Connect with us

World

Syria’s Sharaa tells Putin he will respect past deals with Moscow

Two Syrian sources told Reuters that Sharaa would use the talks to formally request that Moscow hand over Assad to face trial over alleged crimes against Syrians.

Published

on

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday he would honour all past deals struck between his country and Moscow, a pledge suggesting Moscow’s two main military bases in Syria are safe, Reuters reported.

Sharaa, who once headed the Syrian branch of al Qaeda and who toppled predecessor Bashar al-Assad, a close Russian ally, late last year, was speaking at the start of Kremlin talks with Putin on his first visit to Russia since coming to power.

“There are bilateral relations and shared interests that bind us with Russia, and we respect all agreements made with it. We are working on redefining the nature of relations with Russia,” Sharaa, who was speaking in Arabic, told Putin.

Putin told him that Moscow was ready to do all it could to act on what he called “many interesting and useful beginnings” that had already been discussed between the two sides when it came to renewing relations.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters after the talks that Moscow was willing to work on oil projects in Syria and help it to restore energy, rail and other infrastructure destroyed during years of civil war. The two leaders had discussed this at length, he said.

“Russian companies have been working in Syria for a long time, at oil fields. There are fields that require development, those that are mothballed, and new fields. We are ready to participate,” Novak said.

The Kremlin said before the talks that the fate of Russia’s two main bases in Syria – the Hmeimim air base in Syria’s Latakia province, and its naval facility at Tartous on the coast – would be discussed, read the report.

Russia has a military presence at Qamishli airport – in the northeast near the borders of Turkey and Iraq – as well.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Moscow believed Damascus wanted the military bases to stay and spoke about using them as logistics hubs to get aid to Africa.

Syrian officials are seeking guarantees that Russia will not help rearm remnants of Assad’s forces, a Syrian source said before the talks. Sharaa is hoping that Russia might also help rebuild the Syrian army, the same source said.

Sharaa’s visit was sensitive. Russia used its military muscle to back Assad for years against Syrian rebels who came to power in December last year led by Sharaa. Moscow then granted asylum to Assad and his family when they fled the country.

The Assads now live discreetly in Moscow, according to Russian media.

Two Syrian sources told Reuters that Sharaa would use the talks to formally request that Moscow hand over Assad to face trial over alleged crimes against Syrians.

Russia prides itself on being able to protect its foreign allies and was not likely to agree to hand over Assad to Damascus. Lavrov said on Monday that Russia had given Assad refuge because his life had been under threat, Reuters reported.

Sharaa, who is hoping to secure economic concessions from Russia, including the resumption of wheat supplies on favourable terms and compensation for war damage, was also expected to press for Moscow’s backing to resist Israeli demands for a wider demilitarised zone in southern Syria.

One of the two sources said he might also raise the issue of redeploying Russian military police as a guarantor against further Israeli encroachments.

World

Trump says US could restart Iran strikes ‘if they misbehave’

Iran has ⁠been blocking nearly all shipping from the Gulf apart from its own for more than two months. Last month, the U.S. imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.

Published

on

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he had been told about the concept of a deal with Iran, but was ​waiting for the exact wording, while warning there was still the possibility of restarting strikes on the country if Tehran misbehaves, Reuters reported.

A senior Iranian official said on ‌Saturday that an Iranian proposal so far rejected by Trump would open shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and end the U.S. blockade of Iran while leaving talks on Iran’s nuclear program for later.

When asked about Iran’s proposal before boarding a flight to Miami at West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump replied: “They told me about the concept of the deal. They’re going to give me the exact wording now.”

He added on his social ​media channel that he could not imagine the proposals would be acceptable and that Iran had not paid a big enough price for what it had done.

Asked if ​he might restart strikes on Iran, Trump replied: “I don’t want to say that. I mean, I can’t tell that to a reporter. If ⁠they misbehave, if they do something bad, right now we’ll see. But it’s a possibility that could happen.”

Trump has said repeatedly that Iran can never ​have a nuclear weapon and said on Friday he was not satisfied with the latest Iranian proposal, while Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran was ready for diplomacy if the U.S. changes its ​approach, read the report.

