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armeniaitn · 4 years ago

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Why Azerbaijanis and Armenians have been fighting for so long

New Post has been published on https://armenia.in-the.news/politics/why-azerbaijanis-and-armenians-have-been-fighting-for-so-long-37065-16-07-2020/

Why Azerbaijanis and Armenians have been fighting for so long

Azerbaijan and Armenia have shared hostilities over various ethnic, religious and political reasons – but the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is the biggest hurdle that exists between the two.

Recent deadly clashes along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border have shown that old and new problems between the two Caucasian nations, carry the dangerous potential of sliding the two states into a fully-fledged regional war.

The two countries have serious historical differences that span issues including religion, ethnicity and of course, politics. Azerbaijan has a Muslim majority population that also houses a heavy Turkic presence. while Armenia is a Christian majority country predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians.

In the late years of the Ottoman Empire, an ethnic conflict emerged between the two nations, particularly in Caucasia and parts of eastern Anatolia, largely based on the territories of the respected regions.

During World War I, the Armenians, backed by Russia and some prominent Western countries, tried to get rid of the Muslim population from Caucasia and Eastern Anatolia in the hope of creating an independent state. This led to an armed confrontation between the Ottomans and Armenians.

Under the Soviet Union, a federative communist state, the conflict between the nations appeared to be paused when the Armenian and Azerbaijani republics existed side by side.

But the Soviet designation of territories between Azerbaijanis and Armenians created other problems, and sowed the seed for future conflicts.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a major international dispute – it sits among the likes of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute, the one concerning former Yugoslavia, and Cyprus, but has not commanded the same level of international attention.

(Zeyd Abdullah Alshagouri / TRTWorld)

The origin of the conflict

After Azerbaijan and Armenia were subsumed into the Soviet Union, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region was established within Azerbaijan by the Soviet Union in 1924.

During the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, the question of the future of the region became a source of enmity once again and clashes began between ethnic Azerbaijanis and Armenians in November 1988. Clashes continued on and off until both countries gained independence in 1991.

Karabakh held a referendum in December 1991 over the creation of an independent state, which would mean unilaterally declaring itself separate from the Republic of Azerbaijan. The majority of those who went to the referendum polls voted in favour of independence, however, most of the Azerbaijanis living in Karabakh boycotted it by suggesting the referendum was illegitimate.

Most countries do not recognise the legitimacy of Karabakh’s declaration of independence. This is partly because only fifteen republics of the former Soviet Union could declare sovereignty from the union according to its constitution, and Karabakh was not one due to its status as an autonomous region. Further to this, unilateral declarations of independence are often rejected because they violate international law.

Following the referendum, the conflict escalated into a war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. This resulted in at least 30,000 casualties and displaced an estimated 1 million people from both sides by the end of the war in 1993.

Azerbaijan and Armenia reached an unofficial ceasefire in May 1994 through Russian mediation, while Moscow reportedly supported Armenian forces militarily and politically during the conflict.

Since then, occasional clashes, like the most recent ones, continue across the countries’ border and in the occupied-Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Karabakh ‘s Armenian militias stand near a howitzer in Hadrut province in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan on April 5, 2016. (Albert Khachatryan / AP Archive)

Russian involvement

Matthew Bryza, a political analyst, who worked as an American mediator between the Armenians and Azerbaijanis in the 2000s under the auspices of the White House, finds Russian involvement and meditation in the conflict problematic.

He thinks the Russians, through politicians like Konstantin Zatulin – the first deputy chairman of the committee of the State Duma for the The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) – are trying to provoke conflict.

“Zatulin is a firebrand and a provocateur. In my professional experience, he is always trying to steer the conflicts to create some discord so that Russia can always manipulate the two sides to keep its influence (intact over Armenia and Azerbaijan),” Bryza told TRT World.

“He came with a statement a couple of days ago, that was extremely provocative. He said ‘Well, it’s not clear to whom Nagorno-Karabakh belongs. The Armenian prime minister tells me it’s Armenian. Azerbaijanis say it’s Azerbaijani. Who knows?’”

“In fact, Russia like the US and even Armenia until recently agreed that occupied-Nagorno Karabakh is legally part of Azerbaijan. So that is a very provocative step taken by Zatulin, who is supposed to represent a country considered an impartial mediator,” he added.

Zatulin, born in Batum of Caucasia like Joseph Stalin, the communist dictator who drew the borders of many Soviet republics and autonomous regions including Azerbaijan and Armenia, has long been known for his pro-Armenian stance.

Konstantin Zatulin, the Chairman of the CIS Commonwealth Committee, listens to the journalist’s question during his press-conference in Moscow on Crimean crisis March 20, 1995. (Reuters Archive)

“As CSTO (The Collective Security Treaty Organization) member states we have obligations to each other. Russia views Armenia as an ally and in the event of an attack the mechanisms envisaged by the CSTO [Charter] will apply to Armenia,” said Zatulin in November 2019, after tensions escalated between Baku and Yerevan.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization was established in 1992 by some members of the CIS, led by Moscow, to create a kind of Russian NATO across Eurasia.

“I would like to note that our 102nd Military Base in the territory of Armenia is not deployed here in vain to solely serve as a ‘beauty accessory’,” threatened the Russian firebrand.

