Iran FM Says 'Death to America Not Official Policy,' Denies 'Seeking To Wipe Israel Off Map'
/ Jul 22, 2025, 11:43AM IST
In a revealing Fox News interview, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dropped multiple diplomatic bombshells. Araghchi insisted that Iran never wished death on Americans or President Trump—comments that indirectly branded Supreme Leader Khamenei a 'radical,' given Khamenei's 2019 call for Trump's death. Araghchi denied Iran's desire to wipe Israel off the map, yet doubled down on support for Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, calling them legitimate resistance movements. He declared Iran will never abandon uranium enrichment, calling it a national pride. He also confirmed heavy U.S. strike damage to Iran's nuclear sites, validating recent American claims.#IranFoxNews #AraghchiInterview #Khamenei #MiddleEastTensions #nucleartalks #IranIsrael #TrumpIran #Hezbollah #IranNuclearProgram #UraniumEnrichment #IranNews
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Business Standard
26 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Sanctions as deadly as war, linked to mass fatalities every year: Study
Sanctions can cause as many fatalities as armed conflict, with unilateral penalties being associated with more than half a million deaths per year, according to a new analysis. Unilateral and economic sanctions imposed by the US and the European Union lead to a substantial increase in mortality that disproportionately hurts children younger than five years old, the study published in the Lancet Global Health journal found. Sanctions can hobble public health provision and keep humanitarian organisations from operating effectively, weighing on the death toll. 'Woodrow Wilson referred to sanctions as 'something more tremendous than war.' Our evidence suggests that he was right,' authors Francisco Rodríguez, Silvio Rendón and Mark Weisbrot wrote. 'It is hard to think of other policy interventions with such adverse effects on human life that continue to be pervasively used.' The researchers, whose work was funded by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a progressive think tank, looked at mortality rates by age group in sanctions episodes for 152 countries between 1971 and 2021. They used four unique econometric tools to isolate the causal relationship between categories of sanctions and higher mortality rates. Their findings were consistent across all four methods: Global, economic and unilateral sanctions are all associated with higher death tolls. United Nations sanctions are not, to any statistically significant level. The term 'global sanctions' in the study refers to all penalties, whereas 'economic sanctions' are trade and financial deterrents and 'unilateral sanctions' are imposed by either the US or the EU. UN sanctions potentially have less impact given they're framed as efforts to minimize impact on civilian populations, the authors point out, while US sanctions often aim for regime change or shifts in political behavior, which deteriorates living conditions in target countries. 'Many times, a rogue regime will blame sanctions for all the problems of its country,' Jeremy Paner, a sanctions lawyer at Hughes Hubbard, told Bloomberg before seeing the study. 'It's easy to blame the US or Brussels.' Paner, who previously served as lead sanctions investigator at the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, was skeptical of the study's conclusion, emphasizing that OFAC works to ensure that humanitarian groups can work in sanctioned countries effectively. 'The point of sanctions is to further foreign policy and American values, including humanitarian work,' he said. Rodríguez, the study's lead author and an expert on sanctions and the crisis in Venezuela, countered that even if humanitarian aid is allowed into sanctioned countries, there are formidable obstacles to delivery. Banks and nonprofits often avoid interactions with the sanctioned nation regardless of the exceptions for aid. 'Saying, 'I'm going to block your oil exports, but I'm going to allow you to continue importing humanitarian goods,' is almost like saying to somebody who has just lost their job, 'Don't worry, you can still go into the store and buy whatever you want,'' Rodríguez said in an interview. For decades, academics have debated how sanctions affect mortality, but have struggled to prove such a relationship. Joy Gordon, who focuses on sanctions at Loyola University in Chicago, said the Lancet study offers a 'compelling argument, supported by rigorous methodology, that sanctions directly impact mortality' across age groups. The researchers urged policymakers to exercise restraint with sanctions, especially as the tool's use has ballooned. Some 25 per cent of countries were sanctioned by the US, EU or UN between 2010 and 2022 — up from 8 per cent of countries in the 1960s, according to the study, which cited Global Sanctions Database figures.


Mint
26 minutes ago
- Mint
Who is Ghislaine Maxwell and why her testimony could change the Jeffrey Epstein case
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News18
34 minutes ago
- News18
USOPC Bans Transgender Women From Competing Owing To Trump's Executive Order
Last Updated: The USOPC has banned American transgender women from competing in women's events at the Olympics and Paralympics, following Trump's order, to ensure fair competition for women. American transgender women will no longer be able to compete in women's events at the Olympics and Paralympics following a recent policy change by the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). A new note on the USOPC website concerning the participation of transgender athletes in sports states: 'As of July 21, 2025, please refer to the USOPC athlete safety policy." This policy update follows US President Donald Trump's 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order and has been added to the USOPC Athlete Safety Policy on its website under a new subsection titled 'Additional Requirements." 'The USOPC is committed to protecting opportunities for athletes participating in sport," the addition reads. 'The USOPC will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities… to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201 (Trump's order) and the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act." The Stevens Act, adopted in 1988, provides a means of handling eligibility disputes for Olympic sports and other amateur events. Trump's executive order threatens to remove federal funds from any school or institution allowing transgender girls to play on girls' teams, claiming that would violate Title IX rules that provide US women equal sport opportunities. The order requires immediate enforcement against institutions that deny women single-sex sports and single-sex locker rooms. 'Our revised policy emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women," ESPN quoted the USOPC letter to governing bodies as saying. 'All National Governing Bodies are required to update their applicable policies in alignment." ESPN also reported that officials noted the USOPC 'has engaged in a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials" in response to Trump's executive order. This change comes as Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 Summer Olympics. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) also updated its policy for transgender athlete participation, limiting women's sports competitors to athletes assigned female at birth following Trump's executive order. With AFP Inputs view comments First Published: July 23, 2025, 08:42 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.