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Jordan: Foreign Ministry Won’t Name New Ambassador to Iran

Jordan: Foreign Ministry Won’t Name New Ambassador to Iran
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Jordan: Foreign Ministry Won’t Name New Ambassador to Iran

Jordan: Foreign Ministry Won’t Name New Ambassador to Iran

Reviewing current regional circumstances, Jordan announced deciding to not send an ambassador to Iran and opt for operating the Jordanian embassy with minimum staff.

A royal decree had approved the cabinet's decision on the transfer of Ambassador Abdullah Abu Rumman from the Jordanian embassy in Iran last May.

Abu Rumman told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Jordanian Foreign Ministry informed him of a decision to move him out of the Jordanian embassy in Tehran.

After the move being approved, the Ambassador said that he is currently awaiting a final decision concerning his services as a diplomat. 

“I am waiting for the decision of the ministry, either I will be appointed to another Jordanian embassy or I will remain an ambassador at the foreign ministry,” Abu Rumman said.

In the same context, an official source said that the decision to transfer Abu Rumman to the foreign ministry is based on a previous decision to summon him, stressing that “there is no intention to send a new ambassador to Iran.”

The source added that the decision comes as a confirmation of Jordan's rejection of Iranian regional policies and its interference in the affairs of the Arab countries, especially the Gulf states, stressing that “the security of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries” is equivalent in importance of Jordan's national security.

The Jordanian government decided in April 2016 to summon the Jordanian ambassador to Tehran.

At the time which followed the signing of Iran's 5 + 1 nuclear deal, Jordan’s government had considered positions undertaken by the Iranian government as inconsistent with Jordanian broader hopes. 

During this period, Jordan says Iran and Tehran officials carried out an unacceptable behavior and intolerable interference in the internal affairs of fellow Arab countries, particularly the Gulf Arab states.

Denouncing Iranian behavior, Jordan said that Tehran’s approach leads to the creation of crises and deepening of regional instability, condemning blatant attacks carried out against the Saudi Arabian embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad.

The government concluded that an assessment was needed at this stage. In light of regional developments, the decision to summon the Jordanian ambassador to Tehran for consultations and the return of the ambassador from Tehran to Amman was required.

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Taiwan Says China Sanctions on European Arms Makers Will Not Hit Weapons Sourcing

A Taiwan flags flutters on the roof of the headquarters of Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) in Taichung on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
A Taiwan flags flutters on the roof of the headquarters of Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) in Taichung on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
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Taiwan Says China Sanctions on European Arms Makers Will Not Hit Weapons Sourcing

A Taiwan flags flutters on the roof of the headquarters of Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) in Taichung on April 21, 2026. (AFP)
A Taiwan flags flutters on the roof of the headquarters of Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) in Taichung on April 21, 2026. (AFP)

Taiwan's defense minister downplayed on Monday the impact of Chinese sanctions on seven European companies over arms sales to the island, saying it was not the first time China had taken such action and it would not affect Taipei's ability to source weapons.

China's Commerce Ministry banned exports on Friday of dual-use items to the seven companies over arms sales to Taiwan, placing them on its export control list, in a ‌rare case of Europe-targeted, ‌Taiwan-related sanctions.

Taiwan, which China views as its own ‌territory, ⁠gets most of its ⁠weapons from the United States. Europe has not sold any big-ticket items like fighter jets to Taipei for around three decades, fearful of raising the ire of Beijing.

Taking lawmaker questions in parliament, Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo said it was not the first time China had implemented such measures.

"However, I think such an action, as I understand it, does not affect ⁠our ability to continue sourcing goods through relevant diversified ‌channels," he added, without elaborating.

While many ‌countries, especially in Europe, are nervous about any defense cooperation with Taiwan due to ‌fears of Chinese retaliation, Taipei has found an increasingly sympathetic ear in ‌parts of Central and Eastern Europe, especially since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Four of the seven companies on the new Chinese list are Czech.

China has repeatedly sanctioned major US arms makers over sales to Taiwan, most recently in December following ‌the US announcement of an $11 billion weapons sale package to the island.

JAPAN SCRAPS ARMS EXPORTS CONTROLS

Asked whether Taiwan ⁠could start buying ⁠weapons from Japan, after Tokyo last week scrapped restrictions on overseas arms sales, Koo said the recipients of weapons exports must be countries that have signed a defense equipment and technology transfer agreement with Japan, which Taiwan has not done.

When asked whether that could happen one day, Koo responded: "In the future, no possibility can be ruled out. I think I can only say that at present, no transfer agreement exists."

While countries such as the Philippines welcomed the change, China expressed deep concern.

Relations between Japan and China have been at a low ebb since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan's survival could trigger a military response.

World

Türkiye’s Erdogan Offers Support to Trump in Call After White House Dinner Shooting

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during an event in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during an event in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)
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Türkiye’s Erdogan Offers Support to Trump in Call After White House Dinner Shooting

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during an event in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during an event in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his support for US President Donald Trump in a phone call following a ‌shooting ‌at the ‌White ⁠House Correspondents' Association dinner, the ⁠Turkish presidency said late on Sunday.

"Erdogan said he saw the ⁠incident as ‌a ‌heinous act against democracy ‌and press ‌freedom," the presidency said in a statement on X.

Earlier, ‌Erdogan had condemned the incident ⁠in ⁠a separate statement on X, saying he was happy that Trump and first lady Melania Trump were unharmed.

World

Latest US Military Strike on Alleged Drug Boat Kills 3 in Eastern Pacific

A US strike targets a boat suspected of being used for drug smuggling in the Eastern Pacific (Reuters file)
A US strike targets a boat suspected of being used for drug smuggling in the Eastern Pacific (Reuters file)
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Latest US Military Strike on Alleged Drug Boat Kills 3 in Eastern Pacific

A US strike targets a boat suspected of being used for drug smuggling in the Eastern Pacific (Reuters file)
A US strike targets a boat suspected of being used for drug smuggling in the Eastern Pacific (Reuters file)

The latest US military strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean killed three people Sunday, according to a social media post by US Southern Command.

The Trump administration's campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has gone on since early September and killed at least 186 people in total. Other strikes have taken place in the Caribbean Sea.

The military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs.

After Sunday's attack, Southern Command posted a video on X showing a boat moving swiftly in the water before an explosion left it in flames. It repeated previous statements by saying it had targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes.

The attacks began as the US built up its largest military presence in the region in generations and came months ahead of the raid in January that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He was brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty.

President Donald Trump has said the US is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States.

Critics, meanwhile, have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes.