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US Does Not Expect Breakthrough on Iran Nuclear Deal at UN

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks to the media during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 September 2022. (EPA)
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks to the media during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 September 2022. (EPA)
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US Does Not Expect Breakthrough on Iran Nuclear Deal at UN

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks to the media during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 September 2022. (EPA)
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks to the media during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 September 2022. (EPA)

The United States does not expect a breakthrough on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal at this week's UN General Assembly but Washington remains open to both sides resuming compliance with the accord, a top US White House said on Tuesday.

"I don't expect a breakthrough in New York," White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.

He said President Joe Biden would reiterate that "the United States has been prepared for a mutual compliance-for-compliance return ... and if Iran is prepared to be serious about fulfilling its obligations and accepting that formula, we could have a deal."

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World

Russia’s War in Ukraine ‘Aggravating Geopolitical Tensions,’ UN Chief Says

Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia speaks as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and United Nations Security Council members listen during a ministerial level meeting of the Security Council on the crisis in Ukraine at UN headquarters in New York, September 20, 2023. (Reuters)
Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia speaks as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and United Nations Security Council members listen during a ministerial level meeting of the Security Council on the crisis in Ukraine at UN headquarters in New York, September 20, 2023. (Reuters)
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Russia’s War in Ukraine ‘Aggravating Geopolitical Tensions,’ UN Chief Says

Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia speaks as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and United Nations Security Council members listen during a ministerial level meeting of the Security Council on the crisis in Ukraine at UN headquarters in New York, September 20, 2023. (Reuters)
Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia speaks as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and United Nations Security Council members listen during a ministerial level meeting of the Security Council on the crisis in Ukraine at UN headquarters in New York, September 20, 2023. (Reuters)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Wednesday that Russia's war in Ukraine "is aggravating geopolitical tensions and divisions, threatening regional stability, increasing the nuclear threat, and creating deep fissures in our increasingly multipolar world."

Guterres was first to address the Security Council meeting on Ukraine taking place during the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attended in person for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Before the meeting started, Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia argued against Zelenskiy addressing the council, which is chaired by Albania for September, before the 15 members.

"I want to assure our Russian colleagues and everyone here that this is not a special operation by the Albanian presidency," Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama told Nebenzia. "There is a solution for this. If you agree, you stop the war and President Zelenskiy will not take the floor."

The Security Council has met dozens of times on Ukraine over the past 19 months but is unable to take any action as Russia is a veto power.

World

Iran’s Parliament Passes a Stricter Headscarf Law Days after Protest Anniversary

Iranian women, some without the mandatory headscarf, walk in a street in Tehran, Iran, 13 September 2023. (EPA)
Iranian women, some without the mandatory headscarf, walk in a street in Tehran, Iran, 13 September 2023. (EPA)
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Iran’s Parliament Passes a Stricter Headscarf Law Days after Protest Anniversary

Iranian women, some without the mandatory headscarf, walk in a street in Tehran, Iran, 13 September 2023. (EPA)
Iranian women, some without the mandatory headscarf, walk in a street in Tehran, Iran, 13 September 2023. (EPA)

Iran's parliament on Wednesday approved a bill to impose heavier penalties on women who refuse to wear the mandatory headscarf in public and those who support them.

The move came just days after the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by the morality police for violating the country's dress code. Her death in custody ignited months of protests in which many called for the overthrow of Iran's theocracy.

The 70-item bill extends punishments to business owners who serve women not wearing the mandatory headscarf, known as hijab, and activists who organize against it. Violators could face up to 10 years in prison if the offense occurs in an organized way.

The bill, which was approved by 152 lawmakers in Iran's 290-seat parliament, requires ratification by the Guardian Council, a clerical body that serves as constitutional watchdog. It would take effect for a preliminary period of three years.

The demonstrations sparked by Amini's death on Sept. 16, 2022, died down early this year following a heavy crackdown on dissent in which more than 500 protesters were killed and over 22,000 detained.

