Tuesday, December 30, 2025
type here...
Home Blog Page 150

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan ink mutual defence pact

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Pakistan said the agreement “reflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieving security and peace in the region, adding that the “agreement states that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both”.

Asked by Reuters whether the agreement would place Saudi Arabia under Pakistan’s nuclear umbrella, a senior Saudi official stated, “This is a comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means”.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have enjoyed close military ties for decades. The Financial Times cited a Saudi official saying that the agreement had been under discussion for two or three years.

But the deal’s timing comes after Sunni monarchs were shocked by Israel’s attack on Qatar last week. Middle East Eye revealed that the Trump administration approved the attack beforehand, as subsequent reporting from Axios confirmed.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are all strong US partners that are home to US military bases. Qatar is home to al-Udeid, the largest US military base in the region.

The Persian Gulf states have long relied on the US to underwrite their security and have watched warily as Washington acquiesces to Israeli attacks on Syria, Lebanon and Iran despite their tense relations with the Islamic Republic.

However, few officials in the region expected Israel to attack Qatar with US backing, a major non-Nato ally that has been mediating between Hamas and Israel.

“This could potentially have profound implications for how regional states view US security guarantees,” Ted Singer, former head of Middle East operations for the US Central Intelligence Agency, told MEE after the Israeli attack.

The agreement was signed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Riyadh.

Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was also in attendance. The Pakistani military exercises outsized influence in the country.

The defence pact is likely to have deep implications for the region. Pakistan has close military and economic ties with China, but Munir visited the White House earlier this year in a sign that Islamabad was also courting the Trump administration.

The US and Pakistan cooperated extensively on security during the US war in Afghanistan, but the relationship waned as a result of the US withdrawal and Beijing’s rising influence.

Saudi Arabia also enjoys good relations with Pakistan’s historic rival, India. Pakistan and India engaged in a deadly air war in May that almost brought them to the brink of nuclear conflict. Pakistan thanked US President Donald Trump for mediating an end to the war, but India bristled at the suggestion that it wanted a truce, hurting ties with the US.

Saudi Arabia’s nod to Pakistan will not go unnoticed in Washington. Islamabad has strongly condemned Israel’s genocide in Gaza and also criticised Israel’s attack on Iran, its neighbour, in June.

Analysts say that Pakistan was alarmed by the precedent set by US and Israeli air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities – and the potential extension of Israeli aerial dominance near Pakistan’s western frontier.

Pakistan is the only Muslim-majority country with nuclear weapons. It has always framed its arsenal as for defensive purposes, but does not have a “no-first-use” doctrine, which rules out preemptively attacking foes with nuclear weapons.

Israel is widely understood to possess nuclear weapons.

Saudi Arabia’s decision to forge a defence pact with Pakistan comes after it was rebuffed by the US, which wanted to condition a defensive agreement and the sale of civilian nuclear technology to Riyadh on normalising relations with Israel.

Saudi Arabia forcefully pushed back on US lobbying efforts ahead of Trump’s visit to the region in May, MEE reported.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has labelled Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide.

Saudi Arabia maintains close security ties with the US, and the crown prince is understood to have a strong relationship with Trump.

In May, Trump credited the crown prince for convincing him to drop sanctions on Syria. Riyadh also successfully lobbied the US to stop its attacks on the Houthis in Yemen earlier this year.

The kingdom pledged over $600bn in investments in the US when Trump visited.

 

Iran calls on E3 to act ‘responsibly’ amid ‘snapback’ threats

By
IFP Media Wire
-

In a joint phone call with the E3 counterparts and the EU’s foreign policy chief, the Iranian foreign minister warned that triggering the so-called snapback mechanism would undermine diplomacy and unnecessarily escalate tensions.

Araghchi said the European push to restore the previously lifted UN Security Council sanctions lacked any “legal or logical basis,” especially given Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Iranian minister added Tehran has developed a clear framework for fulfilling its safeguards obligations under the new circumstances, following the US-Israeli acts of aggression.

Tehran, Araghchi stated, has employed a responsible approach and expects international recognition of the value of its constructive behavior.

“It is now up to the other side to seize this opportunity to continue the diplomatic path and prevent an avoidable crisis.”

He also urged the E3 to demonstrate a genuine commitment to diplomacy rather than yielding to actors who disregard international law.

Araghchi reiterated Iran’s readiness to pursue a fair and balanced solution that protects mutual interests. However, he underscored, this requires a responsible stance on the part of the European powers.

“Achieving such a goal requires a responsible and independent approach from the three European countries and refraining from being influenced by actors who show no regard for diplomacy or the principles and norms of international law.”

The phone call concluded with an exchange of proposals aimed at sustaining diplomatic momentum.

The ‘snapback’ is the 2015 nuclear deal’s dispute resolution mechanism, under which parties who believe Iran has dishonored its commitments can move to restore six previous Iran-related Security Council resolutions adopted between 2006 and 2010.

The European parties have accused Iran of non-compliance over its decision to reduce commitments in response to the US withdrawal from the 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran argues that the E3 cannot invoke the mechanism as they first violated the agreement by refusing to compensate for the US withdrawal, which prompted Iran to reduce its commitments.

 

Iran tells UN Security Council Afghan migration poses growing strain

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Afghan Refugee in Iran

Speaking on Wednesday, Iravani said Iran has “no choice but to return undocumented Afghan nationals” due to mounting pressures, which he said have worsened following Israeli aggression against Iran earlier this year.

He stressed that Iran has carried the burden of hosting Afghan refugees for decades, often without adequate international support, and cannot continue to shoulder the responsibility alone.

The envoy also expressed condolences to Afghanistan over the recent deadly earthquake and noted that Iran had promptly dispatched humanitarian aid, pledging to continue assistance.

He underlined that Afghanistan’s future must be determined by Afghans themselves through an inclusive political process that respects sovereignty and protects the rights of all citizens, especially women and girls.

Iravani warned against politicizing humanitarian aid or using sanctions as leverage, urging the release of Afghanistan’s frozen assets by the US.

He reiterated Iran’s support for a stable, independent, and peaceful Afghanistan and affirmed cooperation with regional and international partners to achieve this goal.

Syria’s president says negotiations with Israel could lead to results ‘in days’

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Al-Sharaa, who led the force that overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad in December, ending the country’s 13-year war, made the comments to reporters on Wednesday.

Israel responded to al-Assad’s overthrow by declaring that a 1974 security agreement with Syria had collapsed, and increased the amount of Syrian territory Israel controlled, as well as ramping up air attacks in Syria, killing several Syrian soldiers over the past few months.

The United States, which has backed Syria’s new authorities, has attempted to broker a deal between Syria and Israel.

However, al-Sharaa said that the US had not pressured Syria to make a deal with Israel, and was instead acting as a mediator.

The Syrian president added that the potential agreement between Israel and Syria would need to respect Syria’s airspace, which Israel has repeatedly violated for years, as well as Syria’s territorial integrity. He added that the United Nations would need to monitor any agreement.

A security agreement could lead to other agreements being reached, al-Sharaa said, but a normalisation agreement between the two sides was not currently on the table.

Israel’s most recent ground incursion in Syria came on Sunday, when Israeli soldiers carried out searches in the towns of Saysoun and Jamlah, in southeastern Deraa.

The day before, al-Sharaa had confirmed that talks with Israel had begun, in an attempt to restore the 1974 agreement, which followed the 1973 war between Israel and Syria.

Syria failed to retake the occupied Golan Heights, which Israel had taken in 1967, in that war. A demilitarised buffer zone was established as part of the 1974 agreement, but Israel violated the agreement by seizing the buffer zone and areas outside it after the fall of al-Assad.

Israel has also bombed targets across Syria, including the Ministry of Defence in Damascus in July. That month, Israel supported Druze militiamen in Suwayda against local Bedouin tribal fighters and Syrian government forces sent to end fighting between the Druze and the Bedouins.

In his comments to reporters on Wednesday, al-Sharaa said that Israel and Syria had been “four to five days” away from reaching a security agreement before the violence in Suwayda in July.

Al-Sharaa added that Israel had conducted more than 1,000 air strikes and more than 400 ground incursions in Syria since the December 8 overthrow of al-Assad, actions he described as “very dangerous”.

Israel has framed that intervention as being in support of the Druze, a minority also present in Israel, and part of an Israeli demand that Syrian government forces not be present in areas south of Damascus up to the border with Israel.

The Israelis have also emphasised al-Sharaa’s past membership of al-Qaeda, despite the Syrian president’s shedding of those associations.

The news outlet Axios reported on Tuesday that Israel’s demands during negotiations with Syria included the demilitarised zone southwest of Damascus, as well as a no-fly zone in that area, in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from all of the land it has seized in Syria since December, except for an outpost on the summit of Mount Hermon.

Al-Sharaa confirmed that Israel wanted to remain on Mount Hermon. He added that Syria wanted a deal similar to the 1974 agreement, and said that it was not yet time to discuss the fate of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights outside of the buffer zone, which Israel illegally annexed in 1981.

 

 

Britain to formally recognize Palestinian state after Trump’s visit: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Palestine

In July, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK will recognize Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in New York in September unless Israel takes “substantive steps” to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza and agree to a ceasefire.

The reason for delaying the announcement until after Trump departs from the UK is because it “could have risked deepening tensions with Washington, after Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered strong backing for Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza,” the report said.

The prime minister’s spokesman said the recognition was designed to protect the viability of a two-state solution.

“Statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people, and it is absolutely critical in protecting the viability of a two-state solution that we make clear that inalienable right,” he added.

Last year, Ireland, Norway and Spain joined a list of 147 countries that now officially recognize Palestine.

France also announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly, becoming the first member state of the G7, an informal forum of the seven leading industrialized nations and democracies, to do so.

Iranian president: No obstacles to Tehran-Moscow cooperation

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Speaking on Wednesday evening in Tehran during a meeting with Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev, Pezeshkian welcomed the progress of joint projects and underlined Iran’s commitment to carrying out all agreements reached between the two sides.

He added that “successful cooperation models between independent countries such as Iran and Russia will prove that the era of unilateralism in the world has ended.”

Pezeshkian urged officials from both nations to translate the outcomes of expert-level talks into concrete action “in the shortest possible time,” noting the determination of both himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin to push forward with the agreements.

He expressed hope that ongoing exchanges of high-level delegations would further strengthen the partnership between the two “friendly and allied” countries.

For his part, Tsivilev conveyed greetings from President Putin and praised Iran’s commitment to bilateral projects.

He affirmed that despite external pressures and sanctions, “no obstacle can hinder the constructive economic and trade cooperation” between Iran and Russia.

EU proposes suspension of trade concessions with Israel over war in Gaza

By
IFP Media Wire
-
European Union Flag

The sanctions, however, do not currently have enough support among the EU’s 27 member countries to pass. The proposals announced on Wednesday also included suggested sanctions on “extremist” Israeli ministers and violent settlers as well as on Hamas.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, urged the member nations to increase tariffs on some Israeli goods and impose sanctions on 10 Hamas leaders, Israeli settlers, and two far-right members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet: National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The commission also said it was pausing its bilateral support to Israel with the exception of support to civil society and Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.

“The proposals follow a review of Israel’s compliance with Article 2 of the Agreement, which found that actions taken by the Israeli government represent a breach of essential elements relating to respect for human rights and democratic principles. This entitles the EU to suspend the Agreement unilaterally,” the commission added.

“Specifically, this breach refers to the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza following the military intervention of Israel, the blockade of humanitarian aid, the intensifying of military operations and the decision of the Israeli authorities to advance the settlement plan in the so-called E1 area of the West Bank, which further undermines the two-state solution,” it noted.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “The horrific events taking place in Gaza on a daily basis must stop. There needs to be an immediate ceasefire, unrestrained access for all humanitarian aid and the release of all hostages held by Hamas.”

“Reflecting these principled commitments and taking into account serious recent developments in the West Bank, we propose to suspend trade concessions with Israel, sanction extremist ministers and violent settlers, and put bilateral support to Israel on hold without affecting our work with Israeli civil society or Yad Vashem,” von der Leyen added.

Late last month, foreign ministers from across the EU tussled in Denmark’s Copenhagen over what action to take in response to Israel’s punishing war on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and heavy crackdown in the occupied West Bank as the bloc’s aid chief urged them to “find a strong voice that reflects our values and principles”.

Growing numbers of protesters have taken to the streets across Europe in recent months to demand action from their governments to pressure Israel to end its war on Gaza, which a United Nations inquiry on Tuesday found to be genocide.

But the EU so far has failed to agree on a unified course of action to pressure Israel to end its bombardment and blockade of Gaza.

Some member states such as Spain and Ireland have called for economic curbs and an arms embargo against Israel while others, including Germany and Hungary, have pushed back against efforts to sanction the Israeli government.

American judge orders deportation of activist Mahmoud Khalil to Syria, Algeria

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Court documents, revealed on Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), showed that Louisiana immigration Judge Jamee Comans issued the ruling on September 12, accusing Khalil of failing to disclose key information when he applied and secured lawful permanent residency in the US.

Khalil, a native of Syria and an Algerian citizen of Palestinian origin, has previously stated that he fears being targeted by Israel for his activism if he is deported to either country.

Judge Comans claimed that Khalil did not disclose his ties to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and Columbia University Apartheid Divest, an activist group which advocates for an economic boycott of Israel, on his green card application, describing it as a “lack of candor” by the applicant.

“This Court finds that Respondent wilfully misrepresented material fact(s) for the sole purpose of circumventing the immigration process and reducing the likelihood his applications could be denied,” Comans said.

Khalil’s lawyers responded, saying that they intend to appeal the deportation order, and pointed to a federal district court’s order earlier this year prohibiting the government from immediately deporting or detaining Khalil as his federal court case proceeds.

Khalil’s legal team now has 30 days from the day of the deportation ruling, on September 12, to appeal against the decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals. His lawyers noted that they expect the appeal process to be swift and their attempt unsuccessful, as noncitizens are “almost never” granted stays of removal.

US immigration agents first arrested Khalil – a former graduate student at Columbia University in New York – on March 8 after showing up at his student apartment building on campus in the city.

The arrest was part of a wider crackdown on pro-Palestine activism on college campuses across the US, which saw several overseas students detained and deported while universities were hit with federal funding cuts by Trump over alleged anti-Semitic activities.

Authorities held Khalil at an immigration detention centre in Louisiana for three months until he was released in June following a ruling by US District Judge Michael Farbiarz that his detention was unconstitutional.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and law enforcement officials had repeatedly portrayed Khalil’s peaceful activism as anti-Jewish and supportive of Hamas, but they failed to provide any evidence backing their allegations.

Farbiarz ruled that the Trump administration was likely violating Khalil’s right to free speech by detaining and attempting to deport him under a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which allows the removal of foreign nationals who bear “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States”.

The White House has been relentless in its attempts to deport Khalil, pivoting more recently to the alleged violations of his green card application.

Khalil’s lawyers expressed concern following the deportation ruling that the “only meaningful impediment” to their client’s deportation was now the “important order prohibiting removal” issued by Judge Farbiarz.

In a statement published by the ACLU on Wednesday, Khalil also accused the Trump administration of using “fascist tactics” to retaliate against him for his “exercise of free speech”.

“When their first effort to deport me was set to fail, they resorted to fabricating baseless and ridiculous allegations in a bid to silence me for speaking out and standing firmly with Palestine, demanding an end to the ongoing genocide [in Gaza],” Khalil stressed.

Gaza death toll surges past 65,000

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Gaza War

In its daily update, the ministry reported 98 deaths and 385 injuries in the past 24 hours alone. It warned the figures remain incomplete, as many victims are still trapped under rubble or on roads that rescue teams cannot reach.

Since Israel resumed its attacks on Gaza on March 18, at least 12,511 people have been killed and 53,656 wounded, according to the ministry.

The statement added Israeli forces continued to target Palestinians seeking food aid, with seven people killed and 87 injured in the past day. This brought the total number of aid seekers killed to 2,504, with over 18,381 injured since May 27.

The ministry also confirmed four deaths from famine and malnutrition in the past day, raising the toll since October 2023 to 432, including 146 children.

Since famine was formally declared in Gaza last month, 154 such deaths have been recorded, among them 31 children.

Israel has sealed Gaza’s crossings since March 2, preventing food and aid trucks from entering despite hundreds waiting at the border. The move has exacerbated the humanitarian catastrophe in the enclave, leaving residents without access to basic supplies.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Iran’s health minister: Sanctions cause more deaths than wars

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iran Hospital Surgery Doctor Nurse

Speaking on Wednesday at the closing ceremony of the 17th National Olympiad of Medical Students in Tehran, he spoke about a study published in The Lancet about sanctions in 150 countries between 1971 and 2021.

The minister said sanctions result in about 564,000 deaths each year, largely due to shortages of food and medicine.

The health minister also pointed to challenges such as population decline and air pollution. According to him, around 50,000 Iranians die annually from air pollution, while 700,000 children worldwide lose their lives for the same reason.
He called on universities and students to focus on solutions.

1...149150151...5,131Page 150 of 5,131

© All Content by IFP News ( Iran Front Page ) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Us

Popular Articles

Editor Picks