WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, July 5, 2017.

Mosul Mop-Up Operation

Iraqi forces are closing in on Daesh’s last footholds in the city of Mosul as they prepare to declare full victory over the terrorists there. A commander of Iraqi Special Forces says some 300 Daesh members remain in a small patch of territory still controlled by the group in the Old City neighborhood. According to the military, terrorists are confined to a 500-square-meter area and are increasingly resorting to suicide bombings. This comes a day after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated Iraqi forces for their big victory in Mosul despite ongoing clashes. Last week, the army liberated the iconic Nuri mosque, where Daesh first declared its so-called caliphate in 2014. The Iraqi army launched the offensive to retake Mosul last October.

‘Gift to Americans’

The North Korean leader says his country’s weapons program is non-negotiable. Kim Jong-un made the comment a day after Pyongyang successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile. Kim Jong-un said the long showdown with the US has reached its final phase and it is time for North Korea to demonstrate its mettle to Washington. He urged his scientists to frequently send big and small packages to the US, an apparent reference to the stream of nuclear and missile tests. The UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting over the issue. The US and South Korean troops fired deep strike precision missiles into the waters off South Korea on Wednesday in a direct response to North Korea's ICBM missile test.

Backing IRGC Strike

A majority of Iranian lawmakers have issued a statement in support of the country’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ missile attack against Daesh positions in Syria last month. The statement signed by 162 MPs stressed the need to maintain global peace and security. It also condemned provocations by the US and its allies, saying they create tension in the region. On June 18, the IRGC announced that it had launched missiles at Daesh headquarters in the Syrian city of Dayr al-Zawr. It said the missile attack, launched from western Iran, killed a large number of terrorists and that the strike was in response to terror attacks conducted by the Daesh terror group in Tehran. The attacks left 18 people dead and more than 50 others injured in the Iranian capital.

Trauma of a Generation

A prominent advocacy group says living under Daesh has inflicted severe psychological damage on children in the Iraqi city of Mosul. Save the children Fund that has conducted the research says children have sustained such a dangerous damage that they’re unable to show their emotions or play. The study done on 65 Mosul children shows many of them are haunted by waking nightmares and bear symptoms of toxic stress which is a severe psychological trauma that can cause lifelong damage. Mosul fell to Daesh in 2014 and the terrorist group designated it as the capital of its self-proclaimed caliphate. The Iraqi army is cleansing the city of a small pocket of the terrorists still holed up in the Old City neighborhood.

Doha Defiance

The Qatari Foreign Minister says his country needs a healthy and constructive relationship with Iran. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani was talking to reporters at the Chatham House think-tank in London. He said Qatar and Iran have to live alongside each other, pointing out the two countries share a gas field. He stressed that the current crisis between Doha and some Arab countries should be resolved through dialog and not blockade. Al-Thani described the anti-Qatar move by a Saudi-led bloc as a siege, saying it is a clear aggression and an insult. The top Qatari diplomat said Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are the main drivers of a campaign to isolate Doha. Last month, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha has not bowed down to these countries’ demands for a détente, yet.

Iran Missile Power

The Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution has underlined the importance of the country’s missile program. Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei urged the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps to press ahead with its plan to further develop Iran’s missile program. Ayatollah Khamenei says Iran’s enemy is very sensitive to the country’s missile program, stressing that the enemy must “be slapped in the face” through advancing such a program. The Leader also praised the recent missile attack by IRGC on the positions of the Daesh terrorist group in Syria.

Qatar Says ‘No’

Foreign ministers of the four countries blockading Qatar have met in the Egyptian capital to discuss the sheikhdom’s crisis. The top diplomats expressed disappointment over Doha’s response to their demands for an end to the blockade. They say the measures will remain in place until Qatar retreats from its policies. A statement was read out by the Egyptian foreign minister. It said Doha’s response was negative and lacked any content. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain have urged Qatar to meet a 13-point list of demands if it wants the diplomatic rift to end. Stopping support for terrorism, closing the al-Jazeera news channel and cutting ties with Iran are three main demands. Earlier, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said his country needs a healthy and constructive relationship with Iran.

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