UN peacekeeping patrols suspended along Lebanon-Israel Blue Line
by UN News on February 3, 2026 at 3:12 AM
UN peacekeepers temporarily suspended patrols and other activities along parts of the ‘Blue Line’ in southern Lebanon after the Israeli military said it would release what it described as a non-toxic chemical substance near the frontier, the UN said on Monday.The incident took place north of the Blue Line on Sunday morning and led to the suspension of more than a dozen UN peacekeeping activities for over nine hours, according to UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.Toxicology tests“The IDF said that peacekeepers should stay clear of the area,” Mr. Dujarric told reporters in New York. He added that peacekeepers had supported the Lebanese army in collecting samples dropped, for a toxicology report.As of Monday afternoon, the test results had not been received.The Blue Line stretches for approximately 120 kilometres along Lebanon’s southern frontier and serves as a “line of withdrawal” confirming Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon.The UN reiterated concerns about flight movements across the Blue Line, saying such activities violate Security Council resolution 1701, which brought an end to the 2006 hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, and outlines UNIFIL’s mandate.The latest cessation of hostilities agreement between the two sides was signed in November 2024, after violence flared between Hezbollah and Israeli across the Blue Line following the commencement of the Gaza war.“Any activity that may put peacekeepers and civilians at risk is of serious concern,” Mr. Dujarric said. “We reiterate our call on all parties to fully comply with their obligations under resolution 1701.”Wider concernsThe UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said the incident also raised concerns about the potential impact of the unidentified substance on civilians, agricultural land and the longer-term return of residents to their homes and livelihoods near the Blue Line.“This is not the first time that the IDF has dropped unknown chemical substances from airplanes over Lebanon,” the mission said, reiterating its call on the IDF “to stop all such activities and work with peacekeepers to support the stability we are all working to achieve.”
Bill, Hillary Clinton to testify in US House Epstein probe
by Agence France-Presse on February 3, 2026 at 3:11 AM
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bill and Hillary Clinton will testify in a US House investigation surrounding deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a spokesman for the ex-president said, heading off a potential vote to hold the couple in contempt.They had originally refused to appear before lawmakers examining how authorities handled earlier investigations into the disgraced financier, who had connections and correspondence with the world’s business and political elite.”The former President and former Secretary of State will be there. They look forward to setting a precedent that applies to everyone,” Clinton spokesman Angel Urena said on X.The House Rules Committee had advanced resolutions accusing the Clintons of defying subpoenas to appear in person to explain their links to Epstein, who died in custody in 2019.The Epstein affair continues to cast a long shadow over Washington, entangling some of the most prominent names in US politics and highlighting the sharp partisan battles that have shaped the scandal.Democrats say the probe is being weaponized to attack political opponents of President Donald Trump — himself a longtime Epstein associate who has not been called to testify — rather than to conduct legitimate oversight.Trump spent months trying to block the disclosure of investigative files linked to Epstein, who moved in elite circles for years, cultivating ties with billionaires, politicians, academics and celebrities.Democratic divisions Neither Trump nor the Clintons have been accused of criminal wrongdoing related to Epstein’s activities.In letters where they initially refused to appear in Washington, the Clintons had argued that the subpoenas were invalid because they lacked a clear legislative purpose.Republicans say the Democratic couple’s past links to the business tycoon, including Bill Clinton’s use of his private jet in the early 2000s, justify in‑person questioning under oath.Instead, the couple submitted sworn written statements describing their knowledge of Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking.Bill Clinton acknowledged flying on Epstein’s plane for Clinton Foundation-related humanitarian work, but said he never visited his private island.Hillary Clinton said she had no meaningful interactions with Epstein, never flew on his plane and never visited his island.After the Clintons agreed to testify, the Rules Committee decided Monday evening to suspend for the time being its vote on the contempt proceedings.The vote and its targeting of the Clintons could have exposed divisions among congressional Democrats.Some Democrats have privately acknowledged that their party has long argued no one should be beyond scrutiny in efforts to uncover the full scope of Epstein’s crimes.But others feared that advancing the contempt resolutions would have played into a partisan strategy to shift attention away from Trump’s past contacts with Epstein.The Justice Department released last week what it said would be the final batch of files related to the investigation into Epstein.
