IAEA inspectors safely depart from Iran after conflict
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi 'reiterated the crucial importance of the IAEA discussing with Iran modalities for resuming its indispensable monitoring and verification activities in Iran as soon as possible,' it said in a post on X.
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Asharq Al-Awsat
an hour ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
IAEA Pulls Inspectors from Iran as Standoff over Access Drags on
The UN nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff over their return to the country's nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel deepens. Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran's nuclear sites in a 12-day war three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency's inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran's facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority. Iran's parliament has now passed a law to suspend cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency's inspectors will be able to return to Iran. "An IAEA team of inspectors today safely departed from Iran to return to the Agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict," the IAEA said on X. According to Reuters, diplomats said the number of IAEA inspectors in Iran was reduced to a handful after the June 13 start of the war. Some have also expressed concern about the inspectors' safety since the end of the conflict, given fierce criticism of the agency by Iranian officials and Iranian media. Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said he stands by the report. He has denied it provided diplomatic cover for military action. IAEA WANTS TALKS Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday Iran remained committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). "(Grossi) reiterated the crucial importance of the IAEA discussing with Iran modalities for resuming its indispensable monitoring and verification activities in Iran as soon as possible," the IAEA said. The US and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran's three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran's nine tons of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade. That is enough, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick. Iran says its aims are entirely peaceful but Western powers say there is no civil justification for enriching to such a high level, and the IAEA says no country has done so without developing the atom bomb. As a party to the NPT, Iran must account for its enriched uranium, which normally is closely monitored by the IAEA, the body that enforces the NPT and verifies countries' declarations. But the bombing of Iran's facilities has now muddied the waters. "We cannot afford that .... the inspection regime is interrupted," Grossi told a press conference in Vienna last week.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Syria unveils new national emblem as part of sweeping identity overhaul
DAMASCUS: The Syrian Arab Republic has launched a new national visual identity featuring a redesigned golden eagle emblem, in what officials described as a break from the legacy of authoritarianism and a step toward a state defined by service, unity and popular legitimacy. Unveiled during a ceremony in Damascus on Thursday, the new emblem reimagines the iconic Syrian golden eagle with symbolic elements representing the country's history, geography and post-conflict aspirations, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported. The redesign forms the centerpiece of a wider national branding effort aimed at redefining Syria's image at home and abroad. The eagle has long held significance in Syrian history, appearing in early Islamic military symbolism, notably in the 7th-century Battle of Thaniyat Al-Uqab, and later as part of the 1945 emblem of Syria. The new design retains this historic continuity but shifts its meaning, and the combative shield clutched by previous iterations of the eagle has been removed. Instead, the emblem now features the eagle topped by three stars representing the people symbolically placed above the state. The redesigned wings are outstretched, balanced rather than aggressive, with seven feathers each to represent Syria's 14 governorates. The tail carries five feathers symbolizing the country's major geographical regions: north, south, east, west, and central Syria — a nod to national unity and inclusivity, SANA reported. Officials described the design as a 'visual political covenant,' aimed at linking the unity of land with the unity of national decision-making. 'The people, whose ambitions embrace the stars of the sky, are now guarded by a state that protects and enables them,' said a statement accompanying the launch. 'In return, their survival and participation ensure the renaissance of the state.' The emblem is designed to signal historical continuity with the original post-independence design of 1945, while also representing the vision of a modern Syrian state born from the will of its people, SANA said. Officials said the elevation of the stars above the eagle was intended to reflect the empowerment and liberation of the people, and the transition from a combative state to a more civic-minded one. The symbolism also reinforces Syria's territorial integrity, with all regions and governorates represented equally. The design, they said, reflects a new national pact, one that defines the relationship between the state and its citizens based on mutual responsibility and shared aspirations. The new emblem is also intended as a symbolic end to Syria's past as a security-driven state, replacing a legacy of repression with one of reconstruction and citizen empowerment. President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, who has positioned his administration as one of reform and renewal, described the change as emblematic of 'a government emanating from the people and serving them.' The visual identity was developed entirely by Syrian artists and designers, including visual artist Khaled Al-Asali, in a deliberate effort to ground the new identity in local heritage and creativity. Officials said that the process was intended not only as a rebranding exercise but as a reflection of Syria's cultural and civilizational legacy — and its future potential. Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani, speaking at the event, framed the launch as part of a broader transformation in Syrian governance and diplomacy. 'In every encounter, we carried a new face of Syria,' he said. 'Our efforts brought Syria back to the international stage — not as a delayed hope, but as a present reality.' He said the country was now rejecting the 'deteriorated reality' inherited from decades of authoritarian rule, and described the new emblem as a symbol of Syria's emergence as a state that 'guards' and empowers its people, rather than controlling them. Al-Shaibani concluded his remarks by calling the moment 'a cultural death' for the former regime's narrative. 'What we need today is a national spirit that reclaims the scattered pieces of our Syrian identity, that is the starting point for building the future.'
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Syria ready to work with US to return to 1974 disengagement deal with Israel
Washington has been pushing diplomatic efforts toward a normalization deal between Syria and IsraelBarrack confirmed this week that Syria and Israel were engaging in 'meaningful' US-brokered talksDAMASCUS: Syria said on Friday it was willing to cooperate with the United States to reimplement the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, which created a UN-patrolled buffer zone separating the two countries' a statement following a phone call with his US counterpart Marco Rubio, Asaad Al-Shaibani expressed Syria's 'aspiration to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.'Washington has been pushing diplomatic efforts toward a normalization deal between Syria and Israel, with envoy Thomas Barrack saying last week that peace between the two was now to The New York Times, Barrack confirmed this week that Syria and Israel were engaging in 'meaningful' US-brokered talks to end their border the toppling of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar Assad in December, Israel deployed its troops into the UN-patrolled zone separating Syrian and Israeli has also launched hundreds of air strikes on military targets in Syria and carried out incursions deeper into the country's and Israel have technically been in a state of war since conquered around two thirds of the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, before annexing it in 1981 in a move not recognized by much of the international community.A year after the 1973 war, the two reached an agreement on a disengagement part of the deal, an 80 kilometer-long (50 mile) United Nations-patrolled buffer zone was created on the east of Israeli-occupied territory, separating it from the Syrian-controlled Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Monday that his country had an 'interest' in normalizing ties with Syria and neighboring however added that the Golan Heights 'will remain part of the State of Israel' under any future peace state media reported on Wednesday that 'statements concerning signing a peace agreement with the Israeli occupation at this time are considered premature.'