But many women continued to flaunt the rules on wearing hijab, prompting a new campaign to enforce them over the summer. Iran's clerical rulers view the hijab law as a key pillar of the country and blamed the protests on Western nations, without providing evidence.

The protesters said they were motivated by anger over the dress code as well as what they see as the corruption and poor governance of the country's

World

Azerbaijan and Armenian Forces Reach Ceasefire Deal for Nagorno-Karabakh

A view shows civilians during an evacuation performed by Russian peacekeepers at an unknown location following the launch of a military operation by Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region inhabited by ethnic Armenians, in this still image from video published September 20, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
A view shows civilians during an evacuation performed by Russian peacekeepers at an unknown location following the launch of a military operation by Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region inhabited by ethnic Armenians, in this still image from video published September 20, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
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Azerbaijan and Armenian Forces Reach Ceasefire Deal for Nagorno-Karabakh

A view shows civilians during an evacuation performed by Russian peacekeepers at an unknown location following the launch of a military operation by Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region inhabited by ethnic Armenians, in this still image from video published September 20, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
A view shows civilians during an evacuation performed by Russian peacekeepers at an unknown location following the launch of a military operation by Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region inhabited by ethnic Armenians, in this still image from video published September 20, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

A ceasefire agreement with Azerbaijan was reached on Wednesday to end two days of fighting in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region, local authorities and Azerbaijani officials said.

The agreement was to go into effect at 1 p.m. local time (0900 GMT), and talks between Azerbaijani officials and the breakaway region's ethnic Armenian authorities on its “re-integration” into Azerbaijan were scheduled to take place on Thursday in the Azerbaijani city of Yevlakh.

The deal was reached through negotiations with the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the region, local officials said. It envisions the withdrawal of Armenian military units and equipment from Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as disarming the local defense forces, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry confirmed.

It comes a day after Azerbaijan launched military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh and used heavy artillery fire on Armenian positions there, an attack that local officials said killed or wounded scores of people, The Associated Press reported.

Azerbaijan has called the artillery fire an “anti-terrorist operation” and said it will continue until the separatist government of Nagorno-Karabakh dismantles itself and “illegal Armenian military formations” surrender.

It claimed to be only targeting military sites but significant damage is visible on the streets of the regional capital, Stepanakert, with shop windows blown out and vehicles punctured, apparently by shrapnel.

The blasts reverberated around Stepanakert every few minutes on Wednesday morning, with some explosions in the distance and others closer to the city.

The escalation has raised concerns that a full-scale war in the region could resume between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which for more than three decades have been locked in a struggle over the mountainous territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The most recent heavy fighting there occurred over six weeks in 2020.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry announced the start of the military operation hours after it reported that four soldiers and two civilians died in land mine explosions in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The ministry did not immediately give details but said that front-line positions and the military assets of Armenia’s armed forces were being “incapacitated using high-precision weapons,” and that only legitimate military targets were being attacked.

Russia's defense ministry said Wednesday that its peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh had evacuated more than 2,000 civilians, but did not give details on where they were taken.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, however, denied that its weapons or troops were in Nagorno-Karabakh and called reported sabotage and land mines in the region “a lie.” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashiyan alleged that Azerbaijan’s main goal is to draw Armenia into hostilities.

Ethnic Armenian officials in Nagorno-Karabakh said in a statement that Stepanakert and villages in the region were “under intense shelling.” The region’s military said Azerbaijan was using aircraft, artillery and missile systems, as well as drones in the fighting.

Residents of Stepanakert moved to basements and bomb shelters, and the fighting cut off electricity. Food shortages persisted in the area, with limited humanitarian aid delivered Monday not distributed due to the shelling, which resumed in the evening after halting briefly in the afternoon.

Nagorno-Karabakh human rights ombudsman Geghan Stepanyan said Wednesday that 32 people, including seven civilians, were killed and more than 200 others were wounded. Stepanyan earlier said one child was among those killed, and 11 children were among the wounded.

