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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Gulf allies Thursday that any deal with Iran would take their interests into account, as he wrapped up a Middle East trip aimed at winning over regional partners with deep reservations about the preliminary accord. Speaking at a meeting of Gulf Arab foreign ministers in Bahrain — home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet — Rubio said Washington was seeking an enduring peace with long-time foe Iran that would not come at the expense of the security of allies in the oil-rich region, many of whom see the deal as too soft after coming under Iranian attack during the conflict. During the conflict, Iran took effective control of the vital Strait of Hormuz, heavily disrupting oil flows and rattling global energy markets and the wider economy. He told reporters that Gulf allies shared some very serious concerns and that they wanted to be informed of every step of the peace accord, which includes provisions on Hormuz. In a joint statement later Thursday, the US and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said a lasting peace would mean addressing Iran’s ballistic missiles, drones and support for proxy groups. They also backed “free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz without “any tolls, fees, or attempts to assert control.” If Iran threatens or blocks ships in the strait, “then we’re going to have a problem,” Rubio said, having earlier told ministers that “no country on Earth has the right to charge for the use of international waterways” and that fees for shipping would never be part of any deal. Rubio’s three-day tour of the Gulf was the first high-level diplomatic mission since the US-Iran framework agreement last week to end the conflict, which started on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. At his previous stops in the UAE and Kuwait, Rubio sought to assure officials that the proposed deal was not overly favorable to Iran, which struck several Gulf states during the war. “We’re not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies, our longstanding allies in the region,” he told reporters in Kuwait. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into “infinity,” while Tehran said it had made no such concession. The two countries, which ended a first round of negotiations in Switzerland on Monday, have also offered conflicting accounts about financial incentives for Iran, control of the Strait of Hormuz, and Israel’s parallel war in Lebanon. All six GCC nations — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait — are strategic US allies. Iran directed drone and missile at these countries during the war, saying American bases or interests were “legitimate” targets. The GCC make up the backbone of America’s security architecture in the Middle East, and any countries rethinking their security relationship with the US could have a significant impact on US military strategy in the region. The draft US-Iran agreement includes no limits on Iran’s ballistic missiles, a proposed $300bn reconstruction fund and provisions that could expand Tehran’s regional influence and control over critical oil shipping lanes. Some US Gulf allies are privately concerned that the interim deal could open the door to US normalisation with Iran. The US and Gulf nations, in their statement, also stressed the need for continued talks on Lebanon that are “not conditional on the outcomes of other conflicts” and for non-state groups to disarm. The nations also backed continued efforts to support Syria, end the Gaza conflict and respect Kuwait’s territory. Related Story Source link
Lebanese President General Joseph Aoun praised the position issued by the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in support of Lebanon and its people in facing current challenges, considering it a reflection of the deep fraternal and historical ties that bind Lebanon to the GCC countries.A statement issued by the Lebanese Presidency explained that President Aoun appreciated the GCC countries’ emphasis on the importance of preserving Lebanon’s security, stability, and territorial integrity, and their commitment to supporting the reform process and strengthening state institutions, in order to meet the aspirations of the Lebanese people for a strong, capable, and just state.The Lebanese President also expressed his appreciation for the GCC countries’ call to extend Lebanese state sovereignty over all its territory and to confine weapons to legitimate institutions, in accordance with the Lebanese Constitution and relevant international resolutions, foremost among them UN Security Council Resolution 1701, in addition to the decisions issued by the Lebanese government in this regard.President Aoun expressed his deep gratitude for the GCC countries’ readiness to continue supporting Lebanon on both the humanitarian and developmental levels, which will contribute to alleviating the economic burdens and improving the living conditions of the Lebanese people.The Lebanese President reiterated that Lebanon will remain committed to maintaining the best possible relations with its brotherly Arab states, particularly the GCC countries, and to working to develop these relations in various fields in a way that serves common interests and strengthens stability in the region. Source link
Sushila Devi sat sobbing on the floor of her house in Deoria, northern India after authorities told her that her husband was one of three sailors killed in a US attack on a ship off Oman.’If he had told us about the dangers, I would have called him back,’ she cried out as women from the family gathered round to console her. ‘The government should not allow people to go there.’India yesterday took the rare step of lodging a second protest with the US over the strike that took place more than three months into the Iran war. Sushila Devi's words echoed calls also building up among Indians for their own government to do more to protect its sailors stuck in the Gulf.CRITICS WANT MORE THAN 'ROUTINE PROTEST'Her husband Shivanand Chaurasia, the sole earner in the family with two young children, was among 24 Indian mariners aboard the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello when it was hit on Wednesday.The US military’s Central Command said an aircraft fired precision munitions into the vessel's engine room after the crew ‘repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces’.It said the strike was part of an ongoing blockade targeting oil shipments from Iran launched after Tehran sharply curtailed shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which carried a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas before the conflict.India's foreign ministry said it had summoned the US chargé d’affaires to convey ‘its deep concern over the use of lethal and deadly force against civilian shipping’.’Such actions are unacceptable and undermine the safety, security and stability of international maritime commerce in a sensitive region at a difficult time.’ The US embassy in Delhi did not respond to a request for comment.The deaths have prompted calls on India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to go beyond registering protests.India — the world’s second-largest supplier of seafarers behind the Philippines according to government figures — has had to pay a huge cost for the conflict it played no part in starting, say opposition and other critics.On Thursday, another ship with 20 Indian crew was attacked, with no deaths or injuries reported.’India has responded… with a routine diplomatic protest and apparent efforts to downplay the significance of the attacks,’ said Brahma Chellaney, a strategic affairs analyst in New Delhi.OPPOSITION SAYS MODI SHOULD TALK TO TRUMP’Had the victims been Chinese sailors instead, Beijing would almost certainly have reacted very differently, treating the strikes as a direct and lethal provocation by the US and elevating the incident into a major international crisis.’The opposition Aam Aadmi Party urged Modi to take up the matter with US President Donald Trump. The two leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of next week's Group of 7 summit.The main opposition Congress party said the government’s policies had ’emboldened external powers to act against Indian interests with impunity’.’India's strategic autonomy and abiding interests must be defended with clarity and resolve,’ it said.Such attacks could deter workers from taking up seafaring jobs, potentially worsening labour shortages in the industry, said Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen's Union of India.’The repeated incidents demonstrate the alarming deterioration of safety and security in one of the world’s most important maritime corridors,’ he said. Source link
Pele at the 1958 World Cup. Pele’s 1958 World Cup winners’ medal is expected to fetch £500,000 ($670,000) when it is auctioned in England later this month.The medal, won by the Brazilian legend when he was a teenager, is part of a catalogue of 450 World Cup-related items being sold by sporting memorabilia specialists BUDDS, which estimates they will fetch £2 million in total.A Brazil shirt won by Pele in the 1958 final is estimated to sell for more than $6 million in a separate auction at Sotheby’s in New York, which runs June 29 to July 16 – three days before this year’s World Cup final.Pele, then just 17 years old, scored two of Brazil’s five goals in the 1958 final against host nation Sweden.The victory marked the first of Brazil’s record five World Cup titles, three of which were spearheaded by the striker known as “The King”.Pele, born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, died in December 2022 at the age of 82 after being diagnosed with colon cancer.Other lots in the British auction include the shirt worn by England goalkeeper Gordon Banks when he made his famous save from Pele at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.The auction also features memorabilia from England’s 1966 World Cup triumph, including Banks’ winners’ medal and Alan Ball’s shirt from the final.”This is the largest collection of World Cup memorabilia ever offered at auction, and it is difficult to imagine many sales that could rival it in terms of historical significance,” said David Convery, head of sporting memorabilia at BUDDS.An online auction is running from June 1 to 21 featuring shirts from the nations competing at the 2026 World Cup, before a live sale on June 25 at BUDDS’s auction rooms in Wellingborough, central England. Related Story Source link
Mr. Guterres was speaking at UN Headquarters in New York at the launch of the Muscat Plan of Action – an initiative that highlights the…
Pakistani Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif announced today that a final text of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran has been agreed upon. In a post on the X platform, Sharif wrote, “we can confirm that a final, agreed upon text of the peace deal has been reached and Pakistan is now working closely with both sides to finalize the next steps. Peace has never been this close as it is now.” In the same context, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said, “The United States and Iran are closer than ever to reaching an agreement to end the war,” adding that “the media should refrain from speculating on the content of the Islamabad agreement until it is finalized and officially drafted.” The Pakistani Prime Minister announced four days ago that his country was very close to achieving the “ultimate goal” of its diplomatic mediation efforts between the United States and Iran to end the escalating tension in the region, stressing that the intensive diplomatic moves made by Pakistan with both sides throughout the past period have achieved tangible progress, in addition to a mutual desire to prioritize dialogue and avoid sliding towards a comprehensive confrontation. Source link
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