Latest news with #Rudaw
Rudaw Net
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Trump tells Rudaw Iran has been acting 'very badly'
Also in World Russia reiterates support for Kurds to be 'integral' part of Syria Kurdish lawyer urges legal consultation as Germany steps up deportations Activists urge equal rights for Syria's minorities US congressman seeks to block Iraq funding over 'terrorist militias' attacks A+ A- WASHINGTON DC - US President Donald Trump told Rudaw on Thursday that Iran has been acting 'very badly' and not speaking nicely, when asked whether Washington and Tehran might resume nuclear talks. 'Iran has been acting very badly. They were decimated. Their nuclear capability - which could have happened within three or four weeks - was decimated. It's been obliterated. The Atomic Energy Commission said the place is just decimated,' Trump told Rudaw during a press briefing. US strikes hit Iran's three main nuclear sites last month. Trump has repeatedly said that the attacks 'obliterated' the sites but Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has claimed that Trump has exaggerated the destruction. Washington on June 24 brokered a ceasefire to the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. Iran and the US had held five rounds of Oman-mediated indirect nuclear talks before Israel attacked the Islamic republic, which effectively ended the negotiations, especially after Trump joined in striking Iran. 'Now, they can start again, but they'd have to start on different sites because they were hit. I tell you what, the job these pilots did with their B-2 bombers - those unbelievable machines - they traveled 36 hours without stop, and they hit every single target... we shot 30 rockets from submarines that were hundreds of miles away, and they hit every target.' added the US president. 'So they can start again, but they haven't been saying the right thing. I will say, Iran has not been saying the right thing. They have not been speaking nicely, and they should be,' he noted. Under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers - formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - Iran agreed to curb its nuclear enrichment program in exchange for much-needed relief from crippling sanctions. Iranian foreign minister said earlier this month that 'maybe the current administration doesn't like that, but we can come to a similar deal, a better deal than that.'
Rudaw Net
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Kirkuk court hands suspended sentence to Kurdish villager over disputed land
Also in Iraq Baghdad may waive oil shortfall blocking June budget transfers to Erbil: KRG source PM Sudani discusses recent attacks in Baghdad meeting KRG says not consulted on Iraq-UN poverty report Iraqi president, PM stress state resources must not be used for election purposes A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish man from Kirkuk's Topzawa village was sentenced to six months in prison earlier this week after a complaint by the Iraqi army accused him of building a house on land it claims belongs to the defense ministry. The execution of the sentence was suspended due to the man's age and clean criminal record, he told Rudaw on Thursday. Ibrahim Topzawayi said the disputed land was originally owned by his family but was seized during the Baathist regime's reign. "In my first court session, I was released on bail of 3 million dinars [about $2,290], but in the final session [on Monday] the judge decided on six months imprisonment and suspended the execution of the sentence, because I have no criminal record and my age is not suitable for such a sentence,' he told Rudaw. Topzawa, a Kurdish village in Kirkuk province, was one of the areas Arabized by decree of the Baath Supreme Revolutionary Court. According to Topzawayi and local officials, the 11th Division of the Iraqi Army has filed complaints against 17 other villagers - 13 of them farmers - accusing them of encroaching on five land plots that the defense ministry claims ownership of. Sati' Nasih, a representative of the Topzawa farmers, told Rudaw on Thursday that 'the other 17 people… have been summoned by the police station on the same case, but the court has so far only processed one case." Nasih said the complaints were filed in 2024 and claim the area is intended for a future army base. 'Those houses have been built for 18 years, and the area of those lands in dispute is about 60 dunums,' he added. A dunam is 1,000 square meters. Sabah Habib, a Kurdish member of Iraq's parliament from Kirkuk, told Rudaw that the lands in question should have been returned to their original owners under a law passed in January that annulled Baath-era property decisions. 'But until now the implementation guidelines for that law have not been issued by the [Iraqi] Council of Ministers,' he said. Iraq's parliament passed the land restitution bill on January 21. It seeks to return properties taken from Kurdish and Turkmen citizens and granted to Arab settlers under the Baathist regime. The law followed a July 2023 decision by the Council of Ministers to revoke decrees from the Baath Revolutionary Command Council. Abdullah Mirwais, a member of the Kirkuk Provincial Council and head of its agriculture committee, told Rudaw the sentence against Topzawayi represents a 'dangerous' precedent, since the law meant to return the land has not yet been enforced. He said the committee tasked with drafting the law's implementation guidelines has completed its work and is waiting for the prime minister's approval. Oil-rich and ethnically diverse Kirkuk remains one of Iraq's most contested areas between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government. The province saw widespread land confiscations under Saddam Hussein's Arabization policy, with Article 140 of Iraq's post-2003 constitution mandating their reversal - a process that remains incomplete. Hastyar Qadir contributed to this article.
Rudaw Net
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Kurdistan Region sees five percent rise in greenery: Official
Also in Kurdistan Kurdish leaders commemorate Barzan Anfal on 42nd anniversary Erbil authorities to plant 5,000 orange saplings KRG says will take responsibility for compensating oil companies President Barzani, UK military delegation discuss drone attacks on Kurdistan A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The green coverage rate in the Kurdistan Region has increased by five percent over the past five years, the Erbil parks engineering department said on Wednesday, stressing the rise reflects greater government focus on tackling climate change. Sarwar Waysi, head of Erbil's parks engineering department, told Rudaw on Wednesday that, based on a directive from the municipalities and tourism ministry, and in coordination with the Aynda Organization for Environmental Protection, they carried out a comprehensive assessment of the Region's total green coverage. 'It was revealed that in the period of five years, it has reached more than 20 percent,' he said. A previous survey conducted in 2015 showed the overall green coverage in the Kurdistan Region was 12.44 percent. In Erbil, green coverage has grown from 9.1 percent in 2015 to 19.8 percent. Sulaimani province has increased its coverage from 9.1 to 19.6 percent, with 13 square meters of green space per person. Duhok now stands at 27 percent, up from 12 percent in 2015, and Halabja's rate has increased from ten percent to over 15 percent. Erbil's parks department also plans to establish a large green belt around the capital, planting millions of pistachio and olive trees, according to Waysi. The efforts come as Erbil struggles with one of the highest levels of air pollution in Iraq, driven by smoke from power generators, heavy car emissions using low-quality fuel, and frequent dust storms. Iraq is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with poor water resource management and dam construction in neighboring countries contributing to dwindling river flows. Solin Hamdamin contributed to this article.
Rudaw Net
a day ago
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Activists urge equal rights for Syria's minorities
Also in World Kurdish lawyer urges legal consultation as Germany steps up deportations US congressman seeks to block Iraq funding over 'terrorist militias' attacks French FM speaks with SDF chief, expresses support for Syrian Kurds KRG requested defence system from US: Official A+ A- WASHINGTON, DC - Prominent religious freedom advocates on Monday urged the Donald Trump administration to push for a more inclusive political settlement in Syria, warning that the country's new transitional government risks replicating authoritarian patterns and marginalizing minorities under its current constitutional framework, as violence has left thousands of minorities dead. 'The US government needs to rethink the way they approach Syria and the legal situation right now,' Nadine Maenza, co-chair of the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Secretariat and former chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), told Rudaw. 'The most recent constitution in March really made the minorities second-class citizens... It gives all the rights to Sunni Muslims… and this is really signaling to the rest of the country that minorities are not the same as the majority community,' she said. In mid-March, Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa approved a 53-article constitutional declaration that granted him sweeping powers, including the authority to appoint one-third of the legislature and all judges of the constitutional court - the only institution capable of holding him accountable. The constitution prioritizes Islamic jurisprudence as a legislative foundation. Maenza warned that the current framework risks fueling violence and persecution if inclusive governance is not ensured. 'What the United States needs to do is advocate for equal citizenship and a new constitution that lets local communities be involved in their own governance and their own security,' she said. Her comments come as the US House of Representatives last week passed the Syria Sanctions Accountability Act, a bill aimed at maintaining pressure on Damascus while providing leeway to support the country's transitional authorities. According to the US Congress website, the legislation seeks to maintain and expand targeted sanctions on individuals and entities associated with rights abuses, drug trafficking, or efforts to undermine transitional justice. It also calls for greater economic oversight at institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank and ties future sanctions relief to specific progress, including ending attacks on civilians, releasing political prisoners, and ensuring humanitarian access. IRF Ambassador at Large Nominee Mark Walker, a former congressman, told Rudaw on Monday that the administration is paying close attention to abuses targeting minorities across Syria. 'Yes, what we see is religious minorities being persecuted, being attacked, and even worse throughout the country,' he said, pledging to work closely with Secretary of State [Marco] Rubio to raise awareness and 'hopefully expose and eventually eradicate much of this.' After the Bashar al-Assad regime was toppled in December by a rebel coalition led by the Islamist Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which installed Sharaa - formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani - as interim president. He has prioritized lifting international sanctions and restoring ties with foreign governments. During a visit to Riyadh in May, Trump announced the effective lifting of most broad sanctions on Syria and met with Sharaa during a summit hosted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The European Union also moved to lift Assad-era sanctions the same month. US officials have tied long-term support to inclusive reforms. 'I've urged Sharaa to embrace a more inclusive political approach in the wake of recent sectarian violence,' US Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack told Reuters in a recent interview. That violence includes a wave of deadly clashes in Syria's southern Suwayda province between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes, which began on July 13. More than 1,300 people have been killed in the fighting, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Israel intervened militarily in support of the Druze, striking Syrian government positions and targeting the defense ministry in Damascus. A US-brokered ceasefire on July 18 halted the fighting. Sharaa later ordered a truce between the Druze and the Bedouin tribes in an attempt to contain the crisis.
