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Israel Fears Army Could Join Protests against Netanyahu Government

Israeli protesters in air force uniforms during a demonstration against the government in Tel Aviv last Thursday (EPA)
Israeli protesters in air force uniforms during a demonstration against the government in Tel Aviv last Thursday (EPA)
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Israel Fears Army Could Join Protests against Netanyahu Government

Israeli protesters in air force uniforms during a demonstration against the government in Tel Aviv last Thursday (EPA)
Israeli protesters in air force uniforms during a demonstration against the government in Tel Aviv last Thursday (EPA)

The Israeli army is on the verge of reducing the scope of operations due to many reservists refusing to report for duty in protest against plans by the ruling right-wing government to weaken the judiciary, announced Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.

Halevi's warning came amid army leadership fearing that the protests might extend to regular soldiers.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that about 200 pilots in the Israeli Air Force did not report to duty on Friday in protest over the judicial system proposal.

The group of pilots, some of whom conducted Israeli covert operations, said they decided to halt service after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech and that they would review it within two weeks.

About 100 reservists informed their commanders last Wednesday that they would stop volunteering because of the legislative process promoted by the government coalition within the framework of the judicial reform plan.

In addition, 150 officers and soldiers of the Intelligence Unit 8200 announced that they would stop their military service in the reserve forces as part of their protest against the Israeli government's plan to weaken the judiciary.

Israeli media also quoted dozens of regular soldiers who implicitly threatened not to carry out orders if the government proceeded with its planned overhaul.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that 17 soldiers from the regular army formations protested in a video recording the laws marginalizing the judicial system, saying that they did not enlist in the army to protect a dictatorship.

It is the first-time regular soldiers have joined the protests among reservists.

However, Netanyahu warned that the reactions pose a grave danger to the future of Israel, and could spread beyond those who oppose the overhaul.

Netanyahu said he expects the security establishment to adopt a "firm position against" the phenomenon, adding that Israel can't exist without the army.

"All red lines have been crossed. People who were responsible for the security of the country have suddenly adopted this cynicism," he warned on Friday.

On Thursday, Netanyahu said after meeting Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the law on selecting judges would be enacted next week.

Gallant is widely reported to have planned Thursday to call for a halt to the legislation over his intense concerns but put the matter off after talking to Netanyahu.

The state broadcaster said Gallant had told Netanyahu that if legislative proceedings for the judicial changes were not suspended or compromised, he would vote against it.

Gallant cautioned Netanyahu that the crisis posed a clear, immediate, and tangible threat to the state's security, warning that he was encountering unprecedented anger and disappointment.

Earlier, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Netanyahu discussed the increased security threats and the rift in Israeli society.

Barr told Netanyahu that the threats led Israel to a "dangerous place."

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World

India Train Crash Kills over 280, Injures 900 in Country's Deadliest Rail Accident in Decades

Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a three-train collision near Balasore, India, on June 3, 2023. Dibyangshu Sarkar, AFP
Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a three-train collision near Balasore, India, on June 3, 2023. Dibyangshu Sarkar, AFP
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India Train Crash Kills over 280, Injures 900 in Country's Deadliest Rail Accident in Decades

Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a three-train collision near Balasore, India, on June 3, 2023. Dibyangshu Sarkar, AFP
Rescue workers search for survivors at the site of a three-train collision near Balasore, India, on June 3, 2023. Dibyangshu Sarkar, AFP

Rescuers waded through piles of debris and wreckage to pull out bodies and free people on Saturday after two passenger trains derailed in India, killing more than 280 people. Hundreds of others were trapped inside more than a dozen mangled rail cars overnight in one of the country's deadliest train crashes in decades.

The accident, which happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata on Friday night, led to a chaotic scene as rescuers climbed atop the wrecked trains to break open doors and windows using cutting torches to free survivors, The Associated Press said.

About 900 people were injured in the accident in Balasore district in the eastern state of Odisha, said P.K. Jena, the state's top administrative official. The cause was under investigation.

At least 280 bodies were recovered overnight and into Saturday morning, Sudhanshu Sarangi, director of Odisha's fire department, told The Associated Press. He said more than 800 injured passengers were taken to various hospitals with many in critical condition.

Rescuers were cutting through the destroyed rail cars to find people who may still be trapped. Sarangi said it was possible that people were stuck underneath but that it was unlikely they would still be alive.

“By 10 p.m. (on Friday) we were able to rescue the survivors. After that it was about picking up dead bodies,” he said. “This is very, very tragic. I have never seen anything like this in my career."

Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson. The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, causing up to three coaches of the second train to also derail, he added.

A third train carrying freight was also involved, the Press Trust of India reported, but there was no immediate confirmation of that from railroad authorities. PTI said some of the derailed passenger coaches hit cars from the freight train.

The death toll rose steadily throughout the night as footage showed shattered carriages that had overturned completely. Scores of dead bodies, covered by white sheets, lay on the ground near the train tracks as locals and rescuers raced to help survivors.

Teams of rescuers and police continued sifting through the ruins on Saturday morning as the search operation carried on, amid fears that the death toll is likely to rise further. Scores of people also showed up at a local hospital to donate blood.

Officials said 1,200 rescuers worked with 115 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units through the night at the accident site. Saturday was declared as a day of mourning in Odisha as the state's chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, reached the district to meet injured passengers.

Villagers said they rushed to the site to evacuate people after hearing a loud sound created by the train coaches going off the tracks.

“The local people really went out on a limb to help us. They not only helped in pulling out people, but retrieved our luggage and got us water,” PTI cited Rupam Banerjee, a survivor, as saying.

Passenger Vandana Kaleda said that inside the train during the derailment people were “falling on each other” as her coach shook violently and veered off the tracks.

“As I stepped out of the washroom, suddenly the train tilted. I lost my balance. ... Everything went topsy turvy. People started falling on each other and I was shocked and could not understand what happened. My mind stopped working," she said, adding she felt lucky to survive.

Another survivor who did not give his name said he was sleeping when the impact woke him up. He said he saw other passengers with broken limbs and disfigured faces.

The derailed Coromandel Express was traveling from Howrah in West Bengal state to Chennai, the capital of southern Tamil Nadu state, PTI said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his thoughts were with the bereaved families.

"May the injured recover soon,” tweeted Modi, who said he had spoken to the railway minister and that “all possible assistance” was being offered.

Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India’s railways, the largest train network under one management in the world.

In August 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in one of the worst train accidents in India.

In 2016, a passenger train slid off the tracks between the cities of Indore and Patna, killing 146 people.

Most train accidents are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.

More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of track.

World

Erdogan to Be Sworn in for Third Term as Turkish President

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses the annual general meeting of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges after winning Sunday's presidential election runoff in Ankara, Türkiye, May 30, 2023. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses the annual general meeting of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges after winning Sunday's presidential election runoff in Ankara, Türkiye, May 30, 2023. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
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Erdogan to Be Sworn in for Third Term as Turkish President

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses the annual general meeting of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges after winning Sunday's presidential election runoff in Ankara, Türkiye, May 30, 2023. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses the annual general meeting of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges after winning Sunday's presidential election runoff in Ankara, Türkiye, May 30, 2023. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to be sworn in on Saturday as head of state after winning a historic runoff election to extend his two-decade rule for another five years as Türkiye’s economic woes worsen.

The inauguration in parliament will be followed by a lavish ceremony at his palace in the capital Ankara attended by dozens of world leaders, said AFP.

Türkiye’s transformative but divisive leader won the May 28 runoff against a powerful opposition coalition, and despite an economic crisis and severe criticism following a devastating February earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people.

Erdogan won 52.18 percent of the vote while his secular rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu 47.82 percent, official results show.

Türkiye’s longest-serving leader faces immediate and major challenges in his third term driven by a decelerating economy and foreign policy tensions with the West.

"From a geopolitical point of view, the election will reinforce Türkiye’s recent pursuit of an independent foreign policy," said Matt Gertken, chief geopolitical strategist at BCA Research.

