Latest news with #U.N.SecurityCouncil
L'Orient-Le Jour
5 hours ago
- Business
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Iran says will not halt nuclear enrichment ahead of European talks
Iran has no plans to abandon its nuclear program, including uranium enrichment, despite the "severe" damage caused by U.S. strikes to its facilities, the country's foreign minister said ahead of renewed talks with European powers. Iran is scheduled to meet Britain, France and Germany in Istanbul on Friday to discuss its nuclear program, with Tehran accusing European powers of scuppering a landmark 2015 nuclear deal. The meeting will be the first since Iran's 12-day war with Israel last month, during which the United States carried out strikes against Tehran's nuclear facilities. For now, enrichment "is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier" on Monday. "But obviously we cannot give up enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists," he continued, calling it a source of "national pride." U.S. President Donald Trump responded to the comments on his platform Truth Social, saying Washington would carry out strikes again "if necessary." The 2015 agreement, reached between Iran and U.N. Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany, imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. However, it unravelled in 2018 when the United States, during Trump's first term, unilaterally withdrew and reimposed sweeping sanctions. Though Europe pledged continued support, a mechanism intended to offset U.S. sanctions never effectively materialized, forcing many Western firms to exit Iran and deepening its economic crisis. "Iran holds the European parties responsible for negligence in implementing the agreement," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei ahead of Friday's talks in Istanbul on the deal's future. Iran will also host a trilateral meeting Tuesday with Chinese and Russian representatives to discuss the nuclear issue and potential sanctions. The Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing would "continue to play a constructive role in pushing relevant sides to restart dialogue and negotiations, and reach a solution that takes in account the legitimate concerns of all parties." In recent weeks, the three European powers have threatened to reimpose international sanctions on Tehran, accusing it of breaching its nuclear commitments. Germany said the Istanbul talks would be at the expert level, with the European trio, or E3, working "flat out" to find a sustainable and verifiable diplomatic solution. "If no solution is reached by the end of August ... the snapback also remains an option for the E3," said its foreign ministry spokesperson, Martin Giese. A clause in the 2015 agreement allows for U.N. sanctions on Iran to be reimposed through a "snapback" mechanism in the event of non-compliance. However, the agreement expires in October, leaving a tight deadline. 'No intention of speaking with America' The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed country currently enriching uranium to 60 percent – far beyond the 3.67 percent cap set by the 2015 accord. That is a short step from the 90 percent enrichment required for a nuclear weapon. Using the snapback clause was "meaningless, unjustifiable and immoral," Baqaei told a news conference, arguing that Iran only began distancing itself from the agreement in response to Western non-compliance. "Iran's reduction of its commitments was carried out in accordance with the provisions outlined in the agreement," he said. Western powers – led by the United States and backed by Israel – have long accused Tehran of secretly seeking nuclear weapons. Iran has repeatedly denied this, insisting its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes such as energy production. Tehran and Washington had held five rounds of nuclear talks starting in April, but a planned meeting on June 15 was cancelled after Israel launched strikes on Iran, triggering a 12-day conflict. "At this stage, we have no intention of speaking with America," Baqaei said Monday. Israel launched a wave of surprise strikes on its regional nemesis on June 13, targeting key military and nuclear facilities. The United States launched its own strikes against Iran's nuclear program on June 22, hitting the uranium enrichment facility at Fordow, in Qom province south of Tehran, as well as nuclear sites in Isfahan and Natanz.
a day ago
- Politics
Turkey's president says his support for a two-state deal on ethnically split Cyprus is absolute
NICOSIA, Cyprus -- Turkish Cypriots on Sunday celebrated Turkey's military invasion of Cyprus that cleaved the island nation along ethnic lines 51 years ago. Turkey's president reaffirmed his full backing for a controversial peace deal that envisions the establishment of two separate states. It's a proposal that the majority Greek Cypriots in the island's internationally recognized southern part reject out of hand. It would formalize Cyprus' partition and give Turkey a permanent foothold they see as a bid for control of the entire, strategically situated country and its offshore hydrocarbon wealth. 'Our support for (Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar's) vision for a two-state solution is absolute,' Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in remarks to a crowd during celebrations that culminated with a military parade. It was scheduled this year for the evening to avoid the worst of the scorching mid-summer's heat. 'It is time for the international community to come to terms with the facts on the ground,' Erdogan added, urging the international community to establish diplomatic and economic relations with the breakaway state in Cyprus' northern third that Turkish Cypriots declared in 1983. Turkey's invasion came in the immediate aftermath of a coup staged by Athens junta-backed supporters of uniting Cyprus with Greece. Currently, only Turkey recognizes the Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence and maintains 35,000 troops in the north. Erdogan's renewed support for a two-state deal came just days after Tatar, the island's Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, the foreign ministers of 'guarantor' powers Greece and Turkey, and Britain's minister of state for Europe gathered at U.N. headquarters in New York for meetings with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to end an eight-year moratorium on formal peace negotiations. The meeting achieved little in the way of a return to fully fledged negotiations as Tatar insisted on recognition for the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state as a prerequisite. The meeting did, however, achieve some progress on a number of confidence-building measures such the exchange of cultural artifacts and the setting up of an advisory committee on civil society. Guterres said he'll meet again with Tatar and Christodoulides in September and hold another wider meeting after a Turkish Cypriot leadership election in October in which Tatar is running on a two-state platform. Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots insist a two-state deal is the only way forward because decades of U.N.-mediated peace talks based on a U.N. Security Council endorsed framework of reunifying Cyprus as a federation no longer had any meaning. That switch came after the last big push for a peace accord in the summer of 2017. It fell through on what Greek Cypriots said was a Turkish and Turkish Cypriot insistence on keeping a permanent Turkish troop presence on the island and enshrining military intervention rights for Turkey as part of any deal. Greek Cypriots also rejected a demand for blanket veto powers for the minority Turkish Cypriots on all government decisions. closer European Union ties and undermines the role it wishes to play in the region.
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Turkey's president says his support for a two-state deal on ethnically split Cyprus is absolute
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, waves during a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar before a military parade marking the 51st anniversary of the 1974 Turkish invasion in the Turkish occupied area of the divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, in the divided capital of Nicosia, Sunday, July 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Nedim Enginsoy) By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS Turkish Cypriots on Sunday celebrated Turkey's military invasion of Cyprus that cleaved the island nation along ethnic lines 51 years ago. Turkey's president reaffirmed his full backing for a controversial peace deal that envisions the establishment of two separate states. It's a proposal that the majority Greek Cypriots in the island's internationally recognized southern part reject out of hand. It would formalize Cyprus' partition and give Turkey a permanent foothold they see as a bid for control of the entire, strategically situated country and its offshore hydrocarbon wealth. 'Our support for (Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar's) vision for a two-state solution is absolute,' Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in remarks to a crowd during celebrations that culminated with a military parade. It was scheduled this year for the evening to avoid the worst of the scorching mid-summer's heat. 'It is time for the international community to come to terms with the facts on the ground,' Erdogan added, urging the international community to establish diplomatic and economic relations with the breakaway state in Cyprus' northern third that Turkish Cypriots declared in 1983. Turkey's invasion came in the immediate aftermath of a coup staged by Athens junta-backed supporters of uniting Cyprus with Greece. Currently, only Turkey recognizes the Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence and maintains 35,000 troops in the north. Erdogan's renewed support for a two-state deal came just days after Tatar, the island's Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, the foreign ministers of 'guarantor' powers Greece and Turkey, and Britain's minister of state for Europe gathered at U.N. headquarters in New York for meetings with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to end an eight-year moratorium on formal peace negotiations. The meeting achieved little in the way of a return to fully fledged negotiations as Tatar insisted on recognition for the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state as a prerequisite. The meeting did, however, achieve some progress on a number of confidence-building measures such the exchange of cultural artifacts and the setting up of an advisory committee on civil society. Guterres said he'll meet again with Tatar and Christodoulides in September and hold another wider meeting after a Turkish Cypriot leadership election in October in which Tatar is running on a two-state platform. Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots insist a two-state deal is the only way forward because decades of U.N.-mediated peace talks based on a U.N. Security Council endorsed framework of reunifying Cyprus as a federation no longer had any meaning. That switch came after the last big push for a peace accord in the summer of 2017. It fell through on what Greek Cypriots said was a Turkish and Turkish Cypriot insistence on keeping a permanent Turkish troop presence on the island and enshrining military intervention rights for Turkey as part of any deal. Greek Cypriots also rejected a demand for blanket veto powers for the minority Turkish Cypriots on all government decisions. In the south where Greek Cypriots commemorated the invasion with solemn memorials to the war dead, Christodoulides said the international community gives no support to a two-state deal. He said Turkey's continuing 'occupation of European territory' subverts its ambitions for closer European Union ties and undermines the role it wishes to play in the region. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yemen Online
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yemen Online
UN council authorizes continuing vigilance of attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Red Sea shipping
The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday authorized continued reporting on attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have defied its previous demands to immediately halt all such attacks. The vote in the 15-member council was 12-0 with Russia, China and Algeria abstaining because of attacks against Yemen in violation of its sovereignty, a clear reference to U.S. airstrikes against the Houthis who control most of northern Yemen. The Trump administration has carried out the strikes because of the group's attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on close ally Israel. The resolution, cosponsored by the United States and Greece, extends the requirement that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres provide monthly reports to the Security Council about Houthi attacks in the Red Sea until Jan. 15, 2026. Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea said the resolution recognizes the need for continued vigilance 'against the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist threat.' She cited the two latest attacks by Houthis against civilian cargo vessels, the MV Magic Seas and the MV Eternity C, which caused both vessels to sink and led to the loss of innocent seafarers and saw crew members taken hostage. 'The United States strongly condemns these unprovoked terrorist attacks, which demonstrate the threat that the Houthis pose to freedom of navigation and to regional economic and maritime security,' Shea said, reiterating the council's demand for an immediate halt to Houthi attacks and the release of all crew members kidnapped from the Eternity C.
Daily News Egypt
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily News Egypt
Lebanon's PM says US proposal includes full Israeli withdrawal, state control of arms
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Friday that a US proposal for ending hostilities with Israel includes a 'full Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories' and for all weapons to be 'exclusively in the hands of the state.' His comments came as the deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, rejected any notion of disarming the powerful group in exchange for Israeli withdrawals. Salam told Lebanon's Al-Jadeed TV that the paper presented by US envoy Tom Barak, who is expected in Beirut next week, was based on the 'fundamental idea' of linking a full Israeli withdrawal with the Lebanese state extending its authority over all its territory and having a monopoly on arms. 'We are afraid of escalation,' Salam said, adding that 'engaging with Barak's paper, while improving it, is the way to avoid sliding into new confrontations.' 'What is required is to hand over the weapons to the Lebanese state instead of Israel bombing them,' the prime minister stressed. 'This stage requires the logic of the state to prevail, not the logic of militias.' A six-member committee representing Lebanon's three top leaders (the president, prime minister, and parliament speaker) has begun studying US observations on a response that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had previously provided to Barak. In response to the US initiative, Hezbollah's Naim Qassem said in a televised speech on Thursday that the proposed agreement 'absolves Israel of everything it has committed during the period of aggression.' He said the texts of the proposal meet US demands, especially regarding 'the disarmament of the party in exchange for some partial withdrawals at different times.' He questioned what the consequences would be for Israel if it violated the agreement, suggesting they would only amount to condemnations at the U.N. Security Council. 'Disarming Hezbollah is an Israeli demand, and the aggression continues because they want to take down this weapon,' Qassem said, calling Israel an 'expansionist state' and describing Hezbollah's arms as an obstacle to that expansion. He warned that calls to disarm the group 'serve Israel' and risk sparking 'internal strife, even a civil war.' He added that Hezbollah 'will not give up its weapons.' However, sources close to the matter indicate that Lebanon's initial response had stressed confining weapons to the state's hands but did not provide a timeline. This prompted the United States to demand in its observations a commitment to a phased timetable with 'specific dates and a clear implementation mechanism.' The sources added that Lebanon wants guarantees from Israel, including a withdrawal from occupied territories, the release of prisoners, and a halt to ceasefire violations, in exchange for its commitment to disarm. The US is also seeking guarantees from Lebanon that Hezbollah will abide by any agreement and hand over its weapons, the sources said, adding that these mutual guarantees appear to be the biggest obstacle so far.
