WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

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

Rouhani swearing-in

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has taken the oath of office for a second term during a ceremony attended by high ranking foreign officials held at the country's parliament building. Rouhani said his administration would put economic reforms on top of its agenda. He added that the government would exhaust all efforts to defend the rights of the nation. The Iranian president stressed that his administration is duty-bound to defend the Islamic Republic’s national interests. Rouhani reiterated that Tehran is seeking peace in its domestic and foreign policy. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian president warned against any violation of the landmark nuclear deal reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015.

Backing Iran nuclear deal

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini says the bloc firmly supports the Iran nuclear deal and seeks to get the US on board for its implementation. The top visiting European diplomat made the comment in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Mogherini noted that the implementation of the nuclear deal has common interests for Iran and the international community. For his turn, the top Iranian diplomat said the new US administration is violating the deal with its attempt to deprive Iran of the benefits of the Vienna accord. He called on Europe to remain vigilant, warning that US President Donald Trump tries to scuttle the deal at Iran’s expense. Mogehrini is in Tehran to attend President Hassan Rouhani’s swearing-in ceremony. In the meantime, Mogherini as well as Iraqi President Fouad Massoum and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani have met separately with Rouhani where they discussed issues of mutual interest.

Rohingya Muslim refugees

The head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called on the international community to help Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims living in Bangladeshi refugee camps. Othaimeen, who was visiting the Kutupalong refugee camp, also urged Myanmar to protect the rights of the minority group. He called on the Myanmarese government to work with neighboring Muslim-majority countries to tackle the refugee crisis. About 75,000 people have fled to Bangladesh after Myanmar’s military launched a deadly crackdown against Rohingya in November last year. Rakhine state is home to over a million Rohingya Muslims who are subjected to systematic persecution by the army and extremist Buddhist groups. Myanmarese troops are accused by rights groups of committing crimes against humanity in dealing with Rohingyas.

Defending Iraq’s volunteer forces

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has defended his stance on the country’s volunteer forces, known as the Popular Mobilization Units, following a controversial remark by a senior Shia cleric. Abadi said PMU forces are under the state control and that they will never be dissolved. He also underscored that Iraqi forces have a new battle to take in the next phase of its war against terror. Abadi’s comments come a day after Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for the dismantling of the militia group to be integrated into the country’s army. Sadr’s remarks follow his rare visit to Saudi Arabia a few days ago, during which he held talks with the Saudi crown prince and other officials. Iraq’s PMU has played a key role in liberating the city of Mosul and other areas from Daesh terrorists over the past months.

Sweltering Europe

A deadly heat wave has swept across parts of Europe, prompting authorities to issue weather alerts. At least one person was killed in Italy after the relentless heat wave broke into storms. Elsewhere in Romania, two others lost their lives due to excessive heat. Extreme heat has also led to wildfires in Italy, France, Spain and the Balkans. Authorities have called on people to stay indoors as temperatures reach more than 40 degrees centigrade. Police have also issued traffic restrictions and banned working in roofless shops in hot hours of the day.

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