Tag: sanctions
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OPCW sanctions Syria over use of chemical weapons
By a vote of 87 to 15, with 34 abstentions, member nations of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons voted to suspend Syria’s voting rights as a sanction for repeatedly using toxic gas. This is the first time the OPCW has sanctioned one of its own members this way. The Associated Press has…
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Talks proceeding slowly in Iran nuclear deal return attempt
President Joe Biden has taken steps to return the U.S. to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which President Donald Trump had pulled the U.S. out of. Talks have begun in Vienna between Iran and the other nations that were part of the deal, but progress is slow. The Associated Press has the story: 2015…
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Russia expelling US diplomats in response to Biden
After the Biden administration announced new sanctions, Russia announced it was expelling 10 U.S. diplomats and shutting down U.S. nongovernment organizations. The Biden administration imposed the sanctions over Russia interfering in the 2020 U.S. presidential election and involvement in the SolarWind hack of federal agencies. The Associated Press has the story: After US imposes new…
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Background on the Iran nuclear talks
Negotiations have begun to bring the U.S. back into the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. How did the deal come about, why did the U.S. leave the agreement, and what are the chances of reviving it? The Associated Press has the story: The history of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action deal with Iran over…
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U.S. threatens Lebanese politicians with sanctions
After months of political deadlock in Lebanon, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs David Hale warned Lebanese officials that U.S. and its allies might impose sanctions against them if progress is not made setting up the new government. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri was named to the post in October, but he has been unable…
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A closer look at the Russia-Ukraine border conflict
Tensions between the two countries are back at high levels since Russia placed 41,000 troops near the border with eastern Ukraine a few days ago, the largest buildup since 2014. What started this conflict in 2014 and why? The Associated Press has the story: The history of the Russia-Ukraine feud over Crimea in eastern Ukraine…
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Russia calls U.S. policy toward it ‘dumb’
Tensions between the U.S. and Russia continue to escalate since President Joe Biden took office. Now Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called U.S. policy toward Russia “deadlocked and even dumb.” The Associated Press has the story: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attacks U.S. policy toward Russia, says it’s bound to fail MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s top…
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Biden undos Trump sanctions on Int. Criminal Court officials
President Joe Biden continues to undo many of moves of the Trump era, including taking steps to rejoin five international deals or organizations Trump had pulled out of. On Friday, Biden removed sanctions Trump had placed on two officials with the International Criminal Court. Trump was punishing them for their investigations into the United States…
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U.S. and Iran begin negotiations to resume nuclear deal
Nearly three years after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iran deal, talks have started to have both nations rejoin the agreement. President Biden has made it a priority, and Abbas Araghchi, a nuclear negotiator for Iran, said any “return by the U.S. to the nuclear deal does not require any negotiation…