Russia cannot yet talk about the possibility of mediating in the Iran conflict
On August 31 (local time), according to TASS news agency, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has not yet been able to determine which form of mediation may be suitable for the situation around Iran.
Mr. Peskov said that talking about Russia's mediating role in the conflict in Iran at this time is still difficult.
The situation taking place in the Persian Gulf around Iran will be discussed tomorrow," Peskov said.
According to the Kremlin spokesman, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will inform Russian President Vladimir Putin about the latest developments in the region.
The meeting between the two leaders is also expected to focus on bilateral relations. Mr. Peskov affirmed that Russia is still committed to developing a partnership with Iran in many fields.
This will be a full and very practical exchange," he said.
President Trump calls Iran conflict a relatively minor conflict
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said that the US used a relatively small amount of weapons in the military campaign in Iran, compared to the amount of weapons the US provided to Ukraine under former President Joe Biden.
This is a relatively small conflict for us," Mr. Trump told reporters when referring to the campaign in Iran.
According to Mr. Trump, most of the money and weapons that the US administration previously provided were for Ukraine.
Mr. Joe Biden has provided Ukraine with ammunition worth more than 300 billion USD for free," Trump said, adding that the current administration still supports Ukraine but in the form of European countries paying.
Mr. Trump said that the US used "very little" of ammunition in Iran compared to the amount supplied to Ukraine under Mr. Biden.
Ferry sinks off Cyprus, 8 people killed
At least 8 people died and 18 are still missing after a Turkish ferry capsized and sank off the coast of northern Cyprus on August 30 (local time), according to Xinhua.
The double-hulled ferry carried 259 passengers and 8 crew members. The ferry began to be flooded and capsized shortly after leaving Kyrenia port on the afternoon of August 30.
Authorities said 241 people were rescued. The ferry then sank to a depth of more than 500m below sea level. It is not yet clear whether there are still people trapped inside.
Turkey is deploying a deep-sea remote control device to the area to assist in the search. The device is expected to arrive at the scene on September 1.
The captain and 7 crew members were arrested by Cyprus authorities. Some local media reported that the ferry had been repaired due to water leakage problems.
Some survivors said that the captain and crew were the first to leave the ferry, while passengers were not instructed on how to evacuate.
Cyprus has suffered bad weather and rough seas since August 29. However, authorities said that the weather conditions when the ferry departed were still assessed as safe enough to carry out its journey to Tasucu port in Turkey.
The cause of the ferry capsizing and sinking is still under investigation.