Rudaw Net
a day ago
- Business
- Rudaw Net
Baghdad may waive oil shortfall blocking June budget transfers to Erbil: KRG source
Also in Iraq PM Sudani discusses recent attacks in Baghdad meeting KRG says not consulted on Iraq-UN poverty report Iraqi president, PM stress state resources must not be used for election purposes Iraqi women's party seeks to contest elections through empowerment A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Baghdad may overlook the volume of oil currently being delivered by the Kurdistan Region despite it falling short of the agreed-upon quota, potentially paving the way for the disbursement of June salaries, a source from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) told Rudaw on Wednesday. 'Sending June salaries is tied to oil delivery, but it's possible Baghdad may overlook the amount of oil being delivered, given that current production does not reach 280,000 barrels and it's decided to reach that level gradually,' the source said, on the condition of anonymity. Under a July 17 agreement approved by Iraq's Council of Ministers, the KRG is required to deliver 280,000 barrels of oil per day, with 50,000 barrels allocated for domestic use. In return, Baghdad is to send monthly salary payments. More than 1.2 million civil servants in the Kurdistan Region remain unpaid for June. Aziz Ahmad, deputy chief of staff to KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, said earlier this month that nearly 200,000 barrels of oil production had been lost due to the 'spate of drone attacks.' A Baghdad technical team is expected to visit oil fields in the Kurdistan Region to assess current production levels and inspect damage from the strikes. A KRG source told Rudaw the delegation had already visited some fields and will now inspect the remaining ones. Rudaw has recorded dozens of drone and rocket attacks on the Kurdistan Region in recent weeks, many of which targeted oil infrastructure. While no group has claimed responsibility, the KRG interior ministry has accused the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF or Hashd al-Shaabi) of involvement - a charge Baghdad has rejected as 'unacceptable.' Despite these challenges, a source from the oil companies operating in the Kurdistan Region told Rudaw on Tuesday that they received a proposal detailing how to produce the 50,000 barrels for domestic use and how their financial entitlements will be paid. According to the deal, companies are to be paid $16 per barrel. However, Rudaw has learned that firms raised objections over the fixed rate. They want their payments after the initial two-month period to reflect their contractual shares and be linked to market prices, rather than a flat rate. Beyond oil, non-oil revenue also remains a sticking point. Baghdad has demanded 120 billion dinars in non-oil revenue for both May and June. While that amount has been delivered for May, a KRG source said June's contribution 'will be provided somehow,' but added that the Region 'cannot deliver that amount of revenue for July.' According to Rudaw's information, a joint committee from both governments' finance ministries and financial oversight bodies is now tasked with assessing and determining the Region's actual monthly non-oil revenues. The outcome could change future targets. Baghdad's expectations are based on a March 12 report to the prime minister's office that estimated the Kurdistan Region's 2024 non-oil revenues at 4.702 trillion dinars, or about 391.8 billion dinars per month. But a KRG finance ministry source told Rudaw the figure is misleading. 'The problem is that the calculated revenue amount has not all been returned to the government in cash. Part of that revenue, such as electricity money, has not been paid by citizens, so it's difficult to deliver the same estimated amount of money,' the source said. Tensions between Erbil and Baghdad escalated in late May when the federal finance ministry halted budget transfers, accusing the KRG of exceeding its 12.67 percent share and failing to meet oil commitments. The standoff began to ease earlier this month after Baghdad sent 975 billion dinars (around $737 million) to cover May salaries. But the deal's implementation has faced delays over unresolved technical and financial details. Hastyar Qadir contributed to this report.