"This policy aims to extract maximum economic and strategic benefits from eastern and autocratic states while still preventing a permanent rupture in relations with western democracies," he said.

"Tensions with the West will likely increase again, within that framework, now that Erdogan has a new mandate."

Biting economy

Addressing the country's economic troubles will be Erdogan's first priority with inflation running at 43.70 percent, partly due to his unorthodox policy of cutting interest rates to stimulate growth.

Late on Saturday the president is due to unveil his new cabinet with media speculating that former finance minister Mehmet Simsek, a reassuring figure with international stature, could play a part.

A former Merrill Lynch economist, Simsek is known to oppose Erdogan's unconventional policies.

He served as finance minister between 2009 and 2015 and deputy prime minister in charge of the economy until 2018, before stepping down ahead of a series of lira crashes that year.

"Erdogan's government looks like it will pursue an orthodox stabilization program," said Alp Erinc Yeldan, professor of economics at Istanbul's Kadir Has University.

"What we see now is that the news about Mehmet Simsek and his team is greeted with enthusiasm by the markets," he told AFP.

Türkiye’s new members of parliament started being sworn in on Friday in a first session after the May 14 election, also attended by Erdogan.

His alliance holds a majority in the 600-seat parliament.

Erdogan's victory came against a unified opposition coalition led by Kilicdaroglu, whose future as leader of the CHP party remains in doubt following the defeat.

NATO chief visits

NATO allies are anxiously waiting for Ankara to green-light Sweden's drive to join the US-led defense alliance, before a summit in July.

Erdogan has been dragging his feet in approving the application, accusing Stockholm of sheltering "terrorists" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which is listed as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will attend Erdogan's inauguration at the weekend and hold talks with him, the alliance said Friday.

Sweden's foreign minister Tobias Billstrom said on Twitter that "a clear message" emerged at a NATO meeting in Oslo for Türkiye’s and Hungary to start the ratification process.

His Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu responded: "A crystal clear message to our Swedish Friends! Fulfill your commitments arising from Trilateral Memorandum & take concrete steps in the fight against terrorism.

"The rest will follow."

World

US, Allies Clash with Russia, China over North Korea's Failed Military Spy Satellite Launch

FILE - In this undated photo provided by the North Korean government on March 11, 2022, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Tongchang-ri, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
FILE - In this undated photo provided by the North Korean government on March 11, 2022, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Tongchang-ri, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
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US, Allies Clash with Russia, China over North Korea's Failed Military Spy Satellite Launch

FILE - In this undated photo provided by the North Korean government on March 11, 2022, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Tongchang-ri, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
FILE - In this undated photo provided by the North Korean government on March 11, 2022, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in Tongchang-ri, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)

The United States and its allies clashed with Russia and China on Friday over North Korea’s failed launch of a military spy satellite this week in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, which Moscow and Beijing refused to condemn.

The confrontation was the latest over the North’s escalating nuclear, ballistic missile and military programs, which US deputy ambassador Robert Wood warned are threatening international peace and security. The failed launch “not only disrupted maritime and air traffic in the region, but it also caused alarm for its neighbors in Japan and the Republic of Korea,” he said.

Pyongyang is threatening another launch soon, The Associated Press said.

The Security Council imposed sanctions after North Korea’s first nuclear test explosion in 2006 and tightened them over the years in a total of 10 resolutions seeking — so far unsuccessfully — to rein in its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and cut off funding. In the last sanctions resolution adopted by the council in December 2017, members committed to further restricting petroleum exports to North Korea if it conducted a ballistic missile launch capable of reaching intercontinental ranges.

China and Russia vetoed a US-sponsored resolution in May 2022 that would have imposed new sanctions, including on petroleum exports, over a spate of intercontinental ballistic missile launches. Since then, they have blocked any council action including press statements.

UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the council the last time North Korea conducted a similar satellite launch to Wednesday’s failed attempt was on Feb. 7, 2016 and it was condemned by the Security Council.

“The lack of unity and action in the Security Council does little to slow the negative trajectory on the Korean Peninsula,” she said, and North Korea “is unconstrained, and other parties are compelled to focus on military deterrence.”