The same Zatulin made similar threatening remarks immediately after the most recent clashes.

Veiled threats toward Turkey

“If anybody now uses force in response to an initial Armenian attack on Azerbaijan, Russia will use force against it to protect its ally, which is Armenia,” Zatulin said, according to Bryza.

Zatulin also appears to threaten Turkey by saying this, a country that has proved Azerbaijan’s strongest ally since its independence.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev speak during a press conference, in Baku, Azerbaijan on Feb. 25, 2020. (Credit: Presidential Press Service / AP Archive)

Ankara has recently deployed technologically advanced armed drones, which have been battle-tested in the Libyan civil war on the side of the UN-recognised Government of General Accord (GNA) and in Syria against the Russian-backed Assad regime forces, across Turkish-Armenian border to show its support for Azerbaijan.

“Turkey will continue, with all its capacity, to stand by Azerbaijan in its struggle to protect its territorial integrity,” said a Turkish foreign ministry statement.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also proffered his support on Azerbaijan, saying, “Turkey will show no wavering to oppose any attack toward Azerbaijan.”

Armenia-Azerbaijan clashes have now created another front between Ankara and Moscow.

Turkey and Russia have recently been at odds in several conflicts across the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, from Libya to Syria, and now Azerbaijan, too.

“The major players are Russia and Turkey,” says Bryza, referring to the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict.

Source: TRT World

Read original article here.

#Armenia #Armenians #Karabakh #Yerevan #Politics

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radyobalfm · 5 years ago

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YTB desteğiyle ABD’deki müslüman topluluklara azık ve hijyen materyalleri

Yurtdışı Türkler ve Akraba Topluluklar Başkanlığı (YTB) başlattığı “Diaspora Covid-19 Destek ve İş Birliği Programı” ile yurt dışındaki Türk vatandaşlarının kurmuş olduğu STK’ları destekleyerek Yeni Koronavirüs (Covid-19) pandemisine karşı yerkürenin dört bir yanında yardım faaliyetlerinde bulunuyor. Program kapsamında ABD’de Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC) ile salgına karşı…

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tdshay · 5 years ago

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Turkey’s Erdoğan slams West for treatment of Muslims, vows to pursue Gülen | | Ahval Speaking at the Turkish American National Steering Committee event on Sunday, Erdoğan vowed to continue pursuing enemies of his government around the world Source: Turkey’s Erdoğan slams West for treatment of Muslims, vows to pursue Gülen | | Ahval

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ozel-buro · 6 years ago

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Starting this Friday April 19, 2019: TASC Vigil for Victims of Armenian Terrorism in Washington DC

Turkish American National Steering Committee | 1526 18th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036 info

in collaboration with

Try it free today

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stkguncel · 6 years ago

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RT @1920yesilay: Genel Sekreterimiz Av. Osman Baturhan Dursun, Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC) eş başkanları Dr. Halil Mutlu ile Av. Günay Evinch’i ziyaret etti. Amerika Yeşilayı’nın kuruluş çalışmaları ve bağımlılıkla mücadele projelerimiz hakkında görüşme gerçekleştirildi. https://t.co/J5sz3k1SgZ

#STKguncel

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uomo-accattivante · 8 years ago

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#oscar isaac #christian bale #charlotte le bon #the promise #armenian genocide #terry george #imdb #survival pictures #open road films #keepthepromise

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kyreniacommentator · 2 years ago

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President Tatar participated in TASC dinner

TRNC President, Ersin Tatar, as part of his New York visit, participated in TASC Annual Gala Dinner organized by the Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC) that was held at Rockefeller Centre, according to the information issued by the TRNC Presidency. (more…)

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#Meeting #President of the Republic of Türkiye #Recep Tayyip Erdogan #Rockefeller Centre #TRNC President Ersin Tatar #Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC)

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vinayv224 · 5 years ago

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Turkey invades Syria to go after the Kurds; Ukrainian Giuliani associates indicted.

Vox Sentences is your daily digest for what’s happening in the world. Sign up for the Vox Sentences newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday, or view the Vox Sentences archive for past editions.

Syrian Kurds under attack from Turkey

Turkish ground forces crossed the border into northern Syria following air raids early Wednesday. Kurdish fighter groups, allied with the US to fight ISIS, are designated as terror groups by Turkey. [Al Jazeera]

Eight are reported dead and 13 injured during the airstrikes, the latest conflict to afflict the already war-torn population, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asked for “all parties to exercise maximum restraint.” [Rudaw / Mohammed Rwanduzy]

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey announced on Wednesday the launch of the campaign, named “Operation Peace Spring,” to establish a buffer zone between Turkey and Syria. [Vox / Jen Kirby]

Several NATO members expressed support for Turkey’s swift handling of its border security concerns, while a group of European allies on the council condemned the operation as a destabilizing incursion against the Kurds. [Daily Sabah]

The plan got the green light after President Trump made the announcement that the US would pull troops out of northeastern Syria. [Reuters / Daren Butler and Orhan Coskun]

Republicans and Democrats have condemned Trump for his actions and are putting together a bill sanctioning Turkey for its operation. [Vox / Alex Ward]

