Iran to hold nuclear talks with three European nations on Friday
It said the talks will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday.
Britain, France and Germany are moving to trigger the "snapback" mechanism that automatically reimposes UN Security Council sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.
This is apparently aimed at pressing Tehran to return to negotiations with the United States that have been suspended since Israel and the US attacked nuclear facilities in Iran last month.
The Iranian government appears to be seeking to fend off resumption of the UN sanctions by agreeing to talk with the three European nations.
However, it remains adamant that it will not make any concessions on its nuclear program.
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4 hours ago
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Japan Times
5 hours ago
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Tighter borders bar poor nations from summits — on poor nations
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Stricter border and visa rules are increasingly limiting the participation of nationals from the Global South in high-level talks that tackle climate, global health, economic systems, conflicts and other pressing issues, policy researchers say. "We are the ones who are affected the most, but we are not in the room," said Roaa, a medical student. "Most of the conferences happen in Europe and in the U.S. They are talking on behalf of us." The rejections also have an economic cost. In 2024, Africans paid some 60 million euros ($70.10 million) for rejected Schengen visa applications, up from nearly 54 million euros in 2023, according to analysis by Britain-based research group LAGO Collective. Despite its lower volume of visa applications compared to other continents, Africa had some of the highest rejection rates from the European Commission, which issues Schengen visas for short visits to the European Union, the data showed. In recent years, far-right and populist parties have made gains in places like Italy, Sweden, Germany and the U.S., fueling anti-immigrant policies across Western countries, where most global conferences are held. Underrepresented Nations most vulnerable to climate impacts, from flooding to droughts and rising seas, are often among the poorest, the least polluting and underrepresented at global talks, according to U.N. climate body, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC, which hosts the Bonn summit and November's COP30 climate conference in Brazil, said it had no sway on visa processes, but had taken steps to diversify participation at its events by boosting the quota for Global South delegates. "The major international conferences are the places where big decisions are being made with respect to global commitments," said Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, director of politics and governance at Britain-based think-tank ODI Global. 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Japan Times
9 hours ago
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Akazawa jets to Washington for tariff talks after historic election
Japan's chief tariff negotiator flew to Washington on Monday for an eighth round of trade talks, just a day after the ruling coalition suffered a dramatic defeat in an Upper House election and less than two weeks ahead of a key tariff deadline. While the political landscape was upended by Sunday's vote, Ryosei Akazawa stuck to the script and offered no indication that anything has changed in terms of Japan's stance, or that the United States is willing to back down in its demands. 'While protecting our national interests, I want to quickly find common ground where both Japan and the United States can agree,' he told reporters at Haneda Airport on Monday morning before his departure. The U.S. is set to impose a 25% "reciprocal" tariff on most goods from Japan on Aug. 1 — up from the current 10% — unless a deal is struck. On multiple occasions in recent weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump has openly complained about the lack of progress in negotiations with Japan. No tangible results have been achieved after months of talks. Trump has said he might just end negotiations and let the 25% rate go into effect, as outlined in a letter sent to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on July 7. Separate sector-specific Trump tariffs are already in effect, including 25% on vehicles and auto parts and 50% on steel and aluminum. The U.S. president has said he will start imposing tariffs on pharmaceutical products as early as the end of July. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was appointed by Trump to lead negotiations with Japan in early April, visited Tokyo and Osaka before Sunday's vote. 'A good deal is more important than a rushed deal, and a mutually beneficial trade agreement between the United States and Japan remains within the realm of possibility,' Bessent wrote in a post on social media platform X after a brief meeting with Ishiba on Friday. "I look forward to continuing formal talks in the future,' he added. The election could change the calculus of negotiations as the Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition, with less than a majority in both houses, is now greatly weakened. The prime minister could step down despite his insistence that he intends to stay on, while the coalition will have to incorporate another party or seek the cooperation of opposition parties on a case-by-case basis to effectively govern. In his first comments since the Sunday's vote, Ishiba shed no light on the implications of the historic loss on tariff talks, but he remained guardedly upbeat and said that he hopes to speak with Trump about the tariffs. "I also plan to talk with President Trump and present a visible outcome as early as possible," Ishiba said.
