UN Chief Calls for Afghan Ceasefire and Inclusive Peace

Relatives carry the dead body of a boy who was killed by a mortar shell attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Mortar shells slammed into different parts of the Afghan capital on Saturday. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Relatives carry the dead body of a boy who was killed by a mortar shell attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Mortar shells slammed into different parts of the Afghan capital on Saturday. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
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UN Chief Calls for Afghan Ceasefire and Inclusive Peace

Relatives carry the dead body of a boy who was killed by a mortar shell attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Mortar shells slammed into different parts of the Afghan capital on Saturday. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Relatives carry the dead body of a boy who was killed by a mortar shell attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Mortar shells slammed into different parts of the Afghan capital on Saturday. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Tuesday for an "immediate, unconditional ceasefire" in Afghanistan to create a conducive environment for Doha peace talks with the Taliban.

"An inclusive process, in which women, young people, and victims of conflict are meaningfully represented, offers the best hope of sustainable peace," Guterres told an Afghanistan conference in Geneva. "Progress toward peace will contribute to the development of the entire region, and is a vital step towards the safe, orderly, and dignified return of millions of displaced Afghans."

Top officials including the UN secretary-general and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were taking part in the largely virtual pledging conference for Afghanistan on Tuesday, the latest effort to drum up aid and support for a country where Taliban fighters are making inroads against the government.

The gathering in Geneva, co-hosted by Finland, was expected to draw diplomats, civil society advocates, and international organizations from over 70 countries in the first such event in four years.

"Today is the day to reaffirm our solidarity with the people of Afghanistan," said Tatiana Valovaya, the head of the UN office in Geneva that is co-hosting the conference.

The pledging conference, overshadowed in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, seeks to lay out objectives for the next four years for Afghanistan is expected to generate billions for the poor and insurrection-wracked nation.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani urged the international community to continue supporting Afghanistan on Tuesday even as he acknowledged that donors are likely to cut aid under the strain of Covid-19.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown us all into a state of global uncertainty," Ghani said from Kabul.

"We are exceptionally grateful that at a time of such collective suffering... your commitment to Afghanistan remains strong.

"We ask our international partners to help us do more with less... Financial resources -- aid -- will continue to be critical to our growth for the foreseeable future."

The European Union pledged to maintain its commitment of 1.2 billion euros ($1.43 billion)to Afghanistan.

"In 2016, the EU showed its strong commitment to Afghanistan by pledging 1.2 billion euros over a four-year period," said Jutta Urpilainen, the European Commissioner in charge of International Partnerships.

"It is my pleasure to announce today that we are ready to keep this level of support for the next four years." ($1 = 0.8413 euros)



Iran Says Continuing Uranium Enrichment on Its Soil 'Red Line'

People walk at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on June 3, 2025. (AFP)
People walk at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on June 3, 2025. (AFP)
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Iran Says Continuing Uranium Enrichment on Its Soil 'Red Line'

People walk at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on June 3, 2025. (AFP)
People walk at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on June 3, 2025. (AFP)

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Iran's right to enrich uranium on its soil was a "red line" after the United States submitted its proposal for a new nuclear deal.

"Continuing enrichment on Iranian soil is our red line," Araghchi said while on a visit to Lebanon, adding that his country will respond to the proposal in the coming days based on Iran's "principled positions and the interests of the Iranian people".

US President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that Iran will not be allowed any enrichment of uranium under a potential deal with Washington.

Araghchi said the US proposal, submitted through mediator Oman, has "many ambiguities and questions".

On Saturday, Iran said it received "elements" of a US proposal for a nuclear deal following five rounds of talks that started in April and were mediated by Oman.

Uranium enrichment has remained a key point of contention between Washington and Tehran in the talks to seal a nuclear deal, with Iran defending what it says is its right to pursue a peaceful nuclear energy program and the US calling it a "red line".

"We will not ask anyone for permission to continue enriching uranium in Iran. However, we are ready to take steps... to ensure that this enrichment will not lead to the production of nuclear weapons," Araghchi said.

Araghchi was visiting Beirut following a stop in Cairo on Monday, where he met with Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Grossi on Monday called for more transparency from Iran following a leaked report that showed Tehran had increased production of highly enriched uranium.

The IAEA report showed that Iran has ramped up production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity -- close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons.

Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.