Iran clarifies stance on nuclear weapons and its 'legitimate rights'
Iran has defended its stance on nuclear weapons, following attacks by Israel and the US.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged Iran and Israel to respect the ceasefire that went into effect Tuesday, following 12 days of war.
"The fighting must stop. The people of the two countries have already suffered too much," Guterres said on X, adding that he hoped the truce could be replicated in other conflicts in the region, such as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday said that his country was not seeking nuclear weapons but would continue to defend its "legitimate rights" in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
As a fragile ceasefire with Israel took hold after 12 days of fighting that also included US strikes, Pezeshkian told his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates that the two countries "cannot impose unjust aspirations by force".
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IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
Fragile Israel-Iran ceasefire holds for now
Iranians chant slogans and wave national flags as they celebrate a ceasefire between Iran and Israel at Enghlab Square in the capital Tehran on Tuesday. A fragile ceasefire in the Iran-Israel war appeared to be holding after 12 days of strikes. Image: AFP Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that his country was not seeking nuclear weapons but would continue to defend its "legitimate rights" in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. As a fragile ceasefire with Israel took hold after 12 days of fighting that also included US strikes, Pezeshkian told his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that the two countries "cannot impose unjust aspirations by force". "We expect you to explain to them, in your dealings with the United States, that the Islamic Republic of Iran is only seeking to assert its legitimate rights," Pezeshkian said during a call with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed. "It has never sought to acquire nuclear weapons and does not seek them," he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency, adding that Iran was "ready to resolve the issues... at the negotiating table". On Sunday, Israel's ally the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. After US President Donald Trump, who had first declared the ceasefire, angrily berated both sides for violating it, Iran announced it would respect the truce if Israel did, while Israel said it had refrained from further strikes. Israel, in announcing it had agreed to Trump's plan, said it had achieved all its military objectives. Iran initially stopped short of officially accepting the proposal, but Pezeshkian later said that if "the Zionist regime does not violate the ceasefire, Iran will not violate it either". Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Israel had accused Iran of firing missiles at it after the truce was meant to have come into effect -- which Tehran denied -- vowing to respond. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office later said Israel had "destroyed a radar installation near Tehran" in retaliation, but had "refrained from further strikes" following a phone call between Trump and the premier. On his way to attend a NATO summit in The Hague, Trump had publicly castigated both countries for violating the truce, and demanded Israel call off what he characterised as an imminent attack, later saying "the Ceasefire is in effect!" Both Israel and Iran appeared to claim victory following the announcement of the truce. The Israeli government said Netanyahu had convened his cabinet "to announce that Israel had achieved all the objectives of Operation Rising Lion and much more". It added that it had removed "an immediate dual existential threat: nuclear and ballistic", while vowing to respond forcefully to any violations of the ceasefire. Iran's top security body, meanwhile, said the Islamic republic's forces had "compelled" Israel to "unilaterally" stand down. Its Revolutionary Guards also hailed a missile salvo fired at Israel "in the final moments before the ceasefire", saying it taught "a historic and unforgettable lesson to the Zionist enemy".
IOL News
7 hours ago
- IOL News
Iran clarifies stance on nuclear weapons and its 'legitimate rights'
Iran has defended its stance on nuclear weapons, following attacks by Israel and the US. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged Iran and Israel to respect the ceasefire that went into effect Tuesday, following 12 days of war. "The fighting must stop. The people of the two countries have already suffered too much," Guterres said on X, adding that he hoped the truce could be replicated in other conflicts in the region, such as the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday said that his country was not seeking nuclear weapons but would continue to defend its "legitimate rights" in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. As a fragile ceasefire with Israel took hold after 12 days of fighting that also included US strikes, Pezeshkian told his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates that the two countries "cannot impose unjust aspirations by force".
IOL News
9 hours ago
- IOL News
Why South Africa's unemployment rate is so high. . .
How can anyone trust Trump's USA He's done it for America. He's put America first and bombed Iran. US bombers struck three enrichment plants. He gloated it was a spectacular success. Just yesterday he was talking peace. He said let's use diplomacy instead of bombs to resolve the Middle East crisis. But then Israel launched a surprise atack on Iran. Then Trump said he'll wait for two weeks and then decide whether the US should enter the fray. But suddenly he sends his war planes into Iran to bomb its nuclear sites. How can anyone trust this double-talking maniac? Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and now Iran. The US cannot stay away from the Middle East. And Trump cannot stay away from controversy and trouble. The attack on Iran was unprovoked attack on another sovereign state. The US has breached an international law. But who will stop US aggression? The UN? It's a toothless organisation. As global tensions mount, we wait to see if this US attack on Iran sucks in other powers and escalates into a broader conflict. Already the US has the backing of its long-time ally, Britain. Israel Premier Benjamin Netanyahu is happy that the US has joined him. British Premier Keir Starmer said Iran cannot be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. Several countries have nuclear arsenals: Russia, the US, China, France, Britain, Pakistan, India. Israel and North Korea. Are nuclear weapons safe with Trump, Putin and Kim Jong Un? | T Markandan Kloof Race quotas, 'decent work' barriers to jobs In a weekly newspaper on May 5, Dr Khwezi Mabasa argues that race quotas and the enforcement of 'decent work' standards stimulate economic growth. He invokes the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as if both policies naturally stem from a shared commitment to worker dignity. This is misleading. The ILO's decent work framework supports affirmative action measures aimed at addressing inequality, but only as temporary solutions. Crucially, it does not endorse permanent racial quotas or systematic racial workforce engineering. Mabasa's citation of the ILO is thus not accurate. He misappropriates that institution's credibility to defend a policy position that it explicitly rejects. Mabasa's conflation of racial quotas with the Decent Work doctrine attempts to lend legitimacy to race-based policies by associating them with the superficially appealing rhetoric of worker protection. Far from enhancing dignity or employment, the Decent Work doctrine imposes rigid labour standards that systematically exclude millions of South Africans from the labour market. The 'decent work' doctrine and its consequences: These enforced standards criminalise jobs that do not comply with arbitrary government check lists, regardless of whether job seekers would willingly accept them. Under this doctrine, work is lawful only if it satisfies a prescribed check list: mandated wages, benefits, fixed hours, and legal protections, regardless of productivity or consent. Jobs that do not comply are prohibited, even if the worker is willing to take them. At the heart of this system is the Single Breadwinner Fallacy – the idea that every job must support an entire household. This outdated model, born in post-war Europe, assumes that one employed man can provide for a whole family on a single income. This is a foreign doctrine, suited to affluent European economies. Yet, South African policymakers, under union pressure, have forced it into law, with no regard for our unemployment. By enforcing this standard, the law disqualifies the jobs that allow multiple breadwinners to support a household, yet this is how most poor South Africans survive. There is neither economic nor moral justification for outlawing lawful effort. There is nothing decent about sustained unemployment, and no virtue in criminalising work that consenting adults have the right to choose. The race quota contradiction: Mabasa appeals to the ILO as though its authority lends weight to race quotas. He does not say that the ILO permits racial preference only as a temporary measure. Nor does he explain why South Africa imposes permanent racial targets in law, with no reference to merit or individual need. The Employment Equity Amendment Act, 2023, authorises the state to dictate the racial composition of workplaces, with penalties for those who do not comply. It follows the same logic as job reservation under apartheid: individuals are classified by race, and legal preference is given to one group over others. This undermines the dignity of work and erodes the trust on which a functioning economy depends. Race quotas limit opportunity, drive out skills and investment, and make firms more cautious. Compliance replaces output. Smaller businesses, unable to absorb the risk, avoid hiring or exit the formal economy. Jobs are lost long before penalties are enforced. Mabasa suggests that small businesses are exempt. While technically true in limited contexts, this is misleading in practice. Any enterprise that hopes to grow, tender for contracts, or operate within formal supply chains must obtain compliance certification. The legal requirement may come later, but the economic pressure begins the moment a business starts to succeed. Conclusion: Free people to work. These policies do not expand employment; they prevent it. By criminalising voluntary agreements and enforcing racial targets by law, the state has made it harder to hire, harder to grow, and harder to work. The