Japan Offers Iran Assistance to Complete Nuclear Negotiations

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian with a group of legislators (Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian with a group of legislators (Foreign Ministry)
TT

Japan Offers Iran Assistance to Complete Nuclear Negotiations

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian with a group of legislators (Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian with a group of legislators (Foreign Ministry)

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi offered his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, help to push through the stalled talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said that Amir-Abdollahian discussed bilateral ties and regional and international developments over the phone with his Japanese counterpart.

They also discussed the indirect talks between Tehran and Washington with the aim of a joint return to the nuclear agreement.

The Japanese foreign minister expressed his country's readiness to support the Vienna negotiations, noting Tokyo's satisfaction with the "positive" cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Last month, the IAEA said Iran had given sweeping assurances that it would finally cooperate in a long-stalled investigation into uranium particles found at undeclared sites and reinstall removed monitoring equipment.

Amir-Abdollahian said Iran considers diplomacy and negotiation a way out of regional and global challenges, calling to expand cooperation between Tehran and Tokyo.

He reaffirmed Iran's principled stance on the Ukraine crisis and Tehran's opposition to the war.

Japan failed to mediate between the US and Iran to reduce tensions after former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018.

Several negotiations failed to revive the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

The agreement imposed restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for lifting international sanctions. Tehran gradually violated the regulations of its nuclear program under the deal.

Since last September, indirect talks have stopped between Tehran and the administration of US President Joe Biden to revive the agreement.

Israel has recently intensified its threats to take military action against Tehran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons. Tehran denies it aims to develop atomic weapons.

Last month, press reports stated that Israel had informed the US administration and several European countries that it might launch a military strike against Iran if it enriched uranium above 60 percent.



Thousands March Against Gaza War at Democratic Convention 

Demonstrators march near the United Center which is hosting the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The convention runs through August 22. (Getty Images/AFP)
Demonstrators march near the United Center which is hosting the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The convention runs through August 22. (Getty Images/AFP)
TT

Thousands March Against Gaza War at Democratic Convention 

Demonstrators march near the United Center which is hosting the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The convention runs through August 22. (Getty Images/AFP)
Demonstrators march near the United Center which is hosting the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The convention runs through August 22. (Getty Images/AFP)

Thousands of mostly peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters marched in Chicago on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention on Monday, in a show of anger against the Biden administration's support for Israel in the Gaza war.

After hours of peaceful demonstrations, dozens of protesters broke through part of the perimeter security fence, drawing riot police to the site, a Reuters witness said.

The DNC's security team confirmed that protesters breached a portion of the fencing on the outer perimeter near the convention arena but said law enforcement personnel acted quickly and there was no threat to attendees.

Reuters witnesses saw four people detained and placed in handcuffs. Chicago police confirmed at a press conference that arrests were made but did not say how many.

Chanting intensified ahead of the fence breach, as protesters reached a neighborhood park on Chicago's West Side and paused to amplify their calls for a ceasefire. Amid the noise, the crowd turned its frustration toward Vice President Kamala Harris, referring to the Democratic candidate as "Killer Kamala".

Chicago police formed a perimeter around the park on foot to contain protesters, with some police members on bikes.

Still, the umbrella group "March on the DNC" drew fewer supporters than expected to a park outside the convention arena, hours before President Joe Biden was to address the gathering.

They started a one-mile march near where Democratic delegates will nominate Harris as their candidate to face Republican Donald Trump in November's presidential election.

Organizers had expected tens of thousands of protesters - enough to fill the park and the march route - Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesman for March on the DNC, said early Monday. By afternoon though, several thousand protesters had gathered for speeches and the park was only half full.

The coalition of more than 200 groups includes those advocating for a variety of causes from reproductive rights to racial justice. Many people were coming from Palestinian and Arab communities in Illinois and neighboring states, organizers said last week.

Dozens of Muslim delegates and their allies, angry at US support for Israel's offensive in Gaza, are seeking changes in the Democratic platform and plan to press for an arms embargo, putting the party on guard for disruptions to high-profile speeches at the convention.

Roman Fritz, at 19 one of the youngest Wisconsin delegates, wore a scarf imprinted with the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh pattern. He said he supported Harris as the party nominee to beat Trump.

Some protesters were doubtful that the party will change its platform.

"It'll never happen," said Mwalimu Sundiata Keita, who traveled from Cincinnati, Ohio, to join the protest. "It's the policy of the party to support Israel, and until that policy changes, that's the way it's going to be."

Another large protest was scheduled for Thursday, when Harris is due to formally accept the nomination.

Pro-Palestinian groups have for months protested the Biden administration's military and financial support for Israel in its war against Hamas, which has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials.

Israel launched the offensive after it was attacked on Oct. 7 by Hamas fighters who killed 1,200 people and abducted about 250 hostages, according to Israel tallies.

Protests swelled on US college campuses in the spring, with police clearing student encampments, at times after confrontations between protesters and counter-protesters.

"The Democrats are the ones in power," Abudayyeh said on Monday. "It's their war. They're responsible for it, they're complicit, and they can stop it."