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The United Nations called on Lebanon and the Israeli entity to leverage all available diplomatic avenues at their disposal to immediately end hostilities and address outstanding provisions of Security Council resolution 1701, at a time when negotiations between the Israeli entity and Lebanon are expected to take place on Tuesday.In this context, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric affirmed, “We stand ready to work with the parties to facilitate efforts in this regard.”The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, continues her good office’s role in support of the parties towards the full implementation of resolution 1701 towards a permanent ceasefire and long-term solution to the conflict. We call on all parties to engage constructively in this regard.On the peacekeeping front, the UN spokesperson said that the “UNIFIL continues its operations on the ground in support of deconfliction, protection of civilians and humanitarian access, to the extent possible amid ongoing hostilities.””Peacekeepers continue to report rocket fire towards Israel and airstrikes in UNIFIL’s area of operations, including around Shama, At Tiri, and Bint Jbeil in Sector West, where heavy clashes continue,” he added.”On the humanitarian front, as high-intensity hostilities continue, as you can imagine humanitarian needs continue to deepen across the country and civilians continue to bear the brunt of the violence. Israeli military activity remains particularly intense in southern Lebanon and the western Bekaa governorate,” he continued.”As of yesterday, more than 2,000 people have been killed and over 6,500 injured, as casualties continue to rise, according to the Government,” the spokesman said.”Civilian infrastructure continues to be damaged. Our colleagues at UNICEF report at least 18 incidents affecting water systems across the country, damaging reservoirs, pumping stations and main supply lines, and disrupting people’s access to safe water,” Dujarric added. Source link
Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward on Tuesday a four-point proposal on promoting peace and stability in West Asia, when meeting with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Beijing.Xi called for adherence to the principle of peaceful coexistence. It is imperative to promote the building of a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security architecture for West Asia and the Gulf region, he noted.He urged adherence to the principle of national sovereignty. He said the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of countries in West Asia and the Gulf region should be fully respected, and the safety of personnel, facilities and institutions of all countries should be effectively safeguarded.On adherence to the principle of international rule of law, Xi said the authority of international rule of law should be upheld to prevent the world from falling back into the law of the jungle.He said development and security should be coordinated. All parties should work together to create a favorable environment for the development of countries in West Asia and the Gulf region.On the other hand, the Chinese President said during his meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is on an official visit to China, that China and Spain should strengthen cooperation to oppose a return of the world to “the law of the jungle.”Noting the world today is in turmoil, confronted with the contest between the rule of law and the rule of power, Xi called on both China and Spain to jointly defend true multilateralism.For its part, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that Spain opposes a “new Cold War,” decoupling and severing of supply chains, and supports Europe and China in enhancing communication, mutual understanding and cooperation. Source link
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas stated that the current events in the Strait of Hormuz clearly demonstrate the need for a “strong international maritime security coalition.”In her address to the UN Security Council session on cooperation between the United Nations and the European Union, Kallas emphasized the necessity of maintaining security at sea. “Yet, this domain has become increasingly contested. Whether we are talking about the Baltic, North or Red seas, the numerous straits or the Indo-Pacific, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea/UNCLOS is being undermined deliberately.””International cooperation at sea has not evolved at the same rate as the threats in this domain. We must catch up,” the European official added, noting that there have been many criticisms against the United Nations including the Security Council for failing to resolve conflicts.In this regard, Kallas pointed out that the record use of the veto in 2024, for example, suggests, that this body struggles to address conflicts as they arise.She further said: “If the Security Council was functioning as it should, we would not be where we are today. On the other hand, it is a chance for the UN to step up and show that it can deliver.” Source link
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today called on all parties to respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirmed that Guterres stressed the need for all parties to the conflict to respect freedom of navigation, including in the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with international law.It is worth noting that US President Donald Trump ordered a naval blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, which went into effect today.Trump threatened to destroy any Iranian military vessel that violates the US blockade imposed on this vital waterway, which Iran has effectively closed almost completely since the beginning of the war.Dujarric pointed out the need to remember that some 20,000 seafarers are caught in this conflict, aboard ships facing increasing difficulties every day, reminding everyone of the impact this has on the global economy.He called on the parties to continue negotiations to find a solution to the conflict, demanding an end to all ceasefire violations. Source link
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and newly appointed Chief of Army Lieutenant General Susan Coyle pose for photographers after a press conference…
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung pose for photographs before their meeting at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul, Monday. (Reuters)…
