WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has kicked the fate of the landmark Iran nuclear deal to the US Congress, ignoring the advice of worried allies as he vowed to confront the “fanatical regime” in Tehran.
Trump defended his decision to “decertify” Iran’s compliance with the 2015 agreement in a speech Friday that evoked US grievances dating back to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
He railed against the “Iranian dictatorship, its sponsorship of terrorism, and its continuing aggression in the Middle East and all around the world.”
And he warned he could rip up the 2015 agreement curbing Iran’s nuclear program “at any time,” saying it had failed to address Iranian subversion in its region and its illegal missile program.
Reaction to the US move came fast and furious, with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declaring the United States was “more than ever against the Iranian people.”
Former US secretary of state John Kerry, who negotiated the nuclear deal, accused Trump of “creating an international crisis” and called on the US Congress to stand in the president’s way.
“It endangers America’s national security interests and those of our closest allies,” Kerry said.
In a cautious but unmistakable rebuke, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany said the deal remained in “our shared national security interest.”
“We encourage the US administration and Congress to consider the implications to the security of the US and its allies before taking any steps that might undermine” the deal.
French President Emmanuel Macron later said he was considering visiting Iran after speaking by phone with his Iranian counterpart.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, which was awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, also denounced the move, saying it makes proliferation more likely.
Trump stopped short of scrapping the deal outright, however, leaving Congress and US allies some room for maneuver.
The Republican-controlled Congress now has 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran — a step that if taken would almost certainly doom the accord.
The US president said he supports efforts in Congress to work on new measures to address the broader threats posed by Iran without immediately torpedoing the nuclear deal.
“However, in the event we are not able to reach a solution working with Congress and our allies, then the agreement will be terminated,” Trump said, in a televised address from the Diplomatic Room of the White House.
Proposals by Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Bob Corker to introduce “trigger points” for new sanctions and extend sanctions beyond a pre-agreed deadline have spooked allies, who believe it could breach the accord.
But it remains unclear if their proposals can garner the 60 votes need to pass the Senate.
Trump also backed away from designating Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terror group, a move that would have triggered sanctions and almost certain Iranian retribution.
Apart from running swaths of Iran’s economy and Iran’s ballistic missile program, the Revolutionary Guards are accused of guiding proxy forces across the region, from Hezbollah in Lebanon, to the Houthis in Yemen and Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria.
“We have considered that there are particular risks and complexities to designating an entire army, so to speak, of a country,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.
Instead, the US Treasury said it had taken action against the Islamic Revolutionary Guards under a 2001 executive order to hit sources of terror funding and added four companies that allegedly support the group to its sanctions list.
Trump has repeatedly pledged to overturn one of his predecessor Barack Obama’s crowning foreign policy achievements, deriding it as “the worst deal” and one agreed to out of “weakness.”
The agreement stalled Iran’s nuclear program and marginally thawed relations between Iran and what Tehran dubs the “Great Satan,” but opponents, and even some supporters, say it also prevented efforts to challenge Iranian influence across the Middle East.
Since coming to office, Trump has faced intense lobbying from international allies and much of his own national security team, who argue the nuclear deal should remain in place.
Both the US government and UN nuclear inspectors say Iran is meeting the technical requirements of its side of the bargain, dramatically curtailing its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Trump claimed support for his move in a tweet late Friday, while suggesting that his critics among US allies were placing trade profits ahead of security.
“Many people talking, with much agreement, on my Iran speech today. Participants in the deal are making lots of money on trade with Iran!” he wrote on Twitter.
Trump kicks fate of Iran nuclear deal to Congress
Trump kicks fate of Iran nuclear deal to Congress
Trump says he’s considering ways to serve a third term as president
- US presidents are limited to two four-year terms, but Trump suggested that Americans would go along with a third term because of his popularity
- He falsely claimed to have “the highest poll numbers of any Republican for the last 100 year,” a record held by George W. Bush
US presidents are limited to two four-year terms, but Trump suggested that Americans would go along with a third term because of his popularity
He falsely claimed to have “the highest poll numbers of any Republican for the last 100 year,” a record held by George W. Bush
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida: President Donald Trump said Sunday that “I’m not joking” about trying to serve a third term, the clearest indication he is considering ways to breach a constitutional barrier against continuing to lead the country after his second term ends in early 2029.
“There are methods which you could do it,” Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC News from Mar-a-Lago, his private club.
He also said “it is far too early to think about it.”
The 22nd Amendment, added to the Constitution in 1951 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected four times in a row, says “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
Any attempt to remain in office would be legally suspect and it is unclear how seriously he might pursue the idea. The comments nonetheless were an extraordinary reflection of the desire to maintain power by a president who had violated democratic traditions four years ago when he tried to overturn the election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
NBC’s Kristen Welker asked Trump if one potential avenue to a third term was having Vice President JD Vance run for the top job and “then pass the baton to you.”
“Well, that’s one,” Trump responded. “But there are others too. There are others.”
“Can you tell me another?” Welker asked.
“No,” Trump replied.
Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
Derek Muller, a professor of election law at Notre Dame, noted that the 12th Amendment, which was ratified in 1804, says “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice President of the United States.”
Muller said that indicates that if Trump is not eligible to run for president again because of the 22nd Amendment, he is not eligible to run for vice president, either.
“I don’t think there’s any ‘one weird trick’ to getting around presidential term limits,” Muller said.
In addition, pursuing a third term would require extraordinary acquiescence by federal and state officials, not to mention the courts and voters themselves.
He suggested that Trump is talking about a third term for political reasons to “show as much strength as possible.”
“A lame-duck president like Donald Trump has every incentive in the world to make it seem like he’s not a lame duck,” he said.
Trump, who would be 82 at the end of his second term, was asked whether he would want to keep serving in “the toughest job in the country” at that point.
“Well, I like working,” the president said.
He suggested that Americans would go along with a third term because of his popularity. He falsely claimed to have “the highest poll numbers of any Republican for the last 100 years.”
Gallup data shows President George W. Bush reaching a 90 percent approval rating after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. His father, President George H.W. Bush, hit 89 percent following the Gulf War in 1991.
Trump has maxed out at 47 percent in Gallup data during his second term, despite claiming to be “in the high 70s in many polls, in the real polls.”
Trump has mused before about serving longer than two terms before, generally with jokes to friendly audiences.
“Am I allowed to run again?” he said during a House Republican retreat in January.
Representatives for the congressional leadership — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York — did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the AP.
Putin congratulates Russian Muslims on Eid Al-Fitr
- Russian president also acknowledged the contributions of Muslim organizations to the nation’s public and spiritual life
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his congratulations on Sunday to the country’s Muslim community on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
In a message published on the website of the Central Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia, Putin highlighted the significance of the holiday, describing it as a time of “spiritual growth, kindness, and compassion.”
According to a report by Russian state news agency TASS, the Russian president also acknowledged the contributions of Muslim organizations to the nation’s public and spiritual life, praising their involvement in charitable, educational, and patriotic initiatives.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin also issued a statement congratulating Muslims on the occasion.
Eid Al-Fitr is one of the most important celebrations in Islam, observed by millions of Muslims worldwide with prayers, feasts, and acts of charity.
3 sailors missing off Ghana in suspected pirate attack
- In 2022, a UN Security Council resolution co-sponsored by Ghana and Norway was issued to condemn the spike in piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
ACCRA: Three Chinese nationals are missing after their vessel came under a “suspected pirate attack” off the coast of Ghana, authorities said over the weekend.
The apparent kidnapping is the latest in the Gulf of Guinea, an area off the Atlantic coast of Africa whose waters — rich in hydrocarbons and fisheries — stretch across several jurisdictions, including those of countries with limited naval and coast guard capacities.
Just before 6 p.m. on Thursday, seven armed people boarded the Mengxin I vessel in Ghanaian waters and fired warning shots, the Ghanaian military said in a statement.
BACKGROUND
In 2022, a UN Security Council resolution co-sponsored by Ghana and Norway was issued to condemn the spike in piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
The assailants rounded up members of the crew and sent others into hiding.
By the time the attackers departed three hours later, the captain, chief mate, and chief engineer — all Chinese nationals — were missing, according to the statement, dated Saturday.
They are “suspected of being kidnapped by the attackers,” it said.
Ghanaian authorities are sharing information with other members of the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, it added.
In 2022, a UN Security Council resolution co-sponsored by Ghana and Norway was issued to condemn the spike in piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
A study published in 2021 by the Stable Seas research institute found that pirate groups, mostly in the Niger Delta, can earn around $5 million per year through theft and hostage-taking.
That same year, a Danish naval patrol killed four pirates in an exchange of fire off the coast of Nigeria.
Cholera outbreak in Angola has claimed more than 300 lives: WHO
- Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with the bacterium vibrio cholerae, often from feces. It causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle cramps
GENEVA: Angola’s cholera outbreak has now claimed 329 lives, the World Health Organization said Saturday, warning that the risk of further transmission in the country and surrounding areas was “very high.”
Angola has been experiencing a substantial cholera outbreak since January, with a total of 8,543 cases as of March 23.
Angola struggles with high poverty rates and poor sanitation despite its oil wealth.
The WHO said the outbreak had rapidly spread to 16 out of Angola’s 21 provinces, affecting people of all age groups, with the highest burden among those under 20.
“The Ministry of Health, with support from WHO and partners, is managing the cholera outbreak response through case detection, deployment of rapid response teams, community engagement and a vaccination campaign,” the UN health agency said.
“Given the rapidly evolving outbreak, ongoing rainy season, and cross-border movement with neighboring countries, WHO assesses the risk of further transmission in Angola and surrounding areas as very high.”
Namibia, Angola’s southern neighbor, recorded its first case of cholera in nearly a decade, the African Union’s health agency said earlier this month. The 55-year-old woman recovered and was discharged from the hospital.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with the bacterium vibrio cholerae, often from feces.
It causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle cramps.
Cholera can kill within hours when not attended to, though it can be treated with simple oral rehydration and antibiotics for more severe cases.
There has been a global increase in cholera cases and their geographical spread since 2021.
Between Jan. 1 and March 23 this year, a total of 93,172 cases and 1,197 deaths were reported across 24 countries, with 60 percent of the cases in Africa, the WHO said.
Niger withdraws from Lake Chad military force fighting terrorist groups
- The ensuing conflict, which has drawn in other extremist groups, has killed over 40,000 people and displaced around two million, causing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises
NIAMEY: Niger has withdrawn from the military coalition fighting terrorist groups in the Lake Chad region of west-central Africa, saying it will focus instead on protecting its oil operations from attacks.
The announcement comes amid rising tensions between the four countries bordering Lake Chad since a 2023 coup by Niger’s military.
In a bulletin read on state TV, the army said the operation under the Multinational Joint Task Force, active since 2015, would now be called “Nalewa Dole” following Niger’s withdrawal.
The move “reflects a stated intent to reinforce security for oil sites,” the bulletin stated, without further elaboration.
The four countries that surround Lake Chad — Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria — have been battling insurgencies since 2009, after a spate of violent campaigns by the Boko Haram group in Nigeria’s northeast spilled into its neighbous.
The ensuing conflict, which has drawn in other extremist groups, has killed over 40,000 people and displaced around two million, causing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
But since the July 2023 coup, Niger’s military junta has accused Nigeria of supporting foreign forces in a bid to destabilize it, which Abuja denies.
Oil infrastructure in southeast Niger meanwhile, in particular a pipeline leading from the landlocked country to Benin, regularly face attacks by armed groups.
The governor of Niger’s Diffa region, General Ibrahim Bagadoma, said at a regional summit in February that “The problem is that some are making efforts, while others are undermining them. We must present a united front and end foreign regional interferences.”
Late last year, Chad had threatened to withdraw from the Joint Task Force after an attack killed around 40 of its soldiers, citing an “absence of mutualized efforts.”