result is plain to see: Massive unemployment, deepening poverty, and no way out. There are fewer jobs, fewer opportunities, and no entry point for willing unemployed people. Everyone understands that half a loaf is better than no bread. In South Africa, several half loaves are what keep households alive. Yet the law denies them even that – by outlawing the very work that makes it possible for multiple breadwinners to contribute what they can .No society can prosper by suppressing enterprise and distrusting consent. A job freely offered and freely accepted is not exploitation. It is the first step out of the people work. Let them choose. That is the only decent way to build a free and prosperous society. | Eustace Davie Free Market Foundation president Playground for political parties South Africa has become a playground for people who want to open political parties. It's no longer about serving the interests of the people or about ideology, but about a source of income. After being given a tough time in the EFF, its former deputy president, Floyd Shivhambu, went to the Umkhonto weSizwe Party; where he is now the former secretary-general just 10 months after joining them. His press conference last week was nothing but a way of trying to bring dignity to the quest to establish a new party… and this party will be useless, just like other small parties that only exist to contest elections and serve the interests of those leading them. Perhaps he should leave active politics and focus on academia. | Tom Mhlanga Braamfontein Confronting racism in our schools The latest incident of alleged racism at Bryandale Primary School in Bryanston is yet another painful reminder that schools have a long way to go before genuine transformation and inclusion are achieved. It is alleged that an Indian learner told two Black students: 'You stupid Black people are so predictable.' Such language is deeply offensive, dehumanising, and has no place in any learning environment. This incident must be treated with the seriousness it demands, not as a 'playground misunderstanding' but as a reflection of wider issues of racism and marginalisation that persist in our schools. While many public and private schools proudly promote values of diversity and transformation in their mission statements, these values must go beyond lip service. Transformation is not a passive hope; it requires active, ongoing engagement and institutional introspection. Schools play a critical role in redressing the deep inequalities and marginalisation embedded in our must be proactive in creating safe and affirming environments for all children, not only through symbolic gestures but through deliberate action, anti-racism training, and clear accountability mechanisms. The incident at Bryandale is not an isolated one. Just a few days ago, a Grade 8 learner at De La Salle Holy Cross College (in Johannesburg) was reportedly told, 'You don't belong… go home, you (K-word).' In 2024, Pretoria High School for Girls made headlines after WhatsApp messages targeted Black pupils. That year, Jeppe High School for Girls in Johannesburg came under fire when Black pupils were removed from class for wearing coloured braids, but not white pupils with dyed hair. These are not isolated 'bad apples'. They reflect systemic failures that schools must urgently address. We call on school governing bodies, education departments, and communities to treat these incidents with the seriousness they deserve. Silence or delay enables racism to fester. We must demand not only awareness but transformation that is measurable, monitored, and real because if our schools can't be safe and just spaces for our children, we cannot expect our society to be either. | Matthew Cook Johannesburg Malice or ignorance about the meanings Unless you are a graduate of Harvard or Columbia and have been indoctrinated by radical left-wing Islamists, you should be able to distinguish between a fact and a libel. You may even be capable of reading a dictionary and testing its definitions with what passes for journalism in some media or statements uttered by politicians and NGOs. Let's start with 'genocide', a term loosely used when libelling Israel. In 1948, there were 500 000 Muslims (they were not called Palestinians then) in the areas now controlled by Hamas and the PA. Today there are 2.7 million. By what definition, or historical example, do the victims of a genocide actually grow exponentially?' Apartheid' is a particularly ugly word. It reminds us of the institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. A one-day visit to any Israeli city would dispel you of this notion. On the streets and on public transport you will see people of every colour and hear English, French, Arabic and Hebrew spoken everywhere. Arabs are proportionally over-represented in academia. In all hospitals you will see Jews and Arabs, male and female doctors, staffs and patients. This ethnic and gender mingling exists nowhere else in the Middle East and North Africa. Call Judea and Samaria the West Bank, if you wish, but don't say it is 'occupied'. Under international law, Israel includes Gaza, Judea and Samaria (see article 80 of the UN charter). Under the Oslo Accords, 100 000 PLO supporters came into Israel and occupied parts of Judea and Samaria, while 60% (area C) remained totally under Israeli control. Continued misuse of these terms is anti-semitism, whether by ignorance or malice. | Len Bennett Ottawa, Canada DAILY NEWS