Giuliani associates’ campaign finance scheme

New York federal prosecutors announced the arrest and indictment of two Ukrainian Rudy Giuliani associates on campaign finance charges. [Wall Street Journal / Aruna Viswanatha, Rebecca Ballhaus, Sadie Gurman, and Byron Tau]

Using secret donations to political action committees, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman allegedly attempted to exchange a $325,000 foreign donation to America First for political influence. [NYT / Eileen Sullivan, Adam Goldman, and William K. Rashbaum]

Their Wednesday evening arrest transpired at Dulles International Airport near Washington, DC, as both men were attempting to board a plane with one-way tickets out of the US. [Washington Post / Devlin Barrett, John Wagner, and Rosalind S. Helderman]

Parnas and Fruman were working with Trump’s personal lawyer to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter for their involvement in Ukraine. [Politico / Ben Schreckinger, Darren Samuelsohn, Ben Lefebvre, and Caitlin Oprysko]

The men are facing charges of conspiracy, making false statements to the Federal Election Commission, and falsifying records for allegedly attempting to “circumvent the federal laws against foreign interference by engaging in a scheme to funnel foreign money to candidates for federal and State office.” [CBS / Grace Segers and Kathryn Watson]

Miscellaneous

Penzeys Spices, an American spice retailer, spent $92,000 on Facebook ads that call for Trump’s impeachment. [Vox / Terry Nguyen]

The UN says Yemen will become the world’s poorest country if the war continues, with 79 percent of the population living under the poverty line. [Al Monitor]

China wants an apology from the NBA, but it’s far from a slam dunk. [Wall Street Journal / Eva Dou, James T. Areddy, and Ben Cohen]

After reverse-engineering the YouTube algorithm that steers ads away from videos that it determines to be not appropropriate, a group is trying to prove that the algorithm discriminates against LGBTQ content. [Vox / Aja Romano]

Even the creator of Comic Sans is tired of his font passing as a personality trait. [NYT / Emma Goldberg]

Verbatim

“Well, they’re going to be escaping to Europe, that’s where they want to go. ... They didn’t help us in the second World War, they didn’t help us with Normandy for example. They’re there to help us with their land, and that’s a different thing.” [President Trump to reporters addressing concerns about the wellbeing of US-allied Kurds if the US pulls out of Syria]

Watch this: Vox Borders is back — with a twist

Vox Borders returns, and it’s covering a new terrain. [YouTube / Johnny Harris]

Why this year’s doubleheader Nobel Prize for literature is so controversial

LGBTQ rights hang in the balance at the Supreme Court. Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg just released plans to defend them.

9 things everyone should know about the impeachment process

The many places you can buy Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, in one chart

Simone Biles is the greatest female gymnast ever

from Vox - All https://ift.tt/2IFVCDA

#IFTTT #Blogger

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racingtoaredlight · 6 years ago

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Opening Bell: April 26, 2019

In a development which surprised absolutely no one, former Vice President Joe Biden entered the race for the Democratic nomination for president yesterday, becoming the 20th Democrat to join the field of candidates. In 2016, the size of the Republican field, which topped out at 16 or 17 candidates, was lampooned by pundits and critics and the conflict among them is credited with creating room for Donald Trump to gain a foothold among the noise and ascend to the top of the field the time that primaries and caucuses began in early 2016. But Trump’s lack of popularity—he is the first president in the modern era to never poll above 50 percent since entering the White House—and the peeling off of moderates from the GOP have inspired Democrats, who see many paths for defeating Trump. But, and many pundits have pointed this out, it is entirely possible that Democrats mishandle this enthusiasm and either end up nominating a candidate who is substantially bruised in a nomination fight or one that is simply not able to compete with Trump to attract moderates and political independents who voted for Trump in 2016. In 1968, Richard Nixon was a candidate for president for the second time in eight years. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of California in 1962 following his narrow 1960 loss to John F. Kennedy, was a two-term Vice President for President Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s, and had been a high-profile Republican Congressman from California since the late 1940s. In short, Nixon was a widely-known political commodity among the American public and he inspired stark opinions among voters; even after he secured the Republican nomination in 1968, he would have faced stiff opposition from a good Democratic nominee. Unfortunately for Democrats, their best candidates either fumbled badly, were too closely connected with the extremely unpopular outgoing President Lyndon Johnson, or were assassinated (i.e. Robert F. Kennedy). I am not saying that we are due for another political assassination, but the point is that a large field of candidates creates an echo-chamber, with the subsequent white noise turning off voters who may seek out a simpler choice; in this case the incumbent president. We are 558 days away from the next presidential election. Buckle up.

