Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda sign US-mediated peace deal aimed at ending decades of bloody conflict
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda sign US-mediated peace deal aimed at ending decades of bloody conflict.
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CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Analysis: Final battle damage assessment of US strikes on Iran will be key in US push for Iran nuclear deal
As the Trump administration looks to quickly pivot from military strikes to a diplomatic deal on Iran's nuclear program, the final military and intelligence assessment on the recent US strikes will be critical in informing what the Trump administration needs to accomplish in future Iran negotiations. Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff will need to use that final battle damage assessment – including a detailed summary of the facilities' damage and the locale of the nuclear material – to help formulate the US strategy for diplomatic efforts to completely halt the regime's ability to develop a nuclear weapon in the future, current and former US officials explained. 'You're not going to the negotiation assuming that the other side is going to tell you everything you need to know about the state of their program,' explained Pranay Vaddi, a former senior official for nonproliferation at the National Security Council. 'We need to have a baseline that is established by the US intelligence community before that,' Vaddi added. 'If the Trump administration is committed to some kind of deal still – which it makes statements on – they need to know what they were able to get through military action, compared to what they need to get through the diplomatic process.' President Donald Trump continues to claim that Iran's nuclear program has been 'fully obliterated,' which does not mirror an early assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency, finding that the attack did not destroy the core components of the country's nuclear program. The early assessment has split lawmakers on the effectiveness of the strikes. And Trump's absolutist pronouncements could also complicate Witkoff's job, officials said. Even if the facilities themselves have been badly damaged, it does not mean that the nuclear program itself has been wholly destroyed. Prior to the US strikes, experts and former officials had expressed skepticism about the idea that the nuclear program could be militarily destroyed, noting that there would still be people with the knowledge to support it. 'The basic problem is that the equivalency between the success of the bombing and the success of ending the nuclear program is putting pressure on having this narrative that there isn't a threat,' said Beth Sanner, former deputy director for national intelligence. 'If you think that you've eliminated the nuclear program then you are not dealing with the fact that there is some residual of that program.' And while the final battle damage assessment will be important to take into account, future negotiations with Iran should prioritize getting the UN's nuclear watchdog back on the ground in Iran, said former officials who worked on previous Iran negotiations. 'I don't know that there will be any assessment that I think is fully viable until there are inspectors on the ground,' said a former senior US official who worked on past Iran negotiations. 'We must recreate the kind of intrusive verification and monitoring that was in the 2015 deal.' The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had a presence in Iran before the 2015 nuclear deal signed during the Obama administration – a deal which Trump pulled the US out of during his first term – but the presence of IAEA inspectors in the country drastically increased as a result of that deal. 'The deal meant there were inspectors on the ground 24/7, there was electronic monitoring, there was a process by which – that didn't exist anywhere else in the world – that if there was intelligence about a suspected site, if Iran, over a period of some days, couldn't satisfy the IAEA that there was a reason the IAEA could go and inspect,' the official explained, citing some benefits of the IAEA inspection efforts. But this week the Iranian parliament this week suspended its work with the IAEA, because of the 'regrettable role' played by the agency's chief Rafael Grossi, Iran's foreign minister said. Iran accused Grossi of facilitating the US and Israeli strikes in Iran, citing an IAEA report a day prior to the Israeli strike, which declared Iran was violating its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. This move follows years of Iran making moves to restrict the agency's oversight of it's program. For example, in 2022 Iran responded by removing surveillance cameras from key sites after IAEA censured Iran over uranium particles found at the undeclared sites. The steps that would need to be taken as part of any verifiable deal on Iran's nuclear program would likely include: destroying elements of the program that still exist, monitoring any further activity, blending highly enriched uranium, and declaring parts of the program that are in use. In order to prepare to take those steps, inspectors on the ground would be essential, former officials pressed. 'I think it's been a long time since the US intelligence assessments have been accepted globally as authoritative when it comes to Iran's nuclear program. They would certainly be challenged by Iran. In order to have a successful negotiation everybody needs to at least agree on the source of facts,' said Laura Holgate, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations International Organizations in Vienna. 'The IAEA will be needed to develop a new baseline of what exactly Iran has, where it is, and what its condition is in, and that's going to take time, and it will be based on Iran's cooperation,' Holgate added. With the IAEA access being diminished over the years and virtually nonexistent at this moment, the world now has large gaps in its knowledge of Iran's nuclear inventory. That is particularly true when it comes to the locale of Iran's enriched uranium. Trump administration officials have said in recent days that the stockpile was not moved ahead of the US strikes but the IAEA said Iran may have moved some of the enriched uranium out of the sites before they were attacked. Vice President JD Vance said the day after the strikes that working on what to do about that fuel would be a priority for the US. 'We're going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel. And that's one of the things that we're going to have conversations with the Iranians about,' Vance said. Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, cited the importance of having 'a full accounting' following an all-member classified briefing on Capitol Hill earlier this week. 'There is enriched uranium in the facilities that moves around, but that was not the intent or the mission,' McCaul said. 'We need a full accounting. That's why Iran has to come to the table directly with us, so the IAEA can account for every ounce of enriched uranium that's there, I don't think it's going out of the country, I think it's at the facilities.' The final US military 'battle damage assessment could take days or even weeks to complete,' multiple sources familiar with the Pentagon's process told CNN. CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Wednesday said the agency underscored that a broad intelligence community effort is ongoing to determine the impact of the US strikes on three of the country's nuclear sites on Saturday. The Trump administration was already working on possible terms to offer Iran to bring them back to the able for nuclear deal talks before the US military strikes occurred. But if they are able to pull Iran back to the table, they will have to then enter into much more technical talks to put a legitimate and verifiable deal into place. 'I think that you want to strike while the iron is hot, to try and get them to the table while they're feeling weak,' Sanner said. 'One of the key requirements for the negotiation is setting mechanisms for cataloging Iran's residual capabilities in order to have that conversation and ultimately a deal that is worth the paper it is written on.'
News24
3 hours ago
- News24
US envoy plays down AGOA, African visa concerns
The top US diplomat for Africa on Tuesday dismissed allegations of unfair US trade practices and said that funding delays would not derail a key railway project connecting Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. African Union officials on Monday questioned how Africa could deepen trade ties with the United States under what they called "abusive" tariff proposals and tightening visa conditions, largely targeting travellers from Africa. "There is no visitation ban," Ambassador Troy Fitrell said during a press conference at the US-Africa Business Summit in Luanda. He said that US consulates continue issuing visas regularly, although some now come with shorter validity periods due to concerns over overstays. Several African business and political leaders have raised concerns about a sharp drop in visa approvals, particularly for travellers from West Africa, since late 2023. Washington's tariff plans have also added to cooling diplomatic ties with African countries, as some economies — including Lesotho and Madagascar — warned that even a baseline 10% levy could threaten critical exports such as apparel and minerals. But Fitrell said that the proposed US import tariffs were not yet implemented, and negotiations were ongoing to create a more reciprocal trading environment, including through the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The initiative grants qualifying African nations duty-free access to the US market and is due to expire in September. Fitrell also reaffirmed his country's commitment to the Lobito Corridor railway project, which links Angola's coast to copper-rich Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. "It's not at risk," he said of the initiative. The US International Development Finance Corporation's Head of Investments, Conor Coleman, described it as a "win-win" for US investors and African economies, and underscoring its significance for regional integration. The Trump administration has axed swaths of US foreign aid for Africa, as part of a plan to curb spending it considers wasteful. Angolan President João Lourenço, addressing more than 2 000 government and business leaders at the summit, said US companies should shift from aid to investment-driven partnerships. "It is time to replace the logic of aid with the logic of investment and trade," Lourenço said, urging diversification into sectors such as automotive manufacturing, shipbuilding, tourism, cement, and steel production.
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
How Botswana's Sustainable Natural Diamond Story Sparkled At JCK
Diamond exports provide Botswana's economy with strong supplies of foreign exchange and have helped ... More finance industrial development, improvements in Botswana's infrastructure plus nationwide free education. Various jewelry trade fairs run simultaneously during the annual June Las Vegas jewelry week, but the JCK show, presented by RX Global at The Venetian Expo from June 6 to June 9, and its high-end companion fair, Luxury, generated consequential events and design news while marking milestones along the industry's path toward sustainability. More than a global trade show, JCK is also a dynamic seminar site programmed with JCK Talks educational panel discussions and presentations delivered by experts from various jewelry industry realms-- and countries. Bogolo Kenewendo, Botswana's Minister of Minerals and Energy, formed part of the Botswana delegation ... More at JCK 2025. According to RX Global figures, JCK 2025 drew 30,000 industry professionals, including over 17,000 attending buyers, decision-makers, store owners and media reporters. For designers and retailers, some of the most relevant and intriguing exhibitors included the AGTA GemFair, GEMS Pavilion and the Hong Kong Pavilion. JCK's most industrially and globally influential attendees however, included The President of Botswana, His Excellency, Duma Boko, Botswana's Ambassador to the U.S., Mpho Churchill O. Muphoting and Botswana's Minister of Minerals And Energy, Bogolo Kenewendo. President Boko, leader of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) party, has been in power since November 2024; presidential terms in his country run for five years. A human rights lawyer and graduate of Harvard Law School, President Boko and his administration advocate a human rights-centered approach to governance. Besides being one of the world's most economically and culturally dynamic jewelry trade shows, JCK ... More is also an internationally valued news source via its print JCK Magazine and online version President Boko, Ambassador Muphoting and their delegation came to JCK because "After Russia, Botswana is the world's second most important natural diamond producer,' said Lisa Koenigsberg, Ph.D., President of Initiatives in Art and Culture (IAC). Founded by Dr. Koenigsberg, this New York-based nonprofit organization organizes cross-disciplinary, international conferences regarding diamonds and gold that have included leading figures from Botswana's diamond industry. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder This is an aerial view of Botswana's Jwaneng mine, which is the world's richest diamond mine and the ... More second largest. It is located in south-central Botswana, about 110 miles southwest of the nation's capital, Gaborone. Dr. Koenigsberg continued, 'Data published in the June 2025 Kimberley Process Certification Scheme stated that, in 2024, Botswana produced 28.2 million carats of diamonds, and nearly matched Russia in terms of value by generating $3.308 billion, or 28.8 percent of global output.' In comparison, The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme reported that Russia accounted for 32% of global rough diamond production by volume, which translates to 37.3 million carats. In terms of value,' she added, 'Russia contributed 29% of global output, totaling $3.335 billion.' According to Sarin Bachmann, senior vice-president of the RX Jewelry portfolio. "President Boko and ... More Ambassador Muphoting demonstrated at JCK how Botswana's commitment to sustainable diamond mining and achieving carbon neutrality exemplifies the forward-thinking leadership that our industry needs." As Sarin Bachmann, senior vice-president of the RX jewelry portfolio wrote in an email, 'At JCK, President Boko and Ambassador Muphoting demonstrated that Botswana's commitment to sustainable diamond mining and achieving carbon neutrality exemplifies the forward-thinking leadership that our industry needs.' As leaders of the world's second-most significant diamond producing nation, Bachmann continued, 'Botswanans see JCK as the ideal platform to make a presentation and to engage deeply with the global community of retailers, manufacturers, designers, and media professionals who are in a position to drive change.' In summary, 'President Boko and the Botswanan delegation reaffirmed the global access and influence that JCK encourages and provides. The Botswanans,' Bachmann continued, 'dedicated significant time to connecting with industry professionals and meeting with members of the media in their Botswana House pavilion on the JCK show floor, as well as working with their partners in the Natural Diamonds Council in that organization's members-only Lounge.' Natural diamonds can look and feel manifestly magical: this cathodoluminescence image of a diamond ... More documents how the gemstone emits light when bombarded by an electron beam. Any discussion of Botswana diamonds must note that before diamonds were discovered there by the De Beers Group in 1967, the country's per capita income hovered around US$80 a year. Today, according to the World Bank, Botswana's diamond wealth, robust institutions, wise economic management, and relatively small population of about 2.5 million have made it an upper-middle-income country (UMIC). In 2025 Botswana's purchasing power, as measured by GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP), is estimated to reach around $17,044. (PPP indicates the value of goods and services that can be purchased in Botswana with one unit of a common international currency, adjusted for price differences between countries.) The Natural Diamond Club lounge at JCK 2025 was sponsored by the Natural Diamond Council, which ... More hosted various dynamic community-building events for industry professionals. President Boko and Ambassador Muphoting, described how Botswana is retaining maximum value from each stone by training Botswanans to cut and polish their country's diamonds rather than sending them abroad and losing revenues generated from cutting and polishing. The statesmen also mentioned how climate change-induced problems affecting the country's lands and citizens are driving the nation's energy and environmental policies. Their forward-thinking comments were of great interest to Dr. Koenigsberg, whose organization IAC is staging its 15th annual Gold + Diamond conference in New York this July 14, 15 and 16. 'Some of the conference panels and speakers address similar issues that Messrs. Boko and Mophuting touched on in their JCK talks." For example, she related, 'Among other subjects, this July's Gold + Diamond Conference will discuss how natural diamond producing countries, such as Botswana, can act to retain maximum value from their diamonds and thus enrich citizenry. She added that, 'Global directives compel increased environmental and climate regulation in countries such as Botswana. While greener practices can create both positive and negative impacts, who, and what, will bear the costs?" The Gold + Diamond Conference attendees will examine these questions examination and the formation of effective solutions.' As President Boko's press secretary Emang Mutapati explained to this writer in Botswana House, 'There is no better representative than Botswana's president to bring the country's natural diamond story to this show." In Botswana House, Mutapati explained, the theme and motto of the space was 'Rooted in Organic Luxury'. "This concept of working with nature,' she continued, 'is helping create a strong future for Botswana, its diamond industry, and its people' As President Boko, Ambassador Muphoting and Ms. Mutapati all related, elements of Botswana's short term and long term sustainability strategy involve implementing pre-emptive measures to enhance Botswana's ability to successfully deal with the effects of drought and floods. In addition to expanding weather warning systems and water management projects, distribution of drought-tolerant seeds and drought-tolerant cattle breeds are now in the works. Botswana is also investing in mitigation efforts by phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and promoting various energy efficiency measures. While President