live UNGA 81: Global conflicts dominate talks as World leaders gather
World leaders gather in New York for the 81st UN General Assembly, with conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and diplomacy set...
Delegates from foreign ministries of Iran, China, and Russia met in Tehran on Tuesday to discuss the latest developments in Iran’s nuclear program particularly the threat by the three European powers -- Germany, France and the United Kingdom -- on return of UN sanctions in October.
The trilateral meeting in Tehran as well as a joint meeting between Iranian deputy foreign minister with senior Russian and Chinese diplomats in New York were held ahead of a decisive encounter in Istanbul on Friday between representatives of Tehran and the European troika plus EU on reactivation of UN nuclear sanctions.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the upcoming Istanbul meeting, the first since the June 24 ceasefire in the 12-day war on Iran by Israel and US, will convene at the level of deputy foreign ministers in which the EU foreign policy deputy chief will also take part.
The ministry in a statement said discussions in Tehran focused on the latest status of the nuclear negotiations and lifting of sanctions while the European troika has warned it would apply for fast return, or snapback, of sanctions in October if a nuclear deal is not reached with Iran by end of August.
The UN sanctions were terminated in 2015 by the Resolution 2231 endorsing the nuclear agreement (or JCPOA) reached the same year in Vienna between Iran on one side and the E3 plus China, Russian and US on the other.
In the meantime, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi who is in New York, held separate meetings on Tuesday with heads of UN missions of China and Russia as well as 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council about latest developments in Iran’s nuclear program, official IRNA news agency reported.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a post on his X account on Sunday, said he sent a letter to UN secretary general, chair-state of the Security Council, and EU foreign policy chief outlining why the E3 lacks legal, political, and moral standing to invoke the snapback mechanisms of the JCPOA and UN Resolution 2231.
He said: The E3 “cannot and should not be allowed to undermine the credibility of the UN Security Council by abusing a Resolution to which they themselves have not been committed”.
With less than forty days to the Aug. 31 deadline of the European powers, the tri-partite diplomatic consultations in Tehran and New York are significant because both China and Russia as signatories of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are also permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Beijing and Moscow possess the power to veto any draft resolution against Iran in October, including one by E3 or US proposing renewed UN sanctions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready to halt strikes on Russian energy facilities if Moscow stops targeting Ukraine’s energy sector, critical infrastructure, and food exports, as he prepared to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in New York.
Iran's military has threatened to launch sustained attacks on U.S. bases and interests across the Middle East if Washington resumes military action against Tehran.
Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the United States eases military pressure and lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday.
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Service has said.
Russian parliamentary elections have delivered a comfortable win to the ruling United Russia party, which is closely aligned to President Vladimir Putin. With more than 95 per cent of ballots counted, United Russia has taken 57.83 per cent of the vote, up from the 49.8 per cent it won in 2021.
World leaders gather in New York for the 81st UN General Assembly, with conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and diplomacy set to dominate the week long high-level debate.
A former Rwandan official has appeared in a London court, becoming the first person in the UK to face charges linked to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ready to halt strikes on Russian energy facilities if Moscow stops targeting Ukraine’s energy sector, critical infrastructure, and food exports, as he prepared to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in New York.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called for the abolition of veto powers and permanent membership on the United Nations Security Council, proposing a system in which all members would instead be elected for fixed terms.
Survivors of a Nigerian detention centre where 37 people died say guards sprayed an unidentified substance into an overcrowded cell and kept the doors locked while detainees struggled to breathe and cried for help.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment