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Russia Today
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Iran could exit key nuclear weapons treaty
Iran could withdraw from a landmark nuclear weapons treaty and increase efforts to enrich uranium if Western European nations reimpose harsh economic sanctions on the country, a senior Iranian lawmaker has warned. Speaking to Tasnim news agency on Saturday, Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesman for the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, warned the UK, France and Germany of consequences if they activate the so-called snapback provisions stipulated in the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal. Rezaei said the move would force Iran to consider several countermeasures, including withdrawing from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), enriching uranium to over 60% purity, and producing and exporting advanced centrifuge machines. Iran, he added, 'has not fully exploited its capacities so far and may go for multiple other strategic options if necessary.' The NPT aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy. It has been signed by 191 nations, making it one of the most widely adhered-to arms control agreements in history. However, it has never been signed by India, Pakistan, Israel, and South Sudan; North Korea withdrew in 2003. Rezaei's remarks come after France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier this month that Britain, France and Germany have agreed to restore UN sanctions on Iran by the end of August if no meaningful progress is made in talks to curb Tehran's nuclear activities. One of the stumbling blocks has been Iran's decision to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has prevented the monitoring of its nuclear activities. Tehran has accused the IAEA of releasing a biased report, which was allegedly used as a pretense by Israel to launch a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic. Last month, Israel carried out a series of US-supported airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, triggering retaliation from Tehran. The attack came as US-Iran nuclear talks hit an impasse; Washington demanded that Tehran fully abandon uranium enrichment, arguing that the capacity could be used to create a nuclear bomb. Iran has dismissed the demand, saying it needs enrichment to fuel its civilian energy industry while denying any plans to create nuclear weapons.
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Europe gives Iran deadline to contain nuclear programme or see sanctions reinstated
The EU will start the process of reinstating UN sanctions on Iran from 29 August if Tehran has made no progress by then on containing its nuclear programme, the bloc has announced. Speaking at a meeting of his EU counterparts, the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said: 'France and its partners are … justified in reapplying global embargos on arms, banks and nuclear equipment that were lifted 10 years ago. Without a firm, tangible and verifiable commitment from Iran, we will do so by the end of August at the latest.' Europeans have been largely elbowed aside from the Iranian nuclear issue by Donald Trump, who ordered the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites last month, and this intervention can be seen as an attempt to reassert Europe's influence. The end of August deadline starts a process that could lead to an armoury of sanctions being reimposed by 15 October, giving European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal – the UK, France and Germany – a continuing lever in negotiations with Iran. The European powers want to see the return of the UN nuclear inspectorate to Iran, in part to prevent Iran trying to reconfigure its nuclear programme after the damage inflicted by the US strikes in June. The way in which the 2015 nuclear deal was negotiated does not allow the other signatories, China or Russia, to veto the sanctions snapback, but the European states can defer the imposition of snapback beyond October to allow time for further consultation. The US, after leaving the nuclear deal in 2018, also cannot veto the UK or French move. The sanctions snapback would be triggered under chapter seven of the UN charter, making the reinstatement of six UN resolutions mandatory, including one that requires Iran to suspend all activities related to uranium enrichment and reprocessing, including at the research and development level. Another reimposed resolution would require all UN member states to prevent the transfer of any items, materials or technologies that could serve these activities or Iran's missile programme. Iranian sanctions experts claim the reinstated resolutions would not automatically halt all Iranian oil exports, cut off Iran's access to international financial systems, or cut off general trade communications. But all countries and international financial institutions would have to refrain from providing financial assistance, new commitments or preferential loans to the Iranian government, except for humanitarian and development purposes. Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, said recently that the activation of snapback 'will mean the end of Europe's role in the Iranian nuclear issue and may be the darkest point in the history of Iran's relations with the three European countries, a point that may never be repaired.' He said: 'It would mark the end of Europe's role as a mediator between Iran and the US.' He told diplomats at the weekend 'One of the big mistakes of the Europeans is that they think that the 'snapback' tool in their hands gives them the power to act on the Iranian nuclear issue, while this is a completely wrong perception. If these countries move towards snapback, they will make the resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue even more complicated and difficult.'
Washington Post
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
The Latest: Israeli airstrikes reach into Iranian city of Rasht
Israel and Iran exchanged strikes a week into their war Friday as new diplomatic efforts appeared to be underway. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared headed to Geneva for meetings with the European Union's top diplomat and counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany. A plane with his usual call sign took off from the Turkish city of Van, near the Iranian border, flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed. Iran typically acknowledges his departure hours afterward.
Irish Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Eurovision 2025 second semi-final live updates: Can Ireland's Emmy qualify with Laika Party?
18 minutes ago Grüezi mitenand, this is Dublin calling with all the glittering action from the second semi-final in the 69th Eurovision Song Contest . Tonight in Basle, Emmy will be vying on behalf of Ireland to make it through to Saturday's grand final with her cosmic bop Laika Party. Will Europe save its kisses for Ireland? Will Saturday night be a party under the Swiss sky for Emmy? Or will this semi-final be our Waterloo? In the countdown to the show, I'll be recapping some of the rules and controversies, weighing up Emmy's chances and wondering how exactly to phrase the trigger warning I fear might be necessary for Australia's effort. Then, as the competition shimmies into life at 8pm, I'll have a snap analysis of the 16 countries contending for 10 grand final spots, as well as the performances of pre-qualified entries from the UK, France and Germany. Expect dry ice and costume changes. So, if you're home and willing, practise your best simultaneous toe-taps and eye-rolls, plate up your Euro-snacks and prepare to indulge in Eurovision 2025. Note: space helmets are optional, but recommended. Boom-bang-a-banging reads: 'RTÉ said we don't have any problem with Emmy. We have an Irish writer on the team': Ireland's Eurovision singer from Norway Eurovision 2025: When is Ireland's semi-final on, what are Emmy's chances and how does voting work? Eurovision 2025 first semi-final: the 10 countries advancing to the final 3 minutes ago Ireland is third in the running order tonight, a spot deemed unfavourable. This is because the results of the semi-finals depend entirely on the public vote, and the voting public are generally regarded as being a fickle lot who will be swayed by the last good thing(s) they heard. Voting will open after the last song has been performed and it will stay open for around 18 minutes. You can vote up to 20 times, if you are so inclined, and I'll leave it to Marty Whelan on the RTÉ commentary tonight to explain how. But – and it's a drag, I know – you can't vote for your own country. Ireland's qualification for Saturday night hangs in the balance. According to the aggregated bookmaker odds, we are the 13th most likely to qualify, having slipped in recent days from 11th. As there are only 10 qualifying spots, if this holds true, it will mean we won't get through. Some fingers may need to be crossed. 13 minutes ago Israel 's Yuval Raphael is fourteenth in the competition running order tonight with her balled New Day Will Rise. She is a survivor of the Nova music festival near Gaza on October 7th, 2023, where Hamas attackers killed 360 people and took 40 people hostage. The singer, who was wounded by shrapnel, says she survived by hiding under dead bodies in a bomb shelter. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel's offensive began in the wake of the October 7th attacks. The UN said on Tuesday that almost 71,000 children under the age of five are expected to be acutely malnourished over the next 11 months as a result of Israel's aid blockade. An analysis by UN-backed food security experts IPC has found that one in five people in Gaza, or 500,000 people, face starvation, with 2.1 million people across Gaza likely to experience high levels of food insecurity by the end of September. This is just part of the backdrop that has informed protests against Israel's inclusion in Eurovision, both in 2024 and this year. A silent protest was held in Basle on Wednesday. Last year, protestors in Malmö held signs reading 'Eurovision Genocide Contest'. RTÉ is among the members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the contest, to have asked for a 'wider discussion' about Israel's participation – or, to be more accurate, the participation of Israeli broadcaster Kan. A group called Artists for Palestine wants the EBU to expel Kan . The official EBU position is that, unlike its suspended Russian broadcaster members, Kan has not breached any of its membership rules. However, no one is under any illusions. Although fractious international relations have regularly surfaced throughout Eurovision's 69-year history, the past two years have been the most tense and uncomfortable for the EBU – and for many Eurovision viewers, too.
