russian foreign minister noted

IRGC says it hits several US military sites in Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain

The strikes also targeted the headquarters of the American company Oracle in the UAE

Iran does not refuse talks with US in Pakistan — foreign minister

Tehran is concerned about the terms for ending the war, Abbas Araghchi said

Russia could boost helium output amid Middle East crisis — expert

Valentin Bogomolov said that there are also strong prospects for increasing helium output through the development of new gas fields, particularly in Eastern Siberia

Crisis facing UN caused by West, senior Russian diplomat says

According to Kirill Logvinov, "work in the interests of all member countries based on the principle of sovereign equality was substituted with the promotion of approaches of the Western minority who usurped key posts at the UN and have been acting on instructions from their capitals"

Norwegian Foreign Ministry says it regrets behavior of consulate employee in Murmansk

Ministry is working on the incident via corresponding channels

Russian Energy Ministry eyeing construction of new power plant in Far East

The energy system of the Far East has three zones of energy deficit forecast by 2031, Sergey Tsivilyov said

US-Iran ceasefire talks at impasse now — media

According to The Wall Street Journal, Tehran has refused to meet with US officials in Islamabad and has called Washington’s demands unacceptable

UN says shelling wounds three peacekeepers in southern Lebanon

The command is investigating the details of the incident, in particular, from where the Blue Helmets post was hit

Pope Leo XIV disagrees with Pentagon chief’s comments on US fighting in name of Jesus

The pontiff said domination is "entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ"

US military aircraft struck by Iran makes it to Kuwait — TV

Iran also fired at two US UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters conducting a search and rescue operation

Kiev’s actions look like agony of mortally wounded animal to Finnish journalist

Janus Putkonen noted that Ukraine has never been weaker in geopolitical terms than it is today

IN BRIEF: Attacks on TurkStream, Middle East: what Putin, Erdogan spoke about over phone

The presidents noted that the escalation surrounding Iran is leading to "serious negative consequences on both a regional and global scale

Russia will not kidnap Zelensky the way US kidnapped Maduro — Matviyenko

If the Russian Federation continues to use such methods, it will lose its credibility, the Federation Council Chairwoman said

Drone crashes at oil facility in Iraq’s Basra, fire breaks out — TV

No information on casualties is available so far

EU becomes 'bit player' in new multipolar world — Italian expert

According to Gianluca Savoini, Europe’s decline is largely a self-inflicted process - an act of voluntary abdication

US F-35 jet fails 'stress test' in Middle East — expert

Alexander Stepanov said the incident points to the lack of air supremacy, poor planning of aviation and precision weapons use

US military budget provides for modernization, diversification of nuclear forces

As the White Hose reported, the deterrent is the foundation of America’s defense against threats to the homeland

Most Americans expect their financial situation to worsen due to war in Iran — poll

Regarding the threat to the lives of US military personnel, public opinion was even more unequivocal

Another strike hits area near Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in Iran

One of the facility’s security guards was killed, Iran’s AEOI said

Iran’s will power stronger than United States’, says Japanese expert

Iran is demonstrating political will and it has no reason to agree to make peace with the United States through a compromise, Ryoji Tateyama pointed out

Putin to hold international meetings with foreign guests on May 9 — Kremlin aide

There will be a parade and celebrations on May 9, Yury Ushakov stated

Upper house speaker slams US-Israeli operation against Iran as geopolitical mistake

Valentina Matviyenko emphasized that this intervention has destabilized the Middle East, triggering an energy crisis, yet it ultimately changes nothing

Iran divides countries into three categories based on use of Strait of Hormuz — TV

According to the TV channel, all states are divided into three categories — "hostile," "neutral," and "friendly"

Russian Defense Ministry starts mass production of Tsirkon missiles - Shoigu

Russian Defense Ministry to continue production of Kinzhal missiles

US fighter jet downed over Iran likely conducted strikes on ground targets — media

According to CBS News national security analyst Aaron MacLean, the pilots of the downed fighter had sidearms

FACTBOX: What we know about foiled bombing plot against senior security official in Moscow

The SBU planned to remotely trigger an explosion during the official’s visit to a business center

Russia almost completed transition to national currencies in payments to CIS, China

Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said the issue of creating a system of payments and settlements not depending on the banking service and currencies of Western countries is the critical area of Eurasian cooperation

Japan companies can keep terms of their contracts as part of Sakhalin 2 project — Kyodo

It is reported that the Japanese authorities are determined to maintain participation in the Sakhalin-2 project

Macron calls for 'coalition of independence' from US, China

The French president said that the objective is not to be the vassals of two hegemonic powers

Iran strikes US landing craft in Kuwait, radar station in Bahrain — army

According to the military, in a subsequent phase of the attack, the Iranian Armed Forces struck the Israeli Ramat David Air Base, home to squadrons of Israeli F-16 fighter jets

US puts Cuba on backburner amid operation in Iran — Politico

Steps against Cuba also risk further upsetting already tenuous relations with Russia, the publication notes

US Air Force fighter jet downed in Iran was F-15E — media

This information was confirmed to CBS News by sources among US officials

Iran wipes out anti-drone warehouse in Dubai with over 20 Ukrainian experts — commander

The Iranian broadcaster never mentioned the severity of wounds sustained by Ukrainian servicemen

Accident at plant in Russia's Nizhnekamsk claims seven lives — company

According to the statement, work is underway at the Nizhnekamskneftekhim site to address the aftermath of the incident

US Army top brass not happy about Chief of Staff's firing — NYT

According to the report, the decision has irritated senior officers

United Russia leads with 54.21% with 90% of ballots counted

The Communist Party comes second with 13.53% of the votes, and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) is in the third place with 13.28% of the votes

Trump says US Air Force plane crash in Iran to have no effect on negotiations

The US leader declined to discuss the details of the ongoing search and rescue operation in Iran

EU, NATO representative cannot be effective as UN chief — senior Russian diplomat

Kirill Logvinov said such a candidate "may continue attempts to turn the global organization into a kind of supranational structure"