Iran Accuses US of Provoking Middle East 'Crises'

Iran's newly-appointed Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani speaks during his first press conference in Tehran, Iran, 13 July 2022. (EPA)
Iran's newly-appointed Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani speaks during his first press conference in Tehran, Iran, 13 July 2022. (EPA)
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Iran Accuses US of Provoking Middle East 'Crises'

Iran's newly-appointed Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani speaks during his first press conference in Tehran, Iran, 13 July 2022. (EPA)
Iran's newly-appointed Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani speaks during his first press conference in Tehran, Iran, 13 July 2022. (EPA)

Tehran on Sunday accused Washington of provoking tensions in the Middle East, a day after US President Joe Biden ended a tour to Saudi Arabia and arch-foe Israel.

Washington "has once again resorted to the failed policy of Iran-phobia, trying to create tensions and crises in the region," Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.

The comments come after Biden on Saturday vowed that the United States would not "tolerate efforts by any country to dominate another in the region through military buildups, incursions, and/or threats", in a transparent reference to Iran.

Biden's first Middle East visit came just a few days before Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to visit Tehran on July 19.

Biden, in a speech in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah at a summit that brought together the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council as well as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, assured Arab leaders that Washington would remain fully engaged in the Middle East.

"We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran," Biden said.

Following the meeting, a joint statement committed the leaders to "preserve regional security and stability".

It also underscored diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, and notably called for enhanced joint deterrence capabilities "against the increasing threat" posed by unmanned aerial vehicles -- a likely reference to Tehran, which on Friday unveiled ships and submarines capable of carrying armed drones.

Tehran, which denies seeking to build a nuclear bomb, on Sunday dismissed the comments made in Jeddah.

"These false allegations are in line with Washington's seditious policy... in the region," Kanani said.

Biden began his regional tour on Wednesday in Israel, before visiting the Palestinian Territories and then flying to Saudi Arabia.

In the Jewish state, Biden signed a security pact reinforcing a common front against Iran, where the president vowed to use "all" US power to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Kanani said the pact was a "great sign of the deception and hypocrisy" of the United States, because "they turn a blind eye to the Zionist (Israel) regime as... the greatest holder of the arsenal of nuclear weapons in the region".

Israel is widely believed to hold the Middle East's sole but undeclared nuclear arsenal.

A deal that imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief was undermined in 2018 by former US president Donald Trump's withdrawal, which led Iran to begin reneging on its commitments.

Efforts to revive the accord have stalled since March.



EU Announces a Further $2.3 Million in Humanitarian Aid for Cuba

FILE - An ice cream street vendor shows his Cuban pesos in Havana, Cuba, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Ley, File)
FILE - An ice cream street vendor shows his Cuban pesos in Havana, Cuba, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Ley, File)
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EU Announces a Further $2.3 Million in Humanitarian Aid for Cuba

FILE - An ice cream street vendor shows his Cuban pesos in Havana, Cuba, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Ley, File)
FILE - An ice cream street vendor shows his Cuban pesos in Havana, Cuba, April 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Ley, File)

The European Commission has released a further 2 million euros ($2.3 million) in aid for Cuba, it said on Wednesday, to tackle what it described as worsening humanitarian conditions in the country.

The US cut off Venezuelan oil exports to Cuba after toppling Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3.

This has resulted in an energy crisis in Cuba and blackouts across ⁠the country, whose ⁠population stands at 10 million. Cuban health officials say the crisis has increased the mortality risk for Cuban cancer patients, especially children.

"The EU stands with the people of Cuba in ⁠their hour of need. After Hurricane Melissa, we were there. And today, we are stepping up again with €2 million in humanitarian aid to help deliver food and safe drinking water to those who need it most. In a country facing an energy crisis and growing shortages, this support will help keep life-saving aid flowing ⁠to ⁠up to two million people in need," Reuters quoted Hadja Lahbib, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, as saying in a statement.

On March 31, a Russian-flagged tanker carrying some 700,000 barrels of crude docked in Cuba's Matanzas oil terminal, shipping data showed, marking the first significant oil delivery to the island since US President Donald Trump's administration cut off its fuel supply.


Pakistan Says Holding Talks with Afghan Govt in China

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, poses for photos with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, poses for photos with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Xinhua via AP)
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Pakistan Says Holding Talks with Afghan Govt in China

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, poses for photos with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, poses for photos with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in Beijing on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Xinhua via AP)

Pakistan and Afghanistan are holding talks in China to end months of conflict, two officials from Islamabad told AFP on Wednesday.

The meeting in the northwestern city of Urumqi comes after Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, travelled to Beijing on Tuesday to meet his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.

The pair discussed Islamabad's role in trying to get the United States and Iran to the negotiating table, and set out a joint five-point plan for an end to the conflict.

Dar had been due to return to Islamabad on Wednesday.

China has sought to mediate in the escalating conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Pakistan says it is targeting extremists who have carried out cross-border attacks, but authorities in Kabul deny harboring militants.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan's foreign ministry and military when contacted by AFP, or from the Afghan government.

But a senior Pakistani security official said: "A delegation led by an official from Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in Urumqi to hold talks with the Afghan Taliban

"The meeting is taking place at the request of our Chinese friends."

A second senior government official also confirmed the talks, adding: "The meeting is to set a base for full-scale dialogue."

The first official said Pakistan's demands from Afghanistan "remain unchanged", urging Kabul to "take verifiable action" against extremists and "end any support for the group".

It also wants to "ensure that Afghan territory is not used as a base for launching attacks against Pakistan".


Trump Says US Strongly Considering NATO Exit

FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump signs documents at the White House in Washington, US, January 20, 2025.  REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump signs documents at the White House in Washington, US, January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
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Trump Says US Strongly Considering NATO Exit

FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump signs documents at the White House in Washington, US, January 20, 2025.  REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump signs documents at the White House in Washington, US, January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

President Donald Trump said he was strongly considering pulling the United States out of NATO after allies failed to back US military action against Iran, according to an interview with Britain's Daily ⁠Telegraph.

Trump described the ⁠alliance as a "paper tiger" and said removing the United States from the defense pact was ⁠now "beyond reconsideration," the newspaper reported. He said he had long held doubts about NATO's credibility.

"Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration," Trump told the newspaper when asked about whether he would reconsider US ⁠membership ⁠of the alliance after the conflict.

"I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin knows that too, by the way."

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday other countries needed to "be prepared to stand up" and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, echoing criticism from Trump, who has singled out NATO members Britain and France.

Rubio told Fox News Washington would not overlook the lack of assistance from other NATO members. "After this conflict is concluded, we ⁠are going to have to reexamine ⁠that relationship," he said.