First Charge Filed in Russia Inquiry

A federal grand jury in D.C. approved the first round of charges in special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe into Russia's meddling over the 2016 election. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
A federal grand jury in D.C. approved the first round of charges in special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe into Russia's meddling over the 2016 election. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
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First Charge Filed in Russia Inquiry

A federal grand jury in D.C. approved the first round of charges in special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe into Russia's meddling over the 2016 election. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
A federal grand jury in D.C. approved the first round of charges in special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe into Russia's meddling over the 2016 election. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

A federal grand jury in Washington approved on Friday the first charges in the investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the US Presidential elections in 2016, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters.

The source reported that the indictment was sealed under orders from a federal judge so it was not clear what the charges were or who the target was, adding that it could be unsealed as early as Monday.

Special counsel Robert Mueller indicted at least one person, however, the details of the indictment are still unclear.

CNN and other sources including the Wall Street Journal reported that a federal grand jury has approved charges filed by investigators led by special counsel Robert Mueller against at least one person, and the indictment has been sealed by a federal judge, pending arrest.

Reports suggest that one or more arrests could take place, however, there are still no information about the nature of the charges, or their target.

Mueller's team is refusing to comment on the matter ever since the counsel had been assigned last May.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein assigned Mueller after US President Trump dismissed former FBI.

In January, US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia interfered in the election to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton through a campaign of hacking and releasing embarrassing emails, and disseminating propaganda via social media.

Mueller, a former FBI director, is investigating whether Trump campaign officials colluded with those Russian efforts, and whether they sought to obstruct justice by covering up such collusion.

Trump denied the allegations of collusion between him and the Russians. Kremlin also has rejected the allegations.

Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is a target of Mueller's investigations, precisely his lobbying activities for foreign clients and financial relations with Russia.

Fox News host Sean Hannity, who is a strong supporter of Trump, responded late Friday to reports that the first charges have been filed in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference.

“When will @HillaryClinton be indicted?” Hannity tweeted.

Sources told the network that those charged could be taken into custody as soon as Monday.

Hannity accused Mueller in other tweets of working “hand in hand” with the media and also mentioned Uranium One, a mining company at the center of two new House investigations.

Republicans reopened also a joint investigation into the 2010 sale of the company to the Russian nuclear giant Rosatom in 2010, when Clinton was Secretary of State.

AFP reported that Republicans accused the former Secretary of paving the way for the purchasing in return of donations to her foundation.

Democrats believe that reopening these cases are a blatant attempt to divert attention from Mueller's investigation especially the Uranium case.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated that Democrats are accused of everything they had charged the President with.

Sanders described the whole Trump-Russia collusion matter as a “witch hunt".

“I think this further proves if there was anyone that was colluding with the Russians to influence the elections look no further than the Clinton and DNC,” Sanders said.

“Hypocrisy at the highest level and a new low in politics. Everything the Clinton campaign and DNC were falsely accusing the president of doing the past year they were doing it themselves," she told Fox News Bill Hemmer on Thursday.



Grossi Wants to Meet with Iran’s Pezeshkian ‘at Earliest Convenience’

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi speaks to the media at the Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, US, March 15, 2023. (Reuters)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi speaks to the media at the Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, US, March 15, 2023. (Reuters)
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Grossi Wants to Meet with Iran’s Pezeshkian ‘at Earliest Convenience’

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi speaks to the media at the Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, US, March 15, 2023. (Reuters)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi speaks to the media at the Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, US, March 15, 2023. (Reuters)

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi announced he intends to visit Tehran through a letter he addressed to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iranian Mehr Agency reported that Grossi sent a congratulatory message to the Iranian president-elect, which stated: “I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to you on your election win as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

“Cooperation between the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Islamic Republic of Iran has been at the focal attention of the international circles for many years. I am confident that, together, we will be able to make decisive progress on this crucial matter.”

“To that effect, I wish to express my readiness to travel to Iran to meet with you at the earliest convenience,” Iran’s Mehr news agency quoted Grossi as saying.

The meeting – should it take place - will be the first for Pezeshkian, who had pledged during his election campaign to be open to the West to resolve outstanding issues through dialogue.

Last week, American and Israeli officials told the Axios news site that Washington sent a secret warning to Tehran last month regarding its fears of Iranian research and development activities that might be used to produce nuclear weapons.

In May, Grossi expressed his dissatisfaction with the course of the talks he held over two days in Iran in an effort to resolve outstanding matters.

Since the death of the former Iranian president, Ibrahim Raisi, the IAEA chief refrained from raising the Iranian nuclear file, while European sources said that Tehran had asked to “freeze discussions” until the internal situation was arranged and a new president was elected.