Belarus seeks closer ties with Iran including defense cooperation: Lukashenko
Pezeshkian, who is visiting Belarus, said Iran was ready to help Minsk 'neutralize illegal Western sanctions,' according to Belta.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Trump Administration Slaps New Sanctions on Four ICC Officials over Targeting of Israeli Officials
President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two judges and two prosecutors at the International Criminal Court, as Washington kept up its pressure on the war tribunal over its targeting of Israeli leaders. Washington designated Nicolas Yann Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, and Kimberly Prost of Canada, according to the US Treasury and State Department. ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict. Guillou is an ICC judge who presided over a pre-trial panel that issued the arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Khan and Niang are the court's two deputy prosecutors. The move comes less than three months after the administration took the unprecedented step of slapping sanctions on four separate ICC judges, saying they have engaged in ICC's "illegitimate and baseless actions" targeting the US and close ally Israel. ICC, which had slammed the move in June, describing it as an attempt to undermine the independence of the judicial institution, deplored the latest sanctions. "These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 states parties from all regions," the ICC said in a statement. "They constitute also an affront against the Court's States Parties, the rules-based international order and, above all, millions of innocent victims across the world," the court added. "The ICC will continue fulfilling mandates in strict accordance with its legal framework, without regard to any pressure or threat." The ICC, which was established in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the UN Security Council. The United States, China, Russia, and Israel are not members. It has high-profile war crimes investigations under way into the Israel-Hamas conflict and Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as in Sudan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Venezuela, and Afghanistan. The sanctions freeze any US assets the individuals may have and essentially cut them off from the US financial system.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Saudi FM Prince Faisal holds calls with counterparts from UAE, Qatar, Bahrain
The top Saudi diplomat held separate calls with his counterparts from Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE on Wednesday. Prince Faisal bin Farhan discussed the latest regional and international developments and issues of common interest between Riyadh and the other three capitals, according to readouts of the calls. Prince Faisal spoke to UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani.
Asharq Al-Awsat
8 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran and Belarus Agree to Boost Bilateral Defense Ties
The leaders of Belarus and Iran signed new agreements on Wednesday to boost bilateral ties in key areas including defense, the two governments said. Presidents Alexander Lukashenko and Masoud Pezeshkian signed a package of 13 documents in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. Both governments have been placed under heavy sanctions, limiting potential trading partners. Pezeshkian said Iran would help Belarus to 'neutralize' such measures, citing Tehran's decades of experience circumventing Western economic restrictions. Lukashenko told Pezeshkian that Belarus was 'ready to cooperate with you on all issues — from providing your country with food to military-technical cooperation,' calling the Iranian president a 'friend.' The two parties did not disclose any further details on how the countries intend to cooperate in the defense sector. Other areas covered by the agreement include industry and tourism, as well as joint initiatives in science, technology and education. Access to Belarus' wood processing and chemical industry, as well as potash fertilizers, can all bring potential benefits to Iran. The two presidents also said their countries would start work toward a strategic partnership treaty. Lukashenko, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, allowed Russia to use Belarusian territory as a staging ground for Moscow' full-scale invasion of Ukraine and later allowed the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear missiles. Iran has supplied Russia with drones for use in the war, and Pezeshkian signed a strategic cooperation treaty with Putin in January, although it did not include a mutual defense clause. The Iranian president's visit to Minsk has been postponed several times due to US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Lukashenko called the strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure 'a serious threat to regional and international stability and security.' 'We support Iran's legitimate right to develop peaceful nuclear energy,' Lukashenko said.
