
Iran Says It Has Seen No Change in US Position on Sanctions Yet
Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday it would have to see if there are changes in the US position on sanctions, as the two countries negotiate a deal to resolve a decades-long dispute over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"I regret to inform you that the American side has not yet been willing to clarify this issue," ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a weekly press conference in Tehran.
"It must be clear to us how the oppressive sanctions against the Iranian people will be lifted, to ensure that past experiences are not repeated," he added.
Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who has been mediating between Iran and the Trump administration, presented elements of a US proposal for a nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington during a short visit to Tehran on Saturday.
Iranian and US delegations wrapped up a fifth round of talks in Rome last month and, while signs of some limited progress emerged, there are many points of disagreement that are hard to breach, notably the issue of Iran's uranium enrichment.
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Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
US-backed Gaza aid group names evangelical as chairman
UNITED NATIONS: The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation on Tuesday named as its executive chairman an American evangelical Christian leader who has publicly backed President Donald Trump's proposal for the United States to take over the Palestinian enclave. The appointment of Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore, a former evangelical adviser to the White House during Trump's first term in office, came as health officials said at least 27 people died and more than 150 were injured trying to reach a GHF aid site. "GHF is demonstrating that it is possible to move vast quantities of food to people who need it most — safely, efficiently, and effectively," Moore said in the foundation statement. "GHF believes that serving the people of Gaza with dignity and compassion must be the top priority." • GHF says it has delivered some 7 million meals in Gaza • UN refuses to work with GHF, says aid distribution militarized • Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid, Hamas denies it The GHF began operations one week ago under a distribution model criticized by the United Nations as the militarization of aid. The GHF says so far it has given out seven million meals from so-called secure distribution sites. It uses private U.S. security and logistics companies to get aid into Gaza. The U.N. and aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say it is not a neutral operation. U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher has said it "makes aid conditional on political and military aims" and uses starvation as "a bargaining chip." The appointment of Moore could fuel U.N. concerns, given his support for the controversial proposal Trump floated in February for the U.S. to take over Gaza and develop it economically. After Trump proposed the idea, Moore posted video of Trump's remarks on X and wrote: "The USA will take full responsibility for future of Gaza, giving everyone hope & a future." 'BAD GUYS' The U.N. did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the appointment of Moore, who has accused the U.N. of ignoring "bad guys" stealing aid in Gaza. The U.N. has long-blamed Israel and lawlessness in the enclave for impediments getting aid into Gaza and distributing throughout the war zone. Israel has long accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies. In a reference to the new GHF-led aid model, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week said Israel was "taking control of food distribution" in Gaza. "The @UN & others should clean up their act & work with America," Moore posted on May 26. "Surely, these old U.S. & E.U.-funded humanitarian orgs won't let people starve in exchange for being 'right' when they know what they have done hasn't worked & has, in fact, made a terrible war worse?" The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in an October 7 attack and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies, and Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Moore visited Israel about three months after the 2023 Hamas attack and wrote: "Never have I seen such horror." Just a couple of weeks later, he posted a video titled "Come visit beautiful Gaza," which sought to portray Gaza as a tourist destination if it wasn't for Hamas militants. Trump has said Gaza has the potential to be "The Riviera of the Middle East." The United Nations has long endorsed a vision of two states living side by side within secure and recognized borders. Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, all territory captured by Israel in a 1967 war with neighboring Arab states.


Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
Israel army vows to ‘protect maritime space' as aid boat sails for Gaza
JERUSALEM: Israel's military said it was ready to 'protect' the country's maritime space on Tuesday, after a boat organized by an international activist coalition set sail for Gaza aiming to deliver aid. The boat from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition departed Sicily on Sunday and is carrying around a dozen people, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg. Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations warned in May that the entire population was at risk of famine. 'The (Israeli military) is prepared to defend the citizens of the State of Israel on all fronts — in the north, the south, the center and also in the maritime arena,' army spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said. 'The navy operates day and night to protect Israel's maritime space and borders at sea,' he added at a televised press conference. 'For this case as well, we are prepared,' he said in response to a question about the Freedom Flotilla vessel, declining to go into detail. 'We have gained experience in recent years, and we will act accordingly.' The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, launched in 2010, is a non-violent international movement supporting Palestinians, combining humanitarian aid with political protest against the blockade on Gaza. The 'Madleen' is a small sailboat reportedly carrying fruit juices, milk, rice, tinned food and protein bars. 'Together, we can open a people's sea corridor to Gaza,' the Freedom Flotilla Coalition wrote on X on Tuesday. In early May, a Freedom Flotilla ship called the 'Conscience' was damaged in international waters off Malta as it headed to Gaza, with the activists saying they suspected an Israeli drone attack. Israel recently eased a more than two-month blockade on the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, but the aid community has urged it to allow in more food, faster.


Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
Saudi Arabia congratulates Bahrain on election to UN Security Council
RIYADH: Saudi authorities congratulated Bahrain on Tuesday after the nation was elected to serve as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council for the term 2026-2027. The election of the country 'confirms the international community's confidence in Bahrain's ability to contribute effectively to strengthening international peace and security,' the Saudi Foreign Ministry said. The Kingdom wished Bahrain success in representing the interests of the Arab group of nations within the UN and in carrying out its duties as a member of the council. Bahrain was elected alongside Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia and Liberia, all of which will serve two-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The 15-member Security Council, which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security, consists of five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the UK and the US — plus 10 nonpermanent members elected by the General Assembly to serve staggered, two-year terms. Bahrain and the other newly elected nations will therefore join five existing nonpermanent members whose terms conclude at the end of 2026: Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia.