Cincunri Sakia

Minggu, 20 Juni 2021

Iran nuclear deal: Israel attacks Iran as talks progress - BBC News

Naftali Bennett holds a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem

Israel's prime minister has called on the US and its allies to "wake up" to the threat of Iran as talks continue to revive a landmark deal to limit the country's nuclear programme.

Naftali Bennett said Iran's "regime of brutal hangmen" wants nuclear weapons, something Iran has repeatedly denied.

Diplomats said progress was made to renew the deal, which the US withdrew from under President Donald Trump, but there were still gaps to be bridged.

Israel opposes the agreement.

Iran elected hardliner Ebrahim Raisi, the country's top judge who holds ultra-conservative views, as new president on Friday, in a race widely seen as being designed to favour him.

The president-elect - who will be inaugurated in August - is under US sanctions and has been linked to past executions of political prisoners.

Negotiators from the six signatory countries - the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany - and Iran have been holding talks since April to revive the deal, which saw Iran limit its nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief.

Iran, however, has been violating the deal since the US unilaterally left it.

On Sunday, the countries gathered for a sixth round of indirect talks between the US and Iran in Vienna, but adjourned for the delegates to return to their capitals.

Iran nuclear crisis: The basics

World powers don't trust Iran: Some countries believe Iran wants nuclear power because it wants to build a nuclear bomb - it denies this.
So a deal was struck: In 2015, Iran and six other countries reached a major agreement. Iran would stop some nuclear work in return for an end to harsh penalties, or sanctions, hurting its economy.
What is the problem now? Iran re-started banned nuclear work after former US President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal and re-imposed sanctions on Iran. Even though new leader Joe Biden wants to rejoin, both sides say the other must make the first move.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told state television the parties were "now closer than ever" to a deal, but added that bridging the remaining distance between them was "not an easy job".

Enrique Mora, envoy for the EU, echoed Mr Araqchi, saying progress on technical issues had given them greater clarity, giving them a "clear idea of what the political problems are".

The US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said there was "still a fair distance to travel" on issues including sanctions and on the commitments Iran needed to make. Iran is currently enriching uranium at its highest levels ever, although still short of what is needed to make nuclear-grade weapons.

A spokesman for the US state department earlier said the indirect talks would still continue after Mr Raisi takes power.

Why does Israel oppose the deal?

Iran and Israel have been in a long-running "shadow war", which has resulted in both countries taking part in tit-for-tat actions, but so far avoiding all-out conflict.

Ayatollah Khamenei - Iran's supreme leader - has repeatedly called for the elimination of the state of Israel. In 2018, he described the country as a "cancerous tumour" that had to be removed from the region.

Israel sees Iran as a major threat and has repeatedly insisted that it wants to develop nuclear weapons.

Prime Minister Bennett told his cabinet this was "the last chance for world powers to wake up... and understand who they are doing business with".

"A regime of brutal hangmen must never be allowed to have weapons of mass destruction."

Recently the hostilities between the two countries have escalated again. Iran blames Israel for the murder of its top nuclear scientist last year and an attack on one of its uranium enrichment plants in April.

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2021-06-20 17:58:56Z
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Iran nuclear deal: Israel attacks Iran as talks progress - BBC News

Israel's Prime Minister has called on the US and its allies to "wake up" to the threat of Iran as talks continue to revive a landmark deal to limit the country's nuclear programme.

Naftali Bennett said Iran's "regime of brutal hangmen" wants nuclear weapons - something Iran has repeatedly denied.

Diplomats said progress was made in Vienna today to renew the deal, which the US withdrew from under President Trump.

Israel opposes the agreement.

Iran elected hardliner Ebrahim Raisi as its new president on Friday.

The election race was widely seen as being designed to favour Mr Raisi. The president-elect - who will be inaugurated in August - is under US sanctions and has been linked to past executions of political prisoners. He is is Iran's top judge and holds ultra-conservative views.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful. Suspicions it was being used a cover to build a nuclear bomb led to crippling sanctions from the EU, US and UN Security Council in 2010.

Five years later Iran reached a deal with six powers - the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany - that saw it limit its nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief. Israel however condemned the deal.

Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and brought back in the tough sanctions. His successor Joe Biden is now looking for a way for the US to rejoin.

What happened in Vienna?

Negotiators from the six signatory countries and Iran have been holding talks in Austria's capital Vienna since April.

On Sunday they gathered for a sixth round of indirect talks between the US and Iran about reviving the agreement, but adjourned for the delegates to return to their capitals.

A spokesman for the US State Department earlier said the indirect talks would still continue after Mr Raisi takes power.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told state television on Sunday that the parties are "now closer than ever" to a deal, but added that bridging the remaining distance between them "is not an easy job". He said the Iranian team will now return to Tehran for consultations.

Enrique Mora, envoy for the EU, echoed Mr Araqchi. "We are closer than we were one week ago. But we are not still there," he said. Progress on technical issues has given them greater clarity, he said, and "allows us to have also a clear idea of what the political problems are."

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan meanwhile said there was "still a fair distance to travel" on issues including sanctions, adding that the final decision lies with Iran.

Why does Israel oppose the deal?

Iran and Israel have been in a long-running "shadow war", which has resulted in both countries taking part in tit-for-tat actions, but so far avoiding all-out conflict.

Israel sees Iran as a major threat and has repeatedly insisted that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran is currently enriching uranium at its highest levels ever - although still short of what is needed to make nuclear-grade weapons.

Israel's new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told his cabinet on Sunday that this was "the last chance for world powers to wake up... and understand who they are doing business with".

"A regime of brutal hangmen must never be allowed to have weapons of mass destruction."

Recently the hostilities between the two countries have escalated again.

Iran blames Israel for the murder of its top nuclear scientist last year and an attack on one of its uranium enrichment plants in April.

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2021-06-20 16:00:20Z
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Thailand: 'Ghost town' Phuket steps up COVID vaccinations to reopen to tourists - Sky News

COVID-19 hit Phuket's Tiger Muaythai camp hard.

Since the pandemic, owner Viwat Sakulrat estimates his boxing school has lost around a million pounds.

When Thailand tightened its border restrictions and enforced a strict 14-day hotel quarantine, the foreign tourists dried up along with the money.

With 95% of Phuket's income linked to tourism, the island is now pushing a plan to restart the industry safely.

For it to work, 70% of people living there must be vaccinated by 1 July.

If they hit that target then the current plan is that fully vaccinated foreign tourists from low to medium risk countries will be allowed to visit the island without any quarantine.

They can't leave Phuket for the first two weeks but are allowed to travel around the island as long as they're still COVID free.

The hope is they'll pump money back into struggling local businesses.

Mr Sakulrat says his staff can't wait: "All of them are very excited because at least they have some kind of protection from COVID…it's like a new life for them.

"They have been staying home for the last two years but now I think they'll be back to work again, back to the regular life again," he says.

"It will make a big difference because on this island [and] all over this province we rely on the tourism and without the customers from overseas, it's a ghost town."

Phuket is Thailand's biggest island and the most visited destination outside Bangkok.

But now, even the usually bustling streets of the tourist hub, Patong, are quiet.

COVID-19 meant just under seven million foreign tourists visited Thailand last year compared to almost 40 million in 2019, according to figures from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

Phuket's plan still needs a final sign off but if the bubble is a success it could be a model for other resorts worldwide.

"COVID disconnecting tourists from us, that hit the daily life of the people. [There are] no jobs, no employment, no income, and no hope," explains Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, president of Phuket Tourist Association.

"So the reopening gives us hope to get back to life once again and we don't expect a huge demand at the beginning."

Thailand has administered more than seven million COVID jabs since February and began mass immunisations earlier this month.

The country has so far been using Sinovac and an AstraZeneca vaccine made locally in partnership with a royal-owned Thai firm.

Thailand's health minister on Friday said 10 million AstraZeneca doses would be received monthly from July until they met their quota.

It follows manufacturing delays with the locally made formula which have also impacted Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

On the nearby island of Koh Panyee, the reboot can't come soon enough.

The majority of businesses are closed.

Day-trippers from Phuket helped keep the whole community afloat.

"Before the COVID situation, Koh Panyee had 5,000 to 6,000 visitors per day....now it's zero. Because the tourists can't come, people's income has fallen. There is zero income, only expenses," says Muhammad Prasanpann, the village's headman.

The people on Koh Panyee are now getting their vaccinations in the hope they can follow Phuket's lead and reopen to vaccinated foreign tourists in August.

As people wait for the holidaymakers to return, local businesses are donating food to struggling families.

"How will you know if Phuket's plan has worked?" I ask Shaun Stenning, the owner of 5 Star Marine, one of the companies handing out food.

"When I can stop handing out these life bags," he replies.

Phuket's grand reopening cannot afford to fail.