Last fall, President Donald Trump abruptly announced, after a phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that he would be immediately withdrawing all of the approximately 2,000 American soldiers than deployed in Syria. The move—both for its impetuousness and on its merits—appalled the foreign policy community and the policy and military leaders in the Pentagon. Defense Secretary James Mattis, long on the outs with Trump, took the opportunity to resign in protest of the move. Trump accepted Mattis’ resignation and then advanced it from Mattis’ proposed date of the end of February 2019, to instead have immediate effect. In the aftermath, Trump named Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan to be Acting Defense Secretary. Since then, Trump has not named a nominee to be the next Pentagon chief and no coherent list of potential candidates—aside from rumors that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Senator Tom Cotton were angling for the position—has emerged. This gives the appearance that Shanahan may inhabit the “acting” role, a status which Trump has embraced for cabinet officials, for quite some time. In light of that, Shanahan’s ties with aerospace and defense contractor Boeing—where he was a senior vice president before he entered government service—became more relevant. Yesterday, the Defense Department’s Inspector General released a report which cleared Shanahan of any ethics violations for actions taken in relation to Boeing contracts that are before the Pentagon, of which there are many. Because he is an acting department leader, however, that means Shanahan has no congressional approval of his current role and this exposes him to continued scrutiny by Congress, including and especially the Democrat-controlled House Armed Services Committee.

Meanwhile, as House committees ramp up their investigations and inquiries into the Trump administration and Trump’s alleged continued ties to his personal business interests and the Trump administration digs its heels in only further—this week Trump signaled that he did not want any White House officials testifying before Congress in any capacity—the question remains for House Democrats: how do you leverage an administration that refuses to respect the traditional checks and balances between the Executive and Legislative branches and the investigative authority of Congress. When a Republican-controlled Congress sought to restrain what it considered executive overreach by the Obama administration, Congress passed contempt citations and filed lawsuits against the president. Democrats, who have highly-experienced committee chairmen and women, have nonetheless not wielded congressional power in eight years and dealing with an administration that flouts all previous conventions of relationships between the two co-equal branches of government is a challenge with an answer that is not readily apparent. Democrats would be well-counseled to continue their investigations and to pursue their legislative agenda rather than engage in an existential political mud-fight, something this president excels at.

Histories of the Cuban Missile Crisis have focused entirely on one narrative of how the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles were detected in Cuba in 1962. In that historical narrative, the missile installations were discovered in photographs taken by reconnaissance planes flying over Cuba in increasingly risky operations. The discovery of these missile sites allowed President John F. Kennedy to formally accuse the Soviet Union of placing missiles in Cuba before the United Nations Security Council. This in turn gave Kennedy the justification to implement a naval quarantine—so-called because a blockade is an act of war—of Cuba and impose restrictions on any Soviet cargo vessels attempting to enter the quarantine zone. While a series of tense confrontations, both military and political, occurred, any one of which could have sparked World War III, the crisis was ultimately defused and the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba in exchange for a promise by the United States not to invade the island nation. It is a highly-compelling story and one of the milestones of the Cold War. But a key part of the story is not accurate. Air Force reconnaissance flights did provide photographic evidence of Soviet missiles in Cuba, but the high-flying U-2s were steered towards flying over and photographing particular sites in western Cuba only because a secret CIA supplied intelligence network, the creator of which was infiltrated into Cuba in early 1962, discovered evidence of the missile sites through on-the-ground, covert surveillance. The CIA paramilitary officer who organized this intelligence network and recruited its leaders from among Cuban dissidents, was lost to history, his role completely unknown until 2005. That year, the CIA decided to posthumously recognize the work of Tom Hewitt in running Operation Cobra, the intelligence project which actually discovered the Soviet presence in Cuba. This story is the very first time that a media outlet has put together a new history of the Cuban Missile Crisis, using Hewitt’s papers, declassified CIA documents, and interviews with Hewitt’s colleagues.

In July 1945, the Manhattan Project successfully tested the first atomic weapon when it exploded a device code-named Gidget in the New Mexico desert in the culmination of Project Trinity. In the weeks after this test, customers of Eastman Kodak sent complaints to the company that highly-sensitive X-ray film, had been corrupted before it could be used. The X-ray film had somehow been exposed to atomic particles which created fogging in the film, making it unusable. This was a known phenomenon and Kodak scientists assumed that the films had somehow been exposed to radium. Subsequent tests, however, showed the radium was not the culprit. It is unclear whether Kodak scientists knew of the Trinity test in New Mexico in July 1945—it seems highly unlikely that they did, even after the two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan in August 1945—but even if they had, the two plants which manufactured the protective packaging of X-ray film were located thousands of miles away from Alamogordo, New Mexico; one plants was in Iowa and the other was in Indiana. What both had in common, however, is that they manufactured packaging that was refined from farm-raised straw and both facilities were located next to rivers. Using this information, Kodak scientists determined that some new radiological element was traveling across the continental United States in the wind and being deposited over farms and in rivers; they essentially discovered the concept of nuclear fallout dispersal before anyone knew what that was. In the late 1940s, after the Trinity Test had become public knowledge and the U.S. government had decided to cordon off a large test site in Nevada for further nuclear testing, Kodak approached the government with its evidence of radiological contamination. What happened next presents an ethical conflict which could conceivably make up a follow-up article of its own.

In the newspaper world, there are essentially two types of pieces: dailies and features. Examples of the latter would include the long-term pursuit of particular topics like Woodward and Bernstein reporting on Watergate or the Boston Globe’s Spotlight staff reporting on the Catholic Church’s cover-up of sexual misconduct by priests (as seen in the movies All the President’s Me and Spotlight), while an example of former would include the pursuit of a high-profile crime story (best seen in the extremely underrated movie The Paper). In the world of magazines, there are three categories: weeklies, monthlies, and quarterlies. There are advantages and disadvantages to working in each format. Quarterlies have the luxury of featuring long-form stories that run into the thousands of words, but because they only publish four times a year, there is a low-ceiling on the number of articles and essays which can be run in a given year. Monthlies have more flexibility, but still have to make editorial choices about which articles get published in a given month. Weeklies have the most flexibility in terms of stories to publish, but are a voracious beast which, at the conclusion of one successful publication, must be satiated anew the following week; publishing 52 issues a year gives less time for 10,000 word meditations on the state of Israeli-Palestinian relations. The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine that was ardently anti-Donald Trump thus putting it in an odd niche (given the current state of the Republican Party, anyway) was of the last category; a weekly that did not struggle to find content, but did struggle to fund its operations. This essay is about what it’s like to work in different types of print media, but is ultimately a reflection of the current economic state of print media and its increasingly corporate ownership.

The Chateau Marmont is one of the most famous hotel landmarks in Hollywood. Its construction, on a bare hillside that sat adjacent to newly laid-out Sunset Boulevard, in 1929 signified the beginning of a scene that would become known as the glitzy Sunset Strip. Originally envisioned as a condo-residence, the 1929 stock market crash and subsequent Great Depression undermined the market on luxury residences and so, instead, the Chateau Marmont became a hotel, albeit one that entertained long-term visitors; celebrities were known to check-in, intending to stay only a few nights, but instead staying in the cozy confines for months or even years. Its relatively small-size—with only 60-plus rooms and bungalows—and privacy, made it a haven and a refuge for actors, artists, musicians, and wealthy individuals looking to escape from the public gaze in the middle of Hollywood. It is only in recent years that the Chateau Marmont has become a place which endured the unwavering focus of the paparazzi. As it enters its 90th year, the Chateau Marmont has a fascinating history, the surface of which is barely scraped here.

To round out where I started above, the candidacy of Joe Biden adds another dimension to the 2020 presidential race. Biden is undoubtedly one of the most experienced candidates to run for president in modern history; he is up there with John McCain in 2008, Bob Dole in 1996, and George H.W. Bush in 1988 (notable, because 1988 was the first time that Joe Biden ran in a Democratic primary….don’t ask how it went). Biden is likely to leverage this experience on the campaign trail, along with an appeal to return to how things were before Trump, but the question remains of whether these things are assets, or things which can be used against him (along with many others). Kyle Kondik of the Center for Politics examines the candidacy of Biden in 2020.

Welcome to the weekend.

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investmart007 · 7 years ago

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TEHRAN, Iran | The Latest: Trump defends Iran nuclear deal withdrawal

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/KCiRVk

TEHRAN, Iran | The Latest: Trump defends Iran nuclear deal withdrawal

TEHRAN, Iran — The Latest on President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal (all times local):

8:50 p.m.

President Donald Trump is defending his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, saying “bedlam” and “death” follow wherever Iran is involved.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, Trump says he is open to negotiating a new deal with Iran, but adds: “We’re going to make either a really good deal for the world or we’re not going to make a deal at all.”

Trump disregarded the pleas of U.S. allies to remain in the agreement, and instead announced Tuesday that he would reinstate sanctions on Iran in the coming months.

Trump says the Iran deal was “one sided” and would have led to nuclear proliferation. He adds that he would “advise Iran not to start their nuclear program.”

___

7:45 p.m.

Egypt says it wants Arab countries to have a role in decisions about amending the nuclear treaty with Iran from which President Donald Trump just withdrew.

In a statement Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry says it has followed the U.S. decision closely, and that it sees a need to preserve the “security and stability of the region.”

Egypt said it was important that all concerned Arab parties participate in any dialogue on the future situation in the region, in particular the possibility of amending the deal

Cairo calls “on all regional powers, including Iran, to stop adopting policies or actions against the security of the Arab region,” adding that it “hopes that the current developments will not result in any armed conflicts in the region.”

___

7:35 p.m.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says President Donald Trump decided to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal because he found it inadequate and could not affirm that the agreement was being lived up to.

Mattis made his remarks in response to questions by members of a Senate committee.

The Pentagon chief said that since the deal was made in 2015 there has been no reduction in what he called Iran’s “malicious activities,” such as Tehran’s support for Syrian President Bashar Assad. Prior to Trump’s decision, Mattis had said that while he would not have signed the deal, he believed the U.S. should stick with it.

Mattis said the U.S. will now work with allies and other countries to try to steer Iran toward more responsible behavior around the world.

___

6:50 p.m.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is telling a U.S. Senate panel the Trump administration will work with allies and partners to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

In an opening statement to the defense subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, focused mainly on the administration’s proposed 2018 defense budget, Mattis noted that President Donald Trump had announced his decision Tuesday to withdraw U.S. participation in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Without commenting directly on the implications of leaving the nuclear deal, Mattis said the U.S. will work with “others” to address what he called “the range of Iran’s malign influence.”

___

6:35 p.m.

A former top official in the George W. Bush administration says President Donald Trump’s decision to leave the Iran nuclear deal bodes well for future talks with North Korea.

Elliot Abrams, the deputy national security adviser under Bush, says Wednesday the “effect on North Korea is salutary in that it suggests the president is true to his rhetoric — he is not going to accept a very bad deal.”

Speaking on the sidelines of the Herzliya Conference, an annual security gathering north of Tel Aviv, Abrams says that staying in the deal would have sent a negative message that the Americans would buckle under the international pressure to abide by the 2015 deal. He says Trump was strengthening his hand for his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

___

6:10 p.m.

A senior Israeli Cabinet minister says President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement will force the Islamic Republic to abandon its pursuit of a bomb for good.

Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz says Wednesday that “Iran has two options — to align or to fold and crumble.” Speaking to the Herzliya Conference, an annual security gathering north of Tel Aviv, Katz says if Iran doesn’t truly shut down its nuclear ambitions “it will encounter the U.S. economic power, and we know the state of the Iranian economy.”

The Israeli government has staunchly opposed the 2015 nuclear deal and warmly congratulated Trump on his decision. It says Iran abided by the deal because it served them well. Katz says the 2015 deal “was leading toward a nuclear weapon.”

___

5:55 p.m.

The head of the European Union’s executive says that the United States under President Donald Trump is turning its back on multilateral relations and friendly cooperation “with a ferocity that can only surprise us.”

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Wednesday that in the wake of Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, the United States “no longer wants to cooperate with other parts in the world.”

In an address to Belgium’s Flemish regional parliament, Juncker said that it was up to the EU to take on the mantle of the United States.

Juncker says, “At this point, we have to replace the United States, which as an international actor has lost vigor, and because of it, in the long term, influence.”

____

4:55 p.m.

A top Turkish official says the Trump administration’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal is a worrying development that will also “destroy U.S. credibility.”

Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that the decision could lead to new tensions and clashes in the region.

Kalin said that ��our position is for this agreement to continue the way it is.”

He added, however, that Turkey didn’t want nuclear weapons in the region, saying “our main aim is to ensure that our region is completely cleared of nuclear weapons.”

___

4:40 p.m.

Two more Gulf Arab nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, have expressed support for President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

The UAE says the agreement didn’t guarantee Iran would refrain from pursuing a nuclear weapon in the future.

Bahrain, which has accused Iran of arming and training Shiite Bahraini protesters with the aim of destabilizing the Sunni-ruled country, said late Tuesday that Trump’s decision reflects the U.S. commitment to confront Iran’s “continuous attempts to spread terrorism in the region.”

Saudi Arabia— one of Iran’s staunchest regional foes— earlier rushed to express its support for Trump’s decision, saying Iran had exploited the economic benefits of sanctions being lifted to continue its destabilizing activities.

Oman, a Gulf Arab nation that helped mediate talks between the U.S. and Iran that eventually led to the deal, said it “values the stance of the five partners (P5+1) to adhere to this agreement, thus contributing to regional and international security and stability.”

It was referring to the agreement’s co-signers — Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China — all of which had urged the U.S. to adhere to the deal.

___

4:30 p.m.

Britain’s foreign secretary says the country “has no intention of walking away” from the Iran nuclear agreement despite the United States’ decision to pull out.

Boris Johnson says the decision announced by President Donald Trump “makes no difference to the British assessment” that the deal is working to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

He told lawmakers that Britain will abide by the agreement as long as international inspectors say Iran is complying.

Britain, France and Germany tried unsuccessfully to persuade Trump to stay in the deal, negotiated under his predecessor, Barack Obama.

Trump says the U.S. will re-impose sanctions on Iran, meaning European companies must stop doing business with the country or run afoul of the U.S. government.

Johnson urged the U.S. not to “take any action that would hinder other parties” from making the Iran deal work.

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4:20 p.m.

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog says that Iran is fulfilling its commitments under the nuclear deal with world powers.

In a brief statement Wednesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s director-general, Yukiya Amano, said that “as of today, the IAEA can confirm that the nuclear-related commitments are being implemented by Iran.”

The Vienna-based IAEA was tasked with monitoring and verifying Iran’s adherence to the 2015 deal with six world powers. President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of the U.S. on Tuesday.

Amano said: “Iran is subject to the world’s most robust nuclear verification regime under the (deal), which is a significant verification gain.”

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4:10 p.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal shows Europe will face increasing responsibility to secure peace and seek political solutions to conflicts.

Merkel underlined the commitment of Germany, France and Britain to stick with the accord.

She said In a speech to members of her conservative party that “we have taken note with regret but also concern of this withdrawal by the United States of America, which is of course serious for such an agreement. We will remain committed to this agreement and try to do everything so that Iran also fulfills its commitments in the future.”

Merkel said that “yesterday showed us once again that we will face more responsibility in Europe, in foreign policy, in the area of securing peace, in the area of the political solutions we must find.”

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4 p.m.

An official says that France and the European Union will work with the Trump administration to ensure European business interests in Iran are protected despite the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

An adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron said the U.S. decision to re-impose sanctions on Iran means European companies could be affected.

The adviser, who isn’t authorized to be publicly named, said “we are going to do everything with the businesses involved to safeguard our interests. We will have discussions at the European level.”