But North Korea’s neighbor and ally China and Russia, which has drawn closer to Pyongyang since the war in Ukraine, blamed the West and especially the United States for the current tensions.

China’s deputy UN ambassador Geng Shuang said the situation on the Korean Peninsula is a remnant of the Cold War. He accused the United States of failing to respond to North Korea’s attempts at dialogue over the years and instead resorting to sanctions and pressure on Pyongyang, missing an opportunity to resolve the nuclear issue.

“By incorporating the (Korean) Peninsula into its Indo-Pacific strategy, the US has continued its military activities and significantly increased its military presence both on the peninsula and in its surrounding areas, seriously undermining the strategic security interests of the peninsula and its neighboring countries,” Geng said

He also pointed to the recent US-South Korea Washington Declaration, including plans to send strategic nuclear submarines to the peninsula.

Geng claimed US policies are “driven by geopolitical self-interest” and told the council that blaming one party “will only exacerbate conflicts, provocations and inject new uncertainties into the already tense situation on the peninsula.”

He urged the council to adopt a resolution circulated by China and Russia in November 2021 that would end a host of sanctions on the North, saying this would be a starting point “to promote de-escalation, mutual trust and unity” among the 15 members.

Russia’s deputy ambassador Anna Evstigneeva blamed increased pressure on North Korea by the US and its allies for “the spiral of tension we’re witnessing now.” And she criticized growing military activity by the US, Japan and South Korea, especially recent large-scale US-South Korean military exercises, saying they are destabilizing not only for northeast Asia but for the Asia-Pacific region as a whole.

Russia is against “the dead end and inhumane policy of increasing sanctions pressure,” Evstigneeva said, stressing that UN resolutions that imposed sanctions also back efforts to resolve the situation on the Korean Peninsula by political and diplomatic means.

Russia calls on the United States to take steps to lower tensions and resume dialogue, instead of trying to shift responsibility “to other countries,” she said, also backing council action on the China-Russia resolution.

Wood, the US envoy, countered that the Washington Declaration was a response to North Korea’s destabilizing nuclear and ballistic missile activities.

“It’s hard to imagine we would ease sanctions” as called for in the China-Russia draft resolution and reward Pyongyang while it continues to violate Security Council resolutions, he said.

As for diplomacy, Wood said the United States on many occasions has stated it is prepared to have an unconditional dialogue, but North Korea “has rejected our interventions on many occasions.”

He stressed that US-South Korean military exercises are lawful efforts to defend against Pyongyang’s escalating activities that are allowing the country to advance its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs – and to “continue to choose ammunition over nutrition” for its people.

World

CIA Director Burns Met Chinese Leaders in Beijing as Washington Tries to Thaw Tensions

William Burns, center, enters a car after arriving at Capital International Airport in Beijing, May 1, 2012. (AP)
William Burns, center, enters a car after arriving at Capital International Airport in Beijing, May 1, 2012. (AP)
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CIA Director Burns Met Chinese Leaders in Beijing as Washington Tries to Thaw Tensions

William Burns, center, enters a car after arriving at Capital International Airport in Beijing, May 1, 2012. (AP)
William Burns, center, enters a car after arriving at Capital International Airport in Beijing, May 1, 2012. (AP)

CIA Director William Burns went to Beijing in May to meet with Chinese counterparts, a US official said on Friday, in what is the highest level visit by a Biden administration official since a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down by American forces.

Burns' visit, first reported by The Financial Times, comes as Washington tries to cool tensions with Beijing over the balloon and other recent conflicts between the world's two largest economies and geopolitical rivals.

US officials have long warned that China rejects their efforts at outreach. That raises the possibility of miscommunication spiraling into conflict, they say.

“Last month, Director Burns traveled to Beijing where he met with Chinese counterparts and emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication in intelligence channels,” said a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss Burns' schedule, which is classified.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke “briefly” Friday with Li Shangfu, China's minister of national defense, at the opening dinner of a security forum in Singapore. China had earlier rejected Austin's request for a meeting on the sidelines of the forum.

President Joe Biden has often sent Burns on sensitive trips to meet US adversaries. Burns went to Moscow in late 2021 to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin about indications that Russia was gearing up to launch a new invasion of Ukraine.

World

Russia: Chechen Special Forces Waging Offensive in East Ukraine

A Ukrainian soldier fires a mortar at Russian positions on the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP)
A Ukrainian soldier fires a mortar at Russian positions on the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP)
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Russia: Chechen Special Forces Waging Offensive in East Ukraine

A Ukrainian soldier fires a mortar at Russian positions on the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP)
A Ukrainian soldier fires a mortar at Russian positions on the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP)

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Friday that the "Akhmat" group of Chechen special forces were waging an offensive near the town of Mariinka, in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk.

Together with the Wagner mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, troops from Russia's Chechen Republic have been one of the main driving forces behind Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

Akhmat commander Apti Alaudinov said on Thursday that his forces were being moved to "another area" in preparation for a counter-offensive, but did not say where the troops were or where they were going.

Unlike Prigozhin, who has repeatedly lambasted Russia's military leadership, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has recently refrained from echoing criticism of the defense ministry.

Members of the two groups have since openly sparred, with one of Kadyrov's close allies on Thursday casting Prigozhin as a blogger who yells all the time about problems.

World

Iran Releases 1 Danish, 2 Austrian Citizens in Operation Involving Oman, Belgium

The Iranian flag flutters outside the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, March 6, 2023. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag flutters outside the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, March 6, 2023. (Reuters)
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Iran Releases 1 Danish, 2 Austrian Citizens in Operation Involving Oman, Belgium

The Iranian flag flutters outside the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, March 6, 2023. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag flutters outside the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, March 6, 2023. (Reuters)

Iran has released one Danish and two Austrian citizens, the European countries said Friday, thanking Oman and Belgium for their help in getting the trio freed.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said he was “very relieved” that Kamran Ghaderi and Massud Mossaheb were being brought home after “years of arduous imprisonment in Iran."

Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said that he was “happy and relieved that a Danish citizen is on his way home to his family in Denmark after imprisonment in Iran." He didn't name the person, saying their identity was “a personal matter” and he couldn't go into details.”

Schallenberg thanked the foreign ministers of Belgium and Oman for providing “valuable support,” without elaborating on what form it took. Løkke Rasmussen also thanked Belgium and said that Oman “played an important role.”

There was no immediate word on what, if anything, Iran obtained in return for the prisoners’ release.

Last week, a prisoner exchange between Belgium and Iran returned to Tehran an Iranian diplomat convicted of attempting to bomb exiles in France, Assadollah Assadi. Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, looking visibly gaunt, headed back to Brussels as part of the swap.

On Friday, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib tweeted that her country was “unwavering in our dedication to advocating for other Europeans who are being arbitrarily detained” and had “successfully secured the release of two Austrians and one Dane who were unjustly held in detention in Iran.”

Iranian state media and officials did not immediately acknowledge a release on Friday, which is part of the weekend in the country.

Oman often serves an interlocutor between Tehran and the West and brings released captives out of Iran. An Oman Royal Air Force Gulfstream IV, which had been on the ground in Tehran for several days, took off shortly before news of the European trio's releases came out.

The releases also come after Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq visited Iran on his first trip there since ascending the throne in 2020.

Ghaderi is an Iranian-Austrian businessman who was arrested in 2016 and later sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly spying for the US, charges strongly rejected by his supporters. His family had criticized Austria for being silent on his case in recent years.

Mossaheb, also an Iranian-Austrian businessman, was arrested in 2019 and received a 10-year prison sentence after what Amnesty International called “a grossly unfair trial for vague national security offenses.”

Amnesty had said Mossaheb suffered from heart failure and diabetes, making his imprisonment that much more dangerous for him.

Iran has detained a number of foreigners and dual nationals over the years, accusing them of espionage or other state security offenses and sentencing them following secretive trials in which rights groups say they have been denied due process.

Critics have repeatedly accused Iran of using such prisoners as bargaining chips with the West.

Iran, facing Western sanctions over its rapidly advancing nuclear program, has experienced protests in recent months and economic strain. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency dropped two inquiries into the country's nuclear program.

World

White House Wants to Engage Russia on Nuclear Arms Control in Post-treaty World

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, April 24, 2023. (AP)
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, April 24, 2023. (AP)
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White House Wants to Engage Russia on Nuclear Arms Control in Post-treaty World

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, April 24, 2023. (AP)
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, April 24, 2023. (AP)

The Biden administration is ready to talk to Russia without conditions about a future nuclear arms control framework even while taking countermeasures in response to the Kremlin's decision to suspend the last nuclear arms control treaty between the two countries, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in February he was suspending Russia’s cooperation with the New START Treaty's provisions for nuclear warhead and missile inspections, a move that came as tensions worsened after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Russia did say it would respect the treaty's caps on nuclear weapons.

Sullivan said at the Arms Control Association's annual meeting said that the United States is committed to adhering to the treaty if Russia also does, and that Washington wants to open a dialogue on a new framework for managing nuclear risks once the treaty expires in February 2026.

"It is in neither of our countries’ interest to embark on opening the competition in the strategic nuclear forces," Sullivan said. "And rather than waiting to resolve all of our bilateral differences, the United States is ready to engage Russia now to manage nuclear risks and develop a post 2026" agreement.

The US is willing to stick to the warhead caps until the treaty's end. Figuring out details about a post-2026 framework will be complicated by US-Russia tension and China's growing nuclear strength.

China now has about 410 nuclear warheads, according to an annual survey from the Federation of American Scientists. The Pentagon in November estimated China's warhead count could grow to 1,000 by the end of the decade and to 1,500 by around 2035.

The size of China's arsenal and whether Beijing is willing to engage in substantive dialogue will affect the future US force posture and Washington's ability to come to any agreement with the Russians, administration officials said.

US-Chinese relations have been strained by the shooting down a Chinese spy balloon this year after it crossed the continental United States; tensions about the status of the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own; US export controls aimed at limiting China's advanced semiconductor equipment; and other issues.

"Simply put we have not yet seen the willingness from the PRC to compartmentalize strategic stability from broader issues in the relationship," Sullivan said using he acronym for the People's Republic of China.

The White House push on Moscow on nuclear arms control comes the day after the administration announced new steps in response to Russia suspending participation in the treaty.

The State Department said it no longer would notify Russia of any updates on the status or location of "treaty-accountable items" such as missiles and launchers, would revoke US visas issued to Russian treaty inspectors and aircrew members, and would cease providing telemetric information on test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

The United States and Russia earlier this year stopped sharing biannual nuclear weapons data required by the treaty.

The treaty, which then-Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed in 2010, limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers and provides for on-site inspections to verify compliance.

The inspections have been dormant since 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussions on resuming them were supposed to have taken place in November 2022, but Russia abruptly called them off, citing US support for Ukraine.

World

New US Sanctions Target Iran’s Internet Censorship

The Treasury Building is viewed in Washington, May 4, 2021. (AP)
The Treasury Building is viewed in Washington, May 4, 2021. (AP)
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New US Sanctions Target Iran’s Internet Censorship

The Treasury Building is viewed in Washington, May 4, 2021. (AP)
The Treasury Building is viewed in Washington, May 4, 2021. (AP)

The United States issued fresh Iran-related sanctions on Friday targeting technology company Arvan Cloud, two employees and an affiliated company for their roles in helping Tehran censor the Internet in the country, the Treasury Department said.

Arvan Cloud has a close relationship with Iran's intelligence services and its executives have ties to senior Iranian government officials, the department said.

"The Iranian government has regularly used Internet restrictions and the throttling of Internet speeds to suppress dissent, surveil and punish Iranians for exercising their freedom of expression and assembly both online and offline," the statement said.

The individuals targeted are Pouya Pirhosseinloo and Farhad Fatemi, co-founders of Arvan Cloud, the Treasury said.

The sanctions also targeted an affiliate, ArvanCloud Global Technologies L.L.C.

World

US Seeks ‘Just and Lasting Peace’ for Ukraine, Blinken Says 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a speech at the Helsinki City Hall, in Helsinki, Finland June 2, 2023. (Lehtikuva/via Reuters)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a speech at the Helsinki City Hall, in Helsinki, Finland June 2, 2023. (Lehtikuva/via Reuters)
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US Seeks ‘Just and Lasting Peace’ for Ukraine, Blinken Says 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a speech at the Helsinki City Hall, in Helsinki, Finland June 2, 2023. (Lehtikuva/via Reuters)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a speech at the Helsinki City Hall, in Helsinki, Finland June 2, 2023. (Lehtikuva/via Reuters)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday the United States was working with Ukraine and other allies to build consensus around the core elements of a "just and lasting peace" to end the war with Russia. 

Washington would also encourage initiatives by other countries to bring about an end to the conflict, as long as they uphold the United Nations Charter and Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. 

"We will support efforts – whether by Brazil, China, or any other nation – if they help find a way to a just and lasting peace," Blinken said in a speech. 

Still, Washington would continue to support Ukraine militarily as the prerequisite for meaningful diplomacy is that Kyiv is capable of deterring and defending against any future aggression. 

"Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine has been a strategic failure," Blinken said. 

Speaking in Finland, the NATO alliance's newest member, Blinken said the US would help build a "Ukrainian military of the future". 

That meant "a modern air force, integrated air and missile defense, advanced tanks and armored vehicles, the national capacity to produce ammunition, and the training and support to keep forces and equipment combat ready". 

World

US Retaliates for Russia's Suspension of New START Treaty by Revoking Visas of Nuclear Inspectors

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a press conference following the NATO foreign ministers meeting n Oslo, Norway, Thursday, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a press conference following the NATO foreign ministers meeting n Oslo, Norway, Thursday, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
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US Retaliates for Russia's Suspension of New START Treaty by Revoking Visas of Nuclear Inspectors

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a press conference following the NATO foreign ministers meeting n Oslo, Norway, Thursday, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a press conference following the NATO foreign ministers meeting n Oslo, Norway, Thursday, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

The Biden administration is retaliating for Russia’s suspension of the New START nuclear treaty, announcing Thursday it is revoking the visas of Russian nuclear inspectors, denying pending applications for new monitors and canceling standard clearances for Russian aircraft to enter US airspace.

The State Department said it was taking those steps and others in response to Russia’s “ongoing violations” of New START, the last arms control treaty remaining between the two countries, which are currently at severe odds over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“The United States is committed to full and mutual implementation of the New START treaty,” it said. “Consistent with that commitment, the United States has adopted lawful countermeasures in response to the Russian Federation’s ongoing violations of the New START treaty.”

The department said the visa revocations and application denials, as well as a US decision to stop sharing information on the status or locations of missiles and telemetry data on test launches with Russia, were consistent with international law because of Russia’s actions.

The US will, however, continue to notify Russia when it conducts test launches, it said, adding that the steps it was taking were reversible provided Moscow returns to compliance with the treaty.

Russia suspended its participation in New START in February in a move that the US said was “legally invalid.” Immediately afterward Moscow curtailed its adherence to the accord.

Allowing inspections of weapons sites and providing information on the placement of intercontinental and submarine-based ballistic missiles and their test launches are critical components of New START, which then-Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed in 2010.

In March, the US announced that it and Russia had stopped sharing biannual nuclear weapons data. The US had said it wanted to continuing such sharing but stopped after Moscow informed Washington that it would not share its data.

Despite being extended shortly after President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, New START has been severely tested by Russia’s war in Ukraine and has been on life support for since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia would no longer comply with its requirements.

The treaty limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. The agreement envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance.

The inspections went dormant in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussions on resuming them were supposed to have taken place in November 2022, but Russia abruptly called them off, citing US support for Ukraine.

The State Department said Russia had been told of the countermeasures ahead of time and also advised that Washington is still interested in keeping the treaty alive.

“The United States remains ready to work constructively with Russia on resuming implementation of the New START Treaty,” it said.