Source: AFP
Security & Justice
Four Italian Soldiers Hurt in UNIFIL Base Attack, Hezbollah Suspected
Four Italian soldiers were lightly injured after two rockets exploded at a UNIFIL peacekeeping force base in southern Lebanon, the Rome government said on Friday, expressing outrage at the incident.
Friday, November 22, 2024
UN Reports Heavy Clashes Between Israeli Troops and Hezbollah in South Lebanon
Israeli troops fought fierce battles with Hezbollah fighters on Friday in different areas in south Lebanon, including a coastal town that is home to the headquarters of U.N. peacekeepers.
Friday, November 22, 2024
Opinion
Lebanon's Economy—Not Battlefield—May Have the Final Word
Time and again during this most recent war in Lebanon, we hear the phrase, “The battlefield has the final word”. It has become the sole and wholly unsatisfactory refrain of Hezbollah and the so-called 'Axis of Resistance'.
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Flying Above the Bombs, a Lebanese Airline Becomes an Unlikely National Hero
It used to be like almost any other national carrier, fielding gripes about flight delays, ticket prices and bad food.
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Sports
Israel Face France in Paris Football Match Under Tight Security
Israel face France in a Nations League football match in Paris on Thursday surrounded by a huge security operation to prevent a repetition of the attacks on Israeli fans in Amsterdam last week.
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Alcaraz Beats Rublev to Open ATP Finals Account
Carlos Alcaraz opened his account at the ATP Finals on Wednesday with an entertaining 6-3, 7-6 (10/8) win over Andrey Rublev which boosted his hopes of reaching the semifinals.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Monday 10 January 2022 10:29:44
Iran Minister Says Nuclear Talks Nearing ‘Good Agreement’
Talks between Tehran and world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear accord are approaching a “good agreement” but reaching one soon depends on the other parties, Iran's foreign minister said on Sunday.
“The initiatives of the Iranian side and the negotiations that have taken place have put us on the right track,” Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said.
“We are close to a good agreement, but to reach this good agreement in the short term, it must be pursued by the other side,” state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
Negotiations to restore the nuclear deal resumed in late November after they were suspended in June as Iran elected a new, ultraconservative government.
The deal offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
But then-president Donald Trump withdrew the US in 2018 and derailed the accord, prompting Tehran to begin rolling back on its commitments.
Amir-Abdollahian said the Islamic republic was not looking to “drag out” negotiations.
It is “important for us to defend the rights and interests of our country”, he said.
Unlike the other parties to the agreement -- Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China -- the US has only been engaged in the talks indirectly.
Tehran earlier this week said it had detected a new “realism” on the part of the world powers ahead of further negotiations in Vienna.
Amir-Abdollahian appeared to echo those comments on Sunday, saying that “yesterday, France played the role of a bad cop, but today it is behaving reasonably.”
“Yesterday, the American side had unacceptable demands, but today we believe that it has adapted to the realities” of the situation, he added.
“At the end of the day, a good deal is an agreement that satisfies all parties.”
The parties to the 2015 agreement saw it as the best way to stop the Islamic republic from building a nuclear bomb -- a goal Tehran has always denied.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Friday that negotiations were progressing on a “rather positive path” but emphasized the urgency of bringing them to a speedy conclusion.