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, offers a speech at Tsinghua University, in Beijing, Monday. (Reuters) Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez Monday said China should take on a more substantial role with issues including climate change, security, defence and the fight against inequality, adding that Europe will also have to redouble its efforts as the US withdraws from leadership roles on many fronts.Sanchez, who is making his fourth visit to China in four years, spoke at Beijing’s Tsinghua University.His visit comes as many Western governments seek to maintain engagement with Beijing despite lingering security and trade tensions. It follows visits to China earlier this year by the prime ministers of Britain, Ireland, Canada and Finland.Spain has been one of Europe’s loudest proponents of expanding trade and treating China as a strategic ally rather than an economic and geopolitical rival.Sanchez said China could do more in terms of fighting climate change, promoting global health, controlling the development of responsible artificial intelligence as well as nuclear weapons.”For example, by demanding as it is doing, that international law be respected and that the conflicts in Lebanon, Iran, Gaza and the West Bank and Ukraine cease,” he said.”Europe will also have to redouble its efforts, especially now that the US has decided to withdraw from many of these fronts.”Sanchez is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping today where they are expected to focus on geopolitics.China accounted for 74% of Spain’s total trade deficit, Sanchez said, adding that co-operation was important to build a “balanced, globalised economy that generates shared prosperity.”Madrid hopes Sanchez’s visit will narrow Spain’s trade deficit, which more than doubled in four years to nearly $50bn in 2025. It is looking to boost agricultural and manufacturing exports to offset high volumes of China’s imports.China’s official news agency Xinhua Monday said Sanchez’s visit was set to further consolidate bilateral ties and pointed to a broader pathway for steady engagement between China and Europe at a time of growing global uncertainty. Related Story Source link
Philippine Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad speaks next to a slide presentation of seized yellow bottles suspected to contain cyanide in waters of Second…
US President Donald Trump has criticised Pope Leo XIV as “terrible” in an unusual, direct attack on the Pontiff, who responded by vowing to continue denouncing war and suffering.The president’s comments came after the Pope had spoken out, with growing force, against the US-Israeli war on Iran and the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies.”Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social late on Sunday.Pope Leo, the first Pontiff from the US, responded Monday by saying that he would continue to denounce war, adding that the Christian message, rooted in the primacy of peace, was being “abused”.”I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems,” he told Reuters aboard a papal flight to Algiers, where he is embarking on a 10-day tour to four African countries.”Too many people are suffering in the world today,” Leo said. “Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”Catholics on social media lambasted Trump for attacking the leader of the 1.4bn-member Catholic Church.”There is no ambiguity about the situation now,” Massimo Faggioli, an expert on the papacy, told Reuters.He compared the comments to efforts by the leaders of Germany and Italy during World War II to draw the late Pope Pius XII to support their causes.”Not even Hitler or Mussolini attacked the pope so directly and publicly,” said Faggioli.Archbishop Paul S Coakley, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that he was disheartened by Trump’s comments.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned Trump’s criticism of Leo’s comments as “unacceptable”, saying that “it is right and normal for (Leo) to call for peace and to condemn all forms of war”.Leo, originally from Chicago, is known for choosing his words carefully.He has emerged as an outspoken critic of the conflict with Iran in recent weeks and decried the “madness of war” in a peace appeal on Saturday.Last year, he questioned whether the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies were in line with the church’s pro-life teachings, and called for a “deep reflection” about the way migrants are being treated in the United States.Trump wrote in his post on Sunday that “Leo should get his act together as Pope”, later telling reporters he was “not a big fan” of the Pontiff.Trump’s broadside against Leo also accused him of being “weak on nuclear weapons”, several days after the Pope said the US president’s threat to destroy Iranian civilisation was “truly unacceptable”.In a speech on Palm Sunday last month in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, the Pope said God rejected the prayers of leaders who start wars and have their “hands full of blood”, calling the conflict in Iran “atrocious”.Leo has also called on Trump to find an “off-ramp” to end the conflict and “decrease the amount of violence”.In his post, Trump suggested that Leo was only elected to lead the Catholic Church last year “because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J Trump”.Leo said Monday that he was not a politician and did not want to be drawn into a debate with Trump.Trump also had a rocky relationship with Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, who criticised Trump’s immigration policy proposals when he first ran for president and suggested Trump was “not a Christian”.Trump had called Francis “disgraceful” in early 2016. Related Story Source link
After a sleepless and at times tense night in Islamabad, Iranian and US officials ended their highest-level talks in decades without a breakthrough, but 11 sources familiar with the negotiations said dialogue was still alive.The weekend meeting to resolve the conflict between the US and Iran, held four days after last Tuesday's ceasefire announcement, was the first direct encounter between US and Iranian officials in more than a decade and the most senior engagement since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.Inside Islamabad's luxury Serena Hotel, the talks unfolded across two separate wings and one common area – one for the US side, one for the Iranians and one for trilateral meetings involving Pakistani mediators, operational staff told Reuters.Among the slew of issues at stake was the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit point for global energy supplies that Iran has effectively blocked but the US has vowed to reopen, as well as Iran's nuclear programme and international sanctions on Tehran.Phones were not allowed in the main room, forcing delegates, including US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, to step out during breaks to relay messages back home, two of the sources said.’There was a strong hope in the middle of the talks that there would be a breakthrough and the two sides would reach an agreement. However, things changed within no time,’ a Pakistani government source said.Another source involved in the talks said the parties came ‘very close’ to an agreement and were ‘80% there’, before running into decisions that could not be settled on the spot.Two senior Iranian sources described the atmosphere as heavy and unfriendly, adding that while Pakistan tried to soften the mood, neither side showed any willingness to ease tensions.At one point, atmosphere began to liftNevertheless the two Iranian sources said that by early Sunday morning the atmosphere had shown some improvement, and the possibility of a one-day extension began to take shape.However, differences persisted. A US source said the Iranians did not properly understand that the core US aim was to have a deal that ensured Iran would never obtain a nuclear weapon. Among Iran's concerns was a distrust of US intentions.This account, based on sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, offers a first account of the internal dynamics of the meeting, how the mood in the room shifted, how talks ended after signs the meeting might be extended, and how further dialogue remains on the cards.There was no immediate response from the Iranian government to a request for comment on the issues reported in this story.Monday US President Donald Trump said Iran had ‘called this morning’ and that ‘they'd like to work a deal.’ Reuters could not immediately verify the assertion.A US official, referring to Trump's comment, said there was continued engagement between the US and Iran and forward motion on trying to get to an agreement.Asked for comment, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the US position had never shifted in the Islamabad meeting.’Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and President Trump’s negotiating team stuck to this red line and many others. Engagement continues toward an agreement,” she said.'Ups and downs'A Middle East-based diplomat said conversations between mediators and the Americans have continued since Vance left Islamabad, while the source involved in the talks said Pakistan was still passing messages between Tehran and Washington.’I want to tell you that a full effort is still on to resolve the issues,’ Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Monday.Despite numerous obstacles to peace, both sides appear to have strong reasons to consider de-escalation.The US strikes appear unpopular at home and look unlikely to topple Iran's theocratic ruling system, while Tehran's strangling of energy supplies is hurting the global economy and pushing up inflation months before US midterm elections.Also, war damage to Iran's ailing economy risks leaving the authorities there weaker internally just weeks after protests they were able to put down only with mass killings.In Islamabad, the longtime foes had gathered to try to chart a path to a long-term settlement, after a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire paused six weeks of war that has killed thousands of people and disrupted the world's energy supplies.Central to the dispute is a belief among Western countries and Israel that Iran wants a nuclear bomb. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.A White House official said the US wanted Iran to end all uranium enrichment, dismantle all major nuclear enrichment facilities, turn over its highly enriched uranium, accept a broader peace, agree a security framework that includes regional allies, end funding for regional proxies and fully open Hormuz, charging no tolls.Iran’s demands included a guaranteed permanent ceasefire, assurances of no future strikes on Iran and its allies in the region, lifting of primary and secondary sanctions, unfreezing of all assets, recognition of its right to enrichment and continued control of Hormuz, Iranian sources have said.Four of the 11 sources said that at times the dialogue appeared close to producing at least a framework understanding, but unraveled over Iran's nuclear programme, the Hormuz Strait and the amount of frozen assets Tehran wants access to.The Iranian sources said most of the substantive exchanges in Islamabad were between Vance, Qalibaf and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.’There were ups and downs. There were tense moments. People left the room, and then came back,’ the security source said.Pakistani representatives, including Army Chief Asim Munir, and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, moved between the sides through the night to keep things on track, five Pakistani sources said.'How can we trust you?'The talks stretched for more than 20 hours with on-duty hotel staff eating, sleeping and working on site after undergoing expedited background checks, they said.When discussions turned to guarantees, both non-aggression assurances and sanctions relief, the tone of the normally mild-mannered Araqchi grew sharper, the two Iranian sources said.The sources quoted him as saying: ‘How can we trust you when, in the last Geneva meeting, you said the US would not attack while diplomacy was under way?”The US-Israeli attack on Iran began two days after the two sides held a previous round of talks in Geneva.In addition to differences over Hormuz, sanctions and other topics, the two sides also disagreed over the scope of any deal. While Washington focused on the nuclear file and Hormuz, Tehran wanted a broader understanding, according to two of the sources.During one tense moment, raised voices could be heard outside the negotiating room before Munir and Dar called a tea break and moved the two sides back into separate rooms, the government source said. 'Our final and best offer'Toward the final stages of the discussions, which spilled into Sunday morning, the US delegates were moving between the negotiating room and their private floor far more often than the Iranians, the senior Pakistani official said.A US source said the vice president came to the talks with the aim of making a deal and reaching a mutual understanding. The US side has been wary of protracted negotiations with Iran, believing the Iranians are adept at delaying tactics and refusing to make concessions, the source said.Despite the deadlock, when Vance appeared in front of reporters later to announce the talks had ended, his remarks suggested more exchanges of some kind might be in prospect.’We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer,’ he said. ‘We'll see if the Iranians accept it.’ Source link