Category: Azer News

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Monday that the 12.5% tariff imposed by the United States is a “typical act of unilateralism and protectionism, and China firmly opposes it”, AzerNEWS reports.

The Trump administration imposed tariffs on over 80 countries earlier this month due to their alleged failures to ban products made with forced labor.

The ministry insisted that China has “consistently” opposed forced labor and has put in place a “comprehensive” system of labor laws and regulations.

It also noted that the US has not ratified the Forced Labor Convention, accusing it of “long manipulating” the issue. It urged Washington to remove the unilateral tariffs and noted that Beijing is willing to continue trade dialogue.

The opening ceremony of the 5th National Highland Festival has taken place at the Khan Yurdu Ethno-Village, located in Yeni Zod village, Goygol district, AzerNEWS reports.

The ceremony began with a minute of silence in memory of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

Addressing the audience, Vugar Novruzov, Head of the Goygol District Executive Power, highlighted the district’s rich historical heritage. He emphasized that under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan has consistently implemented policies aimed at preserving the nation’s cultural identity, protecting its rich heritage, promoting regional socio-economic development, and expanding the country’s tourism potential.

Novruzov also noted the significant contributions of First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva in promoting Azerbaijan’s cultural heritage on the international stage and preserving its centuries-old traditions. He described the National Highland Festival as an important initiative that reflects these state policies by showcasing Azerbaijan’s cultural wealth, promoting tourism, and strengthening friendship, unity, brotherhood, and solidarity.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov stated that the festival has now become a well-established national tradition.

“Today, this festival has grown into a major national celebration. As we gather for the fifth edition of the National Highland Festival, we can truly experience the spirit of our national culture. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the organizers and participants. One of the festival’s primary goals is to preserve our national and moral values and pass our traditions on to younger generations. President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly emphasized the importance of this issue during meetings with young people, encouraging relevant institutions to support such initiatives. Festivals like this clearly demonstrate that our youth continue to cherish and preserve Azerbaijan’s rich cultural traditions,” Gayibov said.

The festival’s Project Director, Muzadil Hasanov, noted that the event continues to expand each year, attracting not only local visitors but also a growing number of international tourists. He expressed his appreciation to everyone who contributed to organizing the festival and highlighted the modern infrastructure established at the “Khan Yurdu” Ethno-Village.

Following the official speeches, the opening ceremony continued with a vibrant concert program.

The National Highland Festival, which officially began the previous day, is being held for the fifth consecutive year.

The event is jointly organized by the Goygol District Executive Power, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), the World Ethnosport Confederation, the Javad Khan History and Culture Foundation, KAP.AZ LLC, and several other partner organizations.

Throughout the festival, visitors can enjoy exhibitions of traditional Azerbaijani carpet weaving, artisan workshops, archery, horseback riding, zorkhaneh demonstrations, ethnosport activities, children’s entertainment areas, live concerts, ashig folk music performances, and traditional folklore shows.

Additional attractions include performances by Yorga horses, tightrope walkers, and fire performers, as well as the “Highland Table”, where guests can experience a wide variety of authentic Azerbaijani cuisine.

Bringing together key elements of Azerbaijan’s rural heritage, the festival presents traditional craftsmanship, folk music and dance, national games, equestrian traditions, and regional cuisine.

It offers visitors an opportunity to experience the customs and daily life associated with seasonal migration to highland pastures, an enduring tradition that remains an important part of Azerbaijan’s cultural identity and rural heritage.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned the United Kingdom on Monday about the fate of its Gripen fighter jets if they are used against Russia in Ukraine, AzerNEWS reports.

“[Former UK Prime Minister Keir] Starmer announced in Ukraine Britain’s intention to seek pound 300 million for the joint production and delivery of 16 new Gripen E fighter jets, a third of which are British-made, to the Ukrainian Armed Forces by 2029. Moreover, he probably knows what fate awaits them if they are used against the Russian Federation,” Zakharova said.

The Russian spokesperson also accused Western Europe of “trying with all its might to once again transform itself into that very neo-Nazi, militaristic monster.”

Spain’s weather service AEMET issued a new warning on Monday for a “long” heatwave starting Wednesday, and set to last at least until Sunday. Temperatures could hit or surpass 40°C across much of the country, pushing wildfire risks to “extreme” and “extraordinary” levels, AzerNEWS reports.

The warning comes as firefighters in the country already battle 118 active blazes. The most critical fires are in Madrid, Avila, Toledo, Leon, and Huelva. In Villa del Prado, San Martin de Valdeiglesias, and Burgohondo, some 40,000 people have been evacuated or confined.

