DUBAI: The world’s female foreign ministers will discuss ongoing protests in Iran during a virtual meeting this week hosted by Canada, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly said in a statement on Wednesday.
Joly and her counterparts will meet on Thursday amid unrest ignited by Iranian Mahsa Amini’s death last month while being held by Tehran’s morality police, triggering one of the boldest challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.
“My counterparts and I will gather to send a clear message: the Iranian regime must end all forms of violence and persecution against the Iranian people, including their brutal aggressions against women in particular,” Joly said.
“Canada will continue to stand by the courageous Iranians who are fighting for their human rights and standing up for their mothers, sisters, wives and daughters. Women’s rights are human rights,” she said.
During the virtual meeting, the officials would hear from women of Iranian heritage and discuss the state of women’s and human rights in Iran, Joly’s office said, adding that it would give them an opportunity to coordinate efforts and discuss on “ways to increase their collective support for the Iranian people.”
Canada had joined other nations, including the United States, in imposing sanctions on Iran.
While the current unrest does not appear close to toppling the Iranian government, the situation has raised international concerns as talks on Iran’s nuclear capabilities appear at a stalemate and Tehran has moved to support Russia’s invasion in Ukraine in defiance of the West.
Iran has accused countries who have expressed support for the protests of meddling in its internal affairs.
The focus on Iranian women continued on Wednesday, as climber Elnaz Rekabi, who caused controversy by competing in an international contest without a veil, returned to Iran.
Amini, who hailed from Iran’s Kurdistan region, died Sept. 16 after being detained three days earlier by morality police in Tehran for her “inappropriate attire.”
Iran’s religious leaders have tried to portray the unrest as part of a breakaway uprising by the Kurdish minority threatening the nation’s unity, rather than a protest against clerical rule.
World’s female foreign ministers to meet on Iran, Canada says
https://arab.news/mxrvu
World’s female foreign ministers to meet on Iran, Canada says
- Joly and her counterparts will meet on Thursday amid unrest ignited by Iranian Mahsa Amini's death
- During the virtual meeting, the officials would hear from women of Iranian heritage and discuss the state of women's and human rights in Iran
Israel’s main airport receives passenger boost from Gaza ceasefire
- Separately, Israel’s Statistics Bureau said tourist numbers to Israel rose 38 percent in 2025 to 1.34 million, but remained below the 2023 level of 3.24 million
- Israeli strikes since the deal was struck have killed more than 400 Palestinians — most of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials — and Palestinian militants have killed three Israeli soldiers
JERUSALEM: Passenger traffic at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv rose 33 percent in 2025, the Israel Airports Authority reported on Tuesday, reflecting the return of foreign carriers after many airlines halted flights during the two-year Gaza war.
A US-brokered ceasefire in October gave way to the resumption of flights to Israel by carriers who had not yet resumed routes to Tel Aviv. In December, the number of passengers rose 59 percent.
In all of 2025, passenger traffic at Israel’s main air gateway Ben Gurion reached 18.5 million, versus 13.9 million in 2024. The airport handled 21.8 million people in 2023, the year war broke out after the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
Flag carrier El Al Israel Airlines, which did not halt flights during the war other than last June during a 12-day conflict with Iran, showed a 5 percent annual gain to 6.9 million passengers, though its market share slipped to 37 percent from 48 percent.
El Al has posted steep gains in revenue and profit as a result of the conflict, in which just a handful of carriers were operating.
Smaller rivals Israir, with an 11 percent market share, and Arkia at 9 percent followed El Al.
Wizz Air was the largest foreign carrier in Israel with 1.23 million passengers — double its 2024 level — for a 7 percent market share. Wizz is seeking to establish a hub in Israel.
Aegean, flydubai, Etihad, Lufthansa and United also posted large gains in the number of passengers last year.
Separately, Israel’s Statistics Bureau said tourist numbers to Israel rose 38 percent in 2025 to 1.34 million, but remained below the 2023 level of 3.24 million. Outgoing tourism by Israelis grew 33 percent to 9.42 million last year.
The Gaza war broke out in October 2023. While the ceasefire halted most fighting, it has not stopped entirely.
Israeli strikes since the deal was struck have killed more than 400 Palestinians — most of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials — and Palestinian militants have killed three Israeli soldiers.
Both sides have accused one another of violating the deal’s provisions.
