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Iran, China FMs emphasize strategic partnership in countering unilateralism

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Seyed Abbas Araghchi, who is heading an official delegation to Beijing for consultations with senior Chinese officials, met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday afternoon.

During the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister delivered Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s written message for the Chinese president to Mr. Wang.

The top Iranian diplomat  said that the Iran-China relations over the past five decades serve as a model of expanding ties based on mutual respect and trust.

Araghchi pointed to the robust relations between the two countries and expressed confidence that the friendly and strategic ties will not be influenced by any third party.

He underscored that the leaders of both countries are determined to use all capacities to secure the mutual interests of the Iranian and Chinese nations.

The Iranian foreign minister appreciated China’s positive role in the developments of the West Asia region and described the current situation in the region as very worrying.

Referring to the ongoing genocide in occupied Palestine and the Zionist regime’s acts of aggression against Lebanon and Syria, alongside the US military aggression in Yemen, Araghchi described Israel’s occupation and expansionism as the root-cause of the persistence and expansion of insecurity in West Asia.
The Iranian foreign minister urged the international community to take immediate and effective action to halt the genocide and aggression in the region.

He also thanked China for its constructive and effective policy on Iran’s nuclear issue and sanctions removal, and briefed his Chinese counterpart on the latest state of indirect talks between Iran and the US.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for his part stressed the importance of the China-Iran strategic partnership for securing mutual interests and safeguarding regional and international peace and security.
Wang spoke about the necessity for all countries, particularly the Global South, to uphold the rule of law and multilateralism.

He noted that bullying and arrogance in the international arena pose a serious threat to a rules-based order enshrined in the principles of the UN Charter.

The top Chinese diplomat also praised Iran’s good faith and responsible approach regarding the nuclear issue and reaffirmed China’s support for the ongoing talks over the matter.

Palestinian Authority president calls Hamas ‘sons of dogs’ over Gaza war

By
IFP Media Wire
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Mahmoud Abbas

Abbas said the priority is to stop “the Israeli genocide that the Gaza Strip is being subjected to”. He added the hostages present an excuse for Israel to continue attacking the besieged territory.

“Sons of dogs, release the hostages and block their justifications,” Abbas stated in a lengthy televised speech from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.

The unprecedented remarks are perhaps Abbas’s strongest public criticism of Hamas to date and mark a significant shift in tone from the aging Palestinian leader. They come amid a renewed push to advance ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, with Egypt also floating the idea of the group’s disarmament recently.

While Abbas has never outright condemned the October 7 attack on Israel, he has criticized Hamas for it in the past and reiterated his general condemnation of attacks against civilians.

Abbas’s speech laid out his vision to create a Palestinian state, urging an end to the war in Gaza and renewed calls for a unification of Palestinian political factions under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). His list of priorities also called for a complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from the besieged enclave.

“Hamas must end its control over the Gaza Strip, hand over all its affairs to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the legitimate Palestinian National Authority, and refrain from carrying arms, transforming into a political party that operates according to the laws of the Palestinian state and adheres to international legitimacy.”

In his speech, Abbas accused Hamas of “inflicting severe damage to the Palestinian cause” since it took control of the strip in 2007.

“It has provided the occupation (Israel) with dangerous free services, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and allowed this criminal occupation to find free justifications for executing its conspiracies and crimes in the Gaza Strip, with one of the most prominent excuses being hostage-taking,” he added.

In response, Hamas rejected Abbas’ claims and questioned his “competence”, saying in a statement that he “insists, repeatedly and suspiciously, on placing the responsibility for the crimes of the occupation and its ongoing aggression on our Palestinian people.”

There is a long history of bitter enmity between Hamas and Fatah. The two sides have tried – and failed – multiple times to reach an agreement to unite the two separate Palestinian territories under one governance structure, with a 2017 agreement quickly folding in violence.

The PA held administrative control over Gaza until 2007, after Hamas won the 2006 legislative elections in the occupied territories and expelled it from the strip. Since then, Hamas has ruled Gaza and the PA governs parts of the West Bank.

Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation agreement in Cairo in October 2017 under pressure from Arab states, led by Egypt. As part of the deal, a new unity government was expected to take administrative control of Gaza two months later, ending a decade of rivalry.

But the deal’s lofty aspirations quickly collapsed. When PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah visited Gaza in March 2018, he was the target of an assassination attempt when a bomb detonated near his convoy. Fatah immediately blamed Hamas for the attack.

In Beijing last July, Hamas and Fatah signed an agreement on “ending division and strengthening Palestinian unity.” The move followed reconciliation talks hosted by China involving 14 Palestinian factions.

Powerful earthquake strikes near Istanbul, scores injured in panic

By
IFP Media Wire
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The quake occurred in the Sea of Marmara close to Silivri, which lies around 70 kilometers (40 miles) to the west of the city, and aftershocks are continuing, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD).

Istanbul authorities said there had been no loss of life but that 151 people were injured after “jumping from heights due to panic.”

No residential buildings were damaged, the authorities added, but one abandoned building collapsed in the central Fatih District.

Turkey’s interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya, said the quake lasted a total of 13 seconds at a depth of seven kilometers, with 51 aftershocks recorded so far, the largest of which was of 5.9 magnitude.

“Let’s not let down our guard against possible aftershocks,” Yerlikaya wrote on X.

Some 6,100 emergency calls were received, he added, most of which were information inquiries.

In February 2023, Turkey experienced one of its deadliest earthquakes in the last century, when a 7.8 magnitude quake struck 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in the southern Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles).

That quake also hit northern Syria, killing more 50,000 people across both countries.

With two key fault lines in its vicinity – the North Anatolian and the East Anatolian – Turkey is one of the most seismically active regions in the world, a reality that has amplified concern over Istanbul’s earthquake preparedness.

Once the capital of the Byzantine and the Ottoman empires, the densely populated city is home to around 16 million people. It lies precariously close to the North Anatolian fault, which passes within 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of Istanbul and through the Sea of Marmara, according to the Geological Society of London.

Historically, that fault has led to several disastrous earthquakes, including a 7.6 magnitude quake that struck the nearby city of Izmit in 1999, killing over 17,000 people, and displacing an estimated 500,000 others.

An earthquake occurs when the Earth’s crust shifts abruptly, with energy radiated out as seismic waves and shaking that can violently impact people, buildings and infrastructure.

Those waves and factors related to the shifting ground determine an earthquake’s magnitude, as measured through 10 on the scale most commonly used to describe quakes. An earthquake that measures between 6 and 6.9 is classified as “strong.”

Chogha Zanbil: Grandeur of Iran’s Elamite architecture

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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This structure was built approximately 3,200 years ago at the order of Untash-Gal and now has three remaining tiers out of its original five.

Its structure is made of brick and mud brick, including palaces, royal tombs, and a water purification system within three concentric walls. Despite the passage of time, Chogha Zanbil remains steadfast and is regarded as a symbol of Elamite art, faith, and engineering know-how.

More in pictures:

Iranian Taekwondo athletes snatch 4 gold medals in China

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Mobina Nematzadeh, Mohammad Hossein Yazdani, Saeed Nasiri, and Amir Sina Bakhtiari won gold medals. Amir Reza Sadeghian took silver, while Mahla Momenzadeh, Ali Ahmadi, and Saeed Fathi claimed bronze.

Nahid Kiani and Mehran Barkhordari, Iran’s two Paris Olympic medalists, were eliminated from the competition.

Nematzadeh, Iran’s representative in the under-53 kg category, defeated her Uzbek opponent 2-0 in the first round. Shethen faced Nahid Kiani and won 2-1.

In the semifinals, Nematzadeh beat her Kazakh opponent in two rounds to reach the final.
In the final, due to the injury of Seo Yun from South Korea, Nematzadeh won 2-0 and claimed the championship.

In the under-46 kg category, Iranian athlete Saeed Nasiri defeated three rivals from Kazakhstan , Japan and China to reach the semifinals.

Nasiri also beat Lee from South Korea in the final to win gold.

Meanwhile, Amir Sina Bakhtiari defeated Kim from South Korea in two rounds, while Ali Khosh Ravesh beat Kylin Liu from France by the same score.

The two Iranians faced each other in the second round, with Bakhtiari winning 2-0. Bakhtiari then defeated Yousang from Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals, where he beat Jiang from China 2-1 to reach the final.

In the final, Bakhtiari defeated his compatriot Sadeghian 2-0 to win gold.

Ukraine peace talks downgraded

By
IFP Media Wire
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Russia Ukraine War

The UK Foreign Office indicated that ministerial-level meetings would be replaced by discussions at an official level.

The move follows US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s decision to travel to Moscow instead, with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has also opted to not attend. In their absence, Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia, is leading the American delegation.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha arrived in London along with President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.

“Ukraine has repeatedly said that it does not exclude any of the formats that can lead to a ceasefire and further to real peace,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

“Stopping the killings is the number one task.”

The downgrading in the level of diplomacy comes amid signs of mounting frustration in Washington.

“We’re not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end,” Rubio told reporters following the Paris talks. He warned that Trump may soon pivot to “other priorities.”

The discussions follow earlier negotiations in Paris and were expected to build on a ceasefire framework circulated by the US last week.

According to officials briefed on the proposal circulated by the US in Paris, the framework includes a controversial provision requiring Ukraine to recognise Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

The document, described by US officials as Trump’s “final offer”, has prompted strong opposition from Kyiv.

“There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution. This is our territory – the territory of the people of Ukraine,” Zelensky stated during a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, is among several potential concessions Kyiv fears may be under consideration, alongside concerns that further ground could be ceded in the partially occupied regions of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhia.

“As soon as talks about Crimea and our sovereign territories begin, the talks enter the format that Russia wants – prolonging the war – because it will not be possible to agree on everything quickly,” Zelensky added.

He reiterated that negotiations could only proceed following an unconditional halt to Russian hostilities.

In a show of support for Ukraine, the French presidency reiterated that any peace deal must include respect for Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty.

“Ukraine’s territorial integrity and European aspirations are very strong requirements for Europeans,” a spokesperson for President Emmanuel Macron told AFP.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly offered to freeze fighting along current front lines as part of a potential agreement, according to the Financial Times newspaper.

The offer comes after the expiration of a 30-hour Easter truce declared by Moscow, which both sides accused each other of violating.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, warned against rushing the process.

“The settlement issue is so complex that it would be wrong to put some tight limits to it and try to set some short timeframe for a settlement, a viable settlement – it would be a thankless task,” he said.

As diplomatic efforts continue, Russian forces have escalated attacks on civilian infrastructure. Overnight drone strikes hit multiple targets across Ukraine.

‘National disgrace’: US lawmakers decry pro-Palestine student detentions on visit to jails

By
IFP Media Wire
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“We stand firm with them in support of free speech,” the Louisiana congressman Troy Carter, who led the delegation, said during a press conference after the visits on Tuesday.

“They are frightened, they’re concerned, they want to go home,” he added.

Öztürk, a Tufts University PhD student, and Khalil, a graduate of Columbia, have been detained for more than a month since US immigration authorities took them into custody. Neither have been accused of criminal conduct and are being held in violation of their constitutional rights, members of the delegation said.

The delegation included representatives Carter, Bennie Thompson, Ayanna Pressley, Jim McGovern, Senator Ed Markey, and Alanah Odoms, the executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana. They visited the South Louisiana Ice processing center in Basile, where Öztürk is being held, and traveled to the Central Louisiana Ice processing center in Jena to see Khalil.

They met with Öztürk and Khalil and others in Ice custody to conduct “real-time oversight” of a “rogue and lawless” administration, Pressley stated.

Their detention comes as the Trump administration has staged an extraordinary crackdown on immigrants, illegally removing people from the country and seeking to detain and deport people for constitutionally protected free speech that it considers adverse to US foreign policy.

“It’s a national disgrace what is taking place,” Markey continued, adding, “We stand right now at a turning point in American history. The constitution is being eroded by the Trump administration. We saw today here in these detention centers in Louisiana examples of how far [it] is willing to go.”

McGovern described those being held as political prisoners. He said: “This is not about enforcing the law. This is moving us toward an authoritarian state.”

Late last month, officials detained Öztürk, who co-wrote a piece in a Tufts student newspaper that was critical of the university’s response to Israel’s attacks Palestinians. The 30-year old has said she has been held in “unsanitary, unsafe, and inhumane” conditions in a Louisiana facility and has had difficulty receiving medical treatment.

Öztürk was disappeared when she was detained, Pressley said, adding that she was denied food, water and the opportunity to seek legal counsel. Khalil missed the birth of his first child, she said. She described Donald Trump as a dictator with a draconian vision for the US.

“They are setting the foundational floor to violate the due process and free speech of every person who calls this country home, whatever your status is,” she noted, adding, “It could be you tomorrow for suffering a miscarriage. It could be you tomorrow for reading a banned book.”

Those in custody are shaken and were visibly upset and afraid, the delegation said. They have said they are not receiving necessary healthcare and that the facilities are kept extremely cold.

“We have to resist, we have to push back. We’re a much better country than this,” McGovern said.

Earlier this month a judge ruled that Khalil, who helped lead demonstrations at Columbia last year and has been imprisoned for more than a month, is eligible to be deported from the US.

The Trump administration has argued that Khalil, a lawful permanent resident of the US and child of Palestinian refugees, holds beliefs that are counter to the country’s foreign policy interests.

Iran condemns US fresh sanctions amid talks

By
IFP Media Wire
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Esmail Baghaei

In a statement released on Wednesday, Esmaeil Baqaei denounced the US’ policy of imposition of sanctions as a clear sign of the American policy makers’ hostile attitude toward the Iranian people and their ignorance of the rule of law and human rights.

“The US administrations’ structural addiction to economic sanctions against the developing countries as an instrument for intimidation and political pressures violates the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and international law,” he said.

Baqaei added the US sanctions undermine the foundations of the rule of law and free trade, violate the basic human rights of the people in the target countries, and amount to crimes against humanity.

The sanctions against Iran’s economic and trade sectors are bullying and illegal measures that are in direct contradiction to the US’ claim to be pursuing dialogue and negotiations and also indicate the US’ lack of goodwill and seriousness, he stated.

The spokesman held the US internationally accountable for imposing unilateral sanctions against the Iranian nation, saying Washington is held culpable for the egregious violations of human rights in the wake of its criminal measures.

The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on April 22 designated Iranian national Seyed Asadollah Emamjomeh and his corporate network for their alleged role in shipping Iranian liquified petroleum gas (LPG) and crude oil to foreign markets.

The US has also designated Iranian national Meisam Emamjomeh.

The new sanctions are the seventh such action taken by the US government against Iran since February 4, when US President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum ordering a campaign of maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic.

The sanctions come despite the fact that Iran and the US have held two rounds of talks to settle disputes about Tehran’s nuclear program. The indirect talks started earlier this month in Oman’s capital, Muscat, and continued over the weekend in Italy’s Rome.

Top representatives from Iran and the US are scheduled to meet again on Saturday in Muscat to review technical negotiations between their experts that will start on Wednesday in Rome.

Israeli military needs additional $2.6 billion to expand Gaza war: Report

By
IFP Media Wire
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Israeli Army

“The renewal of the war in Gaza over a month ago, after the ceasefire, and the plan to expand it with a large-scale ground operation, is incurring significant costs,” the daily said.

It added that the increase is strongly opposed by the Finance Ministry.

“It is inconceivable that, beyond the nearly $31 billion already allocated – including the use of a $2.6 billion reserve fund – another $2.6 billion could be added to an already inflated defense budget,” a senior official told the newspaper.

The paper added that the additional expenses will be used to seize about 40% of Gaza’s territory in the coming weeks, enhancing the security of Israeli settlements near the Gaza border and preventing the resumption of rocket fire into Israel.

According to the figures released by the Israeli economics newspaper Calcalist earlier this year, Israel has spent 250 billion shekels ($67.57 billion) in 2024 for its military onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli army resumed its onslaught on Gaza on March 18, shattering a Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

Israel has killed more than 51,200 Palestinians in the enclave since October 2023, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 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.

Former Iranian president Rouhani: Political rivals blocked nuclear deal in 2021

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Hassan Rouhani

In his remarks on Wednesday, Rouhani revealed new details about the failed negotiations during his final months in office.

“The agreement was prepared for signing,” Rouhani told a meeting in Tehran. “I stepped back in the final weeks because I understood they wanted the deal to happen, but under the next president’s name. I told them, fine – let it be so.”

Rouhani claimed his negotiating team had achieved all of Iran’s key demands by spring 2021.

Then deputy foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi “negotiated the removal of all Trump-era sanctions, even those on the IRGC. They had accepted everything we wanted. I said if they would let us, we could finish it today – just one signature remained.”

“They wouldn’t allow it, just so Rouhani would fail. Who is Rouhani to succeed or fail? They should have thought of the nation,” deplored the former reformist-leaning president, without naming any individual or group.

Rouhani described this as a devastating missed opportunity, but did not give an insight on how they torpedoed the deal supposed to replace the JCPOA.

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