Gaza: Limited Rafah crossing reopening sparks hope – but also ‘massive trepidation’
by UN News on February 3, 2026 at 3:11 AM
The reopening of the Rafah crossing in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday after more than a year is being met with both optimism and fear, a senior official with the UN agency that assists the Palestinian people, UNRWA, has said.The sole border point with Egypt is a lifeline to the world – including for thousands of severely ill or injured Palestinians who require medical treatment outside the enclave, where last October’s fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas continues to hold.The development comes, however, following reports of violence over the weekend, with the UN voicing concern over the killing of civilians and Israeli airstrikes.Tweet URL‘Competing dynamics’“As we have seen so many times throughout this conflict, we’re seeing really competing dynamics here: on the one hand, positive progress when it comes to the re-opening of Rafah, and yet over the past 24 hours, 30 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes during a ceasefire,” Sam Rose, Acting Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, told the BBC on Sunday.“At the same time, international organizations that are equipped and qualified and capable of doing work, which is urgently needed, are continuing to face major, major constraints.”For this reason, Palestinians in Gaza are feeling “massive trepidation – hope that people will be able to get out, but real, real fear for the future,” he said.UNRWA remains on the ground delivering life-saving assistance in where “fear and uncertainty persist,” the agency said, noting that “access is limited, protection concerns persist, and humanitarian needs remain acute amid ongoing operational constraints.”Limited movementReopening the Rafah crossing was an integral part of the 20-point peace plan put forward by US President Donald Trump last September, with the ceasefire announced days later.For now, Israel will only allow some 50 Palestinians to enter and exit Gaza each day – and only on foot, international news agencies have reported.The crossing will be coordinated with Egypt and supervised by the European Union (EU), according to the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA.Returns will only be permitted for residents who left during the war and after obtaining prior authorisation from the Israeli security services, being checked by the EU at the Rafah crossing point and undergoing a second identification and control process in a designated corridor managed by the Israeli army in an area under its control.Support for returneesOCHA welcomed the reopening of the key border crossing, underscoring that “civilians must be allowed to leave and return voluntarily and safely, as international law requires.”Over the weekend, the UN carried out an advance mission to assess road conditions.The UN Development Programme (UNDP) is set to provide bus transportation for returnees from the internal checkpoint to Nassar hospital in Khan Younis, where several UN agencies and NGO partners have set up a reception area to provide them with support.The reception desk is staffed by psychologists and protection specialists, while food, information materials and internet connectivity are available.Medical evacuationsMonday also saw the World Health Organization (WHO) supporting medical evacuation efforts.Some patients and their companions were able to exit Gaza directly to Egypt, while others transited through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom border crossingIsraeli authorities approved the travel of only five wounded patients from a list of 27 names submitted to both the Egyptian and Israeli sides, according to Palestinian sources.Treatment beyond bordersFamilies lined up in the courtyard of Al-Amal Hospital in the south of the Gaza Strip to bid farewell to sick relatives, and their travel companions, heading to Egypt to complete their treatment.I hope to travel for treatment and return walking like other children – Youssef AwadA UN News correspondent was on hand as buses began preparing to depart, carrying with them the hope that the wounded would return fully recovered.A young boy called Youssef Awad, who uses a wheelchair, was optimistic that he would be able to walk and play again.“I hope to travel for treatment and return walking like other children,” he said.‘Expedite the process’Another injured child, Ahmed Iyad Abu al-Khair, sat in a wheelchair beside his father, Iyad, awaiting his turn in the medical evacuation convoy heading to the Rafah crossing.Ahmed’s head was covered with a white bandage, and he appeared unable to move while his father tried to comfort him.“We hope that decision-makers and the World Health Organization will expedite the process and help us get my son Ahmed to travel to complete his treatment, as every hour he spends here affects his health.”Thousands still waitingIn a protest reflecting the extent of their despair, dozens of injured Palestinians staged a demonstration near the hospital, sitting in their wheelchairs and demanding an increase in the number of people allowed to travel daily which “should be in the hundreds” instead of 50.“We have been waiting for the crossing to open since the beginning of the war, and like many others, we have not been lucky,” said Farid al-Qassas, an injured man.We hope that everyone will hear us and save what remains of these patients – Farid al-Qassas“In this building alone, there are about 100 patients in need of medical referrals, and the number of wounded waiting to travel reaches about 13,000 patients and injured people. We hope that everyone will hear us and save what remains of these patients.”The last medical evacuation through the Rafah crossing was in May 2024. Overall, more than 18,500 patients in Gaza, including 4,000 children, are still waiting to access treatment abroad.“The most effective option would be to resume referrals to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and rehabilitate damaged health facilities in Gaza,” OCHA said.Until then, UN Member States are urged “to accept more patients so that everyone receives the treatment that they need.”Aid delivery updateThe agency also stressed that “ultimately, essential humanitarian supplies must enter in sufficient quantities and with fewer restrictions through Rafah and other crossings.” Between 23-29 January, at least 13,800 pallets of humanitarian aid managed by the UN and its partners were unloaded at crossing points.Nearly 60 per cent of these shipments contained food, but also shelter items, school supplies, health items, fuel and nutritional kits.Since the announcement of the ceasefire on 10 October, at least 272,000 pallets of humanitarian goods were unloaded, and 270,000 pallets were collected at the various crossing points.
Global health systems ‘at risk’ as funding cuts bite, warns WHO
by UN News on February 3, 2026 at 3:08 AM
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday that cuts to international aid and persistent funding gaps are undermining the global health system.This is occurring as the risk from pandemics, drug-resistant infections and fragile health services are on the rise, said the WHO Director-General.Addressing the WHO Executive Board in Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the impact of workforce reductions last year due to “significant cuts to our funding,” which have had significant consequences.“Sudden and severe cuts to bilateral aid have also caused huge disruptions to health systems and services in many countries,” he told health ministers and diplomats, describing 2025 as “one of the most difficult years” in the agency’s history.While WHO had managed to keep its lifesaving work going, Tedros said the funding crisis exposed deeper vulnerabilities in global health governance, particularly in low and middle-income countries struggling to maintain essential services.What’s on the agenda?The WHO Executive Board has a sweeping agenda covering pandemic preparedness, immunisation, antimicrobial resistance, mental health and health emergencies in conflict zones.Key issue: Members are also reviewing budget pressures, governance reform and formal withdrawal notifications from the United States and Argentina.Why it matters: The discussions come as global health risks rise, even as international cooperation and predictable financing are under strain.What’s next: Outcomes from this week’s meeting will be forwarded to the World Health Assembly in May, shaping WHO’s direction amid mounting geopolitical and public health pressures.Click here for more information on the session, and here for our recent coverage of key global health issues.High stakesThe WHO funding crisis is part of a broader retreat from international health financing, forcing countries to make difficult choices, he added.“In response to funding cuts, WHO is supporting many countries to sustain essential health services, and to transition away from aid dependency towards self-reliance,” Tedros said, pointing to domestic resource mobilisation – including higher health taxes on tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks – as a key strategy.Yet the scale of unmet needs remains vast.According to WHO, 4.6 billion people still lack access to essential health services, while 2.1 billion face financial hardship because of health costs. At the same time, the world faces a projected shortage of 11 million health workers by 2030, more than half of them nurses.Deeper crisis avertedTedros said WHO has avoided a more severe financial shock only because Member States have agreed to increase mandatory assessed contributions, reducing the agency’s reliance on voluntary, earmarked funding.“If you had not approved the increase in assessed contributions, we would have been in a far worse situation than we are,” he told the Board.Thanks to those reforms, WHO has mobilised about 85 per cent of the resources needed for its core budget for 2026-27. But Tedros cautioned that the remaining gap will be “hard to mobilise,” particularly in a difficult global funding environment.“Although 85 per cent sounds good – and it is – the environment is very difficult,” he said, warning of “pockets of poverty” in underfunded priority areas such as emergency preparedness, antimicrobial resistance and climate resilience.Gains have been madeDespite the financial climate, notable games have been made in recent months.Tedros highlighted the adoption last year of the Pandemic Agreement and amended International Health Regulations (IHR), aimed at strengthening preparedness in the wake of COVID-19.WHO also expanded disease surveillance, rolled out artificial intelligence (AI)-powered epidemic intelligence systems, and supported countries in responding to hundreds of health emergencies in 2025 – many of which never reached public attention because outbreaks were contained early.However, one in six bacterial infections globally are now resistant to antibiotics, Tedros said, describing the trend as concerning and accelerating in some regions.‘Solidarity is the best immunity’“The pandemic taught all of us many lessons – especially that global threats demand a global response,” said Tedros. “Solidarity is the best immunity.”He warned that without predictable and sufficient financing, the world risks being less prepared – not more – for the next health emergency.“This is your WHO,” Tedros told the Board, “Its strength is your unity. Its future is your choice.”
Trump urges House to vote quickly to end the partial government shutdown
by Associated Press on February 3, 2026 at 2:58 AM
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump implored the House on Monday to end the partial government shutdown, but neither Republicans nor Democrats appeared ready to quickly approve the federal funding package he brokered with the Senate without first debating their own demands over immigration enforcement operations.Democrats are refusing to provide the votes House Speaker Mike Johnson needs to push the package forward as they try to rein in the Trump administration’s deportation operations after the shooting deaths of two Americans in Minneapolis. That’s forcing Johnson to rely on his slim GOP majority, which has its own complaints about the package, to fall in line behind Trump’s deal with Senate Democrats.Voting is expected to begin as soon as Tuesday, which would be day four of the partial shutdown. The Pentagon, Homeland Security and other agencies saw their funding lapse Saturday. And while many operations at those departments are deemed essential, and still functioning, some workers may go without pay or be furloughed.“We need to get the Government open, and I hope all Republicans and Democrats will join me in supporting this Bill, and send it to my desk WITHOUT DELAY,” the president wrote on social media.“There can be NO CHANGES at this time,” Trump insisted. “We will work together in good faith to address the issues that have been raised, but we cannot have another long, pointless, and destructive Shutdown.”The stalemate points to difficult days ahead as Johnson relies on Trump to help muscle the package to passage.The president struck a deal last week with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer in which Homeland Security would only be funded temporarily, though Feb. 13, as Congress debates changes to immigration enforcement operations. The Senate overwhelmingly approved the package with the rest of the government funding ahead of Saturday’s deadline.Democrats demand changes to ICEHouse Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries made it clear Monday that his side sees no reason to help Johnson push the bill forward in a procedural step, something that the majority party typically handles on its own.With Johnson facing unrest from his own Republican ranks, Jeffries is seizing the leverage it provides Democrats to demand changes to immigration operations.“On rare occasions have we stepped in to deal with Republican dysfunction,” Jeffries said at the Capitol.Democrats are demanding restraints on Immigration and Customs Enforcement that go beyond $20 million for body cameras that already is in the bill. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday that officers on the ground in Minneapolis, including ICE, will be immediately issued body-worn cameras, and the program would be expanded nationwide as funding is available.But Democrats are pressing for more. They want to require that federal immigration agents unmask — noting that few, if any, other law enforcement agencies routinely mask themselves in the US — and they want officers to rely on judicial, rather than administrative, warrants in their operations.They also want an end to roving patrols, amid other changes.Jeffries said the administration needs to begin negotiations now, not over the next two weeks, on changes to immigration enforcement operations.Certain Democrats, however, are splintering with the leader, and pushing for quicker passage of the funding package to avoid government disruptions.Republicans launch their own demandsAt the same time, House Republicans, with some allies in the Senate, are making their own demands, as they work to support Trump’s clampdown on immigrants in the USThe House Freedom Caucus has insisted on fuller funding for Homeland Security while certain Republicans pushed to include the SAVE Act, a longshot Trump priority that would require proof of citizenship before Americans are eligible to participate in elections and vote. Critics say it would disenfranchise millions of voters.Late Monday, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., dropped her demand to attach the voting bill to the funding package after she and Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., met with Trump at the White House. She posted afterward that it would be better to try to advance that bill separately through the Senate, and keep the government open.The development was seen as helping Johnson push ahead.“Obviously the president really wants this,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise said at the Capitol.“We always work ’til the midnight hour to get the votes,” Scalise said. “You never start the process with everybody on board. You work through it.”Workers without pay if partial government shutdown drags onMeanwhile, a number of federal agencies are snared in the funding standoff after the government went into a partial shutdown over the weekend.Defense, health, transportation and housing are among those that were given shutdown guidance by the administration, though many operations are deemed essential and services are not necessarily interrupted. Workers could go without pay if the impasse drags on. Some could be furloughed.Lawmakers from both parties are increasingly concerned the closure will disrupt the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which they rely on to help constituents after deadly snowstorms and other disasters.This is the second time in a matter of months that federal government operations have been disrupted as lawmakers use the annual funding process as leverage to extract policy changes. Last fall, Democrats sparked what became the longest federal shutdown in history, 43 days, as they protested the expiration of health insurance tax breaks.That shutdown ended with a promise to vote on proposals to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. But with GOP opposition, Democrats were unable to achieve their goal of keeping the subsidies in place. Insurance premiums spiked in the new year for millions of people.Trump tries to prevent another long shutdownTrump is already working on an immigration deal to ensure the shutdown doesn’t drag on.Johnson said he was in the Oval Office last week when Trump, along with border czar Tom Homan, spoke with Schumer of New York as they discussed the immigration changes.Body cameras, which are already provided for in the package, and an end to the roving patrols by immigration agents are areas of potential agreement, Johnson said.But Johnson drew a line at other Democratic demands. He said he does not think that requiring immigration officers to remove their masks would have support from Republicans because it could lead to problems if their personal images and private information is posted online by protesters.And Senate Majority Leader John Thune tapped the brakes on the demand from Democrats to require judicial warrants for officers’ searches, saying it’s likely to be a part of the negotiations ahead.“It’s going to be very difficult to reach agreement in two weeks,” Thune said at the Capitol.Democrats, however, said the immigration operations are out of control, and must end in Minneapolis and other cities.Growing numbers of lawmakers are also calling for Noem to be fired or impeached.
Government says it’s fixing redactions in Epstein-related files that may have had victim information
by Associated Press on February 3, 2026 at 2:44 AM
NEW YORK — The Justice Department said Monday that it had withdrawn several thousand documents and “media” related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein after lawyers told a New York judge that the lives of nearly 100 victims had been “turned upside down” by sloppy redactions in the government’s latest release of records.The exposed materials include nude photos showing the faces of potential victims as well as names, email addresses and other identifying information that was either unredacted or not fully obscured.The department blamed it on “technical or human error.”In a letter to the New York judges overseeing the sex trafficking cases brought against Epstein and confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton wrote that the department had taken down nearly all materials identified by victims or their lawyers, along with a “substantial number” of documents identified independently by the government.Clayton said the department has “revised its protocols for addressing flagging documents” after victims and their lawyers requested changes. Documents are promptly pulled down when flagged by victims, then evaluated before a redacted version of the document can be reposted, “ideally within 24 to 36 hours.”Two lawyers for Epstein victims wrote the court Sunday seeking “immediate judicial intervention” because of what they described as thousands of instances when the government had failed to redact names and other personally identifying information.Eight women who identify as Epstein victims added comments to the letter to Judge Richard M. Berman. One wrote that the records’ release was “life threatening.” Another said she’d gotten death threats after 51 entries included her private banking information, forcing her to try to shut down her credit cards and accounts.“There is no conceivable degree of institutional incompetence sufficient to explain the scale, consistency, and persistence of the failures that occurred — particularly where the sole task ordered by the Court and repeatedly emphasized by DOJ was simple: redact known victim names before publication,” the lawyers, Brittany Henderson and Brad Edwards, wrote.Berman, who presided over Epstein’s sex trafficking case, scheduled a conference for Wednesday.Also Monday, a section of the Justice Department’s Epstein files website that had contained public court records from Epstein and Maxwell’s criminal cases and civil lawsuits was no longer functioning.A message seeking comment on the website issue was left for the Justice Department.Uncensored photosDeputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in an interview Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that there have been sporadic errors in redacting, or blacking out, sensitive information but that the Justice Department has tried to work quickly to address them.