Reuters and other news organizations reported over the past week that Tehran was proposing to reopen the strait before nuclear issues were resolved. The official confirmed that this new timeline had now been spelled out in a formal proposal conveyed to the United States through mediators.

Trump also said on Friday that “on a human basis,” he did not prefer the military course of action and told congressional leaders he did not ​need their permission to extend the war beyond a deadline set by law for that day because the ceasefire had “terminated” hostilities.

While saying repeatedly he is in no hurry, Trump is under ​domestic pressure to break Iran’s hold on the strait, which has choked off 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies and pushed up U.S. gasoline prices. Trump’s Republican Party faces the risk of ‌a voter ⁠backlash over higher prices when the country votes in midterm congressional elections in November.

Iranian media said Tehran’s 14-point proposal included the withdrawal of U.S. forces from areas surrounding Iran, lifting the blockade, releasing Iran’s frozen assets, payment of compensation, lifting sanctions and ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, as well as a new control mechanism for the strait.

The United States and Israel suspended their bombing campaign against Iran four weeks ago, but appear no closer to a deal to end a war that has caused the biggest disruption ever to global energy supplies, roiled ​global markets and raised worries about the possibility ​of a wider global economic downturn.

Iran has ⁠been blocking nearly all shipping from the Gulf apart from its own for more than two months. Last month, the U.S. imposed its own blockade of ships from Iranian ports.

Washington has repeatedly said it will not end the war, which has led to the deaths of ​thousands of people, without a deal that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, the primary aim Trump cited when he launched ​strikes in February in the ⁠midst of nuclear talks. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential diplomacy, the senior Iranian official said Tehran believed its latest proposal to shelve nuclear talks for a later stage was a significant shift aimed at facilitating an agreement, Reuters reported.

Under the proposal, the war would end with a guarantee that Israel and the United States would not attack again. ⁠Iran would open ​the strait, and the United States would lift its blockade.

Future talks would then be held on curbs to ​Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, with Iran demanding Washington recognize its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, even if it agrees to suspend its nuclear program.

“Under this framework, negotiations over the more complicated ​nuclear issue have been moved to the final stage to create a more conducive atmosphere,” the official said.

Continue Reading

World

Trump says he’s dissatisfied with Iranian proposal as rift with allies deepens

Published

on

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he was not satisfied with the latest Iranian proposal for ​talks on the Iran war, while Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran was ready for diplomacy if the United States changes its approach.

Trump’s comments indicated the deadlock over the ‌two-month-old war is likely to persist, even as he looks to end a conflict that remains deeply unpopular among Americans, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, U.S. relations with its traditional allies were further strained over Iran on Friday, as the United States announced it was withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany. Trump had threatened a drawdown over differences with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said on Monday the Iranians were humiliating the United States and that the Americans lacked an exit strategy.

A senior Pentagon official, speaking on ​condition of anonymity, said recent German comments were “inappropriate and unhelpful.”

“The president is rightly reacting to these counterproductive remarks,” the official said.

Though the United States and Iran have suspended hostilities since ​an April 8 ceasefire, the two countries remain at odds over a range of issues, including Iran’s nuclear ambitions and control over the Strait of ⁠Hormuz, and the two sides have yet to agree to a second meeting following a brief summit of senior officials in Islamabad last month.

It was unclear what the Iranians had submitted in their ​fresh proposal. Iran’s Foreign Ministry has cautioned against expecting quick results.

“They want to make a deal, but … I’m not satisfied with it,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding that the Iranian leadership ​was “very disjointed” and split into two or three groups.

“They’re asking for things that I can’t agree to,” he said, adding that negotiations by phone were continuing.

Later on Friday, during a speech in Florida, Trump said the United States would not end its confrontation with Iran early “and then have the problem arise in three more years.”

Trump has said Iran would not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. He is also under pressure to break Iran’s hold ​on the strait, which has choked off 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies.

