The global observance of 2026 World Cities Day was held on Saturday in east China's Fuzhou, with five cities -- Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Santiago de Cali (Colombia), Istanbul (Türkiye), Jingdezhen (China) and Katowice (Poland) -- honored with the fourth-cycle Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities, also known as the Shanghai Award.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attended the opening ceremony, presented awards to the winning cities, and delivered a speech.
China is ready to work with all parties to advance the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda, so that urban development can better benefit people around the world, He said when addressing the opening ceremony.
Ahead of the ceremony, He met with Anaclaudia Rossbach, executive director of UN-Habitat.
He said China is ready to expand strategic collaboration with UN-Habitat, practice the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and help Global South countries achieve sustainable urban development.
Rossbach said UN-Habitat is ready to continue deepening practical cooperation with China and jointly contribute to improving the global human settlements environment.
Global observance of 2026 World Cities Day held in Fuzhou
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran currently has no plans to meet with U.S. officials, while consultations with Qatari and Pakistani mediators continue over Iran's conditions for resolving the crisis, Qatar's Al Jazeera reported Saturday.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Araghchi dismissed reports of possible meetings as media speculation, saying Iran saw no need to meet with American officials at present.
He said Tehran would decide whether to hold direct or indirect negotiations after Washington accepted Iran's conditions.
Araghchi said an Iranian delegation had traveled to Qatar for further discussions, adding that his aide was there to continue consultations with mediators.
According to Araghchi, Iran's conditions include recognition of a new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz that Tehran had worked out with Oman, and the closure of other routes.
He said Tehran also sought the lifting of sanctions imposed after the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a reduction in U.S. military forces in the region, the restoration of sanctions waivers for Iranian oil exports, and the release of all frozen Iranian funds, including those held in Qatar.
Iran also demanded an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, he said.
Araghchi said mediators had presented proposals concerning Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran was reviewing as part of what he described as a second phase.
The Iranian foreign minister also said a letter from U.S. Vice President JD Vance had been reviewed at high-level meetings, describing the American effort to open the door to broader dialogue and understanding as a "positive step."
On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8. On June 18, Iran and the United States signed the MoU on ending the war in the region on all fronts.
Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on Aug 17, to reach a final agreement on Iran's nuclear program and the removal of sanctions. However, they failed to make sufficient progress toward a deal.
Iran says no plans to meet U.S. officials, consultations with mediators continue
