Saied Blasts Foreign 'Interference' in Tunisian Affairshttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5021561-saied-blasts-foreign-interference-tunisian-affairs
Saied Blasts Foreign 'Interference' in Tunisian Affairs
A march to demand the release of imprisoned journalists, activists and opposition figures and to set a date for holding fair presidential elections in Tunisia (Reuters)
Saied Blasts Foreign 'Interference' in Tunisian Affairs
A march to demand the release of imprisoned journalists, activists and opposition figures and to set a date for holding fair presidential elections in Tunisia (Reuters)
Tunisian President Kais Saied on Thursday denounced foreign "interference" following international criticism of a recent arrests of political commentators, lawyers and journalists in the North African country.
Saied, who in 2021 orchestrated a sweeping power grab, ordered the foreign ministry to summon diplomats and "inform them that Tunisia is an independent state".
Speaking during a televised meeting, the president told Mounir Ben Rjiba, state secretary to the foreign ministry, to "summon as soon as possible the ambassadors of a number of countries", without specifying which ones.
Ben Rjiba was asked to "strongly object to them that what they are doing is a blatant interference in our internal affairs".
"Inform them that Tunisia is an independent state that adheres to its sovereignty," Saied added, AFP reported.
"We didn't interfere in their affairs when they arrested protesters... who denounced the war of genocide against the Palestinian people," he added, referring to demonstrations on university campuses in the United States and elsewhere over the Israel-Hamas war.
The European Union on Tuesday expressed concern that Tunisian authorities were cracking down on dissenting voices.
France denounced "arrests, in particular of journalists and members of (non-governmental) associations", while the United States said they were "in contradiction" with "the universal rights explicitly guaranteed by the Tunisian Constitution".
The media union said Wednesday that Decree 54 was "a deliberate attack on the essence of press freedom and a vain attempt to intimidate journalists and media employees and sabotage public debate".
Baghdad Rejects Iranian ‘Protection’ for Suspects Placed on Corruption Listshttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5292672-baghdad-rejects-iranian-%E2%80%98protection%E2%80%99-suspects-placed-corruption-lists
Baghdad Rejects Iranian ‘Protection’ for Suspects Placed on Corruption Lists
A circulating image shows Iraqi vehicles at an entrance to the Green Zone at dawn on June 28, 2026
The Iraqi government has rejected Iranian requests to exempt individuals facing judicial arrest warrants as part of corruption investigations and has urged Tehran to use official diplomatic channels to arrange visits by Iranian officials who have “customarily held secret meetings” in Baghdad, according to two informed sources on Sunday.
The developments followed what was described as a “secret” visit by Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force, shortly after an official visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who met Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on June 28.
One source said Qaani arrived in Baghdad a few days after Araghchi’s visit without any public announcement. It is believed to have been his first trip to Iraq since al-Zaidi took office on May 14.
As Iranian influence in Baghdad has expanded over the years, reports of undeclared visits by senior officials from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have become frequent, although many were never officially confirmed and some could not be independently verified.
During the recent US-Iran war, Qaani acknowledged that he had traveled to Baghdad in late April to express his “thanks and appreciation to the Iraqi people and officials.”
Iranian Requests
According to the two sources, the Iranian officials sought changes to Iraq’s plan to bring all weapons under state control after the government set Sept. 30 as the deadline for eliminating arms outside state authority. Tehran also requested that Baghdad narrow the list of arrest warrants that could target political and government figures with close ties to the IRGC.
One source said Iraqi authorities rejected any changes to their plans on weapons control and anti-corruption measures and informed Tehran of their decision. Baghdad also insisted that Iran adhere to formal diplomatic procedures and rejected “bypassing official channels through secret meetings,” in an apparent reference to Qaani.
Unannounced visits by Iranian officials, particularly commanders of the Quds Force, have long been politically sensitive in Iraq and across the region. The Iraqi government did not respond to requests for comment.
For years, Baghdad has struggled to establish the state’s monopoly over arms. Iran-backed armed factions argue that they have earned a role in shaping political decisions because of their campaign against ISIS.
The United States has pressed Iraq to diminish its ties with Iran, and some observers believe al-Zaidi’s government is gradually emerging as a promising opportunity to reshape the balance of power as part of a broader regional realignment.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, al-Zaidi pledged to place all weapons under state control, declaring that “there will be no weapons except those of the state.”
Doubts and International Commitments
A former lawmaker from a Shiite alliance told Asharq Al-Awsat that the recent developments do not necessarily signal a fundamental shift in Baghdad’s relationship with Tehran.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he warned that Iran and its Iraqi allies could respond to growing US pressure by adopting a lower profile while preserving their influence through indirect channels.
He said it remains too early to conclude that Iranian influence is receding, noting that the extent to which Tehran-aligned factions comply with government policies will become clearer in the coming months.
A senior political adviser in Baghdad told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government informed Tehran it could not approve of requests that would violate Iraq’s international commitments on combating money laundering and controlling weapons that threaten regional security.
Baghdad has recently entered into commitments with the US and European countries to implement economic and security reforms, including tighter measures against money laundering and illegal weapons.
The adviser added that Iraq remains committed to maintaining its strategic partnership with neighboring Iran on the basis of mutual respect and shared interests.
Alarm Phone: 12 Migrants Missing Since Leaving Algerian Coast a Week Agohttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5292633-alarm-phone-12-migrants-missing-leaving-algerian-coast-week-ago
Alarm Phone: 12 Migrants Missing Since Leaving Algerian Coast a Week Ago
Migrants rescued after their boat, which departed from the coast of Libya towards Europe, sank (AP file photo)
Twelve migrants are missing since last week in the western Mediterranean, according to Alarm Phone, a Tunisian platform specialized in tracking migrants in distress at sea.
“A boat with 12 people missing in western Mediterranean.
The group left Tipaza, in Algeria on June 29. We have had no news of them since their departure. We hope they will be found and brought to safety!” Alarm Phone wrote on its X account.
Relatives of one of the 12 migrants had notified the platform about the boat missing and said they lost contact with the migrants since their departure a week ago.
Spain’s Maritime Safety and Rescue Society, Salvamento Maritimo, announced it had not intercepted the boat or the migrants.
Using the Mediterranean route to reach Europe is considered the deadliest for migrants, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
As the summer months offer more stable weather conditions, more migrant boats venture out to reach European shores.
According to data from the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, over 1,410 people are feared dead or missing in the Mediterranean shipwrecks this year, including 225 migrants using the Western Mediterranean route.
Last week, Pope Leo XIV visited Italy's Lampedusa island, a major port of call for migrants risking the perilous crossing from Africa, in a stark message to US and EU leaders.
Leo's visit also comes just two weeks after the European Union's approval of new migrant rules allowing much broader detention powers and the creation of deportation centers outside the bloc.
Lampedusa sits 145 kilometers off the coast of Tunisia, and is famous for showing compassion to thousands of migrants -- and taking in their dead.
Majly to Asharq Al-Awsat: Armed Forces Ready for Any Houthi Escalation, to Protect Yemenhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5292624-majly-asharq-al-awsat-armed-forces-ready-any-houthi-escalation-protect-yemen
Majly to Asharq Al-Awsat: Armed Forces Ready for Any Houthi Escalation, to Protect Yemen
Defense Minister Lieutenant General Tahir Al-Aqili meets forces deployed in Shabwa. (Shabwa press office)
Yemen Armed Forces Spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdu Majly stressed that the forces are ready to handle ay field development or military escalation by the Iran-backed Houthis.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he condemned the “direct Iranian meddling” in Yemen, it was a threat to regional and international security and undermine efforts to reach a political settlement to end the war.
Iran’s operation of a direct Mahan Air flight from Houthi-held Sanaa airport is a “flagrant violation of the Yemeni republic’s sovereignty” and undermining of international laws and United Nations Security Council resolutions, he added.
He also deemed it a “dangerous threat to Yemeni and regional security.”
Majly said the flight carried Iranian “experts” and members of its Revolutionary Guards Corpse (IRGC). They arrived in Yemen to run military operations alongside the Houthis.
This is evidence that Tehran is using the militants as “a tool to implement its expansionist agenda in the region and undermine the sovereignty of the Yemeni state,” he stressed.
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council slammed the flight, saying it demonstrates the close relations between the Houthis and Iran.
It underscores the Houthis’ continued use of state institutions in areas under their control to serve the Iranian agenda, it went on to say.
It is an act of “defiance” against Security Council resolutions and international law, it added, saying it tests the international community’s commitment to protecting Yemen’s sovereignty.
Meanwhile, a statement by the Saudi-led Arab coalition said the latest developments not only reflect internal Yemeni conflicts, but they are also tied to regional security.
Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki vowed that the coalition will “respond with unprecedented force” to any attack against Saudi Arabia or Yemen.
Majly told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iran’s continued support to the Houthis reveals how it “is using the group to serve its agendas in defiance of the will of the Yemeni people and regional and international efforts to end the war and restore peace.”
Yemen Armed Forces Spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdu Majly. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Through direct Iranian support, the Houthis “are undermining all political initiatives and rejecting peace, starting with Saudi-led efforts in cooperation with brothers and international partners.”
He therefore held the Houthis responsible for the continued deterioration in the humanitarian and economic situation in Yemen.
The armed forces, out of their constitutional and legal responsibilities, will maintain their protection of the Yemeni republic, defend its skies and territories, and repel any threat to its legitimate institutions, he vowed.
On the ground, Majalli said the Houthis were amassing forces on several fronts, especially Hodeidah and the west coast.
On Saturday, they struck a position held by government forces in Hays, leaving fatalities and injuries in their ranks.
Majly accused the Houthis of seeking to threaten navigation in the Red Sea and other marine waterways, warning that such practices harm the Yemeni state and the interests of the Yemeni people.
The armed forces are on high combat readiness and their morale is firm, he stressed.
They are determined to liberate territories, reclaim state institutions and consolidate the legitimate authority, he said.
Commenting on the recent “hostile” Houthi statements against Saudi Arabia, Majly said they were aimed at “diverting attention away from the violations the militants are committing against the Yemeni people and their responsibility in deepening the humanitarian and economic crisis in the country.”
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