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De-escalation begins in Saudi Qatar crisis

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De-escalation begins in Saudi Qatar crisis

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]US sells F-15 fighters, Turkey, Iran supply food

The Saudi-Qatar crisis is turning in Doha’s favor with signing of fresh F-15 fighter deal between US and Qatar and food supplies coming from Iran and Turkey. This was indicated by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel-al-Jubeir, when he, on Friday, called Qatar as “ally” and stated that a list of “grievances” involving Qatar is being drawn up and will be presented to that country.

Speaking in London, Saudi Foreign Minister called upon Qatar to respond to what he claimed were international and regional calls for it to halt its support for “extremism and terrorism”. He softened his language saying, “I would not call them demands. I would say it is a list of grievances that need to be addressed and that the Qataris need to fix.” He also said that there was no intention of harming the Qatari people.

On Thursday, amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, Qatar signed a deal to purchase F-15 jet fighters from US for 12 billion dollars. After signing the deal with US Defence Secretary Jum Mattis in Washington, Qatari Defense Minister Khalid Al-Attiyah was quoted saying that the agreement underscores the “longstanding commitment of the state of Qatar in jointly working with our friends and allies in the US in advancing our military cooperation for closer strategic collaboration in our fight to counter violent extremism and promote peace and stability in our region and beyond”.

The countries which have severed their ties with Qatar include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Egypt, Comoros, Maldives, Mauritania, Senegal, one of the three fragile governments in Libya and government in exile of Yemen. Chad, Djibouti, Jordan and Niger have downgraded their ties with Qatar. However France, Iran, Kuwait, Turkey and USA have offered to mediate.

The Saudi led bloc of nations simultaneously cut off sea and air links with Qatar and ordered Qatari nationals to leave their countries within 14 days.

Iran and Trukey have started supplying food items and drinking water to Qatar. Several plane loads and ships from Iran have already arrived in Qatar. One high ranking Iranian official was quoted saying that Iran was capable of supplying food items to ten states of Qatar size.

Immediately after severing ties, Saudi Arabia and its allies issued a list of 59 people and 12 groups with links to Qatar alleging that they have ties to “terrorism”. The list included several prominent charities that carry out life saving work across the Middle East including Syria, Yemen, Sudan and Palestine. The Qatari government rejected the allegations as “baseless”.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusolgu held talks with King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Friday in Mekkah. Earlier he travelled to Doha to meet Qatar’s Emir and Foreign Minister.

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al Sabah, which has not followed Saudi “advice to brotherly states” to cut ties with Qatar, has also been trying to mediate.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, has also indicated his priority to resolve the Qatar crisis by cancelling his scheduled trip to Mexico for participating in Organization of American States (OAS) meeting next week.

Tamara Kharroub, a senior analyst and assistant executive at Arab Centre in Washington, told Aljazeera that Tillerson’s latest move is “a clear sign that this is a priority and in the next week, we will see some serious efforts to mediate and resolve the conflict”. She further said, “Now we hear from Saudi Arabia of a list of grievances, rather than demands. That I believe is a signal that Saudi Arabia is not intending to escalate this crisis any further.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Trump rejects Iran’s 7-day peace plan, says deal can come after US polls

US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s seven-day proposal to end hostilities and indicated that a deal could come after the US midterm elections in November.

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Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s latest proposal aimed at bringing an end to the ongoing conflict, while indicating that a possible agreement could come after the US midterm elections in November.

Iran had proposed a seven-day framework under which hostilities could be brought to an end, the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened and negotiations over its nuclear programme could resume.

Iran’s seven-day proposal

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had put forward the proposal through intermediaries. Under the plan, the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened by the end of the seventh day if specified conditions were met, while broader nuclear discussions would restart.

The proposal was based largely on an earlier understanding reached between Washington and Tehran, but Iran sought to implement the latest framework much faster. The earlier arrangement had provided a longer period for negotiations.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important waterway for global energy shipments, making its reopening a key element of any effort to ease the wider conflict.

Trump points to US midterm elections

Trump, speaking at the United Nations, showed no indication that he was ready to immediately resume negotiations on the terms proposed by Tehran.

He called for the economic isolation of Iran and said he believed a deal could be reached after the US midterm elections in November. Trump also said Iran was waiting to see how he performed in the midterm elections.

The remarks came as Iranian officials signalled that they remained open to diplomacy and described the UN General Assembly as an opportunity to revive negotiations.

Nuclear talks remain part of Iran proposal

Iran’s latest plan links the easing of hostilities with the resumption of negotiations over its nuclear programme.

The proposal follows the collapse of an earlier US-Iran arrangement. According to reporting on the latest proposal, the new framework is intended to compress the timeline for implementing commitments that had previously been discussed by the two sides.

For now, Trump’s remarks indicate that Washington is not accepting Tehran’s seven-day framework as presented, while Iran continues to put diplomacy and negotiations forward as part of its proposal.

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Iranian President Pezeshkian at UN says Iranians have been victims of US terrorism

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at the UN General Assembly that Iranians had been victims of US terrorism and insisted that Iran had acted in self-defence.

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of subjecting Iranians to what he described as terrorism while addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

Pezeshkian said Iran had defended itself against attacks and rejected the characterisation of the country as a terrorist actor. His remarks came during a rare wartime appearance at the UN as tensions between Iran and the United States remain high.

Pezeshkian accuses US and Israel of attacks

Speaking at the General Assembly, Pezeshkian said Iranian civilians had been targeted by attacks and described the actions against his country as aggression.

“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” he said, according to the report.

Pezeshkian also accused the United States and Israel of attacking Iran, while maintaining that Tehran’s response was an act of self-defence.

The Iranian president displayed photographs of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 schoolchildren who, according to his account, were killed during the early days of the conflict.

Iran’s message at the UN

Pezeshkian’s address came against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States and heightened tensions in the region.

Iranian officials had indicated ahead of the UN visit that they intended to highlight what Tehran considers attacks against its people and raise concerns over the international response to the conflict.

The Iranian delegation’s visit to New York also comes amid restrictions imposed by the United States on the delegation’s movement and other aspects of its stay, according to reporting ahead of the address.

Pezeshkian says Iran defended itself

Pezeshkian’s central message at the UN was that Iran’s military actions should be viewed as a response to attacks rather than terrorism.

His description of the conflict and the allegations against the United States and Israel represent the Iranian government’s position. They should therefore be attributed to Pezeshkian rather than presented as independently established facts.

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PM Modi’s Canada visit could help wrap trade talks, says Canada PM Mark Carney

Canadian PM Mark Carney said he is looking forward to hosting PM Narendra Modi, with both countries aiming to conclude their ongoing trade negotiations.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he is looking forward to hosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as India and Canada continue efforts to advance their bilateral relationship and conclude ongoing trade negotiations.

The two countries have been working towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with both sides previously setting a target to conclude the negotiations in 2026.

Carney and Modi have held discussions on strengthening economic ties between India and Canada, including trade and investment. Their engagement has gained momentum following Carney’s visit to India earlier this year.

India-Canada trade talks

India and Canada formally resumed efforts towards a broader trade agreement after a period of strained bilateral ties. The two sides have committed to advancing negotiations on a CEPA covering their economic relationship.

In June, Carney and Modi reviewed progress in bilateral economic cooperation during their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France. They expressed satisfaction with the progress in CEPA negotiations and reaffirmed their shared objective of concluding the talks in 2026.

During Carney’s visit to India in March, the two leaders had also agreed to accelerate negotiations on the CEPA and work towards finalising the agreement during 2026.

Modi’s proposed Canada visit

Carney had invited PM Modi to visit Canada in 2026, and the two leaders agreed to remain engaged through diplomatic channels to work towards a mutually convenient date for the visit.

The proposed visit comes as New Delhi and Ottawa seek to build on renewed diplomatic and economic engagement, with trade negotiations remaining a key part of the relationship.

The focus on completing the trade talks comes as both countries look to expand commercial ties and establish a broader economic framework through the proposed CEPA.

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