Browsing: Region
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi welcomes China’s President Xi Jinping at the Cairo International Airport yesterday. (AFP) Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Egypt yesterday, his first visit to the Arab world’s most populous country in a decade, as countries across the Middle East reassess security and economic ties amid the fallout of the Iran war. The conflict has disrupted global energy markets and raised questions about whether regional countries can count on the US as a long-term security partner. Preparations in the capital Cairo have been underway for days, with traffic diverted and thoroughfares leading to sites such as the medieval Saladin Citadel decked out with Chinese and Egyptian flags. Egyptian state media highlighted Cairo’s growing economic and military ties to Beijing and Egypt’s role as the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic ties with China 70 years ago. “Egypt and China have become partners contributing together to strengthening the role of the Global South in the international system,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi wrote in an op-ed in state newspaper Al-Ahram. Xi’s visit is the second leg of his second overseas trip this year, following his participation in a Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan where he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and others. In commentary published by Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Xi said that the two countries were “close brothers standing by each other” in the face of imperialism and colonialism and that he looked forward to exploring a deeper partnership. Last month Egypt — which receives about $1.3bn a year in US military aid — hosted its second annual military exercises with China, launched last year as Beijing sought to chip away at US influence in the region.The drills marked the first deployment of China’s J-16 jets to Africa and a rare air combat drill involving the Chinese-made fighters and French-made Rafales, according to Chinese state media. A Chinese air force tanker was also pictured refuelling a Rafale, offering Beijing a closer look at Western-made equipment. Egypt has been seeking deeper ties with Beijing since at least 2014, when recently elected al-Sisi travelled to China to sign a strategic partnership deal, said H A Hellyer, a scholar at the Royal United Services Institute think tank. Cairo’s messaging towards Washington has softened since then, but “questions of American reliability and volatility” raised by the wars in Gaza and Iran have reinforced its desire to diversify partnerships, he said. “Egypt sees itself as moving toward greater strategic autonomy,” Hellyer said. “It wants strong relations with Washington, but also Beijing, Moscow, and Europe.”Bordering Israel, Sudan and Libya, and home to the vital trade artery of the Suez Canal, Egypt is often seen by foreign powers as a strategic linchpin in a volatile region riven by multiple conflicts. Chinese investment in Egypt has surged in recent years, with billions flowing into sectors such as manufacturing, ports, solar energy, green hydrogen and satellite technology.Last week, Xi hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah in Beijing, where the issue of Palestinian rights featured prominently. Xi is expected to visit India and the US later this month. Source link
A top Iranian official called on citizens to curb their petrol consumption yesterday, as the country faces difficulty importing enough fuel to meet demand due to a US naval blockade.”Of course, part of the responsibility for this high consumption does not lie with our people; it lies with our industry,” parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a televised address.”But in any case, what is clear is that we need to save gasoline in our consumption.”Washington imposed its blockade of Iranian ports in retaliation for Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for Gulf oil and gas shipments.The US has also recently announced new wide-reaching sanctions aimed at further isolating the Iranian economy.In recent days, long queues of vehicles have been seen at petrol stations in Tehran.Iranian Vice President Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah said last week that domestic petrol production was “insufficient, and because of the US naval blockade, we cannot import it”.Days earlier, the Iranian president’s chief of staff had said petrol quotas would be reviewed.Ghalibaf on Tuesday said that conserving fuel “requires collective wisdom and certainly requires the people’s cooperation”.”If we consume it properly, we can manage with the amount of gasoline we produce in the country,” he said.With many Iranians feeling the pinch of soaring inflation and dimmed economic prospects exacerbated by the war, Ghalibaf also announced plans to expand subsidies.”The government and parliament are determined to increase the credit allocated to the electronic food subsidy programme, especially for those income deciles that are bearing the greatest share of the economic pressure,” he said.Demonstrations over economic concerns last December ultimately spiralled into a broader anti-government protest movement that peaked in January before being quelled.Ghalibaf on Tuesday insisted that the population’s wellbeing was a priority.”In fact, all our efforts as officials should be aimed at reducing the pressure on the people so that there is less dissatisfaction, because the people’s satisfaction is a fundamental principle for us,” he said. Source link
A woman looks out from a damaged building of Al-Shifa Hospital during the funeral of a Palestinian who was killed in Israeli strikes, according to medics,…
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen participates together with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani in the reopening of the Danish embassy in Damascus, Syria, August 31,…
