Iran’s Raisi Pledges to Continue Negotiations over Removal of Sanctions

Raisi makes a statement at the Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, Iran. (Iranian Presidency)
Raisi makes a statement at the Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, Iran. (Iranian Presidency)
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Iran’s Raisi Pledges to Continue Negotiations over Removal of Sanctions

Raisi makes a statement at the Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, Iran. (Iranian Presidency)
Raisi makes a statement at the Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, Iran. (Iranian Presidency)

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi pledged that his government will move forward in negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement. The negotiations revolve around lifting US sanctions on Iran in exchange for its return to the commitments outlined in the nuclear deal.

Raisi defended his administration’s foreign policy approach during a press statement delivered on Friday following his participation in the BRICS summit held in South Africa.

Returning from the summit, he carried a full hand, as the group agreed to Iran’s request to join – a second “achievement” that Raisi’s government proudly boasted of, following its inclusion last year in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Iran aims, through its membership in both groups, to confront US sanctions and Washington barring it from accessing the dollar.

This aligns with the “sanctions evasion” strategy advocated for years by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, with the objective of nullifying Western sanctions imposed on Tehran.

The sanctions were imposed over Iran’s nuclear program, the activities of the Revolutionary Guard, including their development of ballistic missiles and regional meddling, and human rights concerns.

Raisi attempted to showcase the steps his government took to secure BRICS membership.

He highlighted the visit of Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to South Africa, as well as the participation of the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran in a meeting with his counterparts within the BRICS group.

Raisi attributed his country’s regional activities as a key factor leading to the “consensus” among BRICS nations to grant Iran membership.

“The significance of Iran’s geopolitical position and active role in various regional issues is evident to all,” he said.

He further emphasized that joining international groups and alliances is among the top priorities pursued by his government in its foreign policy.

“In foreign policy, we do not pursue just one option or a single issue at the table; we have multiple agendas in foreign policy,” revealed Raisi.

Among the priorities that he discussed was the restoration of relations with regional neighbors.

He said that Iran’s relationships with neighboring countries were among the unfinished agendas.

“We lacked relations with some neighbors for years. Over the past two years, we exerted significant efforts to establish ties with them and took impactful steps in this regard,” he added.



US Supreme Court Approves Deportation of Migrants to South Sudan

The US Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump's administration to resume deportations of migrants to countries that are not their own. Anna Moneymaker / GETTY IMAGES/AFP/File
The US Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump's administration to resume deportations of migrants to countries that are not their own. Anna Moneymaker / GETTY IMAGES/AFP/File
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US Supreme Court Approves Deportation of Migrants to South Sudan

The US Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump's administration to resume deportations of migrants to countries that are not their own. Anna Moneymaker / GETTY IMAGES/AFP/File
The US Supreme Court has allowed President Donald Trump's administration to resume deportations of migrants to countries that are not their own. Anna Moneymaker / GETTY IMAGES/AFP/File

The US Supreme Court on Thursday gave the green light for the Trump administration to deport a group of migrants stranded at an American military base in Djibouti to war-torn South Sudan.

The decision by the conservative-dominated top court comes 10 days after it cleared the way for the Trump administration to deport migrants to countries that are not their own.

The eight migrants were being flown to South Sudan from the US in May but ended up in Djibouti when a district court imposed a stay on third-country deportations.

The court said migrants were not being given a "meaningful opportunity" to contest removal.

On June 23, the Supreme Court lifted the stay imposed by District Judge Brian Murphy, clearing the way for third-country deportations.

But Murphy, an appointee of former president Joe Biden, said the case of the eight migrants who ended up in Djibouti was subject to a separate stay order he issued that had not been addressed by the Supreme Court.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court said its June 23 decision applied to both of the judge's orders.

Liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from the decision.

"What the Government wants to do, concretely, is send the eight noncitizens it illegally removed from the United States from Djibouti to South Sudan, where they will be turned over to the local authorities without regard for the likelihood that they will face torture or death," Sotomayor said.

"Today's order clarifies only one thing: Other litigants must follow the rules, but the administration has the Supreme Court on speed dial," she said.

The US authorities have said that the eight men -- two from Myanmar, two from Cuba, and one each from Vietnam, Laos, Mexico and South Sudan -- are convicted violent criminals.

The Trump administration has defended third-country deportations as necessary since the home nations of some of those who are targeted for removal sometimes refuse to accept them.

Donald Trump campaigned for president promising to expel millions of undocumented migrants from the United States, and he has taken a number of actions aimed at speeding up deportations since returning to the White House in January.