Iran Cautiously Examines Suspension of Bob Malley

Enrique Mora, the European coordinator for the Vienna talks, and Robert Malley on the sidelines of the Iranian nuclear negotiations in Vienna, June 20, 2021 (EPA)
Enrique Mora, the European coordinator for the Vienna talks, and Robert Malley on the sidelines of the Iranian nuclear negotiations in Vienna, June 20, 2021 (EPA)
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Iran Cautiously Examines Suspension of Bob Malley

Enrique Mora, the European coordinator for the Vienna talks, and Robert Malley on the sidelines of the Iranian nuclear negotiations in Vienna, June 20, 2021 (EPA)
Enrique Mora, the European coordinator for the Vienna talks, and Robert Malley on the sidelines of the Iranian nuclear negotiations in Vienna, June 20, 2021 (EPA)

The controversial suspension of the US special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, has raised questions about the future of the negotiations.

While Iran’s pro-government media commented cautiously on the sudden announcement, stressing that it was an indication of an imminent breakthrough in the negotiations, Iranian analysts unanimously agreed that this development “will not change” the policy of the US administration towards Tehran.

On Thursday, the US State Department said that Malley was “on leave”.

“Rob Malley is on leave and Abram Paley is serving as acting special envoy for Iran and leading the department’s work in this area,” the department’s spokesman, Matthew Miller, said in the statement.

Iranian officials involved in the nuclear talks did not comment on the announcement, but most newspapers focused in particular on a report by the New York Times about Malley’s “less prominent role” in the negotiations during the recent months.

The Iran newspaper, the government’s mouthpiece, wrote that Malley’s “exit” in the midst of accelerating developments related to the nuclear negotiations, “indicates disagreements among US foreign policymakers on the Islamic Republic.”

The newspaper considered that the US move “was not surprising”.

“Changes [in the US negotiating team] so far have shown that the United States has shifted away from tested methods and is trying its luck with more pragmatic diplomats,” it added.

The IRNA news agency stated that the decision “may increase the possibility that the US government has restricted some people in order to reach an agreement with Tehran.”

It continued: “During Malley’s absence, the news of the prisoner exchange, as well as the release of Iran’s frozen assets, gained strength.”

The government-run Mehr Agency asked whether Malley’s suspension was a “tactical change” in the negotiating team, but underestimated the impact of his absence on the course of the negotiations.



Israeli Envoy Ejected from AU Meeting on Rwandan Genocide

 Young Rwandans hug as they are waiting to start walking at the "Walk to Remember" for the commemorations of the 31th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in Kigali on April 7, 2025. (AFP)
Young Rwandans hug as they are waiting to start walking at the "Walk to Remember" for the commemorations of the 31th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in Kigali on April 7, 2025. (AFP)
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Israeli Envoy Ejected from AU Meeting on Rwandan Genocide

 Young Rwandans hug as they are waiting to start walking at the "Walk to Remember" for the commemorations of the 31th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in Kigali on April 7, 2025. (AFP)
Young Rwandans hug as they are waiting to start walking at the "Walk to Remember" for the commemorations of the 31th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in Kigali on April 7, 2025. (AFP)

Israel's ambassador to Ethiopia was ejected from a conference at African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa commemorating the 31st anniversary of Rwanda's genocide against the Tutsi, two diplomats told AFP on Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear why Ambassador Avraham Neguise was asked to leave the event on Monday, held to mark the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda, which left at least 800,000 people dead in 1994.

Neguise participated in the first part of the event, a solidarity march inside AU headquarters, an Arab diplomat said.

"After that, the AU commission chairperson, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, refused to start the event inside the hall in the presence of the Israeli ambassador and asked him to get out," the diplomat said, requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

"The Israeli ambassador left."

Another diplomatic source said the ambassador had been "sitting in a very visible seat, close to the Americans, and everything was delayed until he was asked to leave".

The source said it was unclear whether the move was a protest by AU member states over Israel's war in Gaza.

The Times of Israel quoted the Israeli foreign ministry as saying: "It is outrageous that at an event commemorating the victims of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda, to which the Israeli ambassador in Addis Ababa was invited, (Youssouf) chose to introduce anti-Israel political elements."

Youssouf's spokesperson did not immediately respond to AFP's requests for comment.

It is not the first time Israel's presence has stirred criticism within the pan-African organization.

In 2022, the AU failed to conclude discussions on the contested accreditation of Israel as an observer country.

Algeria and South Africa, two financial heavyweights of the organization, particularly argued against the move.

Both countries have rifts with Israel: Algeria has no diplomatic ties with Israel, in protest over its treatment of the Palestinians, while South Africa has brought a case before the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

In 2023, an Israeli diplomat was also expelled from the AU assembly.

Youssouf, a Djiboutian national, took office as AU commission chairperson in February after serving nearly 20 years as foreign minister of the small Horn of Africa country.