European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini says the US president is not in a position to terminate Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers.

Shortly after US President Donald Trump officially announced on Friday that he would not certify the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Mogherini stressed that the 2015 accord reached between Iran and Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China as well as the US “does not belong to any single country”.

“To my knowledge there is not one single country in the world that can terminate a UN Security Council resolution that has been adopted, and adopted unanimously, and implemented, and verified,” she said.

“It is clearly not in the hands of any president of any country in the world to terminate an agreement of this sort. The president of the United States has many powers (but) not this one,” the EU foreign policy chief pointed out.

Mogherini underlined the EU’s determination to abide by the JCPOA, noting that the bloc expects the other parties to the deal to adopt the same stance.

“We cannot afford as an international community, as Europe for sure, to dismantle an agreement that is working and delivering,” she said.

Apart from his refusal to certify the JCPOA, Trump also warned in his strategic review of US policy on Iran that he might ultimately terminate the deal, in defiance of other world powers and undermining a landmark victory of multilateral diplomacy.

While Trump did not pull Washington out of the nuclear deal, he gave the US Congress 60 days to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions against Tehran that were lifted under the pact. Reimposing sanctions would put the US at odds with other signatories to the accord and the European Union.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said earlier on Friday that Tehran had a “very broad” range of options for any breach of the JCPOA and would “end all its commitments in this regard if deemed necessary.”

Trump called on Congress and US allies to address “serious flaws” in the JCPOA, including the deal’s “sunset clauses” that will put an end to restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program after a few years as well as the agreement’s “total silence on Iran’s missile programs.”

The US president noted that key Congress leaders are drafting legislation to amend the 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, which has given Congress some oversight on the JCPOA, prevent Iran from developing intercontinental ballistic missiles and make all restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program permanent.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani slammed Trump’s speech against the Islamic Republic as nothing more than insults and delirious talk, urging the US president to brush up on his world history and geography to improve his comprehension of international obligations and global ethics, etiquette and conventions.

The Iranian president further rejected Trump’s demand that the 2015 nuclear deal be revised, saying the agreement would remain intact and no article or paragraph would be added or taken away from it.

Rouhani said Iran will only respect its nuclear deal commitments so long as its rights are safeguarded, emphasizing that Tehran has cooperated and would continue its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has certified Iran’s compliance eight times.

UK, Germany, France back JCPOA

Following Trump’s speech, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany issued a joint statement, expressing concern over “the possible implications” of Washington’s decision.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said they “stand committed to its full implementation by all sides.”

“The nuclear deal was the culmination of 13 years of diplomacy and was a major step towards ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is not diverted for military purposes,” said the statement released by May’s Downing Street office.

“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 JCPOA, such as re-imposing sanctions on Iran lifted under the agreement.

“Our governments are committed to ensuring the JCPOA is maintained,” the statement pointed out.

While both the US and the IAEA confirm that Iran is meeting the technical requirements of the nuclear deal, Trump claims that Tehran is in breach of the “spirit” of the agreement because of its expanding influence in the Middle East and the country’s achievements in its conventional missile program.

The three European leaders also expressed concern over Iran’s ballistic missile program, noting that they “stand ready to take further appropriate measures to address these issues.”

The nuclear agreement is solely about Iran’s nuclear activities and it does not incorporate non-nuclear issues.

Russia slams Trump’s policy

In reaction to Trump’s speech, Russia’s Foreign Ministry denounced his Iran strategy as one using “aggressive and threatening rhetoric” but said it expected the JCPOA to stay intact.

The ministry’s statement said it expected Trump’s decision “would not have a direct impact on the implementation of the deal” but was “an element of (US) domestic debate.”

Trump’s threat to terminate the nuclear deal comes as the US has a history of quitting international pacts and organizations.

This is not the first time that the international community witnesses efforts by the Trump administration to renege on a multilateral agreement.

Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Climate Agreement in June and has ordered the US to withdraw from UNESCO next year.

The US decisions to abandon multilateral agreements is not limited to the Trump administration. In 2002, the administration of former US President George W. Bush withdrew from the Antiballistic Missile Treaty (ABM), which it had signed with the Soviet Union in 1972.

