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WHO says member states reached deal to tackle future pandemics

By
IFP Media Wire
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WHO

The legally binding pact is intended to shore up the world’s defences against new pathogens after the COVID-19 pandemic killed millions of people in 2020-22.

The proposal outlines measures to prevent future pandemics and strengthen global collaboration. This includes establishing a pathogen access and benefit sharing system and building geographically diverse research capacities among others.

The agreement also proposes a global supply chain and logistics network while emphasising stronger health system resilience and preparedness.

“After more than three years of intensive negotiations, WHO member states took a major step forward in efforts to make the world safer from pandemics,” the health body said in a statement.

The agreement is widely seen as a victory for the global health agency, at a time when multilateral organisations like the WHO have been battered by sharp cuts in U.S. foreign funding.

The United States, which was slow to join the early talks, left the discussions this year after new President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO and the talks.

The proposal will be considered at the World Health Assembly policy meeting in May, the WHO added.

“This is a historic moment and a show, that with or without the U.S., countries are committed to working together and to the power of multilateralism,” Nina Schwalbe the founder of global health think tank Spark Street Advisors, told Reuters.

Iranian chess players make history, secure three spots in FIDE World Cup

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The landmark achievement marks one of Iran’s strongest showings in international chess competition.

In the men’s division, Grandmaster Pouya Idani claimed first place, followed by International Master Bardia Daneshvar in second.

The women’s competition saw Woman FIDE Master Anahita Zahedifar take top honors, securing her position in the World Cup alongside the two male qualifiers.

The nine-round Swiss-system tournament, which concluded on Tuesday, featured 46 male and 20 female competitors from across West Asia.

Notable achievements included Zahedifar earning her Woman International Master title and Anousha Mahdian obtaining a WIM norm. Armin Samimi also gained recognition as a FIDE Master during the event.

Israel has killed over 70 civilians in Lebanon since ceasefire: UN

By
IFP Media Wire
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Lebanon War

Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said on Tuesday that the death toll included 14 women and nine children. He called for investigations into “each and every military action where civilians are killed”.

OHCHR raised concerns about recent Israeli military operations hitting civilian infrastructure.

“The ceasefire must hold, and any escalation is a risk for stability in general in Lebanon, Israel and the whole region,” Al-Kheetan added.

Israel has continued to strike Lebanon, including attacks on the capital, Beirut, since a November 27 ceasefire, which largely halted more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the armed group Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war.

Under the truce, Hezbollah was to withdraw fighters from south of Lebanon’s Litani River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure there while Israel was to pull out all of its forces from southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s army has been deploying in the south near the border with Israel as Israeli forces have withdrawn although Israel continues to hold five fortified positions in Lebanon that it deems “strategic”.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told Al Jazeera on Monday that the army was “dismantling tunnels and warehouses and confiscating weapons bases” south of the Litani “without any problem from Hezbollah”.

On Thursday, a senior Hezbollah official told the Reuters news agency the group is ready to hold talks with the Lebanese president about its weapons if Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon and stops its strikes.

Trump’s envoy reverses stance on Iran nuclear enrichment

By
IFP Media Wire
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“A deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a Trump deal. Any final arrangement must set a framework for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East — meaning that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program,” Witkoff wrote on X.

“It is imperative for the world that we create a tough, fair deal that will endure, and that is what President Trump has asked me to do.”

Witkoff had told Fox News that the conversation with Iran will focus on verification of uranium enrichment, “and ultimately verification on weaponization, that includes missiles, type of missiles that they have stockpiled there, and it includes the trigger for a bomb.”

Witkoff did not mention a demand to fully dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, as other US officials have, saying only that Iran does not need to enrich uranium past 3.67% to run a civilian program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Witkoff led the first round of indirect talks in the Omani capital of Muscat on Saturday.

Both sides described the talks as positive and constructive, with Araghchi saying that the next round is expected to take place on April 19 at the same level.

Iranian president expresses gratitude to outgoing strategic deputy Zarif, appoints Esmaeili as successor

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Masoud Pezeshkian

In a message on Tuesday evening, Pezeshkian acknowledged the ‘limitations’ that hindered Zarif’s continuation in the role, emphasizing his qualities of “faith, responsibility, courage, and dedication.”

Zarif was also Iran’s foreign minister in former President Hassan Rouhani’s administration, and is widely credited for his efforts that led to the landmark JCPOA nuclear deal in 2015.

Shortly before this message, President Pezeshkian appointed Mohsen Esmaeili as the new Strategic and Parliamentary Affairs Deputy.

In his official decree, the president outlined expectations for Esmaeili to adopt effective strategic policies, foster constructive interactions with the parliament, and enhance relations between the executive and legislative branches.

He also urged Esmaeili to leverage the accumulated experience of senior managers, the capabilities of experts, and insights from think tanks and civil society organizations to monitor and reflect on major domestic and international developments.

Esmaeili is an expert of law and a former member of the Guardian Council and Assembly of Experts, two of the most powerful institutions in Iran.

Gaza death toll surges past 51,000 as Israel continues onslaught

By
IFP Media Wire
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Gaza War

A ministry statement said that 69 more injured people were also transferred to hospitals, taking the number of injuries to 116,343 in the Israeli onslaught.

“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

The Israeli army resumed its onslaught on the Gaza Strip on March 18 and has since killed 1,630 people and injured over 4,300 others despite a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

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.

US says Russia open to Ukraine peace deal

By
IFP Media Wire
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Kremlin

President Donald Trump’s envoy made the claim in a TV interview late on Monday, following “compelling” talks with Putin in Saint Petersburg last week. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that agreeing terms on a deal is “not easy”, while Ukraine and its European allies have called on Washington not to be deceived by Moscow’s delay tactics regarding a ceasefire.

“I think we might be on the verge of something that would be very, very important for the world at large,” Witkoff told Fox News in an interview following his meeting with the Russian leader on Friday, acknowledging that “it took a while for us to get to this place” but that he saw a deal “emerging” after five hours of talks.

He also noted a potential to “reshape” the Russian-United States relationship through “commercial opportunities” that would bring stability to the region.

Friday’s meeting was the third between Russia and the US since Trump returned to the White House in January, claiming he could solve the conflict within 24 hours.

Despite the flurry of diplomacy, there has been little meaningful progress on achieving a ceasefire, despite Ukraine agreeing to US proposals.

Russia, however, has offered no key concessions, while continuing to bombard its neighbour. On Sunday, it launched one of the deadliest attacks of the war on the Ukrainian city of Sumy – a move Trump called a “mistake”, without elaborating.

Both sides have accused each other of breaching a US-brokered agreement to pause attacks on each other’s energy facilities.

Despite Witkoff’s optimistic report, Lavrov said in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper published on Monday that it is “not easy” to agree on “key components” of a peace deal.

He did, however, concede that the Trump administration is trying to understand the “root cause” of the conflict, which he stated was triggered by “the actions of Washington and Brussels” in having “brought the current regime to power in Ukraine”.

Trump, who has alarmed Ukraine by taking on many points of Russia’s agenda regarding the war, supported that viewpoint on Monday as he told reporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and former US President Joe Biden were responsible for starting the conflict, alongside Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Trump said there were “millions of people dead because of three people”.

“Let’s say Putin number one, but let’s say Biden, who had no idea what the hell he was doing, number two, and Zelensky,” he added, going on to dismiss the Ukrainian leader’s attempts to defend his country by obtaining missiles.

“When you start a war, you got to know that you can win the war,” Trump continued, stating, “You don’t start a war against somebody that’s 20 times your size, and then hope that people give you some missiles.”

Relations between Trump and Zelensky have been tense since the US president stunned the world by opening talks with Russia in February – a move critics say gave the Kremlin an edge on terms.

Negotiations on a deal that would give the US priority access to lucrative minerals in Ukraine got off to a rocky start after Trump and Zelenskyy had a blazing argument in the Oval Office six weeks ago.

Ukraine has been alarmed by its omission from the talks between the US and Russia.

“Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead,” Zelensky said in an interview for CBS’s 60 Minutes programme broadcast on Sunday.

Kyiv’s European allies have urged Trump and his team not to be taken in by Russia’s delay tactics in the ceasefire talks.

Iran warns Israel seeks eradication of Palestine, urges UN Security Council intervention

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Esmail Baghaei

Baqaei cited numerous recent and well-documented reports issued by international organizations—including the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), FAO, UNICEF, and UNRWA.

He then asserted that Israel’s deliberate and systematic killing of Palestinians, destruction of vital infrastructure, annihilation of health and medical facilities, obstruction of humanitarian aid and essential supplies, as well as the complete blockade of Gaza and the cutting off of water, electricity, and fuel, constitute clear instances of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

Baqaei emphasized that the officials and policymakers of the Zionist regime must be prosecuted and held accountable for these heinous crimes.

Referring to the recent remarks by the UN Secretary-General regarding the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson underscored that the defenseless population—particularly women and children—are subjected daily to intense bombardments, widespread starvation, disease, forced displacement, and, in essence, systematic eradication.

He noted that such acts are being perpetrated with an explicit intent of ethnic cleansing and the annihilation of the Palestinian nation.

Baqaei further stressed that the deliberate targeting and killing of aid workers and journalists by the Zionist regime in an organized manner aims to silence the voices exposing the suffering of the people of Gaza.

He also called upon all governments, nations, international organizations, and human rights bodies—particularly the United Nations Security Council—to take decisive and urgent action to halt the ongoing genocide and mass killings in Gaza and the West Bank, and to ensure that the perpetrators of these horrifying crimes are prosecuted and brought to justice.

Iran Leader says national issues must not be tied to Oman talks, highlights distrust of US

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

On Tuesday, during a meeting with senior officials of Iran’s three branches of government, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed: “The mistake made during the JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal), where everything in the country was made contingent on the progress of negotiations, must not be repeated.”

He stated that the country’s activities to achieve its goals in all fields must continue with greater momentum, and nothing should be made dependent on the outcome of negotiations. “The talks may or may not yield results. We are neither overly optimistic nor overly pessimistic about these discussions, though we are very distrustful of the other side. But we are confident in our capabilities.”

He added: “The initial decision to enter negotiations was well-considered, and from now on, we must proceed carefully, keeping in mind that the red lines for both us and the opposing side are completely clear.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also addressed the unprecedented crimes of the Zionist regime, referring to its deliberate attacks on patients, journalists, ambulances, hospitals, and the oppressed children and women of Gaza. He stated: “These atrocities require an extraordinary level of brutality, which this criminal occupying group possesses.”

He further emphasized that investment in production is the key to resolving many of the country’s challenges, adding that if domestic investment flourishes, foreign investors will also become eager to engage in Iran.

The Leader described investment in production as the best way to counter sanctions, saying: “Lifting sanctions is not in our hands, but neutralizing them is. There are many ways and ample domestic capacities to achieve this. If this goal is realized, the country will become invulnerable to sanctions.”

IRGC: Iran’s defense capabilities ‘non-negotiable’

By
IFP Media Wire
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Iran Missile Attack Israel

“National security and defense and military power are among the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which cannot be discussed or negotiated under any circumstances,” Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini said on Tuesday ahead of the second round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States in Oman.

He was speaking during a press conference marking the first anniversary of Iran’s first anti-Israel operation in April 2024 that involved the firing of more than 300 drones and missiles at military bases in the occupied territories.

Dubbed True Promise I, the operation came less than two weeks after a terrorist Israeli strike killed seven IRGC members at Iran’s consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

Naeini hailed the retaliatory attack as the world’s largest drone operation, with a flight radius of more than 1,000 kilometers.

The operation “displayed Iran’s initiative and asymmetric offensive capability to strike the Zionist enemy and was the first direct and public military confrontation between the Islamic Republic and the Zionist regime,” he added.

The IRGC spokesman also noted that True Promise I also demonstrated Iran’s firm will to respond decisively to Israel, as well as the Armed Forces’ power to confront the terrorist regime.

The anti-Israel raid, he emphasized, was a completely legitimate operation that was carried based on Article 51 of the UN Charter.

It exposed Israel’s weak security foundation, proved Iran’s offensive capabilities as a missile and drone power in the region and the world, and instilled a sense of hope in the resilient Palestinian nation and the oppressed people of Gaza, Naeini noted.

In October 2024, Iran launched a second anti-Israel operation in retaliation for the regime’s assassination of resistance commanders.

Later that month, Israeli warplanes used the space available to the US military in Iraq to fire missiles at military installations in Iran in flagrant violation of the international law and the UN Charter.

The Israeli act of aggression was successfully intercepted and countered by Iran’s air defense system. Iran has vowed a third anti-Israel operation in response to the assault.

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