West Asks for Russia to Be Suspended from Interpol

The network of 194 member countries aims to facilitate the policing of international crimes. Ozan KOSE AFP/File
The network of 194 member countries aims to facilitate the policing of international crimes. Ozan KOSE AFP/File
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West Asks for Russia to Be Suspended from Interpol

The network of 194 member countries aims to facilitate the policing of international crimes. Ozan KOSE AFP/File
The network of 194 member countries aims to facilitate the policing of international crimes. Ozan KOSE AFP/File

Several Western countries, including the UK and the United States, have called on Interpol to suspend Russia from the international law enforcement organization, according to British Home Secretary Priti Patel.

The UK, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have requested "the immediate suspension of Russia's access to its systems", Patel tweeted on Sunday.

The grouping asked Interpol's executive committee to make a decision this week, reported AFP.

"Russia's actions are a direct threat to the safety of individuals and to international law enforcement cooperation," Patel added.

While Patel did not specify the reason for the request, Western allies have been seeking to diplomatically and economically isolate Moscow over its invasion of Eastern European neighbor Ukraine.

On Sunday, US chief diplomat Antony Blinken said Washington had seen "very credible reports" that Russia had committed war crimes during the incursion, particularly in the treatment of civilians.

At the UN Human Rights Council last week, members overwhelmingly voted to establish an investigation into allegations of abuses committed by Moscow's forces in Ukraine.

Interpol, a network of 194 member countries, aims to facilitate the policing of international crimes.



White House's Sullivan: Weakened Iran Could Pursue Nuclear Weapon

FILE PHOTO: Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
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White House's Sullivan: Weakened Iran Could Pursue Nuclear Weapon

FILE PHOTO: Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo

The Biden administration is concerned that a weakened Iran could build a nuclear weapon, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday, adding that he was briefing President-elect Donald Trump's team on the risk.
Iran has suffered setbacks to its regional influence after Israel's assaults on its allies, Palestinian Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah, followed by the fall of Iran-aligned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Israeli strikes on Iranian facilities, including missile factories and air defenses, have reduced Tehran's conventional military capabilities, Sullivan told CNN.
"It's no wonder there are voices (in Iran) saying, 'Hey, maybe we need to go for a nuclear weapon right now ... Maybe we have to revisit our nuclear doctrine'," Sullivan said.
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful, but it has expanded uranium enrichment since Trump, in his 2017-2021 presidential term, pulled out of a deal between Tehran and world powers that put restrictions on Iran's nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief.
Sullivan said that there was a risk that Iran might abandon its promise not to build nuclear weapons.
"It's a risk we are trying to be vigilant about now. It's a risk that I'm personally briefing the incoming team on," Sullivan said, adding that he had also consulted with US ally Israel.
Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, could return to his hardline Iran policy by stepping up sanctions on Iran's oil industry. Sullivan said Trump would have an opportunity to pursue diplomacy with Tehran, given Iran's "weakened state."
"Maybe he can come around this time, with the situation Iran finds itself in, and actually deliver a nuclear deal that curbs Iran's nuclear ambitions for the long term," he said.