Culled from Presstv

Local US officials have confirmed that the death toll from this week’s wildfires in the state of California has climbed to 31, making it the deadliest series of blazes in the state’s history. 

Fire officials said on Thursday the tally could rise further in the eight counties which have been affected by the fires.

In Sonoma County alone, where entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, hundreds of people are still unaccounted for.

The fires have swept through California’s wine country, leaving thousands of people homeless and burning over 190,000 acres (76,000 hectares) of land.

Firefighters said gusty winds and dry conditions have hampered their efforts to contain the fires, which began on Sunday. Some 8,000 firefighters were battling 20 blazes as of Thursday.

“What this means is that our fires will continue to burn erratically,” California fire chief Ken Pimlott told a press conference. “They have the potential to shift in any direction at any time.

“We are a long way from being done with this catastrophe,” he said.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump declared a major disaster in California, releasing funding and resources to fight the catastrophe. Forest fires are common in the western United States during hot months, but few have claimed as many lives as this week’s blaze.

Source: Presstv

On Friday 13 October Mr Kofi Annan, Chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation and the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, will brief UN Member States on the Advisory Commission’s main findings and recommendations for Myanmar’s troubled western state of Rakhine.

In his capacity as Chair of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, Mr Annan presented the Commission’s report “Towards a Peaceful, Fair and Prosperous Future for the People of Rakhine” in Yangon in August 2017. The report puts forward recommendations to surmount the political, socioeconomic and humanitarian challenges that have long existed in Rakhine State and have contributed to the current crisis.

The Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, which was disbanded following the completion of its mandate in September 2017, focused on long-term solutions for improving the welfare of all people in Rakhine State. Its final report addresses many of the root causes that underlie the humanitarian crisis.

“Towards a Peaceful, Fair and Prosperous Future for the People of Rakhine” and the recommendations it contains have been endorsed by the Government of Myanmar and widely welcomed by the international community.

In his briefing to Council Members and other Member States, Mr Annan will present the main recommendations of the report and discuss their implementation in the context of the violence and displacement that has taken place since the Commission’s report was published.

Mr Annan will urge stakeholders to use the report as a roadmap to peace and development in Rakhine State.

Mr Annan will stress the need to quickly end security operations, facilitate humanitarian access to affected populations and ensure protection of civilians.

The briefing will begin at 15:00 EST. It will be held under the Arria-formula to allow for participation from all United Nations Member States and accredited non-governmental organisations.

Mr. Annan’s statement will be made public at the time of the briefing.

About the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State

At the behest of the Ministry of the Office of the State Counsellor of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and in collaboration with the Kofi Annan Foundation, the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State was established in September 2016 as a neutral and impartial body to propose concrete measures for improving the welfare of all people in Rakhine state. It was disbanded following the completion of its mandate in September 2017.

The Commission was composed of six local and three international experts and chaired by Kofi Annan. It released an interim report in March 2017 and its final report in August 2017. The reports considered and provided recommendations on humanitarian and developmental issues, access to basic services, legal questions including citizenship and the assurance of basic rights, security to all people in all communities and other issues central to building lasting peace.

Source:  Kofi Annan Foundation

US President Donald Trump has threatened to shut down NBC and other American TV networks by revoking their media licenses, claiming they broadcast “fake news” and are “bad” for the country.

“With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!” Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Trump has repeatedly used the term “fake news” to cast doubt on critical media reports about his administration, often without providing any evidence to support his case that the reports are false.

NBC News has reported on tensions between Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

NBC said last week that Trump sought a dramatic increase in the US nuclear arsenal during a meeting in July with national security advisers in July.

NBC reported Tillerson made his “moron” comment after that meeting and was on the verge of resigning amid mounting policy disputes with the White House.

“Fake @NBCNews made up a story that I wanted a ‘tenfold’ increase in our US nuclear arsenal. Pure fiction, made up to demean. NBC = CNN!,” Trump once again tweeted against the media on Wednesday.

This is not the first time Trump has attacked NBC. Trump wrote on Twitter on October 4 that “NBC news is #FakeNews and more dishonest than even CNN. They are a disgrace to good reporting. No wonder their news ratings are way down!”

Trump’s willingness to potentially challenge the broadcast licenses of a media he disapproves, marks an escalation in Trump’s anti-media rhetoric.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) does not license broadcast networks, but issues them to individual broadcast stations. The agency does not issue similar licenses for cable networks like CNN and MSNBC, or regulate internet news or other websites.

The FCC has said the First Amendment “expressly prohibits the commission from censoring broadcast matter” and that its role “in overseeing program content is very limited.”

As a candidate, Trump had pursued the same anti-media rhetoric threatening to “open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money.”

At least 17 people have been killed in California due to wildfires which have so far damaged over 2,000 residences and other buildings, authorities say.

Fires have been raging in multiple counties as of Tuesday, charring more than 115,000 acres of land and forcing nearly 20,000 residents to evacuate.

The biggest fires were reported from Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties, where flames were sweeping through the lush, picturesque landscape. Just in Sonoma and Napa, the Tubbs and Atlas fires have burned 52,000 acres of land.

In Anaheim, fires schorched an estimated 6,000 acres and wreaked havoc on at least 24 homes and businesses.

At least 183 people have been unaccouted for since Sunday when the fires first broke out, according to one official in Sonoma County where at least 11 people died of fire-related injuries.

St. Joseph Health said nearly 170 patients have been treated for burns and smoke inhalation in Sonoma County.

High winds and dry conditions have exacerbated the situation, and according to Cal Fire, strong winds led to “extreme rates of spread and volatile burning conditions.”

Sonoma County Sgt. Spencer Crum said Tuesday, “The night before this, we had 60 mph winds, which is the reason why you have such devastation here.”

At least 3,000 residents were forced to leave the area in and around Anaheim, with officials saying that over 5,000 structures were being threatened by the flames.

“We always thought the alert system would give us time, but there was no notice, no warning,” said Maureen Grinnell, 77, who lived in the hills north of Napa. “I was watching a movie with my 19-year-old granddaughter and I smelled smoke, and I looked out the window to see flames approaching.”

Officials have been forced to evacuate even some hospitals due to flames which were engulfing certain areas. Also, residents living in surrounding counties, which were under threat, have also been ordered to flee their homes.

Source: Presstv

The United States Army’s top officer says it is likely to “increase” its train, advise and assist (TAA) missions after the death of four soldiers in Niger by developing a new unit, he describes as “similar to special forces,” that are “not special Forces.”

General Mark Milley made the comments at the Association of the army’s annual meeting in Washington on Monday, not long after four special operations commandos were ambushed to death by militants in the Western African country of Niger.

The army’s chief of staff did not mention who was responsible for the attack although he asserted that the US military does know the group.

“We are training, advising and assisting indigenous armies all over the world,” Milley stated. “And I anticipate and expect that’ll increase, not decrease, in years to come.”

Two other Green Berets were injured on the October 4 ambush near the Nigerien capital Niamey by militants said to be linked with the Daesh Takfiri group in Iraq and Syria.

“It is a dangerous mission, TAA missions around the world. It depends on where you are at,” Milley said, announcing that a new unit is being developed for such missions.

It will be made up of six “Security Force Assistance Brigades,” which will include 500 non-commissioned and senior officers with “Ranger-like standards.”

“They will look and act, in many ways, and be trained similar to Special Forces, but they are not Special Forces,” Milley asserted.

The US Africa Command “is reviewing very closely the security procedures that they are using for these teams that are there in Africa,” he added.

The US military leaders are expanding Washington’s military presence, arguing that they need to be able to act more quickly against purported enemies amid vows by President Donald Trump to defeat the Daesh terrorists.

The US and some of its regional allies are themselves implicated in support for the Takfiri terrorists.

Culled from Presstv

Ugandan rebels have attacked two military bases in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), killing two United Nations peacekeepers and injuring a dozen others.

The UN mission in Congo, known as MONUSCO, said the casualties occurred during two simultaneous attacks early on Monday, when soldiers were battling the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group along the main road leading from North Kivu province’s Beni territory to the Uganda border.

The UN did not specify the nationality of the dead soldiers or the injured.

“This region has seen more than enough violence already,” the mission chief, Maman Sidikou, said in a statement, adding that MONUSCO would “strongly” respond to threats by armed groups.

A Congolese army spokesman in the region, Mak Hazukay, also confirmed the report and later said the bases housed Tanzanian peacekeepers who formed part of an intervention brigade with a mandate to conduct offensive operations against the rebel group.

The assault came a day after the ADF militants killed at least 30 civilians by slitting their throats and took another 19 hostages near the city of Beni.

The recent fighting is a fresh outbreak of violence for a region plagued by ethnic tensions and massacres that killed more than 800 people between 2014 and 2016.

The Allied Democratic Forces-National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF-NALU) rebel group, which was founded in Uganda in 1995 and later moved to Congo, is believed to have roughly 400 members and has been accused of committing serious human rights violations, including recruiting child soldiers and rape.

ADF-NALU and dozens of other armed groups have been active in eastern Congo since the 1996-2003 Congo wars.

The Congolese army, joined by UN troops, is on the offensive against the rebel group which is blamed for more than two decades of violence that has forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Source: Presstv

Saudi Arabia has signed preliminary agreements to buy S-400 air defense systems and receive “cutting-edge technologies” from Russia as King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is on an official trip to Moscow as the first Saudi monarch to visit the European country.

Under agreements signed with Russian state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport, Saudi Arabia is set to procure the anti-aircraft weapon system, the Kornet-EM anti-tank guided missile system, 220mm 24-barrel TOS-1A multiple rocket launcher as well as AGS-30 Atlant automatic grenade launcher, the state-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) said in a statement on Thursday.

SAMI, however, did not provide any information about the number of the systems or the value of the deal.

These contracts are “expected to play a pivotal role in the growth and development of the military and military systems industry in Saudi Arabia,” the statement read.

The Saudi Arabian Military Industries further noted that the memoranda of understanding also “include the transfer of technology for the local production” of the aforementioned military systems.

“In addition, the parties will cooperate in setting a plan to localize the manufacturing and sustainment of parts of the S-400 air defense system,” SAMI said.

 

Saudi and Russian military officials also agreed on the production of AK-103 automatic assault rifles and its ammunition in Saudi Arabia besides educational and training programs for Saudi nationals.

“These agreements are expected to have tangible economic contributions and create hundreds of direct jobs. They will also transfer cutting-edge technologies that will act as a catalyst for localizing 50 percent of the Kingdom’s military spending,” SAMI said.

A number of other deals have been signed during King Salman’s four-day visit to Russia, which started on Wednesday.

There are reports that Saudi Arabian national petroleum and natural gas company, Saudi Aramco, is discussing several investment opportunities with Russian producers of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

 

“LNG is one of the areas where we are looking for partners in Russia,” Amin H. Nasser, president and chief executive officer of Saudi Aramco, told reporters in Moscow on Thursday.

Nasser noted that there are no current plans to take a stake in the Novatek LNG project, known as Arctic LNG-2. Novatek is Russia’s largest independent natural gas producer.

“We are not discussing this at this stage. We are looking at opportunities for working together with the different companies. But what you mention in particular – nothing from Saudi Aramco,” he said.

Source: Presstv

In a statement issued on October 4, 2017, The British Minister of African Affairs Rory Stewart has stressed that the UK is “deeply concerned” about the various reports of deaths and violence recorded in Southern Cameroons. He appealed to the Biya government and the leadership of the Southern Cameroons Ambazonia Governing Council to restrained.

“We invite both parties to create an atmosphere of trust, avoid provocative acts, to the forces of order to respect human rights and to act in order to ensure the protection of men and their property “Says Rory Steward.

The British Government called on the Governing Council and the Government of Cameroon to reject acts of violence, to dialogue and to take urgent action to find solutions to the demands raised by Southern Cameroonians.

The reaction of the British Government comes after that of the Trump administration. Washington said on Wednesday that “the use of force by the Cameroonian government to restrict freedom of expression and the peaceful assembly and the violence of the demonstrators are unacceptable “. The White House urged the Government of Cameroon to respect human rights and freedom of expression, including access to the Internet.

Chi Prudence Asong, CCN