Latest news with #AbbasAragchi
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's credibility gap and why Iran may want to take its chances in Israel conflict
After hours of talks, the ayatollah's chief diplomat emerged giving little away. All eyes were on Abbas Aragchi. Would he give ground in the face of Israel's fierce bombardment of his country? Yes, but only if Israel stops that bombardment which is not going to happen. Especially after a day when two of Israel's big cities suffered direct hits from Iranian missiles. The best that can be said for almost four hours of talks, is they happened and might again. There were no breakthroughs to report, no ground shifting on either side. The talks were flawed in concept from the beginning. The countries meeting Aragchi here are not involved in the conflict. Israel and America were absent. The US did send a message, via Britain's foreign secretary . We want to talk but we're serious about getting involved with military force if you do not. But the UK was delivering an American ultimatum and threat of force it does not itself believe to be a good idea. Britain and its European partners want de-escalation and oppose any idea of and his military getting involved. Iran is embattled, beleaguered and bombarded. But if its government is worried, its calm and collected foreign minister was showing none of it. The Iranians know Trump may send in the bombers and bunker busters within two weeks, but do they believe him? The president for whom they coined the acronym 'Trump Always Chickens Out' has a credibility gap. Read more: And if he takes action that leads to a chain of events where Americans end up dying, he will be crucified for it by his own MAGA movement. Rather than buckling to concessions with an Israeli gun to their head, might the ayatollahs just take their chances in the belief this president is all talk?
Sky News
an hour ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Trump's credibility gap and why Iran may want to take its chances in Israel conflict
After hours of talks, the ayatollah's chief diplomat emerged giving little away. All eyes were on Abbas Aragchi. Would he give ground in the face of Israel's fierce bombardment of his country? Yes, but only if Israel stops that bombardment which is not going to happen. Especially after a day when two of Israel's big cities suffered direct hits from Iranian missiles. The best that can be said for almost four hours of talks, is they happened and might again. There were no breakthroughs to report, no ground shifting on either side. The talks were flawed in concept from the beginning. The countries meeting Aragchi here are not involved in the conflict. Israel and America were absent. The US did send a message, via Britain's foreign secretary David Lammy. We want to talk but we're serious about getting involved with military force if you do not. But the UK was delivering an American ultimatum and threat of force it does not itself believe to be a good idea. Britain and its European partners want de-escalation and oppose any idea of Donald Trump and his military getting involved. Iran is embattled, beleaguered and bombarded. But if its government is worried, its calm and collected foreign minister was showing none of it. The Iranians know Trump may send in the bombers and bunker busters within two weeks, but do they believe him? The president for whom they coined the acronym 'Trump Always Chickens Out' has a credibility gap. And if he takes action that leads to a chain of events where Americans end up dying, he will be crucified for it by his own MAGA movement.
Shafaq News
a day ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Aragchi confirms plan to hold talks with European counterparts
Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi announced that Iran has received a request from the European Troika and the European Union to hold a joint consultative meeting. Speaking to IRNA, Aragchi confirmed reports of his planned trip to Geneva to meet with France, the UK, and Germany's officials on Friday. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated that "the nuclear program and the Israeli regime's military aggression against Iran, will be central topics in the upcoming discussions." Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that Iran has sent clear signals indicating its readiness to engage in dialogue, conditional on a ceasefire. Earlier, Aragchi affirmed that Iran's actions are grounded in self-defense, stressing that despite severe aggression, Tehran has only targeted the Israeli regime and not its backers.
Euronews
5 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Israel-Iran conflict: diplomacy emerges
Almost 48 hours after the eruption of hostilities between Israel and Iran, concerted but limited diplomatic efforts appear to be underway to prevent the confilct from spiraling out of control and ultimately bring it to a resolution. US president Donald Trump declared on Sunday that 'we will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran' and that the countries 'should make a deal and will make a deal'. 'Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that's OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!', the US president said in a post on his social media on Sunday. Meanwhile, as Israel has expanded its onslaught on Iran, Tehran has reached out to Qatar and Oman through diplomatic channels asking for regional mediators to intervene in relaunching negotiations, multiple Israeli media outlets reported on Sunday citing Israeli government sources. According to the same Israeli sources, Iran is asking Qatar and Oman to act as intermediaries to inform the United States of its willingness to negotiate a ceasefire or for Washington to urge Israel to stop its offensive, while Saudi Arabia may also be pursuing discreet diplomatic efforts to enable a de-escalation of the hostilities between Iran and Israel. These diplomatic manoeuvres were echoed by Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi on Sunday when he said that Iran remains open to negotiating a nuclear deal, as a possible response to US president Donald Trump's calls for Iran to return to the negotiating table and make a deal on its nuclear activities. 'We are prepared for any agreement aimed at ensuring Iran does not pursue nuclear weapons,' Aragchi told foreign diplomats in Tehran. However, the Iranian foreign minister still chose to add a defiant tone to his statement by saying that Iran would not accept any deal that 'deprives Iran of its nuclear rights' and that continuing talks with the United States in the current circumstances would be 'unjustifiable'. Meanwhile Israel has pressed on with its operations on Sunday, warning Iran to evacuate the nuclear sites. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the attack site in Bat Yam, where he declared: "Iran will pay a very heavy price for the murder of civilians, women, and children that they committed intentionally." Netanyahu added: "We are here because we are in an existential battle—something that is now clear to every Israeli citizen. Just imagine what would happen if Iran possessed nuclear weapons to launch against Israeli cities." Israel remains skeptical that Iran would respect any future deal and instead asked the Trump administration to join its efforts to destroy Iran's nuclear programmes, according to Israeli officials. Washington however refuses to get involved directly. Meanwhile, European leaders have been calling for a diplomatic solution to avoid an all-out war that could spiral across the Middle East and beyond, but security expert Claude Moniquet told Euronews that Europe has been left 'sitting on the sidelines'. Those talks may now be in doubt, but 'the Europeans were excluded' from them anyway, Moniquet pointed out. 'Europeans have been pretty much excluded from all major diplomatic manoeuvres around the war in Gaza or the war in Lebanon,' the former French intelligence officer and author said. In Aksaray, two hot air balloons which took off from Ihlara Valley for touristic flights on Sunday crashed near Gözlukuyu village. It was reported that one pilot lost his life and 19 Indonesian tourists were injured in the accident. Aksaray Governor Mehmet Ali Kumbuzoğlu stated that the pilot fell out of the basket due to his feet getting tangled up in the rope and said, "Unfortunately, our pilot lost his life by being trapped under the basket. Our tourists are in good condition, we took them to hospital by ambulances, their examinations are continuing." In the apparently unrelated other accident, it was reported that the hot air balloon made a hard landing near Belisırma village of Güzelyurt district. 12 tourists from India were slightly injured and were transferred to hospital.
Fox News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Global calls to avoid escalation pour in after Israeli strikes on Iran
Much of the world voiced concern on Friday following Israel's early-morning strikes on over 100 targets in Iran, urging both nations to avoid further escalation. Iran responded with a drone counterattack, and Israel declared the strikes were only the first wave in a broader campaign to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that Israel acted unilaterally, stating the U.S. was not involved in the strikes, while President Donald Trump warned Iran the next round of Israeli attacks would be "even more brutal." Here is a roundup of global reaction to the attacks. Iran's foreign minister called the attacks a "declaration of war" and claimed the U.S. was involved. Israel's "aggression against Iran could not have been carried out without the coordination and approval of the United States," Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said. "Consequently, the U.S. government, as the primary patron of this regime, will also bear responsibility for the dangerous repercussions of the Zionist regime's reckless actions," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday. The Kingdom strongly condemned Israel's actions, calling them a violation of international law. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Israeli aggressions against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran," its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. "These attacks undermine Iran's sovereignty and security and constitute a clear violation of international laws and norms." Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan spoke with Araghchi, stating, "His Highness affirmed the Kingdom's rejection of the use of force and stressed the importance of dialogue to address disputes. The Israeli attack undermines efforts toward de-escalation and diplomatic solutions." Efforts by the U.S. to broker a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia had already stalled due to the war in Gaza. Qatar also condemned the strikes, calling them, "A blatant violation of Iran's sovereignty and a clear breach of international law and its established principles." Qatar's foreign minister met with Iran's ambassador on Friday to discuss bilateral cooperation and ways to deepen diplomatic ties. The UAE "condemned in the strongest terms" Israel's actions. Turkey called for an immediate end to hostilities. "Israel must immediately cease its aggressive actions that could lead to broader conflicts." Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar held calls with several European leaders, who expressed concern over escalation while affirming Israel's right to self-defense. Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated, "We affirm that Israel has the right to defend its existence and the safety of its citizens. We call on both sides to refrain from actions that could escalate the conflict and destabilize the entire region." Sa'ar told German Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul, "We made this decision at the last possible moment, after all other avenues had been exhausted. The world saw that Iran was not ready to stop. The latest IAEA report illustrates serious Iranian violations. We know challenging days lie ahead, but we have no other choice." "France has repeatedly condemned Iran's ongoing nuclear program and has taken all appropriate diplomatic measures in response," French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday. "In this context, France reaffirms Israel's right to defend itself and ensure its security. To avoid jeopardizing the stability of the entire region, I call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to de-escalate." Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the Israeli strikes "concerning" and urged all parties to step back and reduce tensions. Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský expressed sympathy for Israel's position. "Iran has long failed to meet its international obligations and continues building its nuclear program while voicing threats against Israel. I understand the need for military action to deter nuclear development in the region." "Unprovoked military strikes against a sovereign U.N. member state, its citizens, peaceful cities, and nuclear energy infrastructure are categorically unacceptable," the Russian Foreign Ministry said, according to Reuters. "The international community cannot afford to be indifferent to such atrocities, which destroy peace and damage regional and international security." Beijing criticized the strikes as a violation of sovereignty. "China opposes the violation of Iran's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. "We oppose the intensification of conflict and are willing to play a constructive role in de-escalation." Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya called the strikes "deeply regrettable" amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the nuclear issue. "The use of military force undermines peaceful negotiations. The government strongly condemns this action, which only escalates the situation."
