International News
Saudi-Iran ties on mend
Recent developments in Saudi Arabia and Iran seems to be on an upswing and may lead to a better understanding amongst two old foes besides unfolding a new regional and global security paradigm.
It seems as if in this winter season, the ice between two largest Muslim countries i.e. Saudi Arabia and Iran, has started melting. One claims to be the leader of the Sunni domination, while the other is the Shia leader. Though this difference doesn’t hold any importance in difference of opinion between the two on various regional and global issues.
However, it seems that the current Saudi dispensation, led by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is ready to forget the old enmity and forge a new relationship with its old foe.
This development also comes in the background of strained relations between the US and Saudi Arabia, on the issue of oil pricing and supply and defence cooperation.
Last week, the Iranian side also showed signs of reconciliation when Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, in Jordan.
Amir-Abdollahian announced that Tehran is ready to reach an agreement with Western powers regarding its nuclear file if “red lines are respected.”
In a tweet, Amir-Abdollahian stated that he had a “friendly conversation” with his counterparts in neighbouring countries on the sidelines of the second Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership in Jordan, adding that that he met the foreign ministers of Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia at the event, adding that the Saudi minister asserted his country’s readiness to continue dialogue with Iran.
Saudi-Iran relations
Saudi Arabia cut off relations with Iran in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. The demonstrators were upset over Saudi Arabia executing Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
Saudi Arabia and Iran have long been at odds over numerous regional issues, perhaps most prominently Iran’s nuclear program. The two countries are also on opposite sides of the Yemen civil war, with Saudi Arabia backing the internationally recognized government and Iran supporting the Houthi rebels.
In 2021, officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran began holding direct talks — facilitated by Baghdad — in an effort to reduce tensions. The bilateral dialogue continued in 2022 also.
Previously, Iraq hosted the fifth round of Saudi-Iran talks in April. There have been no rounds since then. In June, then-Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said the talks had made “remarkable progress.” Iran delayed a sixth round of talks with Saudi Arabia in August due to the political instability in Iraq at the time.
Regional wire service Amwaj Media reported earlier that Saudi Arabia stopped the dialogue with Iran. This was due to concerns over Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who replaced Kadhimi in October, according to Amwaj.
Kadhimi had a pro-US outlook, whereas Sudani is an ally of Iran-backed political forces in Iraq. Sudani said he hoped to continue hosting the dialogue upon taking office.
In December, The Associated Press had also reported that the dialogue had come to a halt. Citing Iraqi officials, the AP said that Iran felt that Saudi Arabia was instigating the widespread anti-government protests in Iran.
Amir-Abdollahian’s tweet is therefore significant because it seemingly signals that the dialogue could be back on.
Minister of Security Esmail Khatib said, in an interview to the website of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, that “our fate and the rest of the regional countries are interconnected”.
The Iranian Foreign Minister was accompanied in Amman by his deputy Ali Bagheri Kani Ali Bagheri.
Amir-Abdollahian held a two-hour meeting with Josep Borrell and Enrique Mora, the European Union’s foreign policy officials.
US-Iran tussle
Amir-Abdollahian announced that Tehran is ready to reach an agreement with Western powers regarding its nuclear file if “red lines are respected.”
“In the past two to three months, the US made hypocritical statements and took action that did not match their words,” he said about the nuclear talks.
Washington “has repeatedly claimed it is ready to take the final step of all parties returning to the agreement in Vienna, but they behaved hypocritically in the media”, he added.
Amir-Abdollahian stated that the parties to the talks are returning to “realism”, noting that if “red lines are respected, we are ready to take the final steps to reach an agreement.”
Analysts feel that Saudi Arabia is seeking an end to direct and indirect Iranian attacks on its territory, while Tehran wants better diplomatic relations with the Gulf due to Iran’s economic problems and also to create a wedge between Saudi Arabia and the United States.
It is expected that normalisation of ties between the two biggest Muslim nations may lead to grater regional stability, besides an increase in the influence of the middle-eastern bloc in the global politics. This may lead to a further refresh of the U.S. policy for the region, because if the two nations come together then it may translate into a more demanding and assertive bloc, challenging the American policy and strategy in the region, which seems to have faltered recently.
(Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi.)
International News
Pakistan blast: 14 Army soldiers among 25 killed at Quetta railway station in Balochistan
Pakistan blast: A bombing claimed by Pakistani separatists killed 25 people, including 14 Army soldiers, at a railway station in Quetta in Balochistan province on Saturday, November 9. The blast hit as passengers waited on a platform at the main railway station in the provincial capital Quetta.
“Fourteen army personnel are among the 25 confirmed dead,” said Muhammad Baloch, a senior local police official, raising an earlier toll of 22 provided by the local government,
At the time of the blast, a train was ready to depart from the platform for Peshawar, reported news agency Reuters.
Quetta senior superintendent of Police (SSP) operations Mohammad Baloch earlier said the incident “seems to be a suicide blast” but it would be too early to say for sure, adding that an investigation was underway to ascertain the nature of the blast.
Mohammad Baloch, a senior police officer, said the bomb exploded when passengers were waiting for a train to travel to the garrison city of Rawalpindi from Quetta.
In a statement, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said police and security forces had reached the site of the incident.
Shahid Rind said the nature of the blast was being investigated as the Bomb Disposal Squad was collecting evidence from the site, and a report on the incident had been sought.
Shahid Rind said the death toll from the attack was likely to rise as some of the wounded passengers were listed in critical condition.
The government official stated that an ‘emergency’ has been imposed in the hospitals there, adding that the “injured were being provided with medical aid,
The train station explosion hit at around 8:45am (0345 GMT) and was claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), one of the area’s main separatist groups.
The attack “was carried out on a Pakistani army unit at Quetta railway station… after completing a course at the Infantry School,” the BLA said in a statement.
The Associated Press of Pakistan, the official news agency, cited railway officials as saying the blast happened near the ticket booth when two trains were scheduled to depart.
Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, resource-rich Balochistan is home to separatist militants.
International News
‘My Heart Is Full Today’: US VP Harris After Conceding Defeat
US Vice President Kamala Harris while addressing supporters at Howard University appeared emotional at her loss, but expressed hope for the betterment of the country.
Donald Trump won a second term in office in the presidential polls. He surpassed the 270-majority mark with a key win in Wisconsin.
Harris expressed hope and said that the light of the US’s promise would burn bright as long as people kept fighting.
“My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve. The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for. But hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting,” she said.
Harris thanked her husband, Douglas Emhoff, Second Gentleman of the United States, US President Joe Biden and his family, her running mate Tim Walz and the entire team for their support.
“To my beloved Doug and our family, I love you so very much. To President Biden and Dr Biden, thank you for your faith and support. To Governor Walz and the Walz family, I know your service to our nation will continue. And to my extraordinary team, to the volunteers who gave so much of themselves, to the poll workers and the local election officials. I thank you all,” she said.
Choking back her tears, Harris said that she was proud of the way the team ran for the race over the course of the campaign period. She said that the campaign was a reminder of the fact that there was a lot more in common among them than what separated them.
“I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it. Over the 107 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions, bringing people together from every walk of life and background, by the love of country, with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America’s future. And we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us. Now, I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it. But we must accept the results of this election,” she said.
Harris added that she spoke to President-elect Donald Trump and congratulated him on his win. She added that what distinguishes a democracy from tyranny or monarchy is to accept the election result.
“Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition, and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power. A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And anyone who seeks the public trust must honour it. At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our God. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign,” she said.
Harris said that the fight that she won’t give up is a fight to reflect the US at its best. She subtly hinted at the controversial abortion ban, the overturning of which was a part of her campaign and said that her fight would continue for women’s rights over their bodies.
“The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation. The ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up. I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions, and aspirations. Where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do. We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence. America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld,” she said.
