live Strait of Hormuz closed as U.S. and Iran have talked 'indirectly' - Friday 27 March
Iran's guards have said the important Strait is closed and anyone passing through will face "harsh measures". U.S. President ...
The United Nations Security Council has renewed the Monitoring Team's mandate for another year. The Team supports the 1988 Afghanistan Sanctions Committee, keeping in place restrictions that target individuals and entities linked to the Taliban.
All 15 members of the Security Council voted in favour of the resolution.
However, Afghanistan’s authorities have criticised the move.
Government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said extending sanctions is “a failed approach” and argued there was no need to “repeat such experiences”, calling on Western countries to reconsider their policies and engage in “constructive cooperation and interaction” with Afghanistan.
The UK mission to the United Nations said the vote sent a message to Kabul.
“Today the UN Security Council unanimously renewed the 1988 sanctions regime against the Taliban. The Taliban must take meaningful steps to adhere to their international obligations, including on counter terrorism and protecting the rights of women and girls,” it said on X.
Meanwhile, Russia, while backing the renewal, warned against expanding the monitoring team’s focus. In an explanation of vote, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva said, “At the same time, it is noteworthy that the text of the resolution is strikingly oversaturated with elements that are not directly related to the implementation of the 1988 Security Council sanctions regime.”
China said Afghan territory must not be used to support terrorism or threaten other countries, and urged the Afghan authorities to eliminate “terrorist forces” operating on their soil. It stressed the importance of counter-terrorism efforts and called for continued attention to security concerns in Afghanistan as the sanctions monitoring mandate was extended.
The 1988 list includes senior Afghan officials, among them Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
The sanctions can restrict international travel and freeze any overseas assets under member states’ jurisdiction, while also limiting arms-related support - measures the Council says target individuals and entities deemed to threaten the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan.
Israel said it had killed Alireza Tangsiri, the Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Navy, on Thursday, as confict in the Middle East continued.
Iran has rejected a U.S. proposal to end the war, insisting any ceasefire will occur only on its own terms and timeline, according to a senior political-security official speaking to state-run Press TV on Wednesday.
Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), said on Wednesday that the U.S. had “clearly made a mistake” in launching strikes on Iran, arguing Washington misjudged the resilience of the Iranian regime.
Russia’s Baltic ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga, major export terminals, suspended loadings of crude oil and refined products on Wednesday after large-scale Ukrainian drone attacks triggered a blaze, sources told Reuters.
Northern European countries must significantly boost military drone production to help Ukraine defeat Russia, Latvia’s Prime Minister has said, warning that victory would be “impossible” without greater support.
Iran’Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has rejected an offer of negotiations from the U.S. President, Donald Trump, amid the ongoing Israel–U.S. war with Iran, describing the proposal as a “contradiction” in Washington’s words and actions.
Former rapper turned politician Balendra Shah, was sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister on Friday, becoming the youngest leader in decades and the first Madhesi - from the southern plains bordering India - to hold the country’s top office.
The United Arab Emirates has told the U.S. and other Western allies that it is willing to participate in a multinational maritime taskforce aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would pause attacks on Iran's energy plants for 10 days at Tehran's request and said talks with Iran were going "very well," although an Iranian official dismissed a U.S. proposal for ending nearly four weeks of fighting as "one-sided and unfair."
The Trump administration is reportedly reviewing plans to deploy up to 10,000 additional U.S. troops to the Middle East, raising tensions even as Washington engages in delicate negotiations with Iran.
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