Kremlin shrugs off Trump's Putin criticism, says everyone is ‘emotional'
In this episode of Global News Today, presented by Tom Burges Watson, we focus on former President Donald Trump's latest criticism of Russia. The Kremlin has downplayed his remarks, saying everyone is 'emotional.' This comes after Trump called President Vladimir Putin 'absolutely crazy' following Moscow's largest aerial assault on Ukraine to date.
Guests:
Dr. Jeff Kuhlman – Former White House physician
Alexander Khara – Former advisor to Ukraine's defense minister
William Taylor – Former US ambassador to Ukraine
Sergey Markov – Former Putin spokesperson
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Asharq Al-Awsat
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West: Iran's Nuclear Drive Nearing Point of No Return
Europe and the United States on Wednesday expressed grave concern over Iran's nuclear escalation and called on Tehran to cooperate fully and effectively with the International Atomic Energy Agency. In a joint statement, the E3, including France, the UK and German, said they consider triggering the snapback mechanism to address threats to international peace and security arising from Iran's nuclear program, in the absence of any diplomatic progress. On Wednesday, the IAEA Board of Governors started discussing Chief Rafael Grossi's report on Iran's implementation of its nuclear commitments under the JCPoA. Western nations are planning to table a resolution at the agency's meeting that will find Iran in non-compliance with its so-called safeguards obligations for the first time in 20 years. As IAEA Board of Governors met in Vienna, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a stark warning to European powers against the potential censure resolution. In a post on X on Wednesday, he accused the three European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal, of failure to fulfill their obligations and cautioned them against committing another 'major strategic mistake.' 'Instead of displaying remorse or a desire to facilitate diplomacy, the E3 is today promoting confrontation through the absurd demand that Iran must be punished for exercising its right under the JCPOA to respond to non-performance by counterparts,' he wrote on X. Meanwhile, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday that the country is prepared to take 'immediate technical measures' should the resolution is passed. 'The necessary decisions have already been made within the state structure,' Gharibabadi was quoted as saying by state media. Commenting on the threat of reimposing UN sanctions through the JCPOA's 'snapback mechanism,' Gharibabadi said the deal no longer exists in practice and that Western parties have forfeited any legal standing due to their non-compliance. For its part, the EU on Wednesday said it remains gravely concerned by the expansion of Iran's nuclear program, affirming it is a key security priority for the Union to ensure that Tehran does not acquire a nuclear weapon. In a statement at the IAEA Board of Governors on the NPT Safeguards Agreement with Iran, the EU expressed support for a diplomatic solution and urged Iran to reverse course and return to compliance with its nuclear-related commitments. The EU also called on Iran to fully cooperate with the IAEA and expressed support for Director General Rafael Grossi's efforts to re-establish monitoring access. 'Iran's unabated nuclear advances over the last five years are of utmost concern,' the EU said. 'These actions have no credible civilian justification and carry very significant proliferation-related risks.' Also, the EU said that Iran is now producing more than one significant quantity of uranium enriched to 60% each month. The EU further said that former Iranian officials have made public statements about the country having all capabilities to assemble a nuclear weapon, deepening suspicions about Tehran's intentions. The Union then said that Iran has reduced its cooperation with the IAEA following Tehran's withdrawal from the Additional Protocol to the NPT in February 2021, negatively impacting verification and control activities by limiting the IAEA's access to Iranian nuclear facilities and information. Also, the EU condemned Iran's decision to cease implementation of monitoring measures and to remove IAEA surveillance equipment, actions that it said have irreparably disrupted oversight. 'The agency has lost continuity of knowledge in relation to the production and current inventory of centrifuges, rotors and bellows, heavy water and uranium concentrate, which it will not be possible to restore. This has detrimental implications for the agency's ability to provide assurance of the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program,' it said. Therefore, the EU urged Iran to reverse course and return to compliance with its nuclear-related commitments. 'We strongly urge Iran to return to the provisional implementation of the Additional Protocol, to ratify it, and to resume implementation of all JCPOA-related verification measures.' In a similar move, the E3 countries handed a joint statement to the IAEA Board of Governors on Iran's implementation of its nuclear commitments under the JCPoA. They praised Grossi for his latest report on Iran's nuclear program, which they said demonstrates the Agency's professional, independent and impartial work providing objective reporting on Iran's nuclear program and its implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under UN Security Council resolution 2231. But the three countries said the content of Grossi's latest report is far from positive. 'Iran is moving even further from its JCPoA commitments, while at the same time it fails to improve its cooperation with the IAEA, despite the Board's appeals.' The E3 added, 'Iran's enrichment to 60% is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons, and has no credible civilian justification. The IAEA is currently unable to verify that Iran's escalating nuclear program is exclusively peaceful. That must be a concern for us all.' Meanwhile, it said, Iran refuses to re-designate several experienced Agency inspectors. 'This is a politically motivated decision which seriously affects the IAEA's ability to conduct its verification in Iran, particularly at its enrichment facilities.' Also, the E3 statement said as a result of Iran's continued non-cooperation and lack of implementation of almost all transparency commitments made under the JCPoA, the Agency has permanently lost the continuity of knowledge on key parts of Iran's nuclear program that relate to the production and inventory of centrifuges, rotors and bellows, heavy water and uranium ore concentrate. It added that it has been four years since Iran stopped provisionally applying its Additional Protocol, thus denying the Agency complementary access to any sites or other locations in Iran. The E3 has consistently worked towards a diplomatic solution to address Iran's nuclear program and to remove all doubts about its exclusively peaceful nature, the statement noted. Yet, in 2022, it said Iran twice refused a viable deal that would have brought it back into compliance with the JCPoA, with a return to US participation, and instead Iran chose to continue to expand its nuclear activities. And this year, it added, while engaging in dialogue with the US and the E3, Iran has continued its nuclear escalation unabatedly, even further beyond any credible civilian justification. In this regard, the E3 called again on Iran to urgently change course, reverse its nuclear escalation and refrain from making threats regarding a change of its nuclear doctrine. They also urged Iran to return to comply with its JCPoA commitments, restore full transparency with its nuclear program and implement the verification measures it committed to under the JCPoA and other transparency commitments. 'The E3 wants to see a diplomatic solution. We welcome the ongoing efforts to achieve this,' it said. Later, the US envoy to the IAEA Board of Governors said Iran continues to accelerate its nuclear activities without any credible civilian justification. 'Iran now has a clear opportunity to build confidence... by implementing the Additional Protocol, not limiting inspections,' the envoy said.
Al Arabiya
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- Al Arabiya
German defense minister visits Ukraine for talks on weapons support
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has arrived in Kyiv to discuss military support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, the DPA news agency reported on Thursday. Pistorius plans to hold talks with Ukrainian government representatives about further weapons aid from Berlin, according to the report. 'We are doing everything we can to support Ukraine so that it can defend itself and get into a position where Russia is prepared to enter into serious negotiations,' Pistorius said ahead of his departure. The German defense ministry was not immediately available for comment. Germany is Ukraine's second-biggest military backer after the United States, whose commitment to Kyiv has been called into question, putting pressure on Europe to step up. Russia and Ukraine met for peace talks in Istanbul earlier this month in a renewed push to settle the conflict, which began with Russia's invasion in February 2022. However, fighting has raged on while the two sides disagree over a number of central issues, such as territorial concessions and the prospect of Ukraine's future NATO membership. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has already travelled to Kyiv and hosted President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Berlin since taking office in May, recently gave Ukraine the green light for 'long range fire' with weapons supplied by Germany and others, angering Moscow.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Netanyahu Asks US to Broker Israel-Syria Negotiations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US envoy Tom Barrack he is interested in negotiating with the new Syrian government, with the US serving as mediator, two Israeli officials told Axios on Wednesday. 'Netanyahu is interested in negotiating an updated security deal and working up towards a full peace agreement,' according to a senior Israeli official. 'When Barrack met Netanyahu last week, the Israeli prime minister told him he wants to use the momentum from the Trump-al-Sharaa meeting to start US-mediated negotiations with Syria,' an Israeli official said. A senior Israel official also told Axios that Netanyahu's goal is to try and reach a set of agreements, starting with an updated security deal based on the 1974 disengagement of forces agreement, with modifications, and ending with a peace deal between the countries. The prime minister believes Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa's aspiration to build close ties with the Trump administration create a diplomatic opportunity. 'We want to try and move towards normalization with Syria as soon as possible,' the official said. According to the official, Barrack told the Israelis that al-Sharaa is open to discussing new agreements with Israel. After his visit to Israel, Barrack traveled to Washington and briefed Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A US official said the Israelis presented to Barrack their 'red lines' on Syria: No Turkish military bases in the country, no renewed Iranian and Hezbollah presence and the demilitarization of southern Syria. The Israelis told Barrack they will keep their forces in Syria until a new agreement is signed that includes the demilitarization of southern Syria, an Israeli official said. The official added that in a new future border deal with Syria, Israel wants to add US forces to the UN force that was previously stationed on the border. In a related development, the Israeli forces on Wednesday seized one vehicle and arrested three workers employed by Al-Quneitra city council. The forces had advanced into Al-Qahtaniyah village in Syria's southern countryside of the governorate, deploying within residential neighborhoods and firing guns into the air. The Syrian TV reported that the deployment coincided with loudspeaker announcements calling on residents to stay in their homes. Last Sunday, the Israeli forces destroyed an agricultural land near the border in the southern countryside of Quneitra and confiscated a flock of sheep. Earlier, the Israeli forces had carried out airstrikes in southern Syria, saying it hit weapons belonging to the government in retaliation for the firing of two projectiles towards Israel. Israeli shelling also targeted agricultural areas in the Wadi Yarmouk region. Residents described increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli incursions into villages, where they have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops.