The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office said Armenian forces fired at Shusha, a city in Nagorno-Karabakh under Azerbaijan’s control, from large-caliber weapons, killing one civilian.

Neither claim could be independently verified.

World

Tornadoes Kill 10 People in Eastern China

This aerial view shows damaged buildings after a tornado hit the city of Suqian, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on September 20, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
This aerial view shows damaged buildings after a tornado hit the city of Suqian, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on September 20, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
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Tornadoes Kill 10 People in Eastern China

This aerial view shows damaged buildings after a tornado hit the city of Suqian, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on September 20, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
This aerial view shows damaged buildings after a tornado hit the city of Suqian, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on September 20, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

Two tornadoes within hours killed 10 people and seriously injured four others in eastern China, state media said Wednesday.
The first tornado hit parts of Suqian city in Jiangsu province on Tuesday afternoon, state broadcaster CCTV said. It destroyed 137 homes and damaged crop land and pig farms. Five people died and four were injured.
A second tornado in the evening killed five people in Yancheng city, which is in the same province about 190 kilometers southeast of Suqian, The Associated Press reported.
Videos posted online of the first tornado showed cars that had been tossed about, including at least one flipped onto its side, and debris swirling in the air above a several story-high building.
CCTV said that power and road service had been restored in the Suqian area.
Tornadoes are rare in China but have caused deaths in Jiangsu in recent years. One person in the province was killed in a tornado last year and four died in 2021. Another tornado killed eight people in the city of Wuhan the same day.

World

Moscow-Tehran Ties Have Reached New Level, Says Russian Defense Minister

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Tehran (Reuters)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Tehran (Reuters)
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Moscow-Tehran Ties Have Reached New Level, Says Russian Defense Minister

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Tehran (Reuters)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Tehran (Reuters)

Relations between Russia and Iran have reached a new level despite opposition from much of the Western world, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during his visit to Teheran on Wednesday.

"We are aiming at an entire range of planned activities, despite opposition from the United States and its Western allies," the Interfax news agency cited Shoigu as saying.

Shoigu, who arrived in Tehran on Tuesday, was invited to Iran by Major General Mohammad Bagheri, who serves as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Iran's state news agency, IRNA, reported.

“Relations between Russia and Iran are developing dynamically in the field of defense,” Shoigu said during his meeting with Bagheri.

“Today, we have an opportunity to discuss in detail topical issues of bilateral military cooperation,” the Russian minister said.

“Iran is Russia’s strategic partner in the Middle East,” he stressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World

Americans Released by Iran Arrive Home

Family members embrace freed American Emad Shargi after he and four fellow detainees were released in a prisoner swap deal between US and Iran, as he arrives at Davison Army Airfield, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 at Fort Belvoir, Va. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP)
Family members embrace freed American Emad Shargi after he and four fellow detainees were released in a prisoner swap deal between US and Iran, as he arrives at Davison Army Airfield, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 at Fort Belvoir, Va. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP)
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Americans Released by Iran Arrive Home

Family members embrace freed American Emad Shargi after he and four fellow detainees were released in a prisoner swap deal between US and Iran, as he arrives at Davison Army Airfield, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 at Fort Belvoir, Va. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP)
Family members embrace freed American Emad Shargi after he and four fellow detainees were released in a prisoner swap deal between US and Iran, as he arrives at Davison Army Airfield, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023 at Fort Belvoir, Va. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool via AP)

A plane carrying five Americans freed by Iran landed in the United States on Tuesday, a day after they were swapped for the release of five Iranians held in the US and the unfreezing of $6 billion in Iranian funds in South Korea.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan published on X a picture of the released Americans alongside diplomats in the airplane, saying “Welcome home.”

Following partially Qatari-led talks, the two countries carried out the prisoner swap upon the release of $6 billion frozen by South Korea as per the sanctions imposed on Iran.

The White House denied that the unfreezing of $6 billion of Iranian funds to help secure the release of five US citizens was effectively a ransom payment.

The welcome ceremony followed an exchange that was triggered on Monday when the funds that had been blocked in South Korea were wired, via Switzerland, to banks in Doha.

After the transfer was confirmed, the five US prisoners plus two relatives took off on a Qatari plane from Tehran, at the same time as two of the five Iranian detainees landed in Doha on their way home. Three Iranians chose not to go to Iran.

The deal removes a point of friction between the United States, which brands Tehran a sponsor of terrorism, and Iran, which calls Washington the "Great Satan".

But it is unclear whether it will bring the two adversaries, which have been at odds for 40 years, closer on any other issues, such as Iran's nuclear program and its backing for regional militias.

The freed Americans include US-Iranian dual citizens Siamak Namazi, 51, and Emad Sharqi, 59, both businessmen, and Morad Tahbaz, 67, an environmentalist who also holds British nationality. Two of them have not been publicly identified.

US President Joe Biden welcomed the return of the prisoners home in a statement on Monday but his administration also announced fresh US sanctions.

"We will continue to impose costs on Iran for their provocative actions in the region," he said.

"This was purely a humanitarian action ... And it can certainly be a step based upon which in the future other humanitarian actions can be taken," Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told a group of journalists after his arrival in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the door open to nuclear diplomacy but suggested nothing was imminent.

US analysts were skeptical about prospects for progress.

"The prisoner swap does likely pave the way for additional diplomacy around the nuclear program this fall, although the prospect for actually reaching a deal is very remote," said Henry Rome of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

World

Iran's President Urges US to Demonstrate it Wants to Return to Nuclear Deal

06 August 2023, Iran, Tehran: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry (not pictured) during their meeting. (Iranian Presidency Office/dpa)
06 August 2023, Iran, Tehran: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry (not pictured) during their meeting. (Iranian Presidency Office/dpa)
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Iran's President Urges US to Demonstrate it Wants to Return to Nuclear Deal

06 August 2023, Iran, Tehran: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry (not pictured) during their meeting. (Iranian Presidency Office/dpa)
06 August 2023, Iran, Tehran: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry (not pictured) during their meeting. (Iranian Presidency Office/dpa)

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said Tuesday that his country will never give up its right “to have peaceful nuclear energy” and urged the United States “to demonstrate in a verifiable fashion” that it wants to return to the 2015 nuclear deal.

Addressing the annual high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, Raisi said the American withdrawal from the deal trampled on US commitments and was “an inappropriate response” to Iran’s fulfillment of its commitments.

Then-President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of the accord in 2018, restoring crippling sanctions. Iran began breaking the terms a year later and formal talks in Vienna to try to restart the deal collapsed in August 2022.

Iran has long denied ever seeking nuclear weapons and continues to insist that its program is entirely for peaceful purposes – points Raisi reiterated Tuesday telling the high-level meeting that “nuclear weapons have no place in the defensive doctrine and the military doctrine” of the country.

But UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press that the Iranian government’s removal of many cameras and electronic monitoring systems installed by the International Atomic Energy Agency make it impossible to give assurances about the country’s nuclear program. Grossi has previously warned that Tehran has enough enriched uranium for “several” nuclear bombs if it chose to build them.

The IAEA director general also said Monday he asked to meet Raisi to try to reverse Tehran’s uncalled for ban on “a very sizable chunk” of the agency’s inspectors.

Raisi made no mention of the IAEA inspectors but the European Union issued a statement late Tuesday saying its top diplomat, Josep Borrell, met Iran’s Foreign Minister on Tuesday and raised the nuclear deal and the inspectors as well as Iran’s arbitrary detention of many EU citizens including dual nationals.

At his meeting with Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the EU said Borrell urged Iran to reconsider its decision to ban several experienced nuclear inspectors and to improve cooperation with the IAEA.

Borrell again urged the Iranian government to stop its military cooperation with Russia, the EU statement said. Western nations have said Iran has supplied military drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.

World

Netanyahu, Biden Meet in New York amid US Displeasure over His Govt

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 23, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 23, 2023. (Reuters)
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Netanyahu, Biden Meet in New York amid US Displeasure over His Govt

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 23, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 23, 2023. (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got his long-coveted meeting with President Joe Biden on Wednesday, their first since Netanyahu took office at the helm of his country’s far-right government late last year.

He has been a frequent White House visitor over the years, and Israeli leaders are typically invited within weeks of starting their tenure. The lengthy delay in setting up the Biden meeting and the White House decision to hold it on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly rather than in Washington have been widely interpreted as signs of US displeasure with Netanyahu’s new government.

Biden opened the meeting by saying the US relationship with Israel was “ironclad.” But he also said they would discuss “upholding democratic values that lie at the heart of our partnership, including checks and balances.”

“We’re going to talk about some tough issues,” Biden said.

Netanyahu stressed common goals in his opening remarks. He said he would uphold democratic values, despite his proposed changes to Israel's court system.

Given the concerns about Netanyahu's commitment to democratic checks and balances, the setting of the meeting in Manhattan instead of the Oval Office was a sign of the strains in the alliance.

“Meeting at the White House symbolizes close relations and friendship and honor, and the denial of that shows exactly the opposite,” said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on US-Israeli relations at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University.

“This is not going to be a pleasant meeting,” Gilboa said.

Biden administration officials have repeatedly raised concerns about Netanyahu’s contentious plan to overhaul Israel’s judicial system.

Netanyahu says the country’s unelected judges wield too much power over government decision-making. Critics say that by weakening the independent judiciary, Netanyahu is pushing Israel toward authoritarian rule.

His plan has divided the nation and led to months of mass protests against his government. Those demonstrations followed him to the United States, with large numbers of Israeli expatriates waving the country's flag in protest Wednesday in New York. Hundreds of Israelis also protested outside the US Embassy in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

Early this year, Biden voiced his unhappiness over the judicial overhaul, saying Netanyahu “cannot continue down this road” and urging the Israeli leader to find a compromise. Netanyahu's negotiations with the opposition have stalled and his coalition has moved ahead with its plan, pushing the first major piece of the legislation through parliament in July.

The Israeli government’s treatment of the Palestinians has also drawn American ire. Netanyahu’s coalition is dominated by far-right ultranationalists who have greatly expanded Israeli settlement construction on occupied lands claimed by the Palestinians for a future state. Israel’s government also opposes a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians — a cornerstone of White House policy in the region. The deadlock has coincided with a spike in fighting in the West Bank.

The Biden-Netanyahu meeting came at a time of cooling ties between Israel and the Democratic Party. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that while Americans generally view Israel as a partner or ally, many are questioning whether Netanyahu’s government shares American values. Republicans were significantly more likely than Democrats to call Israel an ally with shared values.

Tom Nides, who stepped down as US ambassador to Israel in July, said the timing and location of the meeting were issues and he acknowledged some policy differences.

“That’s what friends do. Friends argue with each other. We can articulate a strong view against settlement growth. We can say, quite frankly, arguably that they should get some compromise on judicial reform. What’s wrong with that?” Nides said.

But he predicted a good meeting devoid of “fireworks,” noting that Biden and Netanyahu are longtime friends and the countries are still close allies. “The relationship is as strong as it has ever been,” he said.

Netanyahu is expected to eventually get a White House invitation, though timing of such a visit could depend on how the New York meeting went.

Israel has been eager to consult with the US about Iran, particularly over their shared concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. Iran says the program is peaceful, but it now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels.

