VIENNA: The US and its three top European allies are divided over whether to confront Iran at the UN nuclear watchdog by seeking a resolution against it and thereby risk further escalation, with the Europeans in favor, diplomats say.
It is 18 months since the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors last passed a resolution against Iran, ordering it to cooperate urgently with a years-long IAEA investigation into uranium particles found at three undeclared sites.
While the number of sites in question has been narrowed to two, Iran still has not explained the traces, and the number of other problems in Iran has risen including Tehran barring many of the IAEA’s top uranium-enrichment experts on the inspection team.
A quarterly Board of Governors meeting begins in 10 days.
“It’s extremely difficult with Iran and the level of violations is unprecedented ... There is no slowing down of its program and there is no real goodwill by Iran to cooperate with the IAEA,” a senior European diplomat said.
“All our indicators are flashing red.”
Concern about Iran’s atomic activities has been high for some time. It has been enriching uranium to 60 percent purity, close to the roughly 90 percent that is weapons-grade, for three years. It has enough material enriched to that level, if refined further, for three nuclear bombs, according to an IAEA yardstick.
Western powers say there is no credible civilian energy purpose in enriching to that level, and the IAEA says no other country has done so without making a nuclear weapon. Iran says its objectives are entirely peaceful.
The United States, however, has not wanted to seek another resolution against Iran at recent IAEA board meetings. Before the last one, in March, the European powers — France, Britain and Germany, known as the “E3” — disagreed with Washington on whether to seek a resolution but then backed down.
Officials often cite the US presidential election as a reason for the Biden administration’s reluctance.
But the main argument US officials make is to avoid giving Iran a pretext to respond by escalating its nuclear activities, as it has done in the past.
Tensions in the Middle East are running particularly high with Israel continuing its military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack. Israel and Iran carried out direct strikes on each other for the first time last month, and Israel has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash on Sunday has complicated the situation. In talks aimed at improving Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA, Tehran told the Vienna-based agency this week it would not engage with it until Raisi’s successor is elected on June 28, two diplomats said.
“A resolution has been prepared,” another senior European diplomat said. Others confirmed the E3 had prepared a draft but not circulated it to Board members.
“Our analysis is the death of Raisi changes nothing. We have to move forward with this resolution ... The Americans are the difficulty, and in our conversations we continue to do everything to convince them.”
It was unclear when a decision on whether to seek a resolution would be reached. The next quarterly IAEA reports on Iran are due early next week. Draft resolutions tend to refer to those reports’ findings.
US, European powers divided over confronting Iran at IAEA, diplomats say
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US, European powers divided over confronting Iran at IAEA, diplomats say
Gangs in Haiti kill 4 soldiers and 4 civilians in bid to seize full control of the capital
In videos posted on social media, gunmen are seen mutilating several bodies
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti: Gangs trying to seize full control of Haiti have killed at least four soldiers and four armed civilians who worked with law enforcement to protect their communities, an official said Thursday.
Lionel Lazarre, spokesman for Haiti’s National Police, told Radio Caraïbes that two soldiers and four civilians were killed in Kenscoff, a once peaceful community on the outskirts of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Two other soldiers and an undetermined number of civilians were killed in the community of Pacot inside the capital, he said.
On Wednesday night, the government said that at least four police officers and armed civilians from the community of Canapé-Vert, one of the few neighborhoods not controlled by gangs, were killed in the attacks.
In videos posted on social media, gunmen are seen mutilating several bodies and picking up severed heads as trophies, saying, “We got the dogs.”
Haiti’s transitional presidential council and the prime minister’s office condemned the attacks in separate statements and said that multiple people were injured.
“The government reaffirms that the fight against insecurity remains its top priority,” the office said.
Gangs that control at least 85 percent of Port-au-Prince have launched recent attacks on previously peaceful areas that police and armed residents are trying to protect.
More than 260 people were killed in attacks on Kenscoff and Carrefour earlier this year, according to the UN political mission in Haiti.
Haitian police are working alongside a UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police to repel gangs, although they have struggled in their efforts. The mission is underfunded and only has some 1,000 personnel out of the 2,500 envisioned.
More than 5,600 people were killed in Haiti last year, with gang violence leaving more than one million people homeless, according to the UN
Saudi exhibition takes Indonesians on virtual tour of Islamic heritage
- ‘Jusoor’ exhibition runs until May 3 at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta
- Visitors can also view rare manuscripts, learn Arabic calligraphy
JAKARTA: A week-long Saudi exhibition opened in Jakarta on Thursday, offering Indonesian visitors virtual tours of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, as well as a display of the features of the Holy Kaaba.
Organized by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, the display, titled “Jusoor” or bridges, is being held at the Istiqlal Mosque complex in Jakarta.
The event is free to the public and will run until May 3.
It was inaugurated by Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar and Saudi Arabia's Islamic Affairs Undersecretary Dr. Awwad bin Sabti Al-Anzi.
“This exhibition symbolizes the strengthening of cultural and diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, while also serving as a platform to introduce the rich history and civilization of Islam to the general public,” Umar said on social media.
“Through the collection of artifacts, ancient manuscripts, and interactive multimedia installations, (it) invites visitors to explore the Islamic world’s contribution to science, art and culture across time.”
Aside from the virtual tours of the two holy mosques, the Saudi exhibition in Jakarta features their scale models and photos of the Kaaba.
Designed to be educational and child-friendly, it also invites visitors to explore the printing of the Qur’an, view rare manuscripts, learn about Arabic calligraphy, and to taste qahwa — the traditional Arabic coffee.
Organizers are aiming to attract 1 million visitors.
“The exhibition, which aims to attract 1 million visitors, embodies the Kingdom’s efforts to spread moderation, serve the Holy Qur’an, and strengthen bridges of cultural and human communication between peoples,” the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs said in a statement on X.
According to Ahmad Zayadi, information director of Islamic affairs at Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Ministry, the event showcases Saudi Arabia’s role in world culture and history.
“(The Kingdom’s) standing in the Islamic world makes it a center of civilization that is inseparable from mankind’s history and cultural development,” Zayadi said.
“We are showing the world that religion and culture are not just legacies of the past, but a strategic foundation to build future civilizations.”
Ramaphosa to meet Trump ‘soon’ to discuss strained South Africa-US relations
- "We both agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths,'' Ramaphosa said
- “We also spoke about the need to foster good relations between our two countries"
JOHANNESBURG: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thursday he will “meet soon” with US President Donald Trump to discuss relations between the two countries.
Ramaphosa said he had spoken to Trump and the two leaders had also agreed to discuss the peace process in Ukraine and the end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
“We both agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths. We both agreed to meet soon to address various matters regarding US-South Africa relations,” Ramaphosa said in a post on social media platform X.
“We also spoke about the need to foster good relations between our two countries,” he added. Ramaphosa did not indicate when the meeting with Trump was likely to take place.
Relations between South Africa and the US have deteriorated since Trump took office earlier this year.
Trump has criticized South Africa’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war, which has seen the country take Israel to the International Court of Justice and accuse it of committing a genocide in Gaza.
Trump has also signed an executive order stopping all financial aid to South Africa and has also slapped South Africa with 37 percent trade tariffs on its exports to the US, which he subsequently paused for 90 days.
The cuts were an additional blow to the country after it also lost US funding for its key health programs including the fight against HIV.
Trump has also falsely accused South Africa of illegally seizing farms owned by white Afrikaner farmers after it enacted the Expropriation Act which empowers the government to expropriate land for public use.
He has offered to facilitate the resettlement of white Afrikaner farmers who wish to leave South Africa and move to the US
Last month, the US expelled Ebrahim Rasool, the South African ambassador to the US, over his criticism of Trump, who has hinted that he may not attend the G20 summit of world leaders scheduled to take place in Johannesburg in November.