Bessent says bank sanctions are likely this week and nextTwo supertankers hit, shipping intelligence firms say The US launched new air strikes on Iranian targets on Tuesday, quashing hopes that an exchange of fire last weekend might not presage a wider renewal of hostilities.Oil prices had already risen after that first exchange of direct attacks since July and after reports of two tankers being hit leaving the Strait, the global oil supply waterway that Iran has effectively closed to shipping.Tehran remained defiant, warning that it would prevent oil being exported from the Gulf, despite a threat by U.S. President Donald Trump to hit Iran “hard” in response to the renewed Iranian strikes, and a warning from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that Washington was about to impose new sanctions.”Today at 12 p.m. ET (1600 GMT), US forces began striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran,” US Central Command posted on X. “The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region.”Iran’s state broadcaster said there had been reports of explosions on Iran’s Qeshm Island, on the northern side of the strait. The state-linked news agency Nour News said there had been reports of explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas and in Chabahar, a port on the southern coast.SCALE OF RESUMPTION OF IRAN HOSTILITIES UNCLEARThe six-month-old conflict had shifted into an economic standoff before the weekend strikes, in which U.S. forces attacked Iran’s Larak Island on Sunday and Iran responded by launching missiles at two U.S. air bases in Jordan. Although he warned of a US response to the Iranian strikes, Trump also told reporters on Monday that they did not signal a return to full-scale war, and a senior Iranian source told Reuters they were a “limited and contained confrontation”.But pledges by both sides to respond to further attacks have highlighted how quickly a conflict that has increasingly been fought through sanctions, blockades and economic pressure could spill back into military action. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had said early on Tuesday that Tehran would reciprocate immediately if Washington honoured its commitments under a June Memorandum of Understanding that was intended to halt the conflict.The MOU declared an end to fighting that has now killed thousands in Iran and Lebanon since US and Israeli strikes began on February 28. But it also deferred many of the most difficult issues and paved the way for a broader 60-day negotiation period – which passed without further agreement. “I am stating clearly that if the U.S. returns to its commitments under the Memorandum of Understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately reciprocate,” Pezeshkian said in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which includes Russia and China. But Iranian officials have shown no public sign of bowing to pressure.”If the enemy wants us not to export oil from the Persian Gulf, no one will be able to export oil,” Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was quoted as saying by Iranian media. If the U.S. intensified its “siege”, he said Tehran would respond militarily. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a press conference in Tehran that Washington was “addicted to making excessive demands and has mistaken negotiations for dictating terms”. “As long as they act in this manner, they will certainly get no result other than what they have achieved so far,” he added, warning that Tehran would “use all our capabilities, whether on the battlefield or through our diplomatic apparatus”. Source link
The State of Kuwait has vehemently denounced the Iranian attack on the United Arab Emirates using a one-way attack drone Monday as a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity and a peril to the security and stability of the region.In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that Kuwait stands firmly with the United Arab Emirates in all measures pursued to protect its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. Source link
Qatari authorities have arrested three European nationals for providing unlicensed medical and cosmetic services.The Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Interior (MOI), in lockstep with the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), launched an investigation after receiving information about the unauthorized activities.Authorities said the suspects were arrested after the necessary authorization was obtained from the Public Prosecution. They were found engaging in the activities and admitted to the allegations.The suspects, along with the seized tools and supplies, were referred to the Public Prosecution for further legal proceedings.The MOI and MOPH urged the public not to be misled by advertisements promoting medical or cosmetic services before verifying that private medical facilities and clinics are duly licensed.They also called on the public to ensure that the health care providers working there have obtained the required licenses from the relevant authorities, in the interest of public safety and to avoid dealing with any entities or individuals engaging in such activities unlawfully. Related Story Source link
Egypt has condemned the Iranian attacks on the United Arab Emirates and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.In a statement Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its utmost concern over these persistent attacks, which pose a direct threat to the security and safety of nations and peoples.The Ministry reiterated that Egypt firmly stands with these two nations and stressed the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, protecting the security and safety of navigation, as well as vessel traffic in maritime lanes and straits, in accordance with the international rules-based order.It further reemphasized the importance of de-escalation, ceasing attacks, returning to the negotiating table, and providing opportunities for diplomatic paths toward reaching solutions that help restore security and stability and shield the region from the risks of confrontation spillover. Related Story Source link
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Monday with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, on the sidelines of the first Strategic Political and Defense Committee meeting under the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement.The meeting convenes in Turkiye and undertakes to set the strategic thrust for activities to be carried out as part of the aforementioned agreement.The gathering is slated to focus on issues of global security, explore avenues for bolstering defense capabilities, and enhance interoperability among the armed forces of the three countries.The agreement is part of defense cooperation aimed at strengthening commitments to safeguarding peace, stability, and well-being on both the regional and global stages, based on the principles of burden-sharing and a shared understanding of security. Related Story Source link
The UAE Ministry of Defence said on Monday that its forces had dealt with a drone that had entered the country’s territorial waters from Iran.The ministry said in a post on X that the UAE Armed Forces remained on high alert and ready to respond to any threats. It added that air defence systems continued to monitor and track the country’s airspace around the clock.The ministry also urged the public to rely on official sources for information and avoid spreading rumors or false information. Source link