World

US Sanctions Russian, Chinese, Turkish Entities over Iran’s Drones, Military Aircraft

The US Treasury Department building at dusk in Washington, June 6, 2019. (AP)
The US Treasury Department building at dusk in Washington, June 6, 2019. (AP)
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US Sanctions Russian, Chinese, Turkish Entities over Iran’s Drones, Military Aircraft

The US Treasury Department building at dusk in Washington, June 6, 2019. (AP)
The US Treasury Department building at dusk in Washington, June 6, 2019. (AP)

The Biden administration issued fresh Iran-related sanctions on Tuesday, targeting multiple people and entities in Iran, Russia, China and Türkiye in connection with Tehran's drone and military aircraft development.

The sanctions target seven individuals and four entities in the four countries that it said have "facilitated shipments and financial transactions" to the Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company and its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and military aircraft efforts, the US Department of Treasury said in a statement.

“Iran’s continued, deliberate proliferation of its UAVs enables Russia, its proxies in the Middle East, and other destabilizing actors to undermine global stability,” U..Treasury Under Secretary of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.

“The United States will continue to take action against Iran’s UAV procurement networks, and encourages jurisdictions to exercise the due diligence necessary to prevent the export of these components to Iran,” he added.

Washington had earlier sanctioned five China-based companies and one individual over selling and shipping aerospace components, including parts used for drones, to the Iranian company, according to the Treasury.

US officials had said more sanctions on Iran were expected even as the two nations engaged in a swap this week with five Americans freed from Iran returning to the United States earlier on Tuesday.

World

At UN General Assembly, Biden Asks World to Stand by Ukraine

US President Joe Biden addresses the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York City, US, September 19, 2023. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden addresses the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York City, US, September 19, 2023. (Reuters)
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At UN General Assembly, Biden Asks World to Stand by Ukraine

US President Joe Biden addresses the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York City, US, September 19, 2023. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden addresses the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York City, US, September 19, 2023. (Reuters)

US President Joe Biden appealed to world leaders at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to stand with Ukraine against Russian invaders, hoping Republicans in Congress will also take notice.

"Russia believes that the world will grow weary and allow it to brutalize Ukraine without consequence," Biden said in his speech to UNGA. "If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure?"

Biden's address at the annual gathering was the centerpiece event of his three-day visit to New York, which will include meetings with the heads of five Central Asian nations, and the leaders of Israel and Brazil.

Biden, a Democrat, has made rallying US allies to support Ukraine a leading component of US foreign policy, arguing the world must send a clear signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he will not be able to outlast the West.

Biden has faced criticism from some Republicans who want the United States to spend less money on the war effort.

Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, has vowed to seek a quick end to the war if returned to power.

Trump has voiced skepticism about Washington's engagement with traditional allies, including NATO, and has been complimentary of Putin.

House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the leading Republican in Washington, has questioned whether the United States should keep sending billions of dollars in weaponry to Ukraine.

In his speech, Biden argued that Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and occupation of territory violated the founding UN Charter, a main principle of which is respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Biden echoed remarks of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who in his opening speech to UNGA on Tuesday said Russia's invasion "has unleashed a nexus of horror."

A Biden administration official said Biden and US officials would also focus at the UN meetings on mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development and fighting climate change.

Solid majorities of Americans support providing weaponry to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and believe that such aid demonstrates to China and other US rivals a will to protect US interests and allies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey in June.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, due to speak at UNGA on Tuesday, was expected to visit Biden at the White House on Thursday and to meet some congressional leaders as well.

The United States is preparing a new military aid package for Ukraine to coincide with Zelenskiy's visit, and Congress has been asked to approve billions of dollars more in security assistance for the rest of the year.

"We have confidence that there will be bipartisan support for this. I think President Zelenskiy does as well," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters.

After his speech, Biden was due to sit down with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to discuss world hot spots.

Later, he will attend a summit with the presidents of five Central Asian nations, a first. They are Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

On Wednesday, Biden will meet Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and join him in an event with labor leaders from Brazil and the United States.

Also on Wednesday, Biden will have his first face-to-face meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since Netanyahu regained power last December.

Sullivan said they would discuss "a vision for a more stable and prosperous and integrated region, as well as to compare notes on effectively countering and deterring Iran."