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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al-Busaidi in Muscat, yesterday. Mediator Oman says discussions to resume in due courseTehran wants sanctions liftedIran says it will show flexibility on uranium enrichment Iran’s top diplomat said yesterday that nuclear talks with the US mediated by Oman were off to a “good start” and set to continue, in remarks that could help allay concern that failure to reach a deal might nudge the Middle East closer to war. But Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the talks in the Omani capital Muscat that “any dialogue requires refraining from threats and pressure. (Tehran) only discusses its nuclear issue… We do not discuss any other issue with the US.” While both sides have indicated readiness to revive diplomacy over Tehran’s long-running nuclear dispute with the West, Washington wanted to expand the talks to cover Iran’s ballistic missiles, support for groups around the region and “treatment of their own people”, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday. Iranian officials have repeatedly ruled out putting Iran’s missiles — one of the largest such arsenals in the Middle East — up for discussion, and have said Tehran wants recognition of its right to enrich uranium.For Washington, carrying out enrichment — a possible pathway to nuclear bombs — inside Iran is a red line. Tehran has long denied any intent to weaponise nuclear fuel production. “It was a good start to the negotiations. And there is an understanding on continuing the talks. Co-ordination on how to proceed will be decided in the capitals,” Araghchi told Iranian state TV. “If this process continues, I think we will reach a good framework for an understanding.” TALKS WERE ‘VERY SERIOUS’, SAYS OMAN Mediator Badr al-Busaidi, Oman’s foreign minister, said the talks had been “very serious”, with results to be considered carefully in Tehran and Washington. The goal was to reconvene in due course. Despite the talks, the US announced yesterday it was sanctioning 15 entities and 14 shadow-fleet vessels connected to illicit trade in Iranian petroleum, petroleum products and petrochemical products, the latest US economic measures targeting Tehran and trade with it. The Islamic Republic’s leadership remains deeply worried that Trump may still carry out his threats to strike Iran after a US naval buildup in seas in the region. “The lack of trust is a huge challenge during the talks and it should be overcome,” Araghchi said. Last June the US struck Iranian nuclear targets, joining in the final stages of a 12-day Israeli bombing campaign. Tehran has since said it has halted uranium enrichment activity.The naval buildup, which Trump has called a massive “armada”, has followed a government crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran last month, heightening tensions between Washington and Tehran. Trump has said “bad things” will probably happen if a deal cannot be reached, increasing pressure on the Islamic Republic in a standoff that has led to mutual threats of airstrikes. World powers and regional states fear a breakdown in the negotiations would ignite another conflict between the US and Iran that could spill over to the rest of the region.Iran has vowed a harsh response to any strike. IRAN’S ‘RED LINE’Negotiators in Oman will have to navigate Iran’s “red line” on discussing its missile programme to reach a deal and avert future military action. Tehran has ruled out talks on its “defence capabilities, including missiles and their range”. In a show of defiance, Iranian state TV said hours before the talks that “one of the country’s most advanced long-range ballistic missiles, the Khorramshahr-4”, had been deployed at one of the Revolutionary Guards’ underground “missile cities”. However, Tehran is willing to show “flexibility” on uranium enrichment, including by handing over 400kg of highly enriched uranium — refined closer to bomb-grade — and accepting zero enrichment under a consortium arrangement as a solution, Iranian officials told Reuters last week.Iran also demands the lifting of US sanctions, reimposed since 2018 when Trump, during his first term in the White House, ditched Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers. Source link
*Eatedal Rayyan reunites with husband in war-shattered Gaza after nearly two years*Rayyan fled to Egypt for medical care early in the conflict*Rafah border crossing reopens, allowing limited returns to Gaza Eatedal Rayyan waited for this moment for nearly two years: a reunion with her husband in Gaza, where she says yearning for family and homeland has persisted despite widespread destruction from the enclave’s two-year war. Rayyan, 29, left Gaza with her mother and three children after suffering a leg injury that doctors warned could need amputation if left untreated. She was one of tens of thousands who fled to Egypt in the early months of the conflict. After months of treatment in Egypt, Rayyan was eventually able to walk again. And on Thursday, she, her mother and her children were among a small number of Palestinians allowed to return to Gaza after Israel reopened the Rafah border crossing, largely shut since the start of the fighting in October 2023. “I long to return to my homeland, despite everything that happened, the bombardment, and despite the fact that I will be returning to live in a tent,” Rayyan, who fled in March 2024, told Reuters from Egypt before crossing back in on Thursday. Reuters followed her journey from the Egyptian town of Al Arish, where thousands of Palestinians have taken refuge. Her children — Hanan, 8, Ezz, 5, and Mohammad, 4 — grinned from ear to ear as they packed their suitcases with blankets and winter coats. Hanan put a bow in her hair in anticipation of the reunion with her father. “We are going to Gaza!” the kids chanted excitedly before heading off towards the border. Rayyan and her children left midday on Thursday for the Rafah crossing, about 50 kilometres from Al Arish. Once there, they would have to clear three checkpoints: one run by Egypt, another by Palestinian and European officials, and a third by Israeli security forces. A bus would then carry them from Rafah, which Israeli forces have destroyed and depopulated after retaining control of the town following the October ceasefire deal, to the city of Khan Younis in Hamas-controlled territory. It was nearly midnight when Rayyan and her family arrived in Khan Younis, her husband Ahmed eagerly waiting. The two held each other in a long embrace. Ahmed kissed and hugged his children. The girl,Hanan, clung to her father’s leg. Rayyan said she knew much of Gaza had been demolished in the war but that re-entering still shocked her to the core.“No building is standing,” Rayyan said. “Everything is destroyed, destroyed. There is no electricity, or anything.” Their family used to have a large house in Al-Saftawi, a district near Gaza City in the north, but it was destroyed in the war, Ahmed said. They would now live together in a tent in a Gaza City encampment. “I tried in every possible way and managed to get three mattresses for five people to sleep on,” Ahmed said. The Rafah crossing is the only exit and entry point for nearly all of Gaza’s more than 2mn residents. Its limited reopening on Monday was a key element of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Israel-Hamas war. Around 50 people had been expected to cross in each direction daily, but the actual numbers have been far fewer. On Thursday, only 21 Palestinians, including Rayyan and her children, re-entered Gaza, according to enclave authorities. Those who have crossed back into Gaza say they were harassed and interrogated by Israeli forces and by members of a local gang backed by Israel. Israel’s military denies this. “There were some people (who were travelling) with us, like young men, they abused them — for example, they tied their hands, blindfolded them, humiliated them, they kept interrogating them,” Rayyan said. She said many people had asked her why she would want to leave Egypt for isolated, rubble-covered Gaza, where food and water are scarce, most of the population is displaced and frequent ceasefire violations have killed hundreds of people.“It is true that life in Egypt was good, everyone was kind to us,” Rayyan said.“But still, you long for your country, your family, your relatives, your husband, your life. Being away from home is hard. Life in Gaza is still beautiful, even though it’s been destroyed.” Source link
Thousands of Palestinians performed Friday prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, amid heightened Israeli military measures restricting access. Local sources reported that Israeli forces blocked worshippers from reaching the mosque and arrested freed Palestinian prisoner Imad Al Abbasi near Bab Al Silsila, one of the mosque’s gates. Israeli authorities continue to impose strict entry restrictions, preventing thousands from the West Bank from reaching Jerusalem without special permits, especially on Fridays. Since October 2023, during the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza and the West Bank, access to Al Aqsa and the Old City has been heavily restricted. Source link
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed its strong condemnation of the terrorist bombing that targeted a mosque in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, resulting in a number of deaths and injuries. In a statement Friday the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized the Kingdom’s position rejecting targeting of places of worship, terrorizing of innocent civilians, and shedding of innocent blood. The Ministry affirmed Saudi Arabia’s solidarity with Pakistan against all forms of violence, extremism, and terrorism. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered its condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Pakistan, wishing the injured a speedy recovery. Source link
Omani Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi held separate consultations this morning with the Iranian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the US delegation led by Presidential Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, in the context of Oman's hosting of talks on Iran's nuclear file.In a statement, Oman's Foreign Ministry said the discussions focused on creating favorable conditions for resuming diplomatic and technical negotiations, underscoring their importance in advancing security and stability. Al Busaidi reaffirmed Oman's commitment to supporting dialogue and bridging differences between the parties, while working with regional partners to reach mutually acceptable political solutions. Source link
The death toll from the Israeli occupation’s aggression on the Gaza Strip, since Oct. 7, 2023, until today, has risen to 71,851 martyrs, in addition to 171,626 wounded. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said that the total number of those who arrived at the sector’s hospitals during the past 24 hours was 27 martyrs and 18 injuries, while the total number of martyrs since the ceasefire on Oct. 11 reached 574, and the total number of injuries reached 1518. The ministry also noted that the operations to recover war victims from under the rubble of buildings destroyed by the Israeli war machine resulted in the recovery of 717 bodies, at a time when search operations were disrupted due to the depletion of fuel in the sector. A ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the occupation had come into effect last October following the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the sites and populated areas in the sector, but the Israeli attacks on Gaza and its people are still continuing to this day, in continuous violation of previous agreements. Source link
Palestinians mourn during the funeral of a Red Crescent member and two children who were reportedly killed in an Israeli strike on a camp housing displaced…
Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud met on Tuesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoؤںan, who is visiting Saudi Arabia.During the meeting, the two sides reviewed prospects for bilateral relations between the two countries, areas of cooperation, and promising opportunities for developing them in various fields.They also discussed developments in the region and the world, and the efforts being made to address them. Source link
The travel measures taken by the Israeli occupation at Rafah land crossing have laid bare grotesque violations of the freedom of movement and the fundamental rights of the civilians in the Gaza Strip, Gaza Rights Center said in a statement on Tuesday.The statement called for urgent intervention to end these tightened Israeli-imposed restrictions that marked day one of travel initiation through the crossing between the Gaza enclave and Egypt.The center stressed that these restrictions have obviously demonstrated full Israeli control over the ongoing process at this crossing, in a brazen violation of freedom of movement and fundamental rights.The Israeli occupation authorities have imposed direct control over the travelers’ rosters, most of whom are patients and caregivers, approving only the travel of five patients from a total of five individuals, notwithstanding the critical medical conditions of those patients who are sorely in need of traveling abroad, the statement warned.It noted that these actions have literally disrupted the travel of the vast majority of those patients and deprived them of their rights to treatment and healthcare under international humanitarian law and human rights law.The center further emphasized that 12 returnees were subjected to grotesque violations and had been questioned for almost three hours. It held the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible legally for these abuses as the de facto occupying power controlling the crossings and individual movement.The center called on the European mission participating in the crossing arrangements to assume its legal and moral responsibility.The statement further stressed that any arrangements to administer this crossing must be purely civilian and humanitarian, totally separating the occupation’s policies and its security and demographic objectives, thereby ensuring the fundamental rights of the population, foremost among them the right to a dignified life and freedom of movement. Related Story Source link
he Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip announced today that it has halted operations to recover the bodies of Palestinian martyrs from beneath the rubble and destroyed homes after its vehicles stopped operating due to the fuel shortage crisis in the Strip. Mahmoud Basal, who serves as spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defense, told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the agency has suspended the movement of its vehicles because the minimum amount of fuel required for humanitarian interventions was unavailable, as the occupation has prevented the entry of the required fuel quantities into the Strip. He noted that the suspension includes missions to retrieve the bodies of martyrs fromunder the rubble, as well as the inability to complete tasks related to removing hazards from buildings at risk of collapse or partially destroyed as a result of Israeli shelling. He called on all international bodies, institutions, and humanitarian organizations to work toward supplying rescue teams, civil defense crews, and humanitarian workers with the fuel needed to operate vehicles and equipment, in order to ensure the continuity of humanitarian services in the required manner. In another development, Basal told QNA that civil defense crews no longer have sufficient capacity to respond to distress calls related to the weather-related emergencies that affected the Strip in recent days. Gaza is suffering from a severe fuel and energy crisis due to the Israeli occupation’s tightening of the blockade and the closure of all border crossings into the Strip. The situation has not changed even after the cessation of hostilities, as the entry of fuel, reconstruction materials, debris removal equipment, and essential humanitarian service supplies continues to be blocked. Source link