Oman participates in UN meeting in Geneva
Geneva: The Sultanate of Oman has stressed that international efforts in the field of human rights must be grounded in firm humanitarian principles, free from politicization or selectivity, and based on respect for human dignity, the promotion of justice, and accountability.
It emphasised the need for a unified international stance that places human rights at the heart of collective efforts, as a fundamental pillar for achieving peace, security, and stability for all.
During his address at the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Ambassador Idris Abdulrahman Al Khanjari, Oman's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva, expressed Oman's concern over the declining commitments of some donor entities toward human rights issues.
This, he noted, undermines the ability of international organisations to respond effectively to multiple humanitarian crises.
He underscored the importance of reassessing international funding priorities and directing resources toward initiatives with direct impact, while enhancing transparency and efficiency in the management of humanitarian aid.
He stated that the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip represents one of the worst crises in modern history, resulting from the ongoing Israeli aggression and its accompanying grave violations of international humanitarian law.
He added that this aggression has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, including a significant number of women and children, and caused widespread destruction of infrastructure, healthcare facilities, and schools.
It has also led to the spread of famine and epidemics under a suffocating blockade and inhumane living conditions.
Oman's Permanent Representative explained that this escalating tragedy demands urgent international action based on international law and principles of justice, aimed at halting violations, holding perpetrators accountable, ensuring civilian protection, and delivering immediate humanitarian assistance—free from double standards.
In a related context, Oman expresses deep concern over the military escalation in the region, particularly Israel's attacks targeting the Islamic Republic of Iran, which constitute a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter, directly undermining state sovereignty and regional stability.
Oman believes such actions only fuel further tension and threaten regional and international peace and security.
In this regard, Oman stresses the importance of returning to diplomatic channels and adopting dialogue and understanding as an effective and sustainable approach to resolving disputes and strengthening collective security.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
2 hours ago
- Observer
Two Iran nuclear sites destroyed in Israel strikes
TEHRAN: The UN nuclear watchdog said Israeli strikes on Wednesday destroyed two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran's nuclear programme near Tehran, while Iran said it fired hypersonic missiles as the arch foes traded fire for a sixth day. After the Israeli military issued a warning for civilians to leave one district of Tehran for their safety, Israeli warplanes hit the capital early on Wednesday. "More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets... carried out a series of air strikes in the Tehran area over the past few hours," the Israeli military said, adding that several weapons manufacturing facilities were hit. "As part of the broad effort to disrupt Iran's nuclear weapons development programme, a centrifuge production facility in Tehran was targeted." Centrifuges are vital for uranium enrichment, the sensitive process that can produce fuel for reactors or, in highly extended form, the core of a nuclear warhead. The strikes destroyed two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran's nuclear programme in Karaj, a satellite city of Tehran, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday. In another strike on a site in Tehran, "one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested", the agency added in a post on X. Iran also sent a "swarm of drones" towards Israel, while the Israeli military said it had intercepted a total of 10 drones launched from Iran. It said one of its own drones had been shot down over Iran. Israel's attacks have hit nuclear and military facilities around Iran, as well as residential areas. Residential areas in Israel have also been hit, and foreign governments have scrambled to evacuate their citizens from both countries. On Tuesday in Tehran, long queues stretched outside bakeries and petrol stations as people rushed to stock up on fuel and basic supplies. Iran's ISNA and Tasnim news agencies on Wednesday reported that five suspected agents of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency had been detained, on charges of tarnishing the country's image online. With air raid sirens regularly blaring in Tel Aviv, some people relocated to an underground parking lot below a shopping mall. "We've decided to permanently set camp here until it's all clear, I guess," Mali Papirany, 30, said. After a prolonged shadow war, Israel said its surprise air campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran denies. The UN nuclear watchdog said there appeared to have been "direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls" at Iran's Natanz facility. Israel has maintained ambiguity regarding its own atomic activities, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says it has 90 nuclear warheads. The conflict derailed a running series of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, with Iran saying after the start of Israel's campaign that it would not negotiate with the United States while under attack. French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump had a critical role to play in restarting diplomacy with Iran, where any attempts at "regime change" would bring "chaos". — AFP
Observer
2 hours ago
- Observer
Khamenei warns US ‘irreparable damage'
TEHRAN: Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday the nation would never surrender as demanded by President Donald Trump and warned the United States it would face "irreparable damage" if it intervenes in support of its ally. The speech came six days into the conflict, with Trump demanding Iran's "unconditional surrender" while boasting the United States could kill Khamenei and fuelling speculation about a possible intervention. The long-range blitz began on Friday, when Israel launched a massive bombing campaign that prompted Iran to respond with missiles and drones. "This nation will never surrender," Khamenei said in a speech read on state television, in which he called Trump's ultimatum "unacceptable". "America should know that any military intervention will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage," he said. Khamenei, in power since 1989 and the final arbiter of all matters of state in Iran, had earlier vowed the country would show "no mercy" towards Israel's leaders. The speech followed a night of strikes, with Israeli attacks destroying two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran's nuclear programme near Tehran, according to the UN nuclear watchdog. "More than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets... carried out a series of air strikes in the Tehran area over the past few hours," the Israeli military said, adding that several weapons manufacturing facilities were hit. Centrifuges are vital for uranium enrichment, the sensitive process that can produce fuel for reactors or, in highly extended form, the core of a nuclear warhead. The strikes destroyed two buildings making centrifuge components for Iran's nuclear programme in Karaj, a satellite city of Tehran, the International Atomic Energy Agency said. In another strike on a site in Tehran, "one building was hit where advanced centrifuge rotors were manufactured and tested", the agency added in a post on X. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had launched hypersonic Fattah-1 missiles at Tel Aviv. Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept. No missile struck Tel Aviv overnight, though photos showed Israel's air defence systems activated to intercept missiles over the commercial hub. Iran also sent a "swarm of drones" towards Israel, while the Israeli military said it had intercepted a total of 10 drones launched from Iran. It said one of its own drones had been shot down over Iran. Trump fuelled speculation about US intervention when he made a hasty exit from the G7 summit in Canada, where the leaders of the club of wealthy democracies called for de-escalation but backed Israel's "right to defend itself". "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there -- We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Trump met with his National Security Council to discuss the conflict. There was no immediate public statement after the hour and 20 minute meeting. US officials stressed Trump has not yet made a decision about any intervention. The United States is "complicit" in Israel's strikes in Iran, Tehran's ambassador to the United Nations claimed on Wednesday, vowing that his country would respond if Washington crosses a "red line". After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel says its surprise air campaign that began on June 13 is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons -- an ambition Tehran denies. "We firmly believe that the United States is complicit in what Israel is doing," Iranian ambassador Ali Bahreini told a press conference. "And at any time, at any point, if we come to the conclusion that the United States is directly involved in attacks against Iran, we will start responding to the United States." He said Tehran was "vigilant" about Trump's "completely unwarranted" and "hostile" remarks. "There is a line which, if crossed, there should be a response on our side... once the red line is crossed, the response will come," Bahreini said. "We will respond strongly and we will stop aggression from any side, be it Israel or the United States," he told the UN correspondents' association. "And we have given a message to the United States that we will respond very firmly and will stop the aggression by anybody. Bahreini also said Tehran was "resolute in responding to Israeli attacks". "We will respond very, very, very seriously and strongly, and that is what we are doing now. Nobody should expect Iran to show any kind of restraint," he said. He also criticised the attitude of Western and European nations. "Not only they are not condemning the attacks and aggression, they are trying to justify the aggression," he said. Asked about a possible resumption of negotiations with Washington over Iran's nuclear programme, the ambassador said that for now, Iran was "not thinking about any scenario" other than "defending ourselves". Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday, Bahreini issued a warning to Israel's allies. "The Israeli regime's supporters, and the United States at the forefront, should know that supporting this regime means directly supporting international humanitarian and human rights law violations," he said. — AFP
Times of Oman
4 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Your new best friend is your ultimate betrayer
In the summer of 1999 — at the dawn of the digital age — world leaders gathered at the Millennium Assembly on IT and Knowledge with a bold vision: governments must go digital, and wealthy nations would help the rest achieve it. As a member of Oman's delegation, I watched as the idealism of 'global cooperation' overshadowed a darker reality. 'Once we embrace e-government, privacy disappears,' I warned our delegation head. 'Our data won't belong to us anymore.' He dismissed it as paranoia. Two decades later, that warning has become prophecy — and Israel, with its deep ties to Western tech and intelligence, sits at the heart of this surveillance empire. The Backdoor Revolution The post-9/11 era erased any illusions. The U.S. government compelled American tech giants to embed surveillance backdoors in their exports — officially for 'national security,' but effectively a global license to spy. Israel, America's closest intelligence-sharing ally, gained indirect access to this data through agreements like ECHELON and joint cyber units. 'Israel doesn't just benefit from U.S. surveillance — it actively shapes it,' says Avi Meyer, a former Israeli cybersecurity official who spoke on condition of anonymity. 'When the NSA or FBI demand backdoors from Apple or Google, Israel's intelligence agencies are rarely far behind in accessing the same pipelines.' From Pegasus to Exploding Pagers Israel's cyber warfare capabilities reached terrifying new heights in September 2024, when dozens of pagers carried by Hezbollah operatives simultaneously exploded across Lebanon. This unprecedented attack proved that modern surveillance doesn't just monitor — it can physically eliminate targets using their own devices. The pager explosions demonstrated Israel's ability to: * Weaponise ordinary electronics by remotely triggering battery explosions * Compromise supply chains by implanting lethal capabilities during manufacturing * Escalate cyber warfare into the physical realm with deniable precision strikes Combined with Israel's Pegasus spyware — used against journalists and activists worldwide — and AI-powered tracking in conflict zones, this marks a complete evolution of warfare. 'First they read your messages through Pegasus. Then they detonate your devices,' says Avi Cohen (pseudonym), a former cyber defence official. 'The Hezbollah pager attack was Israel showing the world there are no limits anymore.' Hypocrisy in the Tech Cold War While Israel and the West weaponise technology, they wage a relentless campaign against Chinese tech firms, branding Huawei a 'spying tool' and TikTok a 'data pipeline to Beijing.' Yet Western-made operating systems (Windows, iOS, Android) and platforms (Facebook, X, Google, WhatsApp) dominate global infrastructure — with no scrutiny of how Israel exploits them. The 5G rollout exposed the double standard: 2019: Huawei pioneers affordable 5G. Western media floods with warnings of 'radiation risks' and 'Chinese brainwashing.' The U.S. pressures allies to ban it. 2024: Western firms like Ericsson and Nokia deploy 5G. The health warnings vanish. The Stakes: Digital Colonialism or Sovereignty? The 1999 dream of e-government has metastasised into a global surveillance grid controlled by a U.S.-Israel tech-intelligence axis. The Hezbollah pager attacks proved that even basic electronics can be turned against their users. Three steps to reclaim control: 1. Build Sovereign Tech – Develop domestic alternatives to foreign operating systems and hardware. 2. Secure Supply Chains – Create national standards for critical tech components. 3. Assume Compromise – Treat all foreign tech as potentially weaponised until proven otherwise. The Ultimate Spy — and Assassin We stand at a crossroads: Continue to depend on hostile technologies, or follow China's lead in building sovereign digital infrastructure. The pager attacks weren't just a warning—they were a preview of our vulnerable future. But the most dangerous spy isn't a pager. It's the smartphone in your pocket. Your phone, smartwatch, smart ring, or band knows everything about you: * Your habits, routines, and movements * What you eat, when you sleep, and when you wake * Who you meet and what you discuss (via microphone access) * Your health data, financial activity, and biometrics This, I believe, is how Israel assassinated Iran's top officials last week. No human spies — just the targets' phones betraying them. Every foreign-made device in your home isn't just spying — it's a sleeper agent awaiting activation. The pager explosions were merely the opening scene. Tomorrow's assassinations won't be delivered by human hands — but through the glowing rectangle that never leaves your side. Your phone doesn't love you. It's just biding its time.