He added that France wants to preserve the Iran nuclear deal as part of its effort to guarantee global security in the Middle East, and that Macron would speak with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani later Wednesday. One of the main topics of Macron’s trip to Russia in May will be the Iran nuclear deal.

–By Samuel Petrequin in Paris.

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3:25 p.m.

An influential German business association says Washington’s call for companies to stop dealing with Iran is contrary to international law.

The Federation of German Industries, or BDI, said Wednesday it rejects “the extraterritorial application of sanctions” and called upon the EU to find a solution to protect European companies from the “unlawful and unilateral” application of U.S. sanctions.

Many in Germany bristled at a tweet Tuesday from U.S. Ambassador Richard Grenell after only hours on the job saying “German companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately.”

He later defended it as “the exact language sent out from the White House.”

BDI says German firms don’t want to jeopardize business with the U.S. so there’s an “urgent need to effectively protect our companies from the effect of U.S. sanctions.”

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2:40 p.m.

Germany’s foreign minister is vowing to work to preserve the Iran nuclear deal and prevent an “uncontrolled escalation” of tensions in the Middle East.

Heiko Maas said Wednesday that “the agreement is working.” He added that “it is not at all clear what, in the United States’ view, could take the place of the nuclear agreement to prevent Iran verifiably from producing nuclear weapons.”

Maas said it isn’t in Iran’s interests to jeopardize the opportunities created by the nuclear deal. He said “a cool head” will be needed in the coming days as the next steps are discussed.

He added: “We will also have to analyze what consequences the United States’ withdrawal will have for European companies and how we in Europe can react to them together.”

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2:35 p.m.

A group representing German trade interests says the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal will hit Germany’s economy hard.

The head of the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry says the decision to lift sanctions on Iran in 2016 resulted in many new business relationships between the two countries.

Eric Schweitzer said Wednesday that the “unilateral actions by the U.S. government now subject this business to big reservations” because of the punitive sanctions German companies might face from the U.S.

Schweitzer cited a warning issued by the new U.S. ambassador in Berlin and urged Germany’s government and the European Union to protect German business interests.

Trade between Germany and Iran reached 3.4 billion euros ($4 billion) last year, according to BGA, another foreign trade association.

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2:30 p.m.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel says that instead of scuttling the nuclear deal with Iran, as the United States has done, others should consider expanding economic relations instead, to promote peace and good relations.

Michel told VRT network on Wednesday that at a European Union summit next week, the 28 leaders need to throw their full weight behind the agreement, “but perhaps also to expand the deal.”

Michel said that “together with our partners in the world we must see perhaps whether to develop an economic element.” He added that “we can promote stability in the region by reinforcing our economic exchanges.”

The 28 EU leaders will have a summit in Sofia on May 17 and the Iranian nuclear deal has been put on the agenda.

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2:25 p.m.

China is expressing regret over President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal and says it remains committed to the landmark pact.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters Wednesday that “ensuring the integrity and sanctity” of the agreement was important for upholding the international nonproliferation regime and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East.

“We express regret over this decision made by the United States,” Geng said.

China is strongly invested in the agreement, and it’s unclear what effect Trump’s widely-criticized decision to re-impose sanctions will have on its relationship with Tehran.

China was involved in negotiating the agreement as one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and has long been a close Iranian economic partner, buying about 1/3 of Iran’s oil shipments

Geng said China would “carry on the normal and transparent pragmatic cooperation with Iran on the basis of not violating our international obligation.”

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2 p.m.

Iran’s supreme leader has challenged President Donald Trump over America pulling out of nuclear deal, saying: “You cannot do a damn thing!”

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s comments came Wednesday as he met with a group of school teachers in Tehran, a day after Trump announced he was renewing sanctions on Iran.

Khamenei described Trump’s speech Tuesday night as having “over 10 lies,” without elaborating. He also said Trump’s remarks threatened Iran’s people and its theocratic government.

Under Iran’s Islamic Republic, Khamenei has final say on all state matters.

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1:15 p.m.

European plane-maker Airbus says it will abide by renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran but that it could take “some time” to determine the full impact of the American decision on the aviation industry’s plans to sell billions of dollars’ worth of planes to Iran.

Airbus and rival Boeing are among the biggest companies affected by Trump’s decision to pull out of a landmark 2015 accord on curbing Iran’s nuclear activities.

An Airbus spokesman said Wednesday that “we’re carefully analyzing the announcement and will be evaluating next steps consistent with our internal policies and in full compliance with sanctions and export control regulations.” He said he expected it to take “some time.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said that licenses held by Airbus and Boeing to sell jetliners to Iran will be revoked, but that certain exemptions will be negotiated.

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12:30 p.m.

The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has welcomed President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal, saying it was clear from the beginning that the Americans were “not trustworthy” and that the move would have no impact.

The semi-official Fars news agency on Wednesday quoted Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari as predicting that the European Union, which opposed the pullout, would eventually join the U.S., meaning the “the fate of the deal is clear.”

He is quoted as saying: “We welcome Trump’s decision on pulling out of the deal. This is not a new event and has no effective role in any field.” He added that “it was clear that the Americans are not trustworthy.”

Trump on Tuesday announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the international deal and restore sanctions on Iran, leaving the future of the agreement in doubt.

The Revolutionary Guard is a paramilitary force dominated by hard-liners, which answers directly to Iran’s supreme leader.

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12:10 p.m.

German multinational Siemens says it will abide by any sanctions on Iran but is waiting to see how the international community reacts to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the nuclear deal.

CFO Ralf Thomas told reporters on a conference call Wednesday that Siemens, which has multi-billion euro (dollar) contracts with Iran for rail, power plant and other projects, was currently assessing the possible impact.

He says “we will always comply and adhere to all relevant export control regulations,” but “we are waiting for guidance from the international community.”

Thomas says in the big picture, Siemens’ Iranian business was “immaterial to the company” but that “we take note that one of the most important industrial countries on the planet has reached a political decision.”

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12:05 p.m.

France says the Iranian nuclear accord is “not dead” despite the U.S. withdrawal and that European countries will hold talks with Iran to find ways to keep it alive.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Wednesday on RTL radio that “the risks of confrontation are real” after U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the landmark agreement.

Le Drian said “we are ready to work on a widened accord” that would address Trump’s concerns about the 2015 deal aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. He said he and his British and German counterparts will meet Monday with Iranian representatives to discuss next steps.

Airbus, Renault and other French and European companies risk problems after resuming business with Iran following the 2015 deal, which lifted international sanctions in exchange for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities.

French President Emmanuel Macron will discuss Mideast tensions at a special security meeting Wednesday and is expected to talk with Iranian President Rouhani in the coming hours.

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11:30 a.m.

The European Union’s envoy to China says the Iran nuclear deal will not “fall apart” despite the United States withdrawing from the landmark accord.

Ambassador Hans Dietmar Schweisgut said Wednesday that the EU believes “this is an agreement which belongs to the international community.”

Speaking during a press briefing in Beijing, he said: “This is not an agreement that will fall apart if you just walk away.”

Negotiated by the Obama administration, the 2015 accord included EU members Germany, France and Britain, and had lifted most U.S. and international economic sanctions against Iran. In exchange, Iran agreed to restrictions on its nuclear program, making it impossible to produce a bomb and establishing rigorous inspections.

President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal on Tuesday and restored harsh sanctions against Iran.

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10:40 a.m.

China’s special envoy for the Middle East is urging all parties to adhere to the Iran nuclear deal and solve the dispute through dialogue.

China’s Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday that Gong Xiaosheng spoke at a press conference in Iran after meeting with Iranian officials, saying the multilateral deal is “very serious and important.”

Gong says the deal helps maintain the international nuclear non-proliferation system and promotes peace and stability in the Middle East, and that the integrity of the agreement must be observed.

Gong says: “Having a deal is better than no deal. Dialogue is better than confrontation.”

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that the United States would withdraw from the international deal and restore sanctions on Iran, leaving the future of the agreement in doubt.

China was a co-signer of the agreement, along with Russia, Britain, France and Germany.

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10:15 a.m.

A prominent Iranian lawmaker says parliament is preparing to increase spending on the country’s ballistic missile program.

The head of Iran’s parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, made the comments Wednesday after President Donald Trump’s decision to pull America out of the nuclear deal.

One of Trump’s criticisms of the deal has been the fact it does not address Iran’s missile program.

Boroujerdi said: “With America’s decision, Iran’s missile program will not change at all.”

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9:50 a.m.

President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iranian nuclear deal is dominating newspaper front pages and discussions across Iran, with some saying the accord will go on “without the troublemaker.”

Iranian moderate newspapers on Wednesday sought to buoy embattled President Hassan Rouhani, with the daily newspaper Asr-e Eghtesad proclaiming: “Iran’s diplomacy has blunted Trump’s blade.”

The state-run IRNA news agency referred to Trump as “the troublemaker.” Meanwhile, the hardline daily Kayhan went with: “Trump tears apart the nuclear deal; It is time to set it afire!”

President Hassan Rouhani warned Tuesday that Iran could restart enriching uranium “without any limitations” within weeks, after President Donald Trump pulled America out of the nuclear deal, though the Iranian leader said world powers still in the accord could potentially save the pact.

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9:45 a.m.

Iran’s parliament speaker is saying his country will evaluate the European Union’s ability to protect the nuclear deal.

In an opening speech Wednesday expressing pessimism about future of the deal, Ali Larijani said: “The period is only a window in which the EU can prove if it has enough weight for settling down international issues or not?”

He also said that Iran will examine diplomatic ways at first, but he also urged the country’s nuclear department to prepare for “resumption of all aspects of nuclear activities.”

Larijani added Iran is not after hasty “reaction and adventurism.”

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9:35 a.m.

Iranian lawmakers have set a paper U.S. flag ablaze at parliament after President Donald Trump’s nuclear deal pullout, shouting, “Death to America!”

Lawmakers held the impromptu demonstration inside parliament on Wednesday, the day after Trump’s decision. They also burned a piece of paper representing the nuclear deal.

The chant “Death to America” long has been used in Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. It also has been common to hear it within parliament.

However, Wednesday’s demonstration shows the public anger coursing through Iran after Trump’s decision.

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (Z.S)

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