Author: Steven Sahiounie

Qatar’s emir and the French president discussed on Tuesday the need to bring “peace and stability in the MidEast,” expressing opposition to planned Israeli operations in Rafah, southern Gaza. Qatar’s emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani was received by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace as he began a two-day state visit to Paris. The ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip was at the heart of the discussion between the two leaders. “The President of the Republic and the Emir finally discussed the need to work on the conditions for a return to peace and stability in the MidEast…

US President Joe Biden criticized his predecessor Donald Trump’s comments on NATO as “absolutely bizarre,” after the Republican frontrunner said Washington should not defend its European allies who refuse to fulfill their military spending commitments. Biden slammed his Republican rival during a “surprise” guest appearance on NBC’s ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ on Monday, insisting that Trump’s idea that the US is not obliged to protect its allies was “totally against our interest,” RT reported. “I’ve known every major foreign leader for the longest time, and I know all these guys extremely well. They’re scared to death. What it means…

Russia poses no danger to those countries from which it faces no threat, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, rejecting concerns recently voiced by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as unfounded. “We don’t see eye to eye on everything with Mr. Orban. However, contrary to what EU officials have been persistently saying, Russia poses no threat to the countries that aren’t hostile towards Russia and don’t seek to become an anti-Russia entity. That said, concerns about that are unfounded,” the Kremlin spokesman noted, commenting on Orban’s remark that Hungary would not want to share a border with Russia. However, Peskov…

King Abdullah II joined crews dropping aid into the devastated Gaza Strip from a Jordanian Air Force plane on Tuesday. Reuters reported that King Abdullah said humanitarian aid to Gaza must be doubled to prevent a deterioration in a hunger crisis affecting more than two million people in the war-torn territory. A senior UN aid official has told the Security Council that widespread famine could be “almost inevitable” without action and that at least 576,000 people in the Gaza Strip – one-quarter of the population – are one step away from famine. Jordan, which the UN and Western donors have…

Former US President Donald Trump is “likely” to launch sweeping reforms of the US intelligence community if he is re-elected in November, prompting concerns from the agencies that once baselessly accused him of ties to Russia. Politico interviewed 18 intelligence officials – including several former Trump appointees who later came out as his outspoken critics – in an article published on Monday, warning that the possible purge could “undermine the credibility of American intelligence.” “Trump intends to go after the intelligence community,” said one former senior intelligence official. “He started that process before and he’s going to do it again. Part of that process is to root…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken conducted individual telephone conversations with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to discuss Gaza-related issues ahead of a potential ceasefire deal anticipated for the upcoming weekend, according to a press release from State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. “Secretary Blinken and the [Saudi Arabian] Foreign Minister pledged to continue close coordination, along with the Palestinians and other regional and international partners, on ways to resolve the conflict in Gaza and prepare for the post-conflict phase,” Miller said in the release on Tuesday. Miller highlighted that Blinken emphasized the United States’ dedication…

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says diplomatic relations between the Islamic Republic and Egypt will positively influence the entire region. Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Hassan Shoukry, on the sidelines of the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in the Swiss city of Geneva on Tuesday. The Iranian top diplomat went on to say that advancing regional stability is in the interest of Tehran and Cairo alike. He also described a recent meeting between the presidents of the two nations in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as a “new starting point”…

The situation on the frontline is catastrophic for Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, and the recent statement by French President Emmanuel Macron about the possible deployment of French troops to Ukraine will be of no help, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik radio. “The Kiev regime is facing a deplorable situation on the frontline, and nothing will help it,” the Russian diplomat said. According to her, some bold and powerful rhetoric was needed to encourage Ukrainian troops. “Has Macron’s statement had any effect? The situation is the complete opposite,” Zakharova maintained. In addition, Zakharova said, in the wake of Macron’s statements,…

Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, affirmed that terrorism and the occupation of parts of Syrian territory are hindering the process of achieving complete stability in the country, in addition to the ongoing Israeli attacks on its lands, in a flagrant violation of international law. During a Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria on Tuesday, Iravani said: “The repeated Israeli attacks against Syria complicate the situation there, stop humanitarian activities and disrupt the arrival of humanitarian aid,” reiterating Iran’s condemnation of these blatant violations of international laws by the Israeli entity. He…

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia stresses the US’s role in the thousands of deaths in Gaza due to its repeated vetoes at the UNSC. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia asserted on Tuesday that the US holds complete accountability for the high number of deaths in Gaza, attributing them to its repeated vetoes in UN Security Council (UNSC) sessions. During a meeting of the UNSC, Nebenzia said that “Washington bears full responsibility for the unprecedented number of civilian victims of this escalation. Their number is now near 30,000. And that is the cost of the American veto in the Security Council on Gaza.” He…