“Every time we hear from a victim or their lawyer that they believe that their name was not properly redacted, we immediately rectified that. And the numbers we’re talking about, just so the American people understand, we’re talking about .001 percent of all the materials,” Blanche said.Dozens of Associated Press reporters analyzing the files have so far found multiple occasions where a name was redacted in one document, only to be left exposed in another version of the same file.In other places, names and email addresses are crossed out but not fully blackened out, so they’re still visible. Other text redactions can be easily overridden by simply double clicking on them to reveal the hidden text underneath.The Justice Department has said all nude or pornographic images were redacted from the 2,000-some videos and 180,000 images in the release, even if they were commercially produced, as the agency considered all women depicted in the images as potential victims.But reporters with The New York Times still found dozens of uncensored photos of naked young people with their faces unredacted.The newspaper said the images have since been largely removed or redacted after it notified the Justice Department. It said some of the images appeared to have been taken on the beach at Epstein’s private Caribbean island while others are in a bedroom setting.In another instance, the AP found a set of more than 100 images of a young, unidentified female lounging on a bed, standing on a beach and at other summertime locations while wearing a short top.The images are almost fully blacked out so only the person’s arms and legs are clearly visible, save for the very last image, a profile photo that is completely unredacted and reveals her face.Elsewhere in the files, the face of one of Epstein’s alleged underage victims was clearly shown on an organizational chart created by federal investigators.The poor redactions didn’t just involve victim information.One email showed Epstein’s entire credit card number, expiration date and security code. An interview transcript from the investigation into Epstein’s suicide included a jail worker’s full Social Security number and date of birth. Some email addresses were visible under thin cross-outs.Practical consequences in an unrelated court caseAt an unrelated sex trafficking trial in New York on Monday, lawyers for two high-end real estate brokers and their brother asked for a mistrial because their names had appeared in some of the Epstein documents.Deanna Paul, a defense lawyer at the trial of Tal, Oren and Alon Alexander, said prosecutors had “destroyed the possibility of a fair trial” by letting documents get out that falsely suggested an association with Epstein. The brothers have pleaded not guilty to drugging and raping multiple girls and women from 2008 to 2021. They aren’t accused of having anything to do with Epstein’s abuse of underage girls.Judge Valerie E. Caproni rejected the mistrial request after she individually questioned jurors, all of whom said they hadn’t seen any news about the brothers. Still, she confronted a prosecutor about the matter, asking, “Government, really?”“Yes, I understand where the court’s coming from,” replied Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Espinosa.She said the documents had been withdrawn from public circulation.
Iran orders talks with US as Trump warns of ‘bad things’ if no deal reached
by Agence France-Presse on February 3, 2026 at 2:29 AM
PARIS, France — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered the start of nuclear talks with the United States, local media said, as his counterpart Donald Trump threatened “bad things” if no deal with the Islamic republic was struck.Following the Iranian authorities’ deadly response to anti-government protests that peaked last month, the US president has threatened military action and ordered the dispatch of an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East.Trump has maintained he is hopeful that Washington will “work something out” with Iran but also warned on Monday that “bad things would happen” if no deal is reached.Tehran has insisted it wants diplomacy, while vowing an unbridled response to any aggression.”President Pezeshkian has ordered the opening of talks with the United States” on Iran’s nuclear programme, the Fars news agency reported on Monday, citing an unnamed government source. The report was also carried by the government newspaper Iran and the reformist daily Shargh.A meeting is likely to take place in Turkey on Friday, following interventions by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and Oman, an Arab official told AFP on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.US news site Axios cited two unnamed sources as saying Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was expected to meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff in Istanbul to discuss a possible deal on the nuclear issue.Trump had warned “time is running out” for Iran to reach a deal on its nuclear programme, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb, a claim Tehran has repeatedly denied.In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Araghchi said: “President Trump said no nuclear weapons, and we fully agree. We fully agree with that. That could be a very good deal,” adding that, “in return, we expect sanctions lifting”.Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said earlier on Monday that Tehran was working on a method and framework for negotiations that would be ready in the coming days, with messages between the two sides relayed through regional players.’Police the world’ Turkey has led a diplomatic push to defuse tensions, with Araghchi visiting Istanbul last week and speaking with other regional counterparts, including in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.Jordan’s top diplomat, Ayman Safadi, assured Araghchi on Monday that the kingdom would “not be a battleground in any regional conflict or a launching pad for any military action against Iran”.Iranian authorities, including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have warned any US attack would trigger a “regional war”.In Tehran, pensioner Ali Hamidi