Iranian officials ‘in no rush’ to start technical talksIn Iran, there is a bitter memory of the JCPOA [the Iran nuclear deal agreed to in 2015 under the administration of former US President Barack Obama that Trump withdrew from during his first term on office].
So, Iranians are engaging in diplomacy, but they have this past experience. That’s why Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has been extremely cautious.
In a recent statement, Khamenei said that while he “held a different view” on the US-Iran MoU, he granted his permission for it after receiving assurances from Iranian officials that Iran’s rights would be safeguarded. So, you can see that his permission is conditional.
That’s why Iranian officials are not in a rush to engage in the technical talks or negotiations – they know any failure would come with huge responsibility and cost.
https://aje.news/cllifw?update=4678415Switzerland talks ‘postponed’, but ‘not off’We’re hearing very careful language around the expected talks between the US and Iran.
We’ve heard the Pakistani prime minister say his visit to Switzerland [where talks are expected] is postponed.
We’ve heard the US vice president say that he still expects to go to Switzerland over the weekend.
We’ve heard some sources in the mediating team say that the talks are not off, but they’ve been postponed for now.
That is also what we’ve heard from the Swiss Foreign Ministry. They sent me a message this morning saying that preparations for these talks to get under way in Burgenstock are still ongoing.
https://aje.news/cllifw?update=4677985Israel’s latest Lebanon attacks mark ‘serious escalation’This was one of the most concerted attacks by Israeli forces since the US-Iran MoU came into effect. Israel attacked multiple locations in southern Lebanon, but mainly around the Nabatieh district.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health has put the casualty figures from these overnight attacks at 18 dead and 33 injured. A broad swath of southern Lebanon was attacked – nearly a dozen different locations, mainly centred around the towns of al-Sharqiyah and Harouf.
The wave of attacks began just after midnight, with artillery, drone and warplane attacks reported throughout the night and continuing into the past hours. We’re getting reports of people being newly displaced from the Nabatieh area and moving further north.
This is a very serious escalation. The Israelis have confirmed they carried out a number of attacks, blaming Hezbollah for what they claim were breaches of the ceasefire and saying these attacks will continue if they feel they are necessary.
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