US Capitol Divided on Anniversary of Jan 6 Attack

Part of a voting session in the US House of Representatives, Thursday (AFP)
Part of a voting session in the US House of Representatives, Thursday (AFP)
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US Capitol Divided on Anniversary of Jan 6 Attack

Part of a voting session in the US House of Representatives, Thursday (AFP)
Part of a voting session in the US House of Representatives, Thursday (AFP)

Americans marked on Friday the second anniversary of the storming of the Capitol amid sharp partisan divisions that loomed over the rooms of the same building that witnessed the January 6, 2021 insurrection.

Instead of visiting the Capitol building, US President Joe Biden chose to stay at the White House.

This year, divisions are rife at the Capitol and Biden is seeking to avoid controversy on a day when he needs to talk about unity instead of the sharp disagreements that overshadowed the events of the storming.

Biden chose to shed light on “those who defended democracy in the face of insurrectionists who sought stopping Congress from approving the results of the 2020 election.”

The White House announced that Biden would award the Presidential Citizens Medal to election workers and local officials, as well as security personnel who helped protect the building on the day of the attack.

At the Capitol, Republicans continue to struggle with divisions that show a large and deep-rooted rift between the party’s traditional and right-wing factions. Hardline Republicans insist on not compromising.

Republicans remain divided on choosing a speaker for the House of Representatives.

These are the same divisions that two years ago led hundreds of skeptics of the US election results to rush into the Capitol, refusing to acknowledge the loss of former President Donald Trump.

Those who questioned the election results back then stand today in the House of Representatives refusing to surrender to the will of the 200 Republicans who support their leader, Kevin McCarthy.

At a point in time, McCarthy rejected both election results and recognizing Biden as president. He also angered moderate Republicans after he decided to visit former President Donald Trump at his residence in Mar-a-Lago a few days after the Capitol stormed.



Iran's President Says Tehran Has to Deal with Washington

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks to community members, academic figures, tribal sheikhs and officials during his visit, in Basra, Iraq, September 13, 2024. (Reuters)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks to community members, academic figures, tribal sheikhs and officials during his visit, in Basra, Iraq, September 13, 2024. (Reuters)
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Iran's President Says Tehran Has to Deal with Washington

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks to community members, academic figures, tribal sheikhs and officials during his visit, in Basra, Iraq, September 13, 2024. (Reuters)
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks to community members, academic figures, tribal sheikhs and officials during his visit, in Basra, Iraq, September 13, 2024. (Reuters)

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will not be able to ignore its arch-foe the United States and needs to "handle its enemies with forbearance", state media reported on Tuesday, a week after Donald Trump won the US presidential election.

"Whether we like it or not, we will have to deal with the US in the regional and international arenas, so it is better to manage this relation ourselves," Pezeshkian, who is viewed as relatively moderate, said.

"We have to treat our friends with generosity and handle our enemies with forbearance."

In 2018, then-President Trump ditched Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and re-imposed harsh sanctions as part of his "maximum pressure" policy against Iran.

While there have been no reports that the Trump administration plans to hold talks with Tehran after it takes office in January, the President-elect said during his election campaign "I don't want to do damage to Iran but they cannot have nuclear weapons."

Indirect talks between Washington and Tehran to revive the nuclear deal were initiated under the administration of US President Joe Biden, but failed. Iran is still formally part of the deal but has scaled back commitments to honor it due to US sanctions re-imposed on Iran.

Earlier on Tuesday, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said Iran will pursue whatever secures its interest, when asked if there could be direct talks with the Trump administration.

She cautioned that the final decision for talks rests with the top political figure Ali Khamenei and the Supreme National Security Council.

"The maximum pressure campaign of Trump has failed, even if people have been burdened by it. What is important will be actions and not words, but we recommend Trump to take into account the failure of his past policies," Mohajerani added.