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Cairo Accuses Addis Ababa of ‘Intransigence’ in GERD Talks

Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the Nile. Reuters file photo
Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the Nile. Reuters file photo
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Cairo Accuses Addis Ababa of ‘Intransigence’ in GERD Talks

Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the Nile. Reuters file photo
Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the Nile. Reuters file photo

Egypt has once again held Addis Ababa responsible for the stalled talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which it is constructing on the Nile River.

Egyptian Minister of Water Resources Mohamed Abdel Aty criticized on Sunday Ethiopia’s ongoing “intransigence” on GERD.

During the parliament’s plenary session, Abdel Aty stressed that the dam dispute concerns the Egyptian state and all its institutions.

The minister said the dispute has taken two courses of negotiations. The first was mediated by the US and the World Bank in early 2020, and the second by the African Union, which has been sponsoring talks between Cairo, Khartoum and Addis Ababa since July 2020, despite lack of progress.

Addis Ababa has earlier withdrawn from the US negotiations, Abdel Aty noted.

He pointed out that his country has responded to Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s initiative and many tripartite meetings have been held. However, they did not lead to any outcome due to Ethiopia’s intransigence on technical and legal issues.

Abdel Aty revealed that Addis Ababa withdrew from all the agreements reached between the three sides, but that Egypt, along with all its institutions, remained in the talks to resolve the crisis.

The Egyptian minister highlighted his country’s water challenges, indicating that Cairo is working to confront them through several means and a national strategic plan.

“The state is making great efforts to maximize and develop its water resources via national plans that aim to take advantage of the available resources, rationalize their use, maximize their returns and raise their efficiency.”

It is using modern technologies to manage the Nile waters, he explained.

It is also developing and modernizing the irrigation system in agriculture to increase produce, Abdel Aty noted.

Cairo and Khartoum stress the need to reach a binding agreement that guarantees the rights and interests of the three countries, and include a mechanism for settling disputes filling and operation of the dam.

They fear the potential negative impact of GERD on the flow of their annual share of the Nile’s 55.5 billion cubic meters of water.

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Sistani Warns Against Targeting Khamenei, Sadr Calls for Mass Protests

A man rides a motorcycle past a billboard depicting Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, along a street in Baghdad on June 19, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
A man rides a motorcycle past a billboard depicting Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, along a street in Baghdad on June 19, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
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Sistani Warns Against Targeting Khamenei, Sadr Calls for Mass Protests

A man rides a motorcycle past a billboard depicting Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, along a street in Baghdad on June 19, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
A man rides a motorcycle past a billboard depicting Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, along a street in Baghdad on June 19, 2025. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

As Iraq’s judiciary vowed legal action against anyone seeking to destabilize the country, major Iranian-backed Iraqi militias declared their readiness to take up arms should US President Donald Trump follow through on his repeated threats to target Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

Leaders of the prominent militias, including Harakat al-Nujaba and Kata'ib Hezbollah, issued warnings of retaliatory attacks against US interests in Iraq in response to escalating tensions.

Their threats came shortly after Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, cautioned against any attempts to strike Khamenei.

In a move seen as a preemptive effort to safeguard national stability, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council head, Judge Faiq Zidan, convened with security and media officials to discuss ways to strengthen the country’s internal cohesion.

This followed a meeting between Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Zidan aimed at addressing growing concerns over potential internal unrest.

Zidan stressed the priority of Iraq’s security and sovereignty during a high-level meeting, warning that anyone attempting to undermine these national interests would face severe legal consequences, according to a statement from the judiciary.

Zidan said: “Iraq’s security and sovereignty are a priority for society, and any attack on these will result in accountability for those trying to harm these national entitlements.”

He added that “propaganda suggesting internal unrest or destabilization will lead to deterrent legal penalties,” underscoring the need for national unity in the wake of the recent Israeli aggression in the region.

Separately, Sistani warned against any attempt to target Khamenei amid repeated US and Israeli threats.

In a statement from his office on Thursday, Sistani called on the international community and world nations to intervene to halt the escalation and find a peaceful resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue.

He condemned ongoing military aggression against Iran and any threats aimed at its highest religious and political leadership. “Such criminal actions, which violate religious and ethical standards as well as international laws and norms, risk severe consequences for the entire region,” Sistani said.

“It could lead to widespread chaos, exacerbating the suffering of peoples and harming the interests of all parties involved to an extreme degree.”

Following calls from the Shiite Coordination Framework for supporters to rally in solidarity with Iran, influential cleric and leader of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, urged peaceful, organized demonstrations after next Friday’s prayers.

Al-Sadr condemned what he described as “Zionist and American terrorism, colonial expansion, and hostility toward peoples and religions,” calling on Iraqis to unite in protest against these threats.

In a recent social media post, al-Sadr urged Iraqis to take part in “peaceful, organized protests” after Friday prayers next week, calling for demonstrations to be held simultaneously in every provincial capital.

Al-Sadr said the protests were motivated by “religious, ideological, and humanitarian concerns.”

He denounced what he described as massacres and aggression against Arab and Muslim countries, citing recent attacks on neighboring Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, which he called “the main drivers of wars worldwide.”

Meanwhile, the Shiite Coordination Framework - a coalition of major Shiite parties excluding the Sadrist Movement, including the State of Law, Al-Fatah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Al-Nasr, and Al-Hikma blocs - failed to mobilize significant support in their recent call for rallies.

Only dozens reportedly attended those demonstrations, while all signs point to much larger turnouts for the Sadrist protests this coming Friday.

Observers note the protests reflect deep political and sectarian divides in Iraq, with the Sadrist base, which has largely boycotted parliamentary elections, holding significant influence despite lacking parliamentary majorities held by the Coordination Framework parties.