Ramaphosa revealed his conversation with Trump as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was on an official visit to South Africa.
Zelensky held a planned meeting with Ramaphosa at the government’s Union Buildings in Pretoria.
In rare criticism of Putin, Trump urges the Russian leader to ‘STOP!’ after a deadly attack on Kyiv
- “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV,” Trump said
- “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!”
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Thursday offered rare criticism of Vladimir Putin, urging the Russian leader to “STOP!” after a deadly barrage of attacks on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Russia struck Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones. At least nine people were killed and more than 70 injured in the deadliest assault on the city since last July. The strikes took place just as peace efforts are coming to a head.
Bangladesh observes three days of mourning for Pope Francis
- The pontiff visited Bangladesh in 2017, at the beginning of the Rohingya refugee crisis
- Bangladesh’s chief adviser, Muhammad Yunus, worked with Francis on poverty alleviation
DHAKA: National flags flew at half-mast in Bangladesh on Thursday as the Muslim-majority nation began three days of state mourning for Pope Francis.
The Argentine pontiff, leader of the Catholic Church since March 2013, died at his residence, Casa Santa Marta, in the Vatican on Monday. He was 88 years old.
Bangladesh’s interim administration issued a notification on Wednesday night, announcing that the government had decided to hold special prayers in memory of the pope and lower national flags to half-staff on buildings across the country, as well as at its missions abroad.
Bangladesh’s Christians account for less than 0.5 percent of its population. Most of them, about 400,000, are Catholic.
It is the first time Bangladesh is observing three days of remembrance for a Catholic leader.
“This is a great honor given to him,” Cardinal Patrick D’Rozario, former archbishop of Dhaka, told Arab News.
“Our country, Bangladesh, has decided well to mourn for three days. This is not because of the church, but because his messages were always universal, moral, and social.”
It was in the very first days of Francis’ papal service that the Rana Plaza building collapsed in Dhaka due to a structural failure, killing over 1,100 people, mostly garment factory workers.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the pope called for prayers for the victims and their families, and urged a renewed commitment to fighting for the rights and dignity of workers, reflecting his long-standing advocacy for social justice.
He visited Dhaka in 2017, at the invitation of its government and the Catholic Church, at the beginning of the Rohingya crisis, when hundreds of thousands of members of the predominantly Muslim ethnic group were forced to flee Myanmar.
The majority of them have been sheltered by neighboring Bangladesh. Francis met with the refugees during his visit.
“He had a (heavy) heart because of the suffering of the people, and he also tried publicly to see the miseries of these people. He was deeply touched by Bangladesh’s gesture,” D’Rozario said.
Revered by millions of Catholics around the world, the pope’s message resonated in Bangladesh too.
In his final address from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, Francis called for a ceasefire in Gaza and condemned the “deplorable humanitarian situation” caused by Israel’s ongoing deadly onslaught on the territory.
“He has been talking about the people’s suffering in Gaza ... On Easter Sunday, he spoke about four or five minutes about the Palestinians. So, there is that unity (in) support, also in Bangladesh,” D’Rozario said.
“Coming from Latin America, with a lot of suffering over there, a lot of poor people, he had a social message, a message on politics — good politics — a message on economics, message on trade and commerce, message on the international peace.”
The pope’s funeral mass will take place in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday.
Bangladesh’s chief adviser, Prof. Muhammad Yunus, who heads its interim government, is going to attend the service.
Yunus, an economist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, worked with Francis on poverty alleviation.
“Pope Francis was a towering figure of moral clarity, humility, and compassion in our time. His lifelong dedication to justice, peace, and the dignity of every human being resonated far beyond the Catholic world,” he said in a statement on the pope’s passing.
“His leadership, rooted in the values of fraternity and service, inspired global efforts to uplift the poor, protect the vulnerable, and build a more humane and peaceful world.”