Global oil prices eased on Friday following news of the Iranian proposal, coming off Thursday’s four-year high. Benchmark Brent crude ​was down 1% to around $109.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said his country was ready to pursue diplomacy if the United States changes what he called its “excessive approach, threatening rhetoric and provocative actions.”

However, Araqchi added in a post ‌on his ⁠Telegram channel that “Iran’s armed forces remained ready to defend the country against any threat.”

Iran has activated air defenses and plans a wide response if attacked, having assessed that there will be a short, intensive U.S. strike, possibly followed by an Israeli attack, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

REPORTS ON PLANS FOR NEW STRIKES

Separately, Trump told leaders in Congress that he did not need their permission to extend the war beyond a Friday deadline set by law because the ceasefire had “terminated” hostilities.

“Do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever? Or do ​we want to try and make a deal?” ​Trump said when asked about his options.

Trump ⁠added that “on a human basis,” he did not prefer the military course of action.

The war, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has led to the deaths of thousands of people. The closure of the strait has increased concerns about the possibility of a wider ​global economic downturn.

The U.S. Navy is blockading exports of Iranian crude oil. As of Friday afternoon, 45 commercial vessels had been stopped, according to ​the U.S. military.

The U.S. Treasury ⁠said that any shipper paying tolls to Iran for passage, including charitable donations to organizations such as the Iranian Red Crescent Society, would be at risk of punitive sanctions.

IRAN SAYS TO BUY DOMESTIC

The war has aggravated Iran’s economic plight, but it looks able to survive a standoff for now, despite the U.S. blockade that has curtailed its energy exports.

In a written message, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called on businesses damaged in ⁠the war to ​avoid layoffs as much as possible, Iranian news agencies reported.

China’s U.N. ambassador, Fu Cong, said it was an urgent necessity to ​maintain the ceasefire and that the strait needs to be reopened as quickly as possible. He said he was sure the strait would be high on the agenda in talks between China’s leader Xi Jinping and Trump if it is still ​closed when Trump travels to Beijing this month.

Continue Reading

World

US judge rejects Trump administration’s halt on immigration applications

Published

on

A federal judge on Thursday ruled that policies that make it harder for ‌people from countries on President Donald Trump’s travel ban list to get green cards and work permits are discriminatory and unlawful.

U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick in Boston reached that conclusion as she issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit by around ​200 people from 20 countries including Iran, Haiti, Venezuela and Syria who sued over a halt ​on the processing of their immigration-related applications, Reuters reported.

The lawsuit, filed in December, took aim at ⁠policies U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services adopted beginning in November affecting applications by immigrants seeking asylum, green ​cards and work authorization.

Those policies have resulted in the agency placing a hold on the processing of applications ​from people from the 39 countries that are the subject of full or partial travel bans imposed by Trump, who has cited vetting and security concerns.

Before instituting that halt, the agency, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, adopted ​a policy in November 2025 that treats the nationality of people from those countries as a “significant negative ​factor” when reviewing their applications.

Kobick, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, concluded the plaintiffs were likely to succeed ‌in proving ⁠that policy ran afoul of the Immigration and Nationality Act’s bar against nationality-based discrimination.

The judge said the agency’s subsequent halt on reviewing asylum and naturalization applications was likewise “contrary to Congress’s command that the agency issue decisions on such applications.” She said the pause on reviewing green card and work authorization applications violated regulations ​governing them.

Kobick blocked USCIS from ​enforcing the policies against ⁠22 plaintiffs who had provided declarations detailing how they were harmed by them, and she directed the parties to discuss whether her order should apply to the ​rest of the 200.

Jim Hacking, ​a lawyer ⁠for the plaintiffs, welcomed the ruling, which he said appeared to be the first by a judge nationally to address the “significant negative factor” policy alongside the separate but related hold on the processing of applications. A handful ⁠of other ​judges have previously ruled against that halt in some migrants’ cases.

“USCIS ​wants to make it harder for people to receive an immigration benefit if they are from one of the 39 countries, even ​though Congress has never allowed them to,” he said.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025 Ariana News. All rights reserved!