Iran's fresh demands over Strait of Hormuz negotiations | Ukraine agreement on US missile shipments

Good evening.Iran has issued significant new demands on the United States over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.Among its new claims is for the U .S.to quote, correct its behavior.permanently end the war and cease the naval blockade on Iran.

The announcement came after Iran and Oman signalled they were close to a separate deal for a temporary route to manage passage through the key waterway.But even with that deal, Iran insists without the US yielding to its new demands, the strait will not be fully reopened.

Iran's leverage over the Strait of Hormuz now being openly flaunted by its top military officials.

The Strait of Hormuz is no longer merely a waterway for us, nor merely an economic waterway.Rather, it is a capability and a source of power that the Islamic Republic of Iran possesses by virtue of its geography and will make use of that geography.

And it is.Overnight, via its National Security Council, issuing conditions on the United States for reopening the strait, including the US never threatening Iran again.permanently ending the war with Iran and its armed allies in the region, lifting the naval blockade of Iranian ports and withdrawing the US's military from the area, and completely compensating Iran for war damages, lifting sanctions and unconditionally releasing frozen assets.

No response as yet from Washington, but the Vice President earlier making clear a deal is from being breached.

An agreement though between Iran and its neighbourOman over the strait, now close to finalised. That

That deal would secure safe shipping routes through the waterway, although only temporarily and...

Transit through Hormuz has dropped significantly, with the vessels that skirt Iran's preferred route coming under attack.Overnight, the United Arab Emirates accused Iran of attacking one of its state -owned tankers from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, or Adnok, condemning what it described as a hostile missile strike.The vessel, it said, was the third struck in one week.There's been no response yet from Iran on the attack.Rashida Yousafzai, SBS, World News.

Volodymyr Zelensky says the US has agreed to supply Kiev with anti -ballistic missile systems as Ukraine defends itself against Russia's invasion without sufficient air defence capabilities.President Zelensky was speaking during his first official visit to Serbia, one of the few European countries that maintains friendly ties with Moscow despite the war.

Bilateral talks in Belgrade, beginning with a red carpet welcome for the Ukrainian president.Yesterday's meeting with his Serbian counterpart covered energy cooperation, infrastructure, and economic development.And as the war between Russia and Ukraine grinds on, the conflict was also on the agenda.Volodymyr Zelensky declaring the United States has greenlit regular deliveries of much needed Patriot air defense missiles.

on the ground.

But the Ukrainian leader says the numbers are still insufficient and that Kyiv is lobbying European partners such as Germany and Poland to cover the shortfall.Mr Zelensky's visit comes as Serbia attempts a delicate diplomatic dance.Its historic traditional ties with Moscow have slowed the country's progress in joining the European Union.Belgrade relies almost entirely on Russia for its energy supplies.While it has provided aid to Ukraine, it refuses to join international sanctions against Russia over its full -scale invasion.The Serbian president says he doesn't yet see a light at the end of the tunnel.

All our people would like to see an end of this war as soon as possible.I'm not sure about it and I'm very much afraid that we'll have another difficult winter.

As the fighting drags on, a near miss in Bulgaria, hundreds of kilometres away.A drone exploded near the village of Jovkovo, along the Bulgarian -Romanian border, close to critical energy infrastructure.Bulgarian authorities say the drone, thought to be Ukrainian in origin, was carrying a significant amount of explosives, resulting in the summoning of Ukraine's ambassador in Sofia.It's the latest case of a drone straying into NATO airspace.Romania's defence ministry says at least 19 drones have entered its airspace this year alone.Military drills more frequent as the threat of the conflict spilling over remains.

Rachelle Harrison -Pless, SBS World News.

Canada's entire province of British Columbiaunder a state of emergency as crews battle out -of -control wildfires.The district of Summerland is the current epicentre of concern, where thousands of people were ordered to evacuate overnight as fire rapidly spread.

Explosive wildfire bearing down on Summerland, a rural community enduring a hot and dry season in Western Canada.

still there or not, but that fire came so fast and true.

The Baldrange wildfire forcing all 12 ,000 residents of Summerland to flee.

The fire went from 50 hectares to 400 to 1 ,000 to 5 ,000 like within two or three hours.And what was once 15 kilometers away is now right here at the hill.And yeah, so now we're just getting our animals ready.

There are 105 wildfires burning in British Columbia, 70 of which started over the past week.

Conditions are extremely dangerous and changing minute by minute.The fires are moving incredibly quickly.

The new Baldrange Fire's stunning commanders, already 50 people rescued by aircraft.

This is many people's worst nightmare.And as an organization, this is one of the more challenging fires that we have ever faced.

Somerland's mayor telling Canadian TV he left at 3 .30 a .m.as his community reeled.

And there's so much logistics to just say, getting that phone call saying, you have to leave, or people knocking on your door saying, you got to go.

Firefighters from Mexico arrived in British Columbia on Wednesday, as the effort becomes increasingly international.

On Thursday,the NSW Rural Fire Service posted, Canada, we are on our way.A 41 -person contingent from Australia and New Zealand departing for Canada to support operations for five weeks.

