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US President Donald Trump has thrown a fresh hurdle into Washington’s newly announced civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, saying the agreement now hinges on Riyadh recognising Israel and joining the Abraham Accords. The move injects immediate uncertainty into a pact that only a day earlier had been presented as a major diplomatic and commercial breakthrough. Trump said on Truth Social that the deal “will be approved” but is “totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords,” adding that there would be “no enrichment of material.” The White House said the president had long raised the issue with Saudi officials and insisted the kingdom was aware of the condition, even though it was not included in Wednesday’s announcement. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said it will not normalise ties with Israel without a pathway to Palestinian statehood, a position that has only hardened since the Gaza war. That stance puts the latest US demand on a collision course with Riyadh’s long-held red line and could complicate one of Trump’s key Middle East goals. The nuclear agreement had been described as a strategic win for Saudi Arabia and a potentially lucrative opportunity for US companies. It also came as the Trump administration has intensified pressure on Iran over its nuclear ambitions, making the Saudi deal politically and regionally sensitive from the outset. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the condition, saying Saudi recognition would mark a “historic leap” for peace in the Middle East. But analysts warned that trying to force normalisation could backfire, especially given how consistently Riyadh has tied the issue to Palestinian statehood. The kingdom, they noted, is unlikely to reverse course simply because Washington wants a diplomatic victory. The deal itself remains subject to congressional review, with lawmakers given 90 session days to examine it. According to the Reuters account, the agreement would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium and build reactors using US technology, while a two-year feasibility study would assess the enrichment component. That aspect has already drawn scrutiny from critics who fear it could one day open a pathway to weapons capability. US officials sought to calm those concerns, stressing that any civil nuclear arrangement would contain safeguards to prevent diversion toward military use. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the deal would meet the highest standards of safety and nonproliferation, while the White House emphasised that the president remains the final dealmaker. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was awaiting a request from Washington and Riyadh to put verification measures in place. Until those details are settled, and until the normalisation question is resolved, the deal that was billed as a breakthrough now looks more like a test of whether the US can align nuclear cooperation, regional diplomacy and nonproliferation in one package. The bigger question is whether Trump’s latest condition creates leverage or merely raises the odds of deadlock. For now, Saudi Arabia’s nuclear ambitions, Israel’s diplomatic agenda and Washington’s regional strategy are all locked in the same room, and none of them appears ready to move first. Related Story Source link
The Foreign Ministers of the State of Qatar, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Turkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Republic of Egypt condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli escalation at Al Aqsa Mosque / Al Haram Al Sharif, particularly the continued mass settlers’ incursions led by extremist Israeli ministers, into Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif under the protection of the Israeli forces, the raising of the Israeli flag within its courtyards, the erection by Israeli police of two tents, and all other inflammatory acts. They stressed that these provocative and unacceptable actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, the relevant United Nations resolutions, and the historical and legal status quo at the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem. The Ministers further deplored and condemned in the strongest terms the illegal and extremist acts of incitement, incursions, mobilisation calls and violence by Israeli extremist ministers and groups. The Ministers warned that these provocative actions fuel hatred and extremism, and obstruct efforts to advance a just and lasting peace on the basis of the two-State solution. They stressed that the restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and its places of worship, coupled with discriminatory and arbitrary access restrictions to the other places of worship in the Old City constitute a flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, and an unlawful attempt to alter the historical and legal status quo.They stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites. The Foreign Ministers further condemned the continued and systematic violations and measures carried out by Israel, the occupying Power, aimed at altering the historical, legal, and demographic character of occupied East Jerusalem and undermining the sanctity and status of its Islamic and Christian holy sites. They reaffirmed their categorical rejection of any attempts to alter the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites, and stressed its preservation while recognising the special role of the historical Hashemite custodianship in this regard. The Ministers reiterated that the entire area of Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al Haram Sharif, which amounts to 144 dunams, is a place of worship exclusively for Muslims, and that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction to administer the affairs of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif and to regulate entry thereto. The Ministers called on Israel, as the occupying power, to immediately remove access restrictions to the Old City of Jerusalem, and refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers’ access to the Mosque. They also called on the international community to adopt a firm position that compels Israel to halt its ongoing violations and illegal practices against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as its violations of the sanctity of these holy places. Related Story Source link
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in…
Manila, July 23, 2026 (AFP) -US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that a landmark nuclear cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia would result only in a peaceful, civilian atomic programme.”Suffice it to say that any agreement that we’re going to make with any country in the world on civil nuclear energy is going to be one that will have safeguards in place to ensure that it can’t be turned into a weapons programme,” Rubio said on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Manila.”Saudi Arabia seeks to have a peaceful, civil nuclear programme,” he told reporters, noting a similar deal was in place with the United Arab Emirates Source link
The US House of Representatives passed the National Defence Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027, allocating a record $1.15 trillion budget for the US military, by a vote of 216 to 212.All but seven Republicans voted for the bill, while all but six Democrats voted against it.The Legislation sparked sharp divisions within Congress, with Democrats criticizing the scale of defense spending amid cuts to social programs. They also criticized the continuation of US military operations against Iran, which the Pentagon says have cost $37.5 billion to date.Republicans, on the other hand, argued that the funding is essential to support the armed forces, finance the development of defence systems, procure military equipment, and improve the conditions of service members through pay increases of up to seven percent and the construction of barracks and housing for their families.The bill now proceed to the Senate for further legislative consideration before being sent to President Donald Trump for his signature. Related Story Source link
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui during a meeting in Moscow on Sunday. (AFP) North Korea reaffirmed its support for Russia’s war on Ukraine as the nations’ foreign ministers met in Moscow, Pyongyang’s state media reported Tuesday, increasing speculation Kim Jong-un may soon visit the Kremlin.Diplomatically isolated North Korea and Russia have rapidly expanded co-operation since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.Pyongyang has sent troops to Russia’s embattled Kursk region and supplied Moscow with weapons systems, in return securing financial assistance, food, energy supplies and military technology, analysts say.Following a Moscow meeting between North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Pyongyang’s state media said the nations had “reaffirmed their steadfast political will to accelerate the long-term multi-faceted development of the bilateral relations”.”The DPRK side expressed invariable support for all the internal and external policies of the Russian Federation to eliminate the root cause of the Ukrainian dispute and defend its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and international justice,” state news agency KCNA said.The agency reported that Russia, meanwhile, expressed full support for North Korea’s efforts to defend its sovereignty and security.”I would like once again to express my gratitude for the support provided to the special military operation we are conducting,” Putin said in a video released by the Kremlin on Sunday.Choe laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers by the wall of the Kremlin on her visit, KCNA said Tuesday.Kim Jong-un last travelled to Russia in September 2023, and Putin made a rare visit to Pyongyang in June 2024.Choe’s visit to Moscow could have been aimed at discussing a trip to Russia by Kim later this year, according to South Korean media reports.”Putin has repeatedly invited Kim to visit Russia since his trip to Pyongyang in 2024,” Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University, told AFP.Chinese president Xi Jinping made a rare trip to Pyongyang last month, where he and Kim pledged to bolster ties.While Pyongyang has drawn closer to Moscow, China remains North Korea’s largest economic partner, accounting for nearly 98 percent of the country’s foreign trade in 2024, according to official figures.”After hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping this year, Kim would have a strong incentive to visit Russia as well,” Park said.”It would showcase North Korea breaking out of diplomatic isolation while highlighting support from both China and Russia, reinforcing the image of a North Korea-China-Russia alignment.” Related Story Source link
The United States condemned “dangerous and aggressive actions” by China following a clash with the Philippine navy in the South China Sea, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Manila Tuesday for a meeting of Southeast Asian nations.”China’s troubling pattern of provocations against the Philippines’ legitimate maritime operations undermines regional peace and stability and directly contradicts China’s repeated commitments to resolve disputes peacefully,” the US State Department said in a statement.The US secretary of state landed in Manila on Tuesday morning for a meeting of his counterparts from the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).While his entourage has not publicly confirmed talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, who will also be in Manila Wednesday and Thursday, Rubio has said he is open to the possibility of a meeting.The two met last year on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur and again in Munich in February.In an op-ed published in Philippine media outlets Tuesday morning, Rubio heralded Washington’s commitment “to freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia” while reaffirming the US defensive umbrella in the region.”This freedom is by no means guaranteed. If these waters were to fall under the control of a power willing to use trade as a geopolitical weapon, both the United States and the Asean states would face serious new threats to their sovereignty, security, and economic future,” he wrote, in a clear allusion to China.Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a vital global trade route, despite an international ruling that its claims have no legal basis.Multiple Asean member states, including the Philippines, have territorial claims that overlap with China’s.The Philippine military accused the Chinese coast guard of wounding a Filipino sailor on Monday near an outpost in a disputed area of the crucial waterway.The Chinese coast guard responded to the accusations in a statement, calling Manila’s version of events a “complete distortion of the truth”.Rubio is making his first visit to the Philippines as secretary of state, where he intends to reaffirm the strengthened partnership with the United States.The visit comes as the United States and Iran are once again embroiled in conflict, more than a week after the resumption of hostilities over another strategic waterway, the Strait of Hormuz.Speaking to the press before his departure from Washington on Sunday, he indicated that he would participate in a meeting with fellow Quad countries Australia, Japan and India on the sidelines of the Asean summit, as well as meetings with South Korea and possibly Vietnam.Rubio intends to raise the issue of US economic commitment to energy infrastructure, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence during these meetings, he said. Related Story Source link
The headquarters building of Hungary’s nationalist FIDESZ party of ex-leader Viktor Orban is seen in Budapest, Hungary, on July 21, 2026. The Fidesz party of Hungary’s…
Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf have prompted US intelligence analysts to investigate whether Russia assisted by providing targeting information or advanced drone technology, said four people familiar with US intelligence.These people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters, said US intelligence officials have not yet reached firm conclusions about the possible Russian involvement in the attacks on CIA facilities. But they cited the strikes’ effectiveness and apparent precision, as well as Russia’s broader technical support for Iran, as possible evidence.Reuters and other media have reported – and US officials have acknowledged – that Russia has provided targeting and other support for Iran in its strikes on US targets in the Gulf region generally, but the intelligence community’s investigation of possible Russian involvement in supporting the CIA facility attacks has not been previously disclosed. At least two CIA sites were struck in March, Reuters and other outlets have reported. One of the facilities was the CIA station in Saudi Arabia, which is located in the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, and a separate site was located in eastern Iraq. Some of the sources said additional CIA sites had been hit, but they did not disclose details.One internal memo from a Western intelligence agency, described by an official in the region with access to the document, concluded Russia has likely played a role in targeting regional CIA facilities. The official discussed the memo on condition that its precise authorship not be disclosed.Two Western officials in the Gulf who were briefed on intelligence reports said analysts thought the Saudi attack involved a pair of Russian-enhanced versions of Iran’s Shahed drones. One of the aircraft blew a hole through a vulnerable part of the embassy’s exterior and the second flew through the opening and detonated, they said. No deaths or injuries were reported. While Russian assistance for Iran is longstanding, given the countries’ close ties, specific targeting of sensitive CIA sites would indicate Moscow is willing to go further in disrupting US operations as Washington struggles to bring the Iran war to an end. Concerns that Russia could be providing targeting data to Iran intensified this weekend after strikes on a US air base in Jordan, where Iran struck army barracks with ballistic missiles, killing two soldiers.The White House referred a request for comment to the CIA, which declined to provide one.Iran’s mission to the UN, the Russian Defence Ministry and the Saudi government did not respond to requests for comment.The two Western officials in the region said Russia has helped Iran improve its Shahed drones’ ability to reach targets, and said analysts suspected that Iran used these versions in its strike in Riyadh.Russia, said a separate source, has helped Tehran improve the accuracy of its Shahed-136s by supplying a satellite navigation system – the Kometa-M – that experts say is far more accurate and harder to jam than the one produced by Iran.The Wall Street Journal first reported in March that Russia has provided the Kometa-M to Iran. The Kremlin denied the report, calling it “fake news.”CIA facilities overseas include the agency’s main offices in individual countries that traditionally are housed in embassies and are called stations. Additionally, the CIA maintains offices, safe houses, logistics hubs and sites involved in surveillance or other operations.The locations of those sites are closely guarded secrets.The sources declined to disclose the exact number or locations of CIA facilities hit by Iranian drones. One source put the number at “more than one and fewer than a dozen.” A second source said several facilities were hit.US intelligence analysts have been looking into whether Iran relied on Russian targeting data for the embassy attack, said the sources.Doubts remain, however. Some of the sources warned that Iran could have been aiming for the US embassy generally and by chance struck the CIA station.Some analysts have concluded that few nations beyond Russia would have the means to acquire and the interest in weaponising such sensitive targeting intelligence against the US, according to the sources.Daniel Hoffman, a former CIA station chief and undercover operations officer, said it would not be surprising for Moscow to help Tehran target CIA facilities given their close strategic partnership.”They share an interest in trying to reduce or eliminate US influence altogether in their self-designated spheres of influence,” he said. Related Story Source link
Smoke rises from the wildfire of La Mierla in Condemios de Arriba, Guadalajara, Wednesday. (Reuters) Firefighters battled wildfires in Spain and France Wednesday, with the risk of more blazes very high across much of Spain even as a major fire raging in its central Guadalajara province receded, allowing some residents to return home. In France, where two firefighters died on Tuesday as their truck was engulfed in flames in the southwest region of Gironde, authorities urged people to avoid using barbecues in areas hit by heatwaves, stressing that nine out of 10 wildfires start, accidentally or not, as a result of human activity.Meanwhile, in the Western Balkans, the danger has shifted from heatwaves to hailstorms, with several people injured in North Macedonia and eastern Kosovo. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent and scientists say human-driven climate change is increasing the intensity of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, while also creating conditions for sudden, destructive storms.The continent has endured three stifling, virtually back-to-back heatwaves so far this year. Intense heat has also been blamed for thousands of excess deaths in the May to June period. The Reuters Climate Monitor, an interactive tool providing real-time data, showed the average high temperature across Western Europe is forecast to be 26.6 degrees Celsius (79.8 degrees Fahrenheit), which is 3 degrees above the normal high for July 22 in the period from 1961 to 1990.SPANISH WILDFIRESpain’s worst wildfire so far this year has burned an estimated 32,000 hectares (79,000 acres) in the Guadalajara region. It started to stabilise on Tuesday after forcing evacuations in 34 municipalities and confinement orders in 14 others.Castilla-La Mancha’s INFOCAM fire service said residents of five villages had been authorised to return, although other restrictions remained in place. Visiting the region Wednesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Spain had already suffered 22 major wildfires this year, with more than 100,000 hectares burned nationwide. “To put that into perspective, that is the annual average that Spain experienced over the past decade,” he said, adding that more must be done to prevent fires. “We must raise public awareness, and we must not trivialise the effects of the climate emergency.”Spain’s weather agency AEMET said the danger of wildfires remained “very high or extreme” across most of mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands and was expected to increase further in the coming days.It urged people to “exercise extreme caution” as the ongoing heatwave combined with dry thunderstorms and Saharan dust.While temperatures will ease slightly in some areas on Thursday, a dry westerly wind is forecast to drive a fresh surge of heat in Mediterranean regions, where highs of 42 to 44C could be recorded in some areas.A marked cooldown is expected from Friday. However, the respite may be brief. Temperatures are forecast to rise again from Sunday, and intense heat could return across much of Spain early next week.FRANCE FIRESIn France, less severe temperatures and lighter winds aided efforts to fight a wildfire that has burned 2,500 hectares in the southeastern Var area, damaged dozens of homes and forced 400 people to flee their homes, local authorities said.At 7am (0500 GMT), helicopters resumed dropping water on the Var wildfire, which is still active.”The situation has been very difficult. Some 1,100 firefighters fought all night,” Commander William Vogl, a spokesperson for the Var firefighters, said on RMC radio. The fire was not yet contained but winds should be “more favourable” on Wednesday, he said.Prefect Simon Babre said barbecues were banned, and he also asked municipalities to cancel any plans for traditional summer fireworks.Officials said another fire was raging in the Hautes-Alpes, also in southeastern France.HEAT AND STORMSIn Greece, with temperatures forecast to top 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit), authorities have banned outdoor work at peak midday sun. In Cyprus, which is also used to high summer temperatures, working outdoors was banned during afternoon hours on Wednesday.In Skopje, capital of North Macedonia, 11 people were admitted to hospital, three of them with serious injuries, after a storm on Tuesday night felled trees, damaged roofs and caused power outages across the Balkan country, local media reported.Roads were blocked and some towns left without electricity and water.In Kosovo, the Hydrometeorological Institute said more storms were expected Wednesday and warned of possible lightning strikes, damage to the electricity network, power outages, flooding and property damage.Local media showed roofs being blown away, torrential rain and residents covering their cars with blankets on Tuesday to protect them from hail. Related Story Source link