عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Washington Denies Israeli Leaks on ‘Death’ of Nuclear Talks with Iran

A photo posted by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Twitter from a briefing with Security Council ambassadors in New York on Monday evening (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A photo posted by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Twitter from a briefing with Security Council ambassadors in New York on Monday evening (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

Washington Denies Israeli Leaks on ‘Death’ of Nuclear Talks with Iran

A photo posted by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Twitter from a briefing with Security Council ambassadors in New York on Monday evening (Asharq Al-Awsat)
A photo posted by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Twitter from a briefing with Security Council ambassadors in New York on Monday evening (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Biden administration has rejected Israeli rumors about Washington’s Special Envoy Robert Malley being sidelined from negotiations for the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official name of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

The US administration also denied other rumors spread by a senior Israeli official who had declared nuclear talks with Iran dead.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said late on Monday in a briefing that Iran has tripled its uranium enrichment capabilities.

“Iran has increased its ability to enrich uranium by three-fold at the Fordow facility,” said Gantz, adding that according to the JCPOA, Iran is barred from enriching uranium at that site.

Gantz’s statements coincided with what US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Monday evening about Iran’s response to the European proposal to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement making the possibility of reaching an agreement in the near term “unlikely.”

In light of Iran’s latest reply to a draft proposal by the European Union, prospects for the revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in the near future are not looking good, Blinken said.

An Israeli diplomatic official, who requested anonymity, told media that an agreement may only be achieved after the US congressional midterm elections next November.

Nevertheless, the official pointed out that Israel is actively lobbying behind the scenes with members of the US Senate and House of Representatives to persuade them to support its positions on a nuclear agreement with Iran.

On Monday, a senior Israeli official told Israeli reporters accompanying Prime Minister Yair Lapid on a state visit to Germany that Jerusalem’s recent engagement with the Biden administration on talks to revive the nuclear deal had resulted in US decision-making being placed “out of the hands of Malley’s camp by now.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity.

In an initial reaction to the anonymous Israeli comments, a State Department spokesman had rejected the suggestion that Malley had been sidelined, or that the US had concluded that efforts to revive the deal had hit a dead end.

“We have a very close dialogue with Israel and other allies and partners about Iran, including the JCPOA. Special Envoy Malley is an integral part of those talks,” read a statement from the State Department Monday, distributed in the name of an anonymous spokesperson.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Trump Administration Cancels Travel for Refugees Already Cleared to Resettle in the US

An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
TT
TT

Trump Administration Cancels Travel for Refugees Already Cleared to Resettle in the US

An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)

Refugees who had been approved to travel to the United States before a deadline next week suspending America's refugee resettlement program have had their travel plans canceled by the Trump administration.

Thousands of refugees who fled war and persecution and had gone through a sometimes yearslong process to start new lives in America are now stranded at various locations worldwide. That includes more than 1,600 Afghans who assisted America's war effort, as well as relatives of active-duty US military personnel.

President Donald Trump paused the refugee resettlement program this week as part of a series of executive orders cracking down on immigration. His move had left open the possibility that refugees who had been screened to come to the US and had flights booked before the Jan. 27 deadline might be able to get in under the wire.

But in an email dated Tuesday and reviewed by The Associated Press, the US agency overseeing refugee processing and arrivals told staff and stakeholders that "refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice."

There are a little more than 10,000 refugees from around the world who had already gone through the lengthy refugee admission process and had travel scheduled over the next few weeks, according to a document obtained by the AP. It was not immediately clear how many of those had been set to arrive by upcoming deadline.

Among those are more than 1,600 Afghans cleared to come to the US as part of the program that the Biden administration set up after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Many veterans of America's longest war have tried for years to help Afghans they worked with, in addition to their families, find refuge in the US. Many were prepared for a suspension of the resettlement program but had hoped for special consideration for the Afghans.

"The Trump administration’s early pause of refugee flights is alarming, leaving thousands of Afghan allies in fear and uncertainty," said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts. "We are ready to partner to fix this and urge clear communication with impacted families. Let’s honor our promises and uphold America’s values."

There is a separate path — the special immigrant visa program— specifically for Afghans who worked directly with the US government. VanDiver's group said that program, set up by Congress, did not appear to be affected at this time.

Trump's order signed Monday had given the State Department a week before it began to halt all processing and traveling. It appears the timing was moved up, though it was not immediately clear what prompted the change.

The State Department referred questions to the White House.

Agencies that help refugees settle and adjust to life in America have argued that this is the type of legal immigration that Trump and his supporters say they like and have pointed to the stringent background checks and sometimes yearslong wait that refugees endure before setting foot in America.

"This abrupt halt to refugee admissions is devastating for families who have already endured unimaginable hardship and waited years for the chance to rebuild their lives in safety," Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refuge, one of the 10 US resettlement agencies, said in a statement Wednesday.

"Refugees go through one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the world, and many are now seeing their travel canceled just days, or even hours, before they were set to begin their new lives in the United States," she said. "It’s utterly heartbreaking."

Refugees are distinct from people who come directly to the US-Mexico border with the goal of eventually seeking asylum. Refugees must be living outside of the US to be considered for resettlement and are usually referred to the State Department by the United Nations.

While the resettlement program has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, the first Trump administration also temporarily halted resettlement and then lowered the number of refugees who could enter the country annually.