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BRICS
Iran Gets Significant Diplomatic Boost

Jul 07, 2025

By Amir Daftari

https://www.newsweek.com/brics-china-ru ... an-2095425


Leaders take part in a photo session for the annual BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6, 2025. Kyodo/AP Photo

Iran received a major diplomatic boost at the BRICS summit in Brazil, where the group of emerging powers condemned recent airstrikes on Iranian territory. https://www.newsweek.com/iran-threatens ... in-2095289

In a joint statement, the bloc criticized

the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran,

referring to attacks by Israel and the United States.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attended in place of President Masoud Pezeshkian, who canceled after the strikes. While the joint statement stopped short of naming the U.S. or Israel, it marked BRICS' strongest rebuke to date. China and Russia https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-t ... ar-2095270 both signaled alignment, with Moscow calling the strikes "unprovoked."

Newsweek has reached out to the State Department for comment.

Why It Matters

The unified position taken by BRICS https://www.newsweek.com/china-trump-br ... 095306—now expanded to include Iran—signals growing alignment among non-Western powers in resisting U.S.-led interventions. For Tehran, the support comes at a critical time, as it seeks international recognition of what it views as unlawful aggression against its sovereignty and nuclear infrastructure. Iran has long struggled to break out of diplomatic isolation. Its full membership in BRICS, coupled with a shared declaration of solidarity, may strengthen its ability to challenge the Western narrative in global forums such as the United Nations https://www.newsweek.com/topic/united-nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency.


Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends the 17th annual BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, July 6, 2025. Eraldo Peres/AP Photo

What to Know

The Iranian delegation pushed for strong language on the attacks that targeted nuclear facilities. The final declaration condemned those strikes and emphasized that

attacks on critical infrastructure and nuclear facilities are unacceptable under international law.

Araghchi used his speech to press for accountability, stating that both Israel and the U.S. https://www.newsweek.com/netanyahu-visi ... ue-2095222 should be held responsible for human rights violations. He warned the fallout from the war "will not be limited" to Iran alone.

Posting on X after the summit, Araghchi shared photos from the gathering and said Iran was

grateful for the strong and unequivocal condemnation

of Israeli and U.S. strikes.



Russia and Iran's Bilateral Meeting

Araghchi met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the summit. According to Russian media, Lavrov renewed Moscow's offer to mediate and reiterated support for Iran's right to develop peaceful nuclear energy. Russia's Foreign Ministry later issued a statement on Telegram naming both Israel and the U.S. in its condemnation of the "unprovoked military strikes" on Iran. https://www.newsweek.com/iran-supreme-l ... ar-2095057

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:

In no uncertain terms, the deliberate attacks on Iranian civilian infrastructure and nuclear sites under IAEA safeguards violate both international law and norms, the influential group of countries agree.

Russia's Foreign Ministry:

We condemn the 'unprovoked military strikes' against Iran.

BRICS joint statement:

We condemn the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since June 13, 2025, which constitute a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and express grave concern over the subsequent escalation of the security situation in the Middle East.

What Happens Next

With support from BRICS, https://www.newsweek.com/brics-dollar-d ... fs-2024004 Iran is expected to escalate its calls for a formal investigation through the U.N. Security Council and the IAEA. Tehran may also push for new security assurances from Russia and China. As BRICS continues to evolve into a more coordinated political bloc, Iran's integration could reshape future responses to regional conflicts involving Western powers.

Middle East Conflict
Yemen's Houthi rebels claim attack on bulk carrier that is now sinking in the Red Sea

The attack on the Liberian-flagged Magic Seas raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in U.S. and Western forces to the area.


Houthi supporters during an anti-U.S. and anti-Israel rally in May in Sanaa, Yemen.Osamah Abdulrahman / AP

July 7, 2025

By The Associated Press

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/middle-ea ... rcna217172

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel's military launched airstrikes early Monday targeting ports and facilities held by Yemen's Houthi rebels, who responded with missile fire targeting Israel.

The strikes came after the Houthis attacked a Liberian-flagged ship in the Red Sea that caught fire and took on water, later forcing its crew to abandon the vessel. On Monday afternoon, the claimed the attack, which saw missiles and explosive-carrying drone boats set the vessel ablaze in the Red Sea.

The Magic Seas attack raised fears of a renewed Houthi campaign against shipping that could again draw in U.S. and Western forces to the area, particularly after U.S. President Donald Trump's administration targeted the rebels in a major airstrike campaign.

The ship attack comes at a sensitive moment in the Middle East, as a possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war hangs in the balance, and as Iran weighs whether to restart negotiations over its nuclear program following American airstrikes targeting its most sensitive atomic sites during an Israeli war against the Islamic Republic.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also was traveling to Washington to meet with Trump.

Israeli strikes target Houthi-held ports

The Israeli military said that it struck Houthi-held ports at Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as the Ras Kanatib power plant. It released footage showing an F-16 launching from Israel for the strike, which came after the Israeli military issued a warning for the area.

These ports are used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies,

the Israeli military said.


A sunken vessel at a site hit by Israeli forces in the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida on the Red Sea in December.AFP via Getty Images

The Israeli military also said it struck the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle-carrying vessel that the Houthis seized back in November 2023 when they began their attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war.

Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities,

the Israeli military said.

The Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader was affiliated with an Israeli billionaire. It said that no Israelis were on board. The ship had been operated by a Japanese firm, NYK Line.


Galaxy Leader in May 2024.AFP via Getty Images

The Houthis acknowledged the strikes, but offered no damage assessment from the attack. Their military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, claimed its air defense forces "effectively confronted" the Israelis without offering evidence.

Israel has repeatedly attacked Houthi areas in Yemen, including a naval strike in June. Both Israel and the United States have struck ports in the area in the past — including an American attack that killed 74 people in April — but Israel is now acting alone in attacking the rebels as they continue to fire missiles at Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to launch further strikes.

What's true for Iran is true for Yemen,

Katz said in a statement.

Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off. The Houthis will continue to pay a heavy price for their actions.

The Houthis then responded with an apparent missile attack on Israel. The Israeli military said that it attempted to intercept the two missiles launched by the Houthis, but they appeared to make impact, though no injuries have been reported. Sirens sounded in the West Bank and along the Dead Sea.

Saree on Monday claimed to launch missiles and drones targeting Israel in its attack.

We are fully prepared for a sustained and prolonged confrontation, to confront hostile warplanes and to counter attempts to break the naval blockade imposed by our armed forces on the enemy,

Saree said.

Ship attack forces crew to abandon vessel

The attack on the Magic Seas, a bulk carrier heading north to Egypt's Suez Canal, happened about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Hodeida, Yemen, which is held by the Houthis.

The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, or UKMTO, center first said that an armed security team on the vessel had returned fire against an initial attack of gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, though the vessel later was struck by projectiles.

Ambrey, a private maritime security firm, said that the Magic Seas also had been attacked by bomb-carrying drone boats, which could be a major escalation. It said that two drone boats struck the ship, while another two had been destroyed by the armed guards on board.

UKMTO said the ship was taking on water and its crew had abandoned the vessel. They were rescued by a passing ship, it added.

A European Union anti-piracy patrol in the region, called Operation Atalanta, said that 22 mariners had been on board the Magic Seas.

Saree, the Houthi spokesman, claimed the attack and said the rebels used missiles and bomb-carrying drone boats to attack the ship.

Our operations continue in targeting the depths of the Israeli entity in occupied Palestine, as well as preventing Israeli maritime navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas ... until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege on it is lifted,

Saree said.

The Magic Seas' owners didn't respond to a request for comment.

Houthi attacks came over the Israel-Hamas war

The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the region in what the group's leadership has described as an effort to end Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Between November 2023 and January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors. Their campaign has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually. Shipping through the Red Sea, while still lower than normal, has increased in recent weeks.

The Houthis paused attacks until the U.S. launched a broad assault against the rebels in mid-March. That ended weeks later and the Houthis haven't attacked a vessel, though they have continued occasional missile attacks targeting Israel.

Priest, 83, arrested at Palestine Action protest

7 hours ago

Bea Swallow BBC News, Bristol

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9vrjkev802o


Reverend Sue Parfitt was arrested at a protest over the weekend

The law does not have an age limit,

the head of the Metropolitan Police said after an 83-year-old retired priest was arrested for supporting a banned protest group.

Reverend Sue Parfitt from Henbury in Bristol was arrested on the same day the group was outlawed. She was attending a demonstration in Parliament Square, London, on Saturday.

The group became a proscribed https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93901n9z0qo organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000 on Saturday, making membership or expressing support for them punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said:

It is not about protest. This is about an organisation committing serious criminality.

A total of 29 people were arrested https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gd3pkr9x1o at the demonstration and have since been released on police bail pending further inquiries.


As she was led away by police, Ms Parfitt branded the ban "total nonsense"

The move to ban the organisation was announced after two Voyager aircraft were sprayed https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq6m79n6q65o with red paint at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June. It caused about £7m of damage, police said.

MPs voted in favour of legislation to proscribe group https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2d0j0ljdzko Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation on Friday. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper previously described the group as "disgraceful" and highlighted their

long history of unacceptable criminal damage.

On Saturday, Ms Parfitt sat in a camp chair surrounded by other protesters, holding a placard stating her support for Palestine Action.

As she was led away by police, she branded the ban "total nonsense", adding it symbolised a

loss of civil liberties in this country.

In a letter to the Home Secretary, protesters said:

We do not wish to go to prison or to be branded with a terrorism conviction, but we refuse to be cowed into silence by your order.

Sir Mark said officers arrested protesters "with great care"

Sir Mark was asked on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show whether it was a good use of police time.

He said:

The law doesn't have an age limit, whether you're 18 or 80.

If you're supporting proscribed organisations, then the law is going to be enforced.

Officers, you could see, did it with great care and tried to preserve that person's dignity, but they're breaking a serious law.

He added over the last 18 months, the group had been accused of committing

some really serious criminal offences,

some of which are being taken to trial.

Fast News
Second ship hit in Red Sea

After earlier Houthi attack.

By Mohammed Hatem, Sherif Tarek and Catherine Cartier, Bloomberg

https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news-fast-ne ... n-red-sea/

7 Jul 2025


The vessel was carrying grains to Somalia for the World Food Programme. Image: SuppliedThe vessel was carrying grains to Somalia for the World Food Programme. Image: Supplied

A second vessel was attacked by five rocket-propelled grenades in the Red Sea near Yemen, just a few hours after Houthis claimed responsibility for an earlier attack on a ship sailing in the same area, making voyages through the key region dangerous again.

Monday’s strike took place 51 nautical miles west of Yemen’s Al Hudaydah, the UK Maritime Trade Operations said. https://x.com/UK_MTO/status/1942274908152840692

Two people on board the merchant vessel named MV Eternity C were injured and two others went missing, according to the duty officer of Cosmoship, the vessel owner.

The ship was carrying grains to Somalia for the World Food Programme and was attacked after completing the trip.

The vessel is currently immobilised.

Earlier in the day, spokesperson for the Houthis Yahya Saree said in a televised statement the Iran-backed group on Sunday fired drones and missiles at the Magic Seas, an Ultramax vessel owned by Greece’s Stem Shipping.

That vessel was targeted because it called at Israeli ports in the past, Saree said.

He later claimed on Telegram that Magic Seas sank. Representatives of Stem Shipping were not immediately available to comment.

The Houthis started attacking commercial ships in late 2023, prompting the number of vessels transiting the Suez Canal to collapse. Traffic through the waterway, which is crucial to global trade, remained low in the first half of 2025 despite the absence of new attacks. In May, US President Donald Trump said a truce had been brokered with the Houthis.

The resurgence of attacks now could once again reduce traffic through the region and send freight rates and insurance costs surging for shippers.

All individuals rescued

The United Arab Emirates said https://www.wam.ae/en/article/bkkaqcs-u ... ed-red-sea the Safeen Prism vessel, operated by AD Ports Group, responded to a distress call from Magic Seas and rescued all 22 individuals aboard the vessel.

The Israel Defense Forces carried out airstrikes on Al Hudaydah, Ras Issa and Al-Salif ports on the Red Sea and a power plant in Al Hudaydah on Sunday, according to a post on its X account, following the attack on the Magic Seas.

Israel also hit the Galaxy Leader, a ship captured by the Houthis in November 2023, saying they https://x.com/IDF/status/1941976060335165462 used it to

track international vessels for terror operations.