Iran's Chief Nuclear Negotiator Arrives in Moscow on Unannounced Visit

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani (AP)
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani (AP)
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Iran's Chief Nuclear Negotiator Arrives in Moscow on Unannounced Visit

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani (AP)
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani (AP)

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani arrived in Moscow on an unannounced visit after the talks between Tehran and Washington ended in Doha.

The Russian Permanent Mission to the International Organizations in Vienna announced the visit on its Twitter account. However, Iranian media outlets did not report the news.

Bagheri-Kani met with his Russian counterpart, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. The meeting was attended by Moscow's chief negotiator Mikhail Ulyanov, who described the meeting as a "very professional exchange of views."

Ulyanov tweeted: "It was a very professional exchange of views on the current situation around the JCPOA and prospects of the Vienna Talks. My assessment: despite all the difficulties, the nuclear deal still can be restored."

He called on the US to "demonstrate greater flexibility."

Earlier in the week, Bagheri-Kani met in Doha with the EU coordinator, Enrique Mora, who chaired year-long talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 agreement.

On Friday, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, said that achieving the "landmark" Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) took determined diplomacy, adding that restoring it will require additional effort and patience.

DiCarlo called Washington and Tehran to "quickly mobilize in this same spirit and commitment to resume cooperation under the JCPOA."



UN Urges India and Pakistan to Use Restraint as Tensions Soar after Kashmir Attack

Indian Border Security Force soldiers stand guard at the barricade on the road leading to the Attari-Wagah border on India's side, near Amritsar, Thursday, April 24, 2025 (AP)
Indian Border Security Force soldiers stand guard at the barricade on the road leading to the Attari-Wagah border on India's side, near Amritsar, Thursday, April 24, 2025 (AP)
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UN Urges India and Pakistan to Use Restraint as Tensions Soar after Kashmir Attack

Indian Border Security Force soldiers stand guard at the barricade on the road leading to the Attari-Wagah border on India's side, near Amritsar, Thursday, April 24, 2025 (AP)
Indian Border Security Force soldiers stand guard at the barricade on the road leading to the Attari-Wagah border on India's side, near Amritsar, Thursday, April 24, 2025 (AP)

The United Nations has urged India and Pakistan to exercise “maximum restraint” as the nuclear-armed rivals ramped up tit-for-tat diplomatic offensive following a deadly attack on tourists in disputed Kashmir.

The UN appeal comes amid soaring tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad after gunmen killed 26 people near the resort town of Pahalgam in Kashmir on Tuesday. India immediately described the massacre a “terror attack” and said it had “cross border” links, blaming Pakistan for backing it.

Pakistan denied any connection to the attack, which was claimed by a previously unknown militant group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance, The Associated Press said.

The UN called Pakistan and India “to exercise maximum restraint and to ensure that the situation and the developments we’ve seen do not deteriorate any further.”

“Any issues between Pakistan and India, we believe can be and should be resolved peacefully, through meaningful, mutual engagement,” the statement said Friday.

Following the attack, India announced a series of diplomatic actions against Pakistan.

New Delhi on Wednesday suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty that has withstood two wars between the two countries and closed the only functional land border crossing between the countries while also cutting the number of diplomatic staff. A day later, India revoked all visas issued to Pakistani nationals with effect from Sunday.

In retaliation, Pakistan on Thursday responded angrily that it has nothing to do with the attack, and canceled visas issued to Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country.

It also warned that any Indian attempt to stop or divert flow of water would be considered an “act of war” and met with “full force across the complete spectrum” of Pakistan’s national power.

Tuesday’s attack in Kashmir was the worst assault in years, targeting civilians in the restive region that has seen an anti-India rebellion for more than three decades.

India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety. New Delhi describes all militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies this, and many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle.