Latest news with #IranianNuclearProgram
Leaders
4 days ago
- Politics
- Leaders
China Rejects European Sanctions over Iran's Nuclear Program
China said on Friday it 'opposes invoking' sanctions on Iranian Nuclear Program and 'believes that it does not help parties build trust and bridge differences,' according to AFP. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated that imposing sanctions 'is not conducive to the diplomatic effort for the early resumption of talks.' On Thursday, Iran announced it was working with both China and Russia to stop the snapback of European sanctions. This move came after the foreign ministers from the E3 group — Britain, France and Germany, told the United Nations that they would reimpose them if Iran does not reach a diplomatic solution by the end of August. 'We will try to prevent it,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told state TV on Thursday. No Moral or Legal Ground to Reactivate Snapback Sanctions In July, Araqchi told his European counterparts that they have no moral or legal grounds for reactivating UN sanctions, according to Al Arabiya. Araqchi's remarks come after Europeans threatened to do so in coming months if there is no progress in nuclear talks. 'If EU/E3 want to have a role, they should act responsibly and put aside the worn-out policies of threat and pressure, including the 'snap-back' for which they (have) absolutely no moral (or) legal grounds,' Araghchi said on X. He also noted Tehran is ready for a new round of talks if the other side is willing to reach 'a fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial nuclear deal.' In June, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that the Europeans would be 'justified' in pursuing a snapback of UN sanctions lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers. The speculation about Tehran's nuclear program has been increasing since Israel bombed Iranian nuclear facilities on June 13. The US became directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran on June 22 after launching airstrikes on the Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. Related Topics: IAEA to Visit Iran Within Next Two Weeks Iran Says Any Future Talks Should Hold US Accountable for Nuclear Site Attacks US Has Bank of Potential Military Targets in Iran: Col. Dahouk Short link : Post Views: 4
Bloomberg
03-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
What Sanctions? Iranian Oil Industry Is Booming
As the debate plays out over the damage done to the Iranian nuclear program by US and Israeli strikes, one reality is clear: The country's booming energy sector, the cash cow of the regime, emerged unscathed. The numbers don't lie. Iranian oil output reached a 46-year high in 2024, according to recently released data. If anything, all available information for the first six months of 2025 suggests this year will see another increase in production.
Arab News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Ensuring the Middle East becomes a WMD-free zone
There are quite a few lessons to be learned from the 12 days of war between Iran and Israel last month, especially from their mutual readiness to inflict severe pain on one another. One is the need to embark on urgent discussions with full commitment to ensure the Middle East becomes a weapons of mass destruction-free zone. The entire Cold War-era nuclear doctrine — and, with it, many other weapons of mass destruction, such as chemical and biological — was based on an understanding that these weapons were not to be used, but rather to deter the other side from using them. No rational actor in international relations would dare to use them if it would also mean a devastating retaliation — in other words, mutual assured destruction. There is a real danger that a nuclear arms race in the Middle East would be more likely to bring nuclear madness than mutual assured destruction. It is still too early to assess the damage caused to the Iranian nuclear program and whether its piles of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, which had brought the country closer to developing nuclear military capability, were destroyed or were safely hidden away. After the fatal exchange of blows between Iran and Israel that caused widespread death and destruction must come a period of reflection on the dangers of the presence of WMDs in the region and the need to eliminate them. The working assumption is that there is only one country in the region that is in possession of nuclear military capabilities — Israel — while others, including Iran, Iraq and Libya, have chemical weapons. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, it is estimated that Israel has about 80 nuclear weapons, although the country's official policy is one of nuclear ambiguity, claiming that it will not be the first country to 'introduce' nuclear weapons to the Middle East. Yet, one of its Cabinet ministers proposed, at the beginning of the war on Gaza, to nuke the place — and it is hardly plausible that he would make such a threat unless Israel was in possession of nuclear weapons. There must be a period of reflection on the dangers of the presence of WMDs in the region and the need to eliminate them Yossi Mekelberg The 19th-century Russian playwright Anton Chekhov once wrote that, 'if in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise, don't put it there.' Thus far, nuclear weapons have been used 'only' twice, toward the end of the Second World War. But this tells us very little about what might happen if the Middle East were to embark on a nuclear arms race. Just imagine that both Iran and Israel were armed with nuclear weapons and, at a certain point, each felt that their country's very existence was in danger. Could we completely exclude the possibility of them employing this doomsday weapon? Not a scenario that anyone would like to find themselves in. Israel's ambiguity has, in a