Iranian foreign minister says Iran cannot give up on nuclear enrichment
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Scroll.in
2 hours ago
- Scroll.in
United States says it will withdraw from UNESCO
The United States on Tuesday announced its decision to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, citing concerns about 'anti-Israel rhetoric' and the promotion of 'divisive' agendas. President Donald Trump had pulled out of the organisation in 2017 as well during his first term, a decision that his successor Joe Biden had reversed. US Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Tuesday that Washington's continued involvement in UNESCO was 'not in the national interest' of the country. UNESCO is a body of the United Nations that promotes world peace through international cooperation in culture, arts, education and sciences. Bruce accused the organisation of advancing 'divisive social and cultural causes'. 'UNESCO…maintains an outsized focus on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy,' she said. The spokesperson also criticised the body's 2011 decision to admit Palestine as a member state, calling it 'highly problematic' and a contributor to 'anti-Israel rhetoric within the organisation'. Washington is an ally of Israel and acts as a guarantor of the country's security. Both the US and Israel had stopped financing UNESCO after it voted to include Palestine as a member state. In a social media post, Bruce said that 'going forward, US participation in international organisations must make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous'. The decision will take effect at the end of December 2026, her statement added. This is the third time US has pulled out of UNESCO. The country first withdrew from UNESCO in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan's administration, citing the international body's mismanagement, corruption, and advancement of Soviet Union interests. The US rejoined the organisation in 2003. Today, the United States announced our decision to withdraw from UNESCO. Like many UN organizations, UNESCO strayed from its founding mission. Going forward, U.S. participation in international organizations must make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous. — Tammy Bruce (@statedeptspox) July 22, 2025 UNESCO says withdrawal was 'anticipated' Responding to Washington's announcement, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said that she 'deeply regretted' Trump's decision to once again withdraw from the international body. 'This decision contradicts the fundamental principles of multilateralism, and may affect first and foremost our many partners in the United States of America,' she said. Azoulay said that the announcement, although regrettable, was anticipated and added that UNESCO had prepared for it. The organisation had undertaken major structural reforms and diversified its funding sources since 2018, she added. 'UNESCO's overall budget has steadily increased,' she said, adding that the US now accounts for just 8% of its funding, compared to 40% for some other UN bodies. She added that the organisation is now better protected in financial terms due to support from other member states and private donors. The purpose of the international body is to welcome all the nations of the world, and the US is and will always be welcome, Azoulay said. 'We will continue to work hand in hand with all of our American partners in the private sector, academia and non-profit organisations, and will pursue political dialogue with the US administration and Congress,' her statement added.
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Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
Trump exits UN cultural body UNESCO again, calls it 'woke, divisive'
President Donald Trump has decided to pull the United States out of the "woke" and "divisive" UN culture and education agency UNESCO, the White House said on Tuesday, repeating a move he took in his first term that was reversed by Joe Biden. The withdrawal from the Paris-based agency, which was founded after World War Two to promote peace through international cooperation in education, science, and culture, will take effect at the end of next year. The move is in line with the Trump administration's broader "America-first" foreign policy, which includes a deep skepticism of multilateral groups, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the Nato alliance. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said UNESCO "supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for." The State Department accused UNESCO of supporting "a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy". It said its decision to admit the Palestinians as a member state was "highly problematic, contrary to US policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric." UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay said she deeply regretted Trump's decision, but it was "expected, and UNESCO has prepared for it." Posting on X, French President Emmanuel Macron professed "unwavering support" for the "universal protector" of world heritage and said the US move would not weaken France's commitment to UNESCO. China's foreign ministry said Washington's decision was "not the behaviour expected of a responsible major country", and expressed China's staunch support of UNESCO's work, its spokesperson told reporters during a press briefing on Wednesday. UNESCO officials said the US withdrawal would have some limited impact on US-financed programmes. Azoulay said UNESCO had diversified funding sources, receiving only about 8 per cent of its budget from Washington. UNESCO was one of several international bodies Trump withdrew from during his first term, along with the World Health Organization, the Paris Agreement climate change accord, and the UN Human Rights Council. During his second term, he has largely reinstated those steps. Trump's pick to be his UN envoy, Mike Waltz, said this month the United Nations needs reform while expressing confidence that "we can make the UN great again." ISRAEL PRAISES US 'MORAL SUPPORT AND LEADERSHIP' Israel welcomed the US decision with its UN ambassador, Danny Danon, accusing UNESCO of "consistent misguided anti-Israel bias." In a post on X, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, thanked Washington for its "moral support and leadership" and said that "Singling out Israel and politicization by member states must end, in this and all professional UN agencies." US SeNator Jeanne Shaheen, the senior Democrat on the Republican-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called Trump's decision "short-sighted and a win for China," which she said became the largest financial contributor to UNESCO after Trump last withdrew from the agency. UNESCO officials said all relevant agency statements had been agreed with both Israel and the Palestinians over the past eight years. Azoulay said the US had given the same reasons for its pullout as it had seven years ago "even though the situation has changed profoundly, political tensions have receded, and UNESCO today constitutes a rare forum for consensus on concrete and action-oriented multilateralism." "These claims also contradict the reality of UNESCO's efforts, particularly in the field of Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism," she added. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is best known for designating World Heritage Sites, including the US Grand Canyon and Egypt's pyramids. It lists 26 sites in the United States, including the Statue of Liberty, on its World Heritage List which highlights 1,248 global locations of "outstanding universal value." Washington has had a troubled relationship with UNESCO over the years. It was a founding member in 1945 but first withdrew in 1984 to protest alleged financial mismanagement and perceived anti-US bias during the Cold War. It returned in 2003 under President George W. Bush, who said UNESCO had undertaken needed reforms, but in 2011 the Obama administration announced it was stopping funding for the agency following its vote to grant the Palestinians full membership. Trump's first administration announced in 2017 it was quitting after accusing UNESCO of anti-Israeli bias, with Washington owing $542 million in dues, before former President Biden reversed the decision in 2023. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
US Bombs Halted Iran Uranium Enrichment, for Now, Minister Says
(Bloomberg) -- Iran's government confirmed that last month's US military strikes forced it to stop uranium enrichment and said it's open to indirect talks with Washington about the future of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. 'Enrichment has now stopped because damages are serious and severe,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with Fox News that aired Monday. 'Obviously we cannot give up our enrichment because it's an achievement of our own scientists, but it's also now a question of national pride.' Iran's right to enrich uranium was a major stumbling block in the last round of talks with the Trump administration that were scuttled by Israel when it began bombing the Islamic Republic on June 13. The US in May hardened its position from accepting low levels of uranium enrichment by Iran to insisting that Tehran dismantle its enrichment capability entirely. Iran says it wants to enrich uranium to the low levels needed for civilian purposes, such as fueling nuclear-power plants. Tehran advanced its nuclear program significantly after Trump quit a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers in his first term, triggering concerns in the West that the Persian Gulf nation may try to develop a nuclear weapon. Araghchi's comments came as questions linger over the level of damage caused by a massive bombing raid ordered by US President Donald Trump on three key nuclear sites in Iran on June 22. 'If the goal is to make sure that Iran will never have nuclear weapons, that is achievable,' he said when asked about his country's ability to reach any agreement with the US. 'But if the goal is to deprive Iran from its rights, including the right of enrichment, I think we'll have difficulty.' The Islamic Republic is prepared to provide 'any confidence-building measure needed to prove' that its atomic program will 'remain peaceful forever,' said Araghchi, who also leads Iran's negotiations on its nuclear program. Iran continues to cooperate with the United Nations nuclear watchdog — the International Atomic Energy Agency — and the country's atomic energy organization is currently evaluating the full extent of the damage caused by last month's air strikes, Araghchi said. The US attack came toward the end of Israel's 12-day military assault on Iran that targeted nuclear sites, military generals, critical infrastructure, commercial and residential districts in Tehran, hospitals and a prison housing hundreds of political detainees. More than 1,000 Iranians, mostly civilians, were killed by Israel's strikes. At least 29 Israeli civilians died in Iran's subsequent missile attacks. While the two countries agreed to a ceasefire on June 24, the risk of another confrontation remains high as Israel continues to threaten Iran with further attacks. Tehran insists it will continue its nuclear program as well as support for armed groups that challenge Israeli and US interests in the Middle East. Israel's military campaign against Iran 'is not over,' the Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday. In addition to the proposed indirect talks with the US that Araghchi referred to, Iran agreed to hold discussions with France, the UK and Germany on Friday about its nuclear program. Iranian officials are also continuing parallel discussions with their Russian and Chinese counterparts. 'Any settlement for Iran's nuclear program should include enrichment because that's our right and we'll never give it up,' Araghchi told Fox. Iran also will maintain its missile program, which is 'still in very good shape' despite attacks by Israel on Iranian air defenses. 'That's our most reliable means of defense,' Araghchi said. 'I can tell you our missiles are of a deterrent nature, they are for defense, not offense, and I can assure you Iran's missiles will never have a nuclear warhead.' More stories like this are available on