The EU announced earlier that it is sending six planes to Spain from Greece, Italy, and Turkey, plus 134 personnel from Portugal to help. With over 170,000 hectares burned, six times last year’s total, PM Pedro Sanchez warned that “difficult and complex hours lie ahead.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has stated that Tehran and Washington continue exchanging messages through intermediaries, AzerNEWS reports.

According to Baghaei, Iran maintains communication with the United States through mediator countries, including Pakistan, Oman, and Qatar. He noted that before any further dialogue can continue, the environment of trust that has been damaged must first be restored.

The Iranian official said that Tehran had fulfilled its commitments regarding ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, but claimed that the United States carried out new strikes before the agreed period had ended.

Baghaei described Washington’s actions as a violation of agreements and emphasized that Iran’s main priority remains ensuring the security of its people.

It sould be noted that the US and Iran have submitted their responses to a proposal put forward by Pakistan and Qatar to resume talks between the countries, Al Arabiya and Al Hadath reported on Sunday.

Shortly afterward, a source told Al Arabiya and Al Hadath that Iran has not withdrawn from negotiations but has suspended them, despite being ready to continue dialogue in accordance with the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding.

Iran also told Pakistani officials that it has rejected the creation of a new corridor in the Strait of Hormuz.

For more than four years, the Russia-Ukraine war has been a geopolitical pressure cooker, with every new military escalation raising the temperature far beyond the battlefield. The question now is whether the lid can be put back on before the pressure spills into a wider regional crisis. A freeze would not amount to peace, nor would it resolve the territorial disputes at the heart of the conflict. However, it could create something that has become increasingly scarce: strategic breathing space.

The idea of freezing the war, raised by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on 25 July, is diplomatically significant but, under current circumstances, only moderately feasible as an immediate political outcome. The Kazakh leader suggested that the conflict be frozen and negotiations resume based on an updated version of the 2022 Istanbul framework, backed by security guarantees from major powers, including Russia. The Kremlin, however, quickly rejected the idea, arguing that a freeze was impossible under Kyiv’s current position and that Moscow remained committed to achieving its objectives.

Nevertheless, the difficulty of implementing a freeze should not obscure its potential geopolitical value. A ceasefire along roughly the existing front line would be considerably easier to negotiate than a comprehensive peace agreement. It could stop the immediate fighting without forcing either side to formally abandon its maximalist territorial claims. In this sense, a freeze may represent a more realistic first step towards peace than an attempt to settle every outstanding issue at once.

But it is not easy again…the central obstacle remains Russia. Moscow’s stated position is fundamentally at odds with the concept of a simple pause. The Kremlin has linked any lasting settlement to major Ukrainian concessions, including territorial issues and Kyiv’s future security orientation. A freeze, by contrast, would suspend the conflict without necessarily delivering those concessions. If Russia believes that continued military pressure can improve its negotiating position, it has little incentive to accept a ceasefire that could consolidate the current front line.

This is where the question of security guarantees becomes decisive. For Ukraine, the danger of a frozen conflict is obvious. A ceasefire without credible guarantees could simply provide both sides with time to rearm, leaving Kyiv vulnerable to another Russian offensive. Ukraine would therefore need more than diplomatic assurances. Any viable arrangement would require robust international monitoring, a mechanism for responding to violations and long-term security commitments capable of deterring renewed aggression.

The role of Russia itself in such a guarantee system would be particularly complicated. Moscow’s participation could be important because a sustainable freeze ultimately requires Russian acceptance of the arrangement. Besides, the guarantee would have to be structured in a way that prevents Russia from using its status as a guarantor to exert political pressure over Ukraine or to veto the country’s sovereign foreign policy choices. The credibility of any agreement would depend on Russia accepting that a frozen conflict means a genuine halt to military expansion, not simply a tactical pause.

This issue extends beyond Ukraine. A durable freeze could potentially reduce the perception of Russia as an unpredictable military force across the wider post-Soviet space. In recent years, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan have all had to factor Russian unpredictability into their strategic calculations, albeit in very different ways. A conflict freeze that included meaningful international guarantees could send a broader signal that Russia’s military ambitions would not automatically expand into neighbouring regions once the fighting in Ukraine subsides.

That would be particularly important for the South Caucasus. The region is undergoing a profound geopolitical transformation, with Azerbaijan strengthening its independent foreign policy, Armenia recalibrating its security relationships and Georgia navigating an increasingly complex relationship with both Russia and the West. A prolonged war in Ukraine has increased uncertainty across this space. A genuine freeze could, at least temporarily, lower the risk that instability in one theatre spills into another.

But this is also why the 2022 Istanbul framework cannot simply be revived as it was. The geopolitical landscape has changed dramatically. Any new settlement would have to address questions that remain unresolved or have acquired greater importance: Ukraine’s security guarantees, the status of occupied territories, sanctions, military force levels, reconstruction and Kyiv’s future relationship with NATO and the European Union. An “Istanbul 2.0” would therefore need to be a substantially revised framework rather than a return to an earlier negotiating template.

The biggest question is ultimately who benefits from freezing the war.

For Russia, a freeze could obviously consolidate territorial gains, reduce battlefield costs and provide economic relief. But Moscow may also calculate that time remains on its side and that continued pressure can secure better terms.

For Ukraine, a freeze would stop the destruction and provide an opportunity to rebuild, but only if the country could be confident that the pause would not become a temporary breathing space for another offensive.

For Europe and the United States, a freeze could reduce the risk of escalation and create room for diplomacy. However, Western governments would still face the difficult task of maintaining Ukraine’s security without allowing the frozen conflict to become a permanent source of instability.

For countries such as Kazakhstan, the benefits would be even broader. A ceasefire could reduce economic and geopolitical spillovers, protect trade and energy routes and create a more predictable environment for regional connectivity. The war has already disrupted transport and energy networks extending far beyond the immediate conflict zone.

The military logic of a freeze may therefore be stronger than the political logic. Both sides may eventually recognise that continuing the war is more costly than pausing it, but that calculation has not yet fully aligned. The challenge is to design a freeze that does not merely postpone the next war.

This is why the concept deserves serious consideration despite its current political difficulties. A freeze should not be viewed as an alternative to peace, but as a possible bridge towards it. If supported by credible guarantees, international monitoring and a clear commitment to preventing renewed military expansion, it could do more than silence the guns in Ukraine. It could begin to reduce the wider geopolitical uncertainty that has spread across Europe’s eastern frontier and the South Caucasus.

The real test, however, will be whether the major powers can turn a frozen battlefield into a stable security architecture. Without that, the ice will eventually crack. With it, a temporary pause could become the first stage of a broader regional reset.

Iranian army claims US infrastructure in Erbil ‘almost completely destroyed’

The Iranian army has claimed that ‘almost all’ US military infrastructure in Iraq’s Erbil was destroyed during the recent conflict, while saying Tehran has begun deploying a new generation of attack drones more advanced than its Arash-2.

Speaking to Iranian state television, army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Akraminia said Iranian strikes had caused significant damage to US military bases across the region, leaving many with severely reduced operational capabilities.

He claimed that ‘almost all’ US military infrastructure in Erbil had been destroyed and that anti-Iran groups based in the area were no longer capable of conducting operations.

Akraminia acknowledged that the US maintains extensive military capabilities, equipment and bases across the Middle East, as well as in southern Europe and the Mediterranean. He said Washington was attempting to replenish equipment and capabilities lost during the conflict.

The Iranian military spokesman warned that Tehran was prepared to resume military operations if fighting broke out again, saying Iran would continue until the US understood that it could not ‘impose its will on the Iranian nation through aggression’.

Akraminia also claimed that Iran had used Arash-2 drones during the 40-day conflict but was now deploying newer systems with greater destructive power, precision and range.

He did not disclose details about the new drones, saying their capabilities had yet to be publicly revealed.

Dry weather is expected in Baku and the Absheron Peninsula on July 2, AzerNEWS reports citing the National Hydrometeorology Service.

Strong northwesterly winds will blow during the daytime.

The air temperature will be 24-27°C at night and 28-31°C during the day. Atmospheric pressure will rise from 753 to 758 millimeters of mercury. Relative humidity will be 60-70 percent.

Strong northwesterly winds are expected along the Absheron beaches during the day. Temperatures will be 26-27°C on northern beaches (Sumgayit, Novkhani, Pirshagi, Nardaran, Bilgah, and Zughulba) and 27-28°C on southern beaches (Turkan, Hovsan, Sahil, and Shikh).

In the regions of Azerbaijan, mostly dry weather is expected. Fog will occur occasionally in some mountainous areas. The west wind will be occasionally strong in some locations.

The air temperature will be 22-27°C at night and 34-39°C during the day, reaching 40°C in some areas. In mountainous areas, temperatures will range from 15-20°C at night to 25-30°C during the day.

In Nakhchivan city, Julfa, Ordubad, Sadarak, Shahbuz, and Sharur, dry weather is expected. The west wind will be occasionally strong in some areas. Temperatures will be 20-25°C at night and 34-39°C during the day.

In Khankendi, Shusha, Khojaly, Khojavand, Fuzuli, Agdam, as well as Dashkasan-Gadabay and Goygol, mainly dry weather is expected. However, short-term rain, thunderstorms, and hail are possible in some mountainous areas during the day. Fog is expected in mountainous areas at night and in the morning. The west wind will be occasionally strong in some places. Temperatures will be 15-20°C at night and 24-29°C during the day, reaching 32-36°C in some areas.

Eastern Zangazur: In Jabrayil, Kalbajar, Gubadli, Lachin, and Zangilan, mainly dry weather is expected. However, short-term rain, thunderstorms, and hail are possible in some mountainous areas during the day. Fog is expected at night and in the morning. The west wind will be occasionally strong in some areas. Temperatures will be 15-20°C at night and 23-28°C during the day, reaching 32-36°C in some locations.

In Gazakh, Ganja, Samukh, Goranboy, Tartar, Shamkir, Tovuz, and Naftalan, mainly dry weather is expected. However, short-term rain, thunderstorms, and hail are possible in some mountainous areas during the day. The west wind will be occasionally strong in some places. Temperatures will be 21-26°C at night and 33-38°C during the day.

In Balakan, Zagatala, Gakh, Shaki, Oghuz, Gabala, Ismayilli, Agsu, Shamakhi, Siyazan, Shabran, Khizi, Guba, Khachmaz, and Gusar, mainly dry weather is expected. However, short-term rain, thunderstorms, and hail are possible in some eastern districts during the day. Fog is expected in mountainous areas at night and in the morning. The west wind will be occasionally strong in some places. Temperatures will be 19-24°C at night and 33-38°C during the day, while in mountainous areas they will range from 17-22°C at night to 25-30°C during the day.

In Yevlakh, Agdash, Kurdamir, Imishli, Agjabadi, Barda, Beylagan, Sabirabad, Mingachevir, Bilasuvar, Saatli, Goychay, Ujar, Shirvan, Hajigabul, Zardab, Salyan, and Neftchala, dry weather is expected. The west wind will be occasionally strong in some areas. Temperatures will be 22-27°C at night and 34-39°C during the day, reaching 40°C in some areas.

In Masalli, Yardimli, Lerik, Lankaran, Astara, Bilasuvar, and Jalilabad, dry weather is expected. Fog is expected in mountainous areas at night and in the morning. The east wind will occasionally strengthen in some areas.

Temperatures will be 23-26°C at night and 33-38°C during the day, while in mountainous areas they will range from 20-23°C at night to 27-30°C during the day.

A tanker traveling along a route not agreed with Iran struck a mine in the Strait of Hormuz, AzerNEWS reports citing foreign media.

The incident occurred in the Strait of Hormuz.No further details about the incident have been provided.

It should be recalled that after the latest ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran, the United States launched strikes on Iranian territory on July 8. The move was reportedly carried out in response to an attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran, in turn, began carrying out strikes against U.S. targets in the Middle East, including in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.

The parties agreed to halt hostilities on July 24.

The Caspian coastline in Baku was swept by a wave of music as thousands of spectators danced, sang along with their favorite performers, and greeted each appearance on stage with loud applause, AzerNEWS reports citing Trend Life.

A combination of spectacular visuals, impressive lighting effects, and live performances created an atmosphere of freedom and celebration, with music bringing people together. The third day of the international music festival Dream Fest 2026 turned Sea Breeze into a center of powerful sounds, energy, and unforgettable emotions, Trend reports from the event.

The evening began with high energy from the very first performances. Orkhan Zeynalli entertained the audience with his dynamic rap style, while Aysel Alizade added brightness and Eastern influences to the program. Merab Amzoevi impressed listeners with his emotional vocals, encouraging thousands of fans to sing along.

The mood then shifted toward dance and pop rhythms. Misha Miller and Sabi delivered vibrant pop performances, while Megi Gogitidze captivated the audience with her powerful voice and unique stage presence. Jaman T increased the energy with his confident performance, and ANDRO blended modern sounds with romantic elements and Eastern musical touches.

A special moment of the evening came with the performance of Jah Khalib. His combination of heartfelt lyrics, hip-hop rhythms, and Eastern influences immediately connected with the audience. Fans sang along to his well-known tracks, turning the performance into an emotional exchange between the artist and the crowd.

The atmosphere reached another level with the appearance of Lvbel C5. The Turkish rapper brought powerful beats, an energetic flow, and a strong stage presence that turned Sea Breeze into a massive dance floor.

The highlight of the third festival day was the highly anticipated performance of international star Ty Dolla $ign. The American artist captured the attention of the audience from the first moments, bringing a global sound to the festival stage. His signature mix of hip-hop and R and B, recognizable vocals, and energetic performance received an enthusiastic response from the crowd.

As the night continued, impressive light shows, powerful bass, and nonstop dancing created the feeling of a large-scale musical celebration on the Caspian shore. Festival hosts Regina Todorenko and Murad Dadashov also kept the audience engaged, maintaining the excitement throughout the evening.

The third day of Dream Fest 2026 brought together rap, hip-hop, pop, R and B, and Eastern musical influences, offering audiences a diverse range of performances and emotions. The festival once again showed that at Dream Fest, music is not only heard – it is experienced.