roundabout way, contributed to preventing a nuclear arms race in the region. By not announcing it publicly, it has not forced others to compete with it in this arena. Moreover, prior to becoming a major regional military power and signing peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan — and, more recently, the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with the UAE, Morocco and Bahrain — Israel's nuclear capability was regarded as one of last resort. It was there in case it faced a cataclysmic scenario of being on the verge of military defeat, in addition to assuming it was being governed by a more rational government than the current one. It is hardly facing an existential threat anymore and the rationality of its current government is at best questionable. What also makes a Middle East WMD-free zone a matter of urgency is the inherent political instability and volatility of some parts of the region, let alone their appalling lack of respect for international law. The idea of a WMD-free zone is not new. It was first introduced by Egypt in 1990, as an extension of a nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East, and later as part of a series of decisions derived from the extension of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which 191 states have so far joined, but not India, Israel, Pakistan or North Korea. Israel is hardly facing an existential threat anymore and the rationality of its current government is at best questionable Yossi Mekelberg The 1995 NPT review conference called for 'the establishment of an effectively verifiable Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear, chemical and biological, and their delivery systems.' Regrettably, hardly any progress has been made toward a negotiated elimination of WMDs, including nuclear, despite five international summits being held on the issue, the last of them in November 2024. The risks caused by the presence of WMDs in areas where conflict is ever-present, where enmities are usually defined in absolute terms and where threats are seen as existential are too dangerous to allow. They are made worse where there is asymmetry in terms of conventional military capabilities, as is the case in the Middle East. In the event of a side facing defeat, while in possession of nuclear weapons, there might be the temptation to use them either as a tool to change the course of the war or as some sort of Samson-like option of bringing the roof down on everyone. If the dreadful consequences of using nuclear or other WMDs is one aspect of the need to ensure that countries do not pursue this route, there is also the futility of investing endless resources in developing and acquiring such lethal weapons. Such programs are expensive, meaning there are other more urgent and fundamental social and economic needs that are deprived of resources. And in the case of nuclear, it is in many cases a vanity project; or worse, as we just witnessed in the case of Iran, one that leads to needless wars. Last year, I participated in a nuclear disarmament workshop in Hiroshima, where we met with survivors of the nuclear bomb dropped by the US on the city 80 years ago next month. They told us of the horrific experience suffered by themselves, their families and their city, as could also be seen in photographic evidence in the local museum. Their message was very clear: there is no place in our civilization for such weapons. This should be a lesson for anyone who is contemplating developing or possessing nuclear weapons, whether in the Middle East or anywhere else.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Latest: 7 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza as Iran-Israel ceasefire holds
Seven Israeli soldiers were killed Tuesday in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis when their armored vehicle was struck by an explosive, an Israeli military official said Wednesday. The announcement comes a day after witnesses and hospitals in Gaza said Israeli forces and drones opened fire toward hundreds of Palestinians waiting for aid in separate incidents in southern and central Gaza early Tuesday, killing at least 44. Meanwhile, people in Iran began returning to their lives as a ceasefire with Israel, negotiated by President Donald Trump, appeared to be holding. State media described heavy traffic around the Caspian Sea area and other rural areas outside of the capital, Tehran, as people began returning to the city. The Iran-Israel conflict lasted 12 days with Israel targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, saying it could not allow Tehran to develop atomic weapons. On Sunday, the U.S. intervened by dropping bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites. Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful. Here is the latest: Trump says ceasefire going 'very well' U.S. President Donald Trump described the ceasefire between Iran and Israel as going 'very well' while speaking to journalists at a NATO summit at The Hague. 'They're not going to have a bomb and they're not going to enrich,' Trump added. Official describes attack on Israeli soldiers in Gaza Israel's military spokesperson says that the seven Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza Tuesday died when a bomb was attached to their tank, setting the armored vehicle aflame. 'Helicopters and rescue forces were sent to the spot. They made attempts to rescue the fighters, but without success,' said Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, the military's spokesperson. 'This is a complex event that is still being investigated. When the investigation is completed, we will present it first to the families and then to the public. This our duty.' Turning to Iran, Defrin claimed that Israel had 'significantly damaged' its nuclear program and 'set it back by years.' China hopes for 'lasting and effective' ceasefire China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and close Iranian partner, says it hopes a 'lasting and effective ceasefire can be achieved so as to promote the realization of peace and stability in the Middle East.' Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun added Wednesday that China was 'willing to maintain friendly cooperation with Iran to benefit the two peoples and inject positive factors to safeguard peace and stability in the Middle East.' China is a major buyer of Iranian oil and has long supported the regime politically, blaming Israel for starting the latest conflict and destabilizing the region. Iranian Parliament takes step toward ending cooperation with IAEA Iran's Parliament voted nearly unanimously Wednesday to fast-track a proposal that would effectively stop the country's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to Iranian state TV. The move comes a day after a ceasefire deal took hold between Iran and Israel following a destructive 12-day war. If successful, the legislation would make any external oversight of the country's nuclear program much more difficult. Yesterday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Arab media that it was too early to determine whether his government will continue working with the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, saying that the IAEA treaty 'failed to protect our rights and our facilities.' While Iran's Parliament has the ability to pass legislation, the final decision on any security-related matter would ultimately come from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israeli forces kill a Palestinian woman in East Jerusalem, official says An local Palestinian official says Israeli forces shot and killed a 66-year-old Palestinian woman in East Jerusalem Tuesday night. Israeli forces stormed the Shuafat refugee camp overnight, killing Zahia Obeidi with a shot to the head around 10pm and seizing her body, said Marouf Al-Refai, an advisor to the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem. Israeli forces arrested her husband and sons later that night, Refai said. It was not clear by morning whether they had been released. Israeli police said they were investigating her death, saying she arrived at the Shuafat checkpoint with 'penetrating' injuries and was pronounced dead by paramedics on scene. 7 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza Israel's military said Wednesday that seven soldiers had been killed the day before inside Gaza. A military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said that the seven were killed around 5pm when an explosive affixed to their armored vehicle in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis detonated. The military said another soldier was badly wounded Tuesday from RPG fire. The incident was an unusually deadly one for Israel's troops operating inside Gaza. The military says over 860 soldiers have been killed since the war began with the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack — including more than 400 during fighting inside Gaza. —— By Julia Frankel in Jerusalem Hamas claims attack on Israeli soldiers Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, said on its Telegram channel Tuesday it had ambushed Israeli soldiers taking cover inside a residential building in the southern Gaza Strip. Some of the soldiers were killed and other injured after they were targeted by a Yassin 105 missile and another missile south of Khan Younis, Hamas said. Al-Qassam fighters then targeted the building with machine guns. It was not immediately clear whether the incident was related to the Israeli military's announcement that seven of its soldiers were killed Tuesday in Gaza. Iran executes more prisoners Iran executed three more prisoners Wednesday over allegedly spying for Israel, its state-run IRNA news agency reported, the latest hangings connected to its war with Israel. Iran identified the three men executed Wednesday as Azad Shojaei, Edris Aali and Iraqi national Rasoul Ahmad Rasoul. Iran is one of the world's top executioners. After the brutal 1980s Iran-Iraq war, Iran carried out the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners and others, raising concerns among activists about a similar wave coming after the war with Israel. The hangings happened in Urmia Prison in Iran's West Azerbaijan province, which is the country's most northwestern province. IRNA cited Iran's judiciary for the news, saying the men had been accused of bringing 'assassination equipment' into the country. Wednesday's executions bring the total number of hangings for espionage around the war up to six. Israeli strikes killed more than 1,000 in Iran, group says Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 1,054 people and wounded 4,476 others, according to figures released Wednesday by the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. The group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from multiple rounds of unrest in Iran, said of those killed, it identified 417 civilians and 318 security force personnel. Iran's government provided sporadic casualty information throughout the war. Its latest update on Tuesday put the death toll at 606 people killed, with 5,332 others being injured. In Israel, at least 28 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the war.
Washington Post
23-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
The Latest: Trump muses about regime change in Iran after U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities
Israel's military said Monday it was striking around Iran's western city of Kermanshah, as fears of a wider regional conflict loomed large after the United States inserted itself into Israel's war by attacking Iranian nuclear sites . The operation raised urgent questions about what remained of Tehran's nuclear program and how its weakened military might respond. The price of oil rose as financial markets reacted.
