Brotherhood’s Istanbul Front Appoints Mahmoud Hussein as Acting Guide

Egypt’s national flag flutters in the wind from the top of a flag pole, in Tahrir square, central Cairo, February 3, 2015. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih
Egypt’s national flag flutters in the wind from the top of a flag pole, in Tahrir square, central Cairo, February 3, 2015. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih
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Brotherhood’s Istanbul Front Appoints Mahmoud Hussein as Acting Guide

Egypt’s national flag flutters in the wind from the top of a flag pole, in Tahrir square, central Cairo, February 3, 2015. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih
Egypt’s national flag flutters in the wind from the top of a flag pole, in Tahrir square, central Cairo, February 3, 2015. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih

The Islamic Brotherhood’s “Istanbul Front” decided to appoint Mahmoud Hussein as the acting guide of the organization, to succeed Ibrahim Mounir, who passed away on Nov.4.

The move was seen by researchers in fundamentalism as “a challenge to the decision of the London Front, which was led by Ibrahim Mounir, and which had previously appointed Mohieddine al-Zayet, as a temporary acting guide.”

“The escalating conflict between leaders abroad will deepen during the coming period,” said Egyptian expert in the field of combating international terrorism, Colonel Hatem Saber.

The announcement of Mahmoud Hussein’s inauguration comes hours after the exchange of accusations between the Brotherhood leaders, following the “failure” of the demonstrations that were scheduled to be held on Nov.11 in Cairo.

Experts noted that every front was trying to blame the other for the failure of the Brotherhood’s call to protest on that date.

“The disputes between the Brotherhood’s fronts abroad is normal, because of their failure to hold the demonstration, which has revealed that the organization has no support in the Egyptian street,” Saber told Asharq Al-Awsat.

For his part, Egyptian researcher on fundamentalist affairs, Ahmed Zaghloul, said that the organization has been going through a crisis for years, adding that internal disputes escalated after the passing away of Ibrahim Mounir, and the Brotherhood’s failure to mobilize its supporters on Nov. 11.

Zaghloul told Asharq Al-Awsat that the conflict within the organization “will continue during the coming period, and may deepen, especially if the London front fails to formally choose an acting guide.”

“In the meantime, a new group may emerge to claim leadership of the organization,” he remarked.



UN Nuclear Chief in Tehran ahead of Fresh Iran-US Talks

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi speaks during a press conference on the opening day of his agency's quarterly Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, March 3, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi speaks during a press conference on the opening day of his agency's quarterly Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, March 3, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl
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UN Nuclear Chief in Tehran ahead of Fresh Iran-US Talks

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi speaks during a press conference on the opening day of his agency's quarterly Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, March 3, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi speaks during a press conference on the opening day of his agency's quarterly Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, March 3, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi met the head of Iran's atomic energy agency, Mohammad Eslami, on Thursday ahead of a fresh round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington.

Iranian and US delegations are to gather in Rome on Saturday for a second round of Omani-mediated negotiations, a week after the longtime foes held their highest-level talks since US President Donald Trump abandoned a landmark nuclear accord in 2018, AFP said.

There were no immediate details on Grossi's meeting with Eslami, but Iran's reformist Shargh newspaper described his visit as "strategically significant at the current juncture".

On Wednesday, Grossi met with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led the first round of talks with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday.

Araghchi said he had had a "useful" meeting with the International Atomic Energy Agency chief.

"The IAEA can play a crucial role in peaceful settlement of the Iranian nuclear file in the coming months," he said.

Araghchi called on the IAEA chief to "keep the agency away from politics" in the face of "spoilers" seeking to "derail current negotiations". He did not elaborate.

Grossi said their meeting was "important".

"Cooperation with IAEA is indispensable to provide credible assurances about the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program at a time when diplomacy is urgently needed," he said on X.

'Not far' from possessing bomb

Before heading to Iran, Grossi told French newspaper Le Monde that Tehran was "not far" from possessing a nuclear bomb.

Western governments have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire a nuclear weapons capability, an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.

A year after Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran began rolling back its own commitments under the agreement, which gave it relief from sanctions in return for IAEA-monitored restrictions on its nuclear activities.

In its latest report, the IAEA said Iran had an estimated 274.8 kilograms (605 pounds) of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent.

That level far exceeds the 3.67 percent enrichment ceiling set by the 2015 deal, but still falls short of the 90 percent threshold required for a nuclear warhead.

Since he returned to office in January, Trump has revived his "maximum pressure" policy of punishing economic sanctions against Iran.

In March, he sent a letter to Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei urging talks and warning of possible military action if Iran refused.

On Thursday, the New York Times reported that Trump had blocked an Israeli plan to strike Iranian nuclear facilities in favor of seeking a negotiated deal.

'Conflicting positions'

On Tuesday, Khamenei cautioned that while the talks with the United States had started well, they could yet prove fruitless.

"The negotiations may or may not yield results," he said.

On Wednesday, Araghchi said Iran's enrichment of uranium was not up for discussion after Witkoff called for a halt.

Witkoff had previously demanded only that Iran return to the 3.67 percent enrichment ceiling set by the 2015 deal.

Araghchi said he hoped to start negotiations on the framework of a possible agreement, but that this required "constructive positions" from the United States.

"If we continue to (hear) contradictory and conflicting positions, we are going to have problems," he warned.

On Thursday, Iran's top diplomat headed to Moscow on a "pre-planned" visit to the Tehran ally.

The Kremlin said that Russia stood ready to do "everything" in its power to help resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear program.