Harris added that her fight would continue everywhere. Subtly hinting at Trump’s policy of ‘sealing the borders’, said that the fight also includes acceptance of strangers as neighbours.
“We will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts, and in the public square. And we will also wage it in quieter ways, in how we live our lives, by treating one another with kindness and respect, by looking in the face of a stranger and seeing a neighbour, by always using our strength to lift people up, to fight for the dignity that all people deserve,” she said.
Harris added that the fight for such freedom requires hard work, but it is always worth it.
“The fight for our freedom will take hard work, but like I always say, we like hard work. Hard work is good work. Hard work can be joyful work. And the fight for our country is always worth it. It is always worth it,” she said.
Addressing the young voters, which was Harris’s trump card, she said that the fight wasn’t over yet, and it was time to roll sleeves up, and not give up.
“To the young people who are watching, it is okay to feel sad and disappointed. But please know it’s going to be okay. On the campaign, I would often say, when we fight, we win. But here’s the thing, here’s the thing. Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is don’t ever give up.
Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power. And don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before. You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world. And so to everyone who is watching, do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize, and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together,” she said.
Harris motivated people by asking them to find light within themselves and draw strength.
“Look, many of you know I started out as a prosecutor and throughout my career I saw people at some of the worst times in their lives. People who had suffered great harm and great pain. And yet found within themselves the strength and the courage and the resolve to take the stand, to fight for justice, to fight for themselves, to fight for others. So let their courage be our inspiration. Let their determination be our charge. And I’ll close with this. There’s an adage and historian once called a law of history. True of every society across the ages.
The adage is, only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing, America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars. The light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service,” she said.
Harris concluded by asking for God’s blessings for the people and the country.
“May that work guide us, even in the face of setbacks, toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America. I thank you all. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America,” she said.
Several of her supporters appeared extremely sad and cheered for her.
Aaron Carter, a supporter of Harris, said, “I think Kamala’s [Harris] speech was uniting. She tried to be optimistic about the future, which was great. I hope she will be back here next time again for the Presidency. I think she was a great candidate as she managed to bring the really young crowd to support her. It was fantastic.”
International News
US Election Results 2024 Live Updates: Trump On Brink Of Landslide Victory, Leads In 4 Swing States
US Elections Results: After a bitter election campaign, US voters seem to have delivered Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump a second non-consecutive stint in the Oval office. As for electoral college numbers, which determine the winner in this election, Trump is leading with 267, on the brink of a landslide victory, while Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is trailing with 214 votes.
As far as swing states are concerned, Trump has secured four battleground states.
Donald Trump said he would be prepared to concede defeat after Tuesday’s vote “if it’s a fair election”, while again raising concerns about the use of electronic voting machines. Trump, however, said he feels “very confident” about winning back the White House, after casting his Election Day ballot in Florida in one of the most contentious US elections in decades.
Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday thanked his wife Melania Trump in a speech he delivered as he neared the halfway mark in the race for the US President’s post.
He also praised her book, calling it the top-selling book in the country. In the memoir, Melania Trump wrote about her pro-choice stance on abortion, when she met Donald Trump in a New York City night club, and rumours about her son having autism, but left out many personal details of her life.
US Elections Results: “Result Will Help Our Country Heal”, Says Trump
“Result will help our country heal,” says Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as he addresses the supporters following US presidential election result. “US has never seen anything like this,” Trumps adds as he calls the presidential elections 2024 the “greatest political movement ever”.
Trump was joined on stage by members of his family and his wife, Melania Trump, as well as his running mate, JD Vance, and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
US Election Results: Harris vs Kamala: Who Will Reach The 270 Mark First?
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is leading with 247 electoral candidate votes while Kamala Harris trails closely with 214. The US Presidential election results remain nail-biting with the two candidates neck and neck.
Donald Trump has secured his position in two of the seven swing states or key states that will decide the election’s outcome.
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