We are facing an intense and harrowing situation in the Summerland area.and it is so difficult to be evacuated and not know when you will be able to return, not know what you'll be returning to, whether your home and your community will still be there.

For now, a total of 22 ,000 people under evacuation orders across British Columbia.So far this year, the National Interagency Forest Fire Centre says blazes have burned through four million hectares of Canada.Pruthuwan SPS, World News.

Police in Spain are now carrying out random checks on passengers arriving from Italy in the latest escalation of a migrant row between the nations.They don't share a border, but they have brought in temporary controls on travellers from their respective countries after the mass influx of people into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta just over a week ago.

There might be diplomatic tensions between Madrid and Rome, but the memo hasn't reached this officer processing passengers in Italian.The Spanish government says these checks are random and they'll happen for the next month, during the height of European summer holidays.Travelling between these countries is supposed to be seamless.They're both part of the European Union's border -free Schengen agreement.Italy temporarily suspended the pact earlier this month, citing migration and security concerns.Spain calls the border measures unjustified.

But it's mirroring the action.The diplomatic feud began within hours of the unprecedented arrival of tens of thousands of people swimming over from Morocco and into the Spanish territory of Ceuta.Most of them returned within days.At least 100 people died attempting to make the crossing.There are sharp political divisions between Italy's hard -right government and Spain's socialist one.Earlier this year, Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, who has campaigned to curb migration, criticised Madrid's fast -track amnesty scheme to legalise the status of undocumented immigrants.

The government expected 500 ,000 people to apply.When it closed in June, there had been over one million applications.Meloni joined 21 other EU leaders in issuing a statement calling programs like that, quote, pull factors for new arrivals to the bloc.In Soutza, local authorities say at least 3 ,000 migrants still remain, including more than 1 ,300 minors.While there have been media reports of a potential second wave of crossings in August, the Spanish government says it's alert but doesn't expect a repeat of the crisis.Natalie Pohonen, SBS, World News.

The Pacific nation of Palau is on the verge of drastically reducing the size of its world -renowned National Marine Sanctuary due to what it says isa lack of international support.Six years ago, the country took the bold step of protecting 80 % of its ocean from any form of fishing.The Palau National Marine Sanctuary spans about half a million square kilometres.That's an area more than twice the size of Victoria.But the government there says it's received no dedicated foreign assistance to manage the sanctuary.

dawn at one of Palau's main fish markets, usually the busiest time of day.But lately, trade has slowed to a trickle.These fishermen have been making a living from Palau's abundant waters all their lives.

Before, every morning when you come here, like five, six boats with six crew, seven people.Now it's really, everything's going down.

They say strict landing requirements on commercial fishing, as well as increased export taxes, have squeezed many operators out of business.On Malakal Island, these tuna trawlers have been sitting idle for years, their long line operations ceasing shortly after the marine sanctuary law came into effect.

that we consider as not the best fishing ground.

Palau's International Coral Reef Centre played a key role in first establishing the sanctuary.Since then, it's been surveying tuna larvae, leading to a significant discovery about the migratory fish as they pass through.

From that, it was able to show us that they do spawn in Palau, and it could be a potential spawning ground.for the tuna.

The latest State of World Fisheries report shows production reached a new record of 235 million tons in 2024, generating an annual global trade worth 265 billion dollars.An increasingly lucrative market these fishermen say they've been locked out of.

The water's so warm, so good, you don't have to think about getting cold at all.And excellent visibility as well.

While the sanctuary has hit Palau's own fishing industry, tour operators say it's been a gain for them.Our divers expect that we are mindful of the marine environment and conservation, so the marine sanctuary helps underpin and reinforce that thinking.These marine rangers have taken on the mammoth task of patrolling the sanctuary 24 hours a day.At least nine endangered species are thought to live within the marine sanctuary.This particular area, a habitat for vulnerable dugongs.

We don't want to lose that.Because once we lose that dugong, we lose the whole sanctuary and the whole thing in Palau.

Out here patrolling just a tiny portion of this country's vast conservation area, these rangers are at the centre of a difficult balancing act for Palau.As economic pressures grow, can this small island developing state afford to protect it?

Sometimes we become short of manpower.

I think we need more resources.The UN High Seas Treaty came into effect in January to designate 30 % of the world's oceans as protected by 2030.Currently, that figure is around 10%.Palau's government says it's received no foreign assistance to maintain the sanctuary at its current size, saying it wants sustained support for high -ambition ocean protection, not justrhetorical endorsement.Australia, a key proponent of the High Seas Treaty, is expanding marine parks around Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands, which would reach its commitment of 30 % of Australia's oceans protected by 2030.

Palau saying without help from regional partners like Australia, it's had to reverse course.The Department of Foreign Affairs says Australia respects Palau's sovereignty in managing its exclusive economic zone, including the Palau National Marine Sanctuary.With cost of living pressures squeezing the economy, the government says the sanctuary has to be scaled back from 80 % to a 50 -50 split.

The law had two main purposes.One is conservation and one is economic food security.

So to be able to achieve both, we need to redesign The once world -leading initiative by this small Pacific island state showing how difficult it is to balance conservation with economic pressures.In Palau, Ty Sarcuzy, SBS World News.