told AFP he was a veteran and “not afraid of war”, but that “America should mind its own business, why does it want to police the world?”But, the 68-year-old added, “Iranian officials are also at fault for not providing for the people. The economic troubles are back-breaking… The officials should do something tangible, not just talk.”The protests were sparked in late December by economic strain and exploded in size and intensity over several days in early January.Authorities have said the protests were “riots” inflamed by its arch-foes the United States and Israel, with Khamenei likening them to a “coup” attempt.Ambassadors summoned Tehran has acknowledged thousands of deaths during the protests, and on Sunday the presidency published the names of 2,986 people out of the 3,117 whom authorities said were killed in the unrest.Authorities insist most were members of the security forces and innocent bystanders, attributing the violence to “terrorist acts”.The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based NGO, said it has confirmed 6,854 deaths, mostly protesters killed by security forces, with other rights groups warning the figure is likely far higher.Young Iranian Selina, who would not give her full name, travelled to Iraqi Kurdistan seeking some relief from “living in fear”.”It’s not safe for us” in Iran, the 25-year-old told AFP.”We don’t even dare to go out after 6:00 pm because soldiers are everywhere.”The crackdown prompted the European Union to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, with Iranian lawmakers retaliating on Sunday by slapping the same designation on European armies.The EU also issued fresh sanctions on Iranian officials, including the interior minister, a move echoed on Monday by Britain, which announced sanctions on 10 individuals over the “brutality against protesters”.Baqaei said Monday the foreign ministry had summoned all the EU member state ambassadors in Tehran over the designation, and that other responses were to come.Iranian state television also announced four foreigners had been arrested in Tehran for “participation in riots”, without specifying their nationalities.Authorities have continued to announce arrests, with rights groups estimating at least 40,000 people have been detained over the protests.
Cuba confirms ‘communications’ with US, but says no negotiations yet
by Agence France-Presse on February 3, 2026 at 2:26 AM
HAVANA, Cuba — Cuba’s government on Monday told AFP that it was in “communication” with US President Donald Trump’s administration but not yet in formal talks on a deal to end Washington’s pressure campaign on the island.”Today we cannot talk about having dialogue with the United States, but it is true that there have been communications between the two governments,” deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio said in an interview.Trump on Sunday claimed the United States was in talks with “the highest people” in communist Cuba and that he expected to “make a deal” with its leadership, without saying what a deal might look like.De Cossio repeated that Cuba was “open to dialogue” with the United States amid calls from Cubans for the government to negotiate to avert a humanitarian crisis.Trump has been ratcheting up pressure on Havana since the January 3 capture by US special forces of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, a top Cuba ally and financial backer.Pressured by Washington, Venezuela’s new administration has cut crude shipments to Cuba.Trump said Monday that Cuba’s other main supplier, Mexico, would also “cease sending them oil” after he threatened tariff hikes on any country that allowed Cuba to circumvent the de-facto blockade.There was no immediate response from Mexico.The United States’ largest trade partner had incurred Trump’s ire by sending oil to Cuba to make up for a sharp decline in Venezuela’s output under Maduro.As recently as December, Mexico was still sending crude to Cuba.President Claudia Sheinbaum had been loathe to cut the lifeline to Cuba, warning of a “far-reaching humanitarian crisis directly affecting hospitals, food supplies, and other basic services for the Cuban people.”But she also admitted last week: “We don’t want to put our country at risk in terms of tariffs.”A decree signed by Trump last week effectively forced her and other Cuban partners to choose.’The highest people’ The pressure tactics threaten to plunge Cuba into complete darkness, with its power plants already struggling to keep the lights on due to fuel shortages.Jorge Grosso, a 23-year-old student who spent nearly 24 hours last week queueing at a petrol station to fill up his Lada, told AFP he backed talks “to see what conditions are imposed (by Trump) because in the end they’re strangling us.”For months Cubans have been forced to cope with power outages lasting up to 20 hours a day in rural areas.On Monday, Trump repeated his claim that Cuba, which is limping through its worst economic crisis in decades, is a “failed nation.”He added he believed “we are pretty close (to a deal), but we are dealing with the Cuban leaders right now.”His pressure on Sheinbaum comes as the United States and its southern neighbor begin talks on a review of a tripartite free-trade deal with Canada which is crucial to Mexico’s economy.Over the past year, Sheinbaum has been scrambling to stave off the kind of tariffs pain Trump has imposed on other allies.In a move widely seen as an attempt to appease him, Mexico in January imposed stiff tariffs on imports from China.