Browsing: Region
US President Donald Trump said this evening that his country expects a complete ceasefire on all fronts, calling on all parties in the Middle East to fulfill their commitments.The US president added in a post on the Truth Social platform: “The United States is committed to peace, and we encourage everyone in the Middle East region to maintain their commitment to allow our negotiations to beautifully unfold… We expect a complete ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.”The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding last night, beginning with a 60-day negotiation period. It stipulates an immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, including the Lebanese front. However, the Israeli entity continues its aggression against Lebanon and has renewed its pledge not to withdraw from southern Lebanon. Source link
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday he had authorised a memorandum of understanding signed by the Iranian and US presidents, despite holding a different view, after receiving assurances from President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials that Iran’s rights and the interests of the “Resistance Front” would be safeguarded.In a written message to the Iranian nation, Khamenei said Pezeshkian, in his capacity as head of the Supreme National Security Council, had accepted responsibility for ensuring the agreement protected Iran’s interests and pledged not to yield if Washington made what he described as excessive demands.Khamenei added that future face-to-face negotiations with the United States would not mean accepting “the enemy’s position”. Related Story Source link
Iraq has affirmed its commitment to bolstering energy security through a strategic liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in collaboration with specialized American companies, as part of the government’s efforts to secure the fuel needed to operate power plants.Iraqi government spokesperson Haider Al Aboudi stated Wednesday that recent Iraqi-American talks addressed investment, energy, and electricity, in addition to facilitating the entry of American companies to operate in Iraq, noting that indicators have been established for the implementation of a floating LNG terminal in Khor Al-Zubair.In a statement, Al Aboudi said that the project aims to receive imported gas and convert it into fuel to supply power plants with their needs, particularly during peak periods, thereby contributing to the stability of the electrical grid and increasing the efficiency of energy supplies.He added that the government continues to work on implementing strategic projects that support economic development and provide a stable investment environment, within a vision that prioritizes the economy.Al Aboudi pointed out that strengthening cooperation with the United States in the energy sector is part of the strategic partnership between the two countries, emphasizing that the next phase will focus on vital projects that contribute to supporting infrastructure and achieving energy security for Iraq. Source link
The United States and Iran revealed the text of the MoU that was electronically signed between the two sides.The memorandum includes an immediate and permanent ceasefire, a commitment to negotiate a final agreement within 60 days, as well as measures related to sanctions relief, freedom of navigation, and reconstruction.The memorandum, which was published by both sides, declares the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Furthermore, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, in addition to respecting each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs. The two sides commit to negotiating and achieving the final deal in maximum 60 days extendable with mutual consent. The final agreement is expected to formalize the cessation of war and address outstanding issues between the parties.Immediately upon the signing of this MoU, the United States of America will begin the removal of its naval blockade against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days.Iran also pledges to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman for 60 days. In addition, the memorandum includes a plan for the reconstruction and development of the Iranian economy, with implementation mechanisms to be finalized as part of the final agreement.Regarding sanctions, the United States of America undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the United Nations Security Council resolutions, i.e. International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions, primary and secondary, in an agreed upon schedule as part of the final deal.On the nuclear issue, Iran reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons. The two sides have agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpile enriched material pursuant to a mechanism that will be mutually agreed upon under the supervision of the IAEA. They also agreed to continue negotiations on uranium enrichment and Iran’s nuclear needs within the framework of the final agreement.The memorandum further states that the status quo will be maintained until a final agreement is reached. This includes no new US sanctions and no deployment of additional forces, while the current status of Iran’s nuclear program will remain unchanged.It also provides for the issuance of waivers allowing the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products, and related services, the release of frozen Iranian funds and assets, and the establishment of a joint mechanism to monitor implementation of the memorandum and compliance with the final agreement.According to the text, negotiations on the final agreement will begin after implementation of a number of key provisions related to the cessation of military operations, freedom of navigation, and the easing of economic restrictions. The final agreement is to be adopted through a binding resolution of the United Nations Security Council. Related Story Source link
The Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Palestine Nestor Owomuhangi warned of the continued deterioration in the situation of women and girls in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. He stressed that the humanitarian crisis, movement restrictions, escalating violence, and funding shortages are having a serious impact on women’s physical and mental health.In a press statement, Owomuhangi said that the situation in Gaza remains dire, despite a slight improvement compared to the most difficult periods during the war. He added that in the West Bank, access to health services is facing increasing challenges due to checkpoints and escalating settler violence.He noted that UNFPA continues to support reproductive health services and protection programs for women, but is facing a substantial funding shortfall that threatens the continuity of these services. Source link
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that some displaced families in Lebanon have begun cautiously returning to their homes following the announcement of the agreement between the United States and Iran.In a statement, OCHA said that approximately 2,700 people in South Lebanon left collective shelters on Monday, noting that it remains unclear whether these movements represent a temporary return to assess homes and property or a permanent return.The statement added that the number of displaced people residing in collective shelters has decreased by about 10,000 over the past four days, from approximately 134,000 on Friday to about 124,000 as of Tuesday evening.The office noted that although the intensity of violence has declined since Sunday, reports of incidents in southern Lebanon continue to emerge, directly affecting residents' ability to inspect their homes and move freely. It added that the presence of unexploded ordnance remains a major concern. In this regard, the office renewed its call for the protection of civilians and for ensuring a safe, voluntary and informed return, supported by the provision of sustained humanitarian assistance. Source link
This picture taken earlier this month shows the symbolic chair and a picture of the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a ceremony for the…
The sun sets over the Euphrates river in Raqqa, eastern Syria. Reuters Uruk, the world’s first metropolis and the birthplace of written language, was nourished by the Euphrates River, as was Babylon, ancient Mesopotamia’s grandest city.The fertile plain between the Euphrates and its companion waterway, the Tigris River, was one of humankind’s cradles of civilisation.Researchers now have deciphered how the Euphrates first formed, looking much further back in time than the era of these great urban centres that arose mere millennia ago.Guided by seismic images of buried sediments and other data, they said the Euphrates appears to have been born between 3.6mn and 1.6mn years ago as two earlier river systems merged due to tectonic activity in the Taurus Mountains in the southern part of modern-day Turkiye.The Euphrates, the longest river in southwest Asia, extends about 1,700 miles (2,800km), originating in Turkiye and flowing through Syria and Iraq before emptying into the Gulf.Present-day cities on the banks of the Euphrates include Birecik in Turkiye, Raqqa in Syria and Ramadi, Fallujah and Nasiriyah in Iraq.Ancient cities on the Euphrates also included Ur and Mari.While the Euphrates has long shaped the region’s geology, the timing of its origin and the evolution of its present course had remained enigmatic.The researchers said decoding the river’s backstory was important for understanding the milestones in human culture in agriculture, writing, urban development and other areas that occurred on its floodplains.Geologists using subsurface seismic data while trying to identify possible gas reserves under the Mediterranean spotted buried channel-like features dating to a time more than 5mn years ago when large parts of the sea had dried up, an event called the Messinian salinity crisis.They determined that two separate rivers – predecessors to the modern-day Karasu and Murat rivers in Turkiye – flowed across a region spanning Turkiye and Syria and emptied into the Mediterranean basin.The scientists believe tectonic activity in this earthquake-prone region caused the Murat predecessor to divert toward the Gulf, with the Karasu predecessor later joining it.This, they said, formed a powerful single river system that became the Euphrates.A key tool used by the scientists was seismic imaging, a technique that creates detailed two- and three-dimensional maps of Earth’s subsurface by recording how sound waves travel through and bounce off underground rock layers.It was through seismic imaging that they detected the features that were ancient river channels hidden beneath the seabed.”This technology is the equivalent of using ultrasound to image fine details of a developing baby or an arthritic knee, but in this case we use it to image buried gravels, sands, mud, limestone and salt that have been compacted and turned into rock,” said University of Western Australia geoscientist Simon Lang, who helped with the study published in the journal *Nature Geoscience, along with geologist Andrew Madof of Chevron.The scientists, through modeling of the underground features, determined that these two ancient rivers had flow rates exceeding the modern-day Nile and Tigris-Euphrates.Working backward, the scientists traced the two ancient rivers to onshore Turkiye.By examining geological data from sediments in valleys and coal deposits now uplifted into the Taurus Mountains, they determined that the present-day Karasu and Murat rivers were likely the original sources of those buried channels.”But somehow they had got cut off from their western lower valley reaches, and had joined together to form what is now the modern-day Euphrates River. That ‘somehow’ was, of course, tectonic activity across eastern Anatolia,” Lang said.”Today, the waters along the Euphrates and the Tigris join near Basra to form a huge delta at the head of the Persian Gulf,” he added. “They have filled in a large area of Mesopotamian plain upon which early agriculture developed including early city-states, and the development of cuneiform writing so vital to early human development.”The flow of even the mightiest rivers can be changed by dramatic geological events.”The biggest river on the planet – the Amazon – used to flow west towards modern-day Colombia and Peru towards its paleo-Pacific deltaic coast before the rise of the Andes,” Lang said. “As the Andes grew with huge uplifts, all the former distributaries reversed direction over millions of years, and now the Amazon flows into the Atlantic.” Source link
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), launched Sunday, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat, the “Gulf Legislation Platform”.The platform is one of the initiatives designed to elevate legislative integration among the GCC states by enabling the review of unified Gulf legislation issued within the framework of joint Gulf action, and providing a unified electronic reference that contributes to supporting legislative and legal work across the Council member states.During the launch, GCC Secretary General, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi applauded the efforts of those in charge of this initiative, which came in implementation of the decision of the Standing Committee of Officials of Legislation Departments in the GCC States at its 19th meeting. The committee had approved the General Secretariat’s proposal to establish this specialised platform to streamline access to unified Gulf and national legislation.The platform provides advanced search services that enable government and legal entities in the member states, alongside specialists, researchers, and those interested in legislative affairs, to access and review unified Gulf legislation and national legislation with efficiency and ease. This enhances the exchange of legal expertise and supports legislative co-ordination and integration among the Council states. The platform currently includes more than 24,700 legal and legislative documents. Related Story Source link
Turkiye and Saudi Arabia aim to build a railway to link the two countries with Jordan and Syria in the next three or four years, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said Sunday, adding other Gulf countries would also join the project.Speaking to Al Jazeera, Uraloglu said the railway would help alleviate in future the problems that have arisen from the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz caused by the war in Iran. The project is described in a memorandum of understanding signed between Ankara and Riyadh last week on logistics cooperation and the railway sector.In the initial phase, a rail link would allow for the transport of goods, oil, natural gas and people between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Jordan, Syria and Europe, Uraloglu said, adding that the Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, and possibly Yemen would be included later too.”A train leaving from Saudi Arabia, from Riyadh already reaches several regions of Saudi Arabia. So this is a project for it to reach Turkiye via Jordan and Syria. We are talking about a route that will carry every type of freight via this route to Europe,” Uraloglu was cited as saying. He said the route from Saudi Arabia to Jordan’s border had been finished and on the Turkish side, the link was completed from Islahiye to Kilis and Gaziantep in southeastern Turkiye, near the border with Syria.That leaves a gap of some 400km between Syria and Jordan, he said.In addition to commercial trade, Uraloglu said the railway could also be used by people on the annual Haj pilgrimage.Turkiye, which neighbours Syria, has built close ties with the government in Damascus after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024 and has said it will help the country rebuild.Uraloglu told Al Jazeera a financial plan would be drawn up for the rail project. The investment would include some $100mn to rebuild the route between Turkiye and Syria’s Aleppo, creating a direct link to Damascus. Related Story Source link