China successfully launched its Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship on Sunday, sending three astronauts to its orbiting Tiangong space station.
The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off at 23:08 Beijing Time (15:08 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, with the launch later being declared a "complete success" by the launch center.
The Shenzhou-23 crew consists of mission commander Zhu Yangzhu and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, who is the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Earlier on Sunday, a special send-off ceremony was held for the astronauts before they departed for the launch site, with crowds of well-wishers gathering to see them off.
After lifting off as scheduled, the Shenzhou-23 spaceship separated from the rocket around 10 minutes after launch and later entered its designated orbit, and the astronauts are all in good condition, said the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship will adopt a fast, automated rendezvous and docking mode and dock with the radial port of the Tianhe core module approximately 3.5 hours after launch, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.
After completing a handover of the Tiangong space station with the Shenzhou-21 crew, the Shenzhou-23 astronauts will start their mission, and one of them will conduct a one-year in-orbit stay, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.
The crew will conduct a number of experiments and applications in fields such as space life, human physiology, microgravity physics, and new space technologies, perform multiple extravehicular activities, and carry out tasks including the installation, commissioning, maintenance, and repair of equipment both inside and outside the spacecraft.
Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's manned spaceflight program and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.
To date, China has sent 30 astronauts into space on 47 missions. This mission marks the 644th flight of the Long March series of launch vehicles and the 23rd flight of the Shenzhou spacecraft.
China successfully launches Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he has told U.S. negotiators not to rush into a deal with Iran because "time is on our side."
"The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed," he said in a post on Truth Social. He added: "Both sides must take their time and get it right."
The president reiterated that Iran will not be allowed to develop or procure a nuclear weapon.
He also said the "negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner."
The post came a day after Trump announced that a peace agreement with Iran had been "largely negotiated," subject to finalization by the United States, Iran, and other relevant countries in the Middle East. He said the Strait of Hormuz would be opened as part of the agreement.
An Israeli government source said on Sunday that Trump has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would not sign a final deal with Iran unless Tehran dismantled its nuclear program and removed all enriched uranium from its territory.
A senior U.S. official said Sunday that a deal with Iran is not expected to be signed on the day.
Crucial details are still under negotiation and it could take several days for the deal's approval, according to the official.
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has approved the broad template of the agreement, but whether this will turn into a final agreement is still an open question, the official said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that Iran is ready to reassure the world that it is not seeking nuclear weapons.
Iran is not seeking instability in the region, Pezeshkian said in an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency.
It is rather Tel Aviv that is driving regional instability, he said.
The Iranian president also emphasized that Iranian negotiators will never compromise on the country's "honor and dignity."
The New York Times reported Sunday that a key element of the proposed agreement was an apparent commitment by Tehran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
In response, the Tasnim News Agency reported on Sunday that, contrary to claims by some Western media outlets that Iran had committed to removing nuclear materials from the country as part of the MoU, Iran had not made any such commitment.
Iran has not accepted any action on the nuclear issue at this stage of talks with the U.S., and nuclear negotiations have been postponed until after the potential end of the war and the implementation of some measures by the U.S. in this phase, the report said.
Tasnim also rejected the claim, attributed to Iran in the agreement, that it had committed to suspending nuclear activities for 20 years, which was reported by some regional media outlets on Sunday.
There are no details regarding Iranian nuclear measures in the potential MoU, Tasnim reported.
Trump says U.S. will not "rush into a deal" with Iran
