Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Author: shailender

Iran’s FM says deal with US ‘within reach’ if diplomacy ‘given priority’

Iran’s FM says deal with US ‘within reach’ if diplomacy ‘given priority’

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s remarks in advance of Geneva talks come as a second US aircraft carrier heads towards the Middle East. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 3 mins info Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi has said that a deal with the United States to avert conflict is “within reach”, in advance of talks between the two countries in Geneva, Switzerland. Araghchi said that the “historic opportunity to strike an unprecedented agreement” would depend on whether “diplomacy is given priority”, in a possible reference to US President Donald Trump’s ongoing threats to use military force against Iran. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list In a statement shared on social media on Tuesday, Iran’s top diplomat added that his country remained “crystal clear” that it would “under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon“, while also recognising the right of Iran’s people to the benefits of “peaceful nuclear technology”. Indirect talks scheduled for Thursday in Geneva will be the third round of discussions between Washington and Tehran, mediated by Oman, which has said it hopes to see “a positive push to go the extra mile towards finalising the deal”. Delivering his State of the Union address in Washington, DC, later on Tuesday evening, Trump again struck a belligerent tone towards Tehran. While saying that he preferred diplomacy, he accused Iran of developing missiles that could “soon reach the United States of America”. “My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are, by far, to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen,” Trump said. Trump said that after the US attack on Iran’s nuclear sites in June 2025, “they were warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons programme, in particular, nuclear weapons – yet they continue”. Advertisement “They’re starting it all over. We wiped it out, and they want to start all over again, and are at this moment, again, pursuing their sinister ambitions. We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon’,” he added. ‘Strong fortress’ Araghchi has been leading the negotiations on behalf of Iran, while White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have been representing the US. Following the most recent talks in Geneva, Trump said that Tehran had 10 to 15 days to make a “meaningful deal”, while again referring to the possible threat of military intervention amid a huge US military build-up near Iran. The talks on Thursday will take place as the US Navy has docked its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, at a NATO base on the Greek island of Crete, on its way towards the Middle East, where the US has been increasing its military presence in recent weeks. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has also been conducting military drills in the south of the country, saying that it has built “a strong fortress” in the area. Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said that “the public mood in Iran is a mixture of different sentiments, and oscillation between fear of the war, in terms of the military build-up by the Americans in the region, and hope for diplomacy”. Asadi said the talks were taking place alongside “public dissatisfaction”, as seen with the “massive protests” that took place across Iran in December, “initially driven by the economic hardship“. “Right now, we also hear sounds echoing of dissatisfaction in political and social spheres, over the past three days at least, in some major universities in the capital and across the country,” he added. The US has acknowledged that it caused a shortage of US dollars in Iran, contributing to severe economic consequences, including the collapse of one of Iran’s largest banks in the lead-up to December’s street protests. Adblock test (Why?)

Tokyo protests as China blocks ‘dual-use’ exports to 20 Japanese companies

Tokyo protests as China blocks ‘dual-use’ exports to 20 Japanese companies

China’s Commerce Ministry says the move against Japanese firms will prevent the remilitarisation of Japan. Listen to this article Listen to this article | 4 mins info Japan has strongly protested China’s move to restrict the export of “dual-use” items to 20 Japanese business entities that Beijing says could be used for military purposes, in the latest twist in a months-long diplomatic row between the two countries. Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Sato Kei said at a news conference that the move by China’s Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday was “deplorable” and would “not be tolerated” by Tokyo. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Companies affected by China’s export ban on dual-use items, or items that can be used for civilian or military purposes, include Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ shipbuilding group, aerospace and marine machinery subsidiaries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan’s National Defense Academy, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Beijing said restricting the export of dual-use items to the Japanese firms was necessary to “safeguard national security and interests and fulfil international obligations such as non-proliferation”, adding that the companies were involved in “enhancing Japan’s military strength”. China’s Commerce Ministry said on Tuesday that it would also add another 20 entities to its export restrictions watchlist, including Japanese automaker Subaru, petroleum company ENEOS Corporation, and Mitsubishi Materials Corporation. Chinese exporters must submit a risk assessment report for each company to ensure “dual-use items will not be used for any purpose that would enhance Japan’s military strength”, according to a statement on the Commerce Ministry’s website. Advertisement China has imposed similar restrictions on the US and Taiwan as a form of political protest, particularly over Washington’s ongoing unofficial support for the self-governed island. Beijing claims democratic Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out using force for “reunification”. Tokyo and Beijing have a historically acrimonious relationship, but diplomatic ties took a turn for the worse in November, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told legislators that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, which could necessitate military action. Japan has had a pacifist constitution which restricts its use of force, but an attack on Taiwan could legally allow Tokyo to activate its army, the Self-Defence Forces, Takaichi said. Takaichi’s remarks were some of the most explicit regarding whether Japan could become involved in a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, and have been accompanied by a push to expand Japan’s military capability. Beijing reacted with fury to Takaichi’s remarks, discouraging Chinese citizens from visiting Japan, leading to a major drop in tourism revenue from Chinese visitors. In January, Beijing also imposed Japanese export restrictions on rare earths like gallium, germanium, graphite and rare earth magnets that could be used for defence purposes, according to the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank. The CSIS said at the time that “these retaliatory measures underscore rising tensions between Beijing and Tokyo and serve as a pointed warning from China to countries that take explicit positions on cross-strait relations”. Tokyo does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but several of its outlying islands, including Okinawa, are geographically closer to Taiwan than mainland Japan. Taiwan is also enormously popular with the Japanese public. Adblock test (Why?)

Kerala gets Keralam, now Mamata Banerjee eyes West Bengal rename after BJP exit

Kerala gets Keralam, now Mamata Banerjee eyes West Bengal rename after BJP exit

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday reminded the Central government that the state of West Bengal also has its own proposal for changing its name to ‘Bangla’, while congratulating Kerala for its new name ‘Keralam’. According to an X post by TMC, the West Bengal CM said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “Bangla birodhi” (Opponents of Bangla), claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah have no respect for the state’s heritage and language.