Iran FM Says Nuclear Talks Will Restart 'Very Soon'

Iran President Ebrahim Raisi remotely addresses the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly via video-link on September 21, 2021 in New York. (AFP)
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi remotely addresses the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly via video-link on September 21, 2021 in New York. (AFP)
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Iran FM Says Nuclear Talks Will Restart 'Very Soon'

Iran President Ebrahim Raisi remotely addresses the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly via video-link on September 21, 2021 in New York. (AFP)
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi remotely addresses the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly via video-link on September 21, 2021 in New York. (AFP)

Iran's foreign minister said Friday that stalled talks on the Iranian nuclear accord would resume "very soon" but accused the United States of sending "contradictory measures" on reviving the deal.

The talks, brokered by the Europeans, seek the return of the United States to the 2015 agreement trashed by former president Donald Trump -- as well as Iran's return to full compliance.

"We are reviewing the Vienna negotiations files currently and very soon Iran's negotiations with the four plus one countries will recommence," Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told reporters in New York, referring to Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany.

"We see a constructive type of negotiation that will lead to tangible verifiable results in the foreign policy of the new government in Iran," the foreign minister added during a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Asked what Amir-Abdollahian meant by "very soon," a senior Iranian official said on condition of anonymity that "it can mean a few days, it can mean a few weeks."

"As soon as we finish the review process, without any time to be wasted, we shall return to the negotiations table," the official said.

European nations are trying to kick start the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, that Trump pulled America out of in 2018. He reinstated sanctions on Iran that Washington had lifted as part of the agreement.

Since then, Tehran has also retreated from many of its commitments.

Trump's successor Joe Biden has indicated he wants to return to the deal, but his administration has expressed impatience at the stalled talks.

"From the White House, we keep receiving diplomatic contradictory messages," said Amir-Abdollahian.

"In the last few months, we have not seen an iota of positive action by the United States administration."



Indonesia President to Join First Meeting of Trump ‘Board of Peace’

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)
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Indonesia President to Join First Meeting of Trump ‘Board of Peace’

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will attend the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" in Washington this month, Jakarta's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

"The government has accepted an invitation to the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, and President Prabowo Subianto plans to attend," ministry spokesman Vahd Nabyl Achmad Mulachela told AFP.


Brawl Erupts in Türkiye’s Parliament Over Justice Minister Appointment

Newly-appointed Turkish Minister of Justice Akin Gurlek. (Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office on X)
Newly-appointed Turkish Minister of Justice Akin Gurlek. (Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office on X)
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Brawl Erupts in Türkiye’s Parliament Over Justice Minister Appointment

Newly-appointed Turkish Minister of Justice Akin Gurlek. (Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office on X)
Newly-appointed Turkish Minister of Justice Akin Gurlek. (Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office on X)

A brawl erupted in Türkiye’s parliament on Wednesday after lawmakers from the ruling party and the opposition clashed over the appointment of a controversial figure to the Justice Ministry in a Cabinet reshuffle.

Opposition legislators tried to block Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek, who President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appointed to the top judicial portfolio, from taking the oath of office in parliament. As tempers flared, legislators were seen pushing each other, with some hurling punches.

As Istanbul chief prosecutor, Gurlek had presided over high‑profile trials against several members of the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party or CHP — proceedings that the opposition has long denounced as politically motivated.

The former prosecutor was later seen taking the oath surrounded by ruling party legislators.

Erdogan also named Mustafa Ciftci, governor of the eastern province of Erzurum, as interior minister.

Hundreds of officials from CHP‑run municipalities have been arrested in corruption probes. Among them was Istanbul’s mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, widely seen as Erdogan’s chief rival, who was arrested last year.

The government insists the judiciary acts independently.

No official reason was given for Wednesday's shake‑up, though the Official Gazette said the outgoing ministers had “requested to be relieved” of their duties.

The new appointments come as Türkiye is debating possible constitutional reforms and pursuing a peace initiative with the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, aimed at ending a decades‑long conflict. Parliament is expected to pass reforms to support the process.


US Suspends Flights at El Paso Airport for 'Special Security Reasons'

FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
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US Suspends Flights at El Paso Airport for 'Special Security Reasons'

FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
FILE - A Federal Aviation Administration sign hangs in the tower at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, March 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

The top US aviation agency said Tuesday it is stopping all flights to and from El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days over unspecified "security reasons."

The flight restrictions are in effect from 11:30 pm on Tuesday (0630 GMT Wednesday) until February 20 for the airspace over El Paso and an area in neighboring New Mexico's south, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

"No pilots may operate an aircraft in the areas" covered by the restrictions, the FAA said in a notice, citing "special security reasons" without elaborating.

El Paso International Airport in a social media post said all flights, "including commercial, cargo and general aviation," would be impacted by the move.

The airport, which is served by major US airlines like Delta, American and United, encouraged travelers to "contact their airlines to get most up-to-date flight status information."

In a separate statement to the New York Times, it said that the restrictions had been issued "on short notice" and that it was waiting for guidance from the FAA.