Iran and Afghanistan

US sees Iran moving military equipment including drones and cruise missiles

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 07:13:00 +0000

US sees Iran moving military equipment including drones and cruise missiles

The US has observed Iran moving military equipment, including drones and cruise missiles, around the country, signalling that it may be preparing to attack Israeli targets from within its own territory, two intelligence officials told CNN reporters. However, it is not clear whether Iran is preparing to strike from its soil as part of an initial attack, or whether it is posturing to try to deter Israel or the US from a possible counterstrike on its territory. One of the intelligence officials said the US had observed Iran preparing as many as 100 cruise missiles.

Maximiliaan va… Sat, 04/13/2024 - 09:13

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5th European Union-Central Asia meeting on Afghanistan held in Bishkek

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 08:22:27 +0000

5th European Union-Central Asia meeting on Afghanistan held in Bishkek

The fifth European Union-Central Asia meeting focusing on Afghanistan took place in Bishkek on 14 February. Discussions centred around the situation in Afghanistan, with particular emphasis placed on finding effective ways to interact with the country’s de facto government. Participants praised the recent United Nations (UN) report on Afghanistan and endorsed UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s initiative to establish the position of UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan. Roza Otunbayeva, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, also attended the meeting. The European Union was represented by the EU Special Representative for Central Asia, Terhi Hakkala.

dennis2020 Tue, 02/20/2024 - 09:22

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Who is trying to set the Middle East on fire?

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 11:02:37 +0000

Who is trying to set the Middle East on fire?

It seems someone is trying to add fuel to fire in an already tense Middle East. A terrorist attack in Iran's southern city of Kerman on Wednesday (3 January) left nearly one hundred people dead, and many more injured. The victims were in a massive crowd participating in an event commemorating Revolutionary Guards general Qasem Soleimani four years after his death in a US strike. The two explosions came amid high Middle East tensions over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the killing of a Hamas senior leader in Lebanon on Tuesday. The unclaimed attacks, which sparked fears of a widening conflict in the region, and sparked global condemnation. The United Nations, European Union, and several countries including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey. Russia, Jordan, Germany and Iraq denounced the blasts. UN chief Antonio Guterres “strongly condemns” the blasts, his office said, and the EU said: “This act of terror has exacted a shocking toll of civilian deaths and injuries.” The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said that he spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to “convey condolences” and “condemned this terrorist attack in the strongest terms and expressed solidarity with the Iranian people.”

dennis2020 Thu, 01/04/2024 - 12:02

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In the absence of Georgia, the 3 + 3 meeting in Tehran was again incomplete

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 05:59:47 +0000

In the absence of Georgia, the 3 + 3 meeting in Tehran was again incomplete

The foreign ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia and Turkey, met in Tehran on Monday 23 October in the second meeting of the 3 + 3 format, which however is only 2 + 3 since the third South Caucasus country, Georgia, refuses to participate in the process because of its problems with Russia. Recently, Turkey and Iran have made statements that they prefer this format of interaction with the South Caucasus countries since it excludes external players. Some Azerbaijani officials have expressed similar views. At the end of their meeting in Tehran, the foreign ministers issued a nine-point statement, in which amongst other things, they said that "expressing their positions on various international issues, they discussed the most important issues in the region and emphasized the importance of such platforms as the regional consultative "3+3" platform to provide opportunities for constructive dialogue and establish mutually beneficial cooperation between the countries of the region". commonspace.eu political editor said that the absence of Georgia in the 3 + 3 format hugely reduces the significance of the initiative since it is difficult to discuss regional issues without that country being present. However, the format is important, particularly for Iran, which has been desperately trying to have a role in the region. For the Turks, this is an opportunity to share a platform with Armenia, even as discussions on the normalisation of relations continue. The meeting between the Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers, on the margins of the main event, was perhaps the most significant event in the one-day diplomatic extravaganza in Tehran. For the Russians, such a meeting has limited use. They would prefer to deal with the Armenians and the Azerbaijanis on their own, separately or together. But given that their monopoly over dealings with the two countries, especially on the issue of normalisation of relations, has now been lost, Moscow wants to make sure it is present whenever and wherever the opportunity arises.

dennis2020 Tue, 10/24/2023 - 07:59

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More than 2,000 deaths reported after major earthquakes in Afghanistan

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 09:11:26 +0000

More than 2,000 deaths reported after major earthquakes in Afghanistan

The death toll from a series of major earthquakes in western Afghanistan last Saturday (7 October) has reached an estimated 2,000, according to senior Taliban officials. The disaster has also left around 1,000 people injured, with the toll likely to rise. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the quakes, each with a magnitude of 6.3, primarily affected the western city of Herat and caused significant destruction in the region.

Maximiliaan va… Sun, 10/08/2023 - 11:11

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Iranian female activist wins the Nobel Prize

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 10:41:12 +0000

Iranian female activist wins the Nobel Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Iranian women's rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi. The committee says she received the prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her efforts for promoting human rights and freedom for all. Narges Mohammadi is an Iranian campaigner and deputy head of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, which was founded by fellow Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi. Mohammadi has received several jail sentences since 2011 and is currently being held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison for "spreading propaganda". In awarding her the prize, the Nobel committee said Mohammadi's "brave struggle has come with tremendous personal cost". "Altogether, the regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison," said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo. Narges Mohammadi is "still in prison as I speak", she adds.

dennis2020 Fri, 10/06/2023 - 12:41

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Iranian political point scoring mars process of reconciliation with Saudi Arabia

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 07:13:45 +0000

Iranian political point scoring mars process of reconciliation with Saudi Arabia

Football, it is often said, can unite nations in love with the game. But in Iran, it appears they see things differently. Saudi Arabia and Iran were at loggerheads for years, but in March, with much fanfare, the Chinese announced they had brokered a deal between the two countries. Diplomatic relations were restored. And from last month, football matches could start being played on their home grounds, instead of in third party venues. But for Iran, political scoring is all important. A furious row erupted on Monday after an Iranian football club tried to use a match against Saudi opponents for political propaganda. The AFC Champions League match at the Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium in Isfahan between Sepahan and Jeddah team Al-Ittihad was called off when the Iranian club refused to remove political banners and busts of the late Revolutionary Guard warlord Qassem Soleimani from the edge of the pitch. Soleimani ran the overseas arm of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and was a blunt critic of the Saudi government and the kingdom’s ruling Al Saud family. He was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in 2020. The Iranians refused to remove the bust. After requesting a delay of half an hour to assess the situation, the Saudi team and staff left the stadium to head to the airport and back to Saudi Arabia.

dennis2020 Tue, 10/03/2023 - 09:13

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Senior Iranian official called on all parties in the South Caucasus to help establish peace in the region

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 11:08:18 +0000

Senior Iranian official called on all parties in the South Caucasus to help establish peace in the region

The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Ali Akbar Ahmadian, underscored Tehran's firm opposition to geopolitical changes in the region, and warned that any border change will bring about instability and insecurity and aggravate crises. Ahmadian made the comments in a Sunday meeting with Secretary of the National Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan, in Tehran. The Iranian official pointed to the latest developments in the Caucasus region, and called on all parties to help establish peace in the region. The Iranian FARS news agency said that Ahmadian reaffirmed Iran's principled and unchanging policy on developing relations and interaction with the neighboring states and creating a region free of conflict. "Frank and constructive dialogue among regional countries will prepare the ground for [improving] sustainable security, balanced development and prosperity of the nations in the region," the SNSC secretary stated. Ahmadian voiced Iran's readiness to arrange a meeting among the regional states.

dennis2020 Mon, 10/02/2023 - 13:08

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Gordon Brown calls on the International Criminal Court to prosecute Taliban leaders for a crime against humanity for denying education and employment to Afghan girls and women

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 07:42:32 +0000

Gordon Brown calls on the International Criminal Court to prosecute Taliban leaders for a crime against humanity for denying education and employment to Afghan girls and women

Former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who is the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, has called on the International Criminal Court to prosecute Taliban leaders for a crime against humanity for denying education and employment to Afghan girls and women. Brown told a virtual UN press conference on the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on Tuesday that its rulers are responsible for “the most egregious, vicious and indefensible violation of women’s rights and girls’ rights in the world today".

dennis2020 Wed, 08/16/2023 - 09:42

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Armenia and Iran extend energy swap deal for four years until 2030

Fri, 11 Aug 2023 06:48:58 +0000

Armenia and Iran extend energy swap deal for four years until 2030

Yesterday on Thursday (10 August), Armenia and Iran signed an agreement to extend an energy swap deal for another for years and increase its volumes. Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosian said that the extension of the agreement is "one of the best manifestations of Armenian-Iranian friendly relations", adding that "the extension of the agreement is a profitable deal for both countries."

patrickn97 Fri, 08/11/2023 - 08:48

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