Category World News

Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched, near-waffen-grade uranium has increased by 50% in the last three months, according to the UN nuclear watchdog.

The United States and Iran are currently negotiating a nuclear deal, according to the report released by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Saturday, with Tehran insisting that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.

Iran, the only non-nuclear weapon state, had accumulated 408.6 kg (900.8 pounds) of uranium as of May 17 according to the IAEA, and had increased by almost 50% to 133.8 kg since its last report in February.

Tehran was advised to change its course in a broad-based, secretive report spotted by several news organizations that claimed Iran engaged in secret nuclear activities at three locations that have long been the subject of an investigation.

Abbas Araghchi, the country’s foreign minister, said Tehran deems nuclear weapons “unacceptable.” He later reiterated the country’s longstanding position.

In a televised speech, Araghchi, Iran’s lead negotiator in the nuclear negotiations with the US, said, “Yes, we too consider this type of weapon unacceptable.” On this point, “We concur with them.”

“Both sides building leverage”

The 35-nation board of governors of the IAEA requested the report in November, which will allow the US, Britain, France, and Germany to press for an international declaration that Iran is in violation of its non-proliferation obligations.

Donald Trump, the president of the United States, stated on Friday that Iran “cannot have nuclear weapons.”

They oppose being blown up. Trump continued, “It would be great that we could have a deal without bombs being dropped all over the Middle East,” adding that they would prefer to make a deal.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was reached by Iran with the United Kingdom, the US, Germany, France, Russia, China, and the European Union in 2015. Tehran was subject to sanctions that were lifted in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear development program.

However, US President Trump renounced the deal and reinstituted severe sanctions in 2018. Then, Tehran rebuilt its enriched uranium stockpiles.

Iran’s uranium was rapidly increased to 60 percent purity, according to the IAEA in December of last year, making the 90 percent mark for weapons-grade material more likely.

Iran insists it is not developing weapons, despite the claims that Western countries oppose such extensive enrichment.

Iranian professor of political science Hamed Mousavi claimed that the IAEA’s findings could provide an opportunity for Iran to negotiate while its ongoing nuclear negotiations with the US are ongoing.

“I believe that each side is attempting to use leverage against the opposing side.” A breakthrough in Iran’s nuclear program will give them more leverage in the negotiations with the Americans, he said.

He added that the US might impose additional sanctions and may refer the Iran case to the UN Security Council because it violated the non-proliferation agreement in 2006, among other things. He continued, adding that Iran has not yet “made the political decision” to build a potential bomb.

Local authorities reported that as rescue teams continue to search for the missing and recover bodies from parts of central Nigeria, where more than 150 people have been killed and thousands have been displaced as a result of the floods’ devastating effects.

Following torrential rain that started late on Wednesday and continued into Thursday, flooding swept the rural town of Mokwa in the Niger State.

More bodies were recovered close to 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Mokwa, according to Ibrahim Audu Husseini, a spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), whose death toll has increased to 151.

He claimed that 265 homes were “completely destroyed” in the floods, with at least 3, 018 people displaced, while 265 others were reportedly swept down the Niger River, raising concerns that the death toll may still rise.

With the assistance of Nigeria’s security forces, President Bola Tinubu declared his condolences over the weekend and that search-and-rescue operations were ongoing.

He stated in a social media post that “relief supplies and temporary shelter assistance are being immediately deployed.”

The families were lost, too. The property has vanished, according to Mohammed Tanko, a local, to Al Jazeera. “We don’t have anywhere else to go.” “This house lost at least 15 people.”

Another survivor remarked, “I escaped with only my nightdress.” I can’t even remember the location of our house right now.

Fear of more rain

Meteorologists warn of additional rain coming in the near future, putting fears that the area will become even more flooded.

Despite Nigeria’s six-month rainy season, experts claim that climate change, unrestricted construction, and poor drainage infrastructure are all contributing factors to the increase in the severity and frequency of these disasters.

Between April and October, flood risk analyst at the University of Nigeria, Ugonna Nkwunonwo, told Al Jazeera, “Flooding has become an annual event.”

He remarked that while flood risks have been identified for a while, “there hasn’t been much political power to implement this change.”

He claimed that climate change is a factor in the frequency and intensity of rain, which is a cause of this flooding. People aren’t prepared for that kind of rainfall, according to the saying “the amount of rain you can expect in a year could probably come in one or two months.”

Similar tragedies that occurred in Nigeria last year left over 1,200 people dead and up to 2 million people displaced.

The National Emergency Management Agency stated in a statement that “this tragic incident serves as a timely reminder of the dangers associated with building on waterways and the crucial importance of keeping drainage channels and river paths clear.”

Some of Israel’s closest allies have begun to condemn its actions more than 600 days into its genocidal conflict in Gaza. A consensus that dates back to October 7, 2023 has been suffocated by the growing opposition to the Netanyahu government’s war methods in Israel, in addition to the changing global narrative.

Contributors: 
Al-Shabaka co-director Yara Hawari
Natasha Lennard, The Intercept contributor,
Orly Noy, Editor, Local Call
Muhammad Shehada, European Council on Foreign Relations visiting fellow

On our radar:

The number of calls coming out of Gaza’s hospitals has increased steadily over the past few weeks. Meenakshi Ravi reports on the healthcare professionals regaining the media’s attention and filling the void left by previous reports.

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: “Aid washing”

Former CIA and military personnel are among the former members of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which was established a few months ago. Together with Palestinian journalists on the ground, we speak with co-founder of Drop Site News, Jeremy Scahill, who has investigated the GHF.

Pakistan’s diplomatic ties with Afghanistan have improved, indicating an easing of tensions between its southern neighbors.

Ishaq Dar, the head of state for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, announced on Friday that the charge d’affaires in Kabul would be elevated to the position of ambassador, with the latter designation followed by an update to its representation in Islamabad.

In absence of the ambassador, a charge d’affaires serves as the ambassador’s chief of mission.

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X on Saturday, “This increase in the diplomatic representation between Afghanistan and Pakistan opens the door to enhanced bilateral cooperation in a number of fields.”

The Government of Pakistan’s decision to raise the level of its diplomatic presence in Kabul to an ambassadorial level is welcomed by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Afghan Islamic Emirate will reciprocally raise the… image. twitter.com/ZY1S5TexAR

According to Zia Ahmad Takal, the ministry’s spokesman, Amir Khan Muttaqi is scheduled to visit Pakistan “in the coming days.”

Since their return to power in 2021, only a select few nations, including China, have agreed to host Taliban government ambassadors, and none of them have yet officially recognized the administration.

Pakistan, China, the United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan are the only other nations to design an ambassador to Kabul. Days after removing the Taliban’s “terrorist” designation, Russia announced last month that it would also approve a Taliban ambassador.

Security concerns and Islamabad’s campaign to expel tens of thousands of Afghan refugees have caused relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan to have been strained for the past few months.

According to Islamabad, armed groups operating inside Pakistan use Afghan soil. Kabul refutes the claim, claiming that this kind of domestic violence is unacceptable in Pakistan.

Foreign Minister Dar claimed on Friday that since his recent trip to Kabul, relations between the two countries have improved. He also met Wang Yi and Muttaqi during a trilateral meeting last week in Beijing.

The ministers condemned “Israel’s decision to ban the delegation’s visit to Ramallah]on Sunday] to meet with the president of the State of Palestine, Mahmud Abbas”, the Jordanian foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were expected to take part in the meeting alongside Turkiye.

Israel late on Friday said it will not allow the meeting of Arab foreign ministers, who would have required Israeli consent to travel to the occupied West Bank from Jordan because Israel controls the Palestinian territory’s borders and airspace.

“The Palestinian Authority – which to this day refuses to condemn the October 7 massacre – intended to host in Ramallah a provocative meeting of foreign ministers from Arab countries to discuss the promotion of the establishment of a Palestinian state”, the Israeli official said late on Friday.

“Israel will not cooperate with such moves aimed at harming it and its security”.

The Israeli move came ahead of an international conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, due to be held in New York on June 17-20 to discuss the issue of Palestinian statehood.

Israel has come under increasing pressure from the United Nations and European countries which favour a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, under which an independent Palestinian state would exist alongside Israel.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that recognising a Palestinian state was not only a “moral duty but a political necessity”.

Last week, Israeli forces opened fire near a diplomatic convoy near Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, triggering an international outcry. The convoy included diplomats from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Russia and China.

The Israeli military claimed its soldiers fired “warning shots” after the group deviated from an agreed-upon route.

Israel has also allowed the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, with the government announcing plans to establish 22 new settlements, including retroactively legalising a number of unauthorised outposts.

The move has been condemned by Palestinian officials and global human rights groups.

The International Court of Justice declared last July that Israel’s longstanding occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal, and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, at least 972 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7, 000 injured in attacks by the Israeli army and settlers across the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. An estimated 1, 139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7 and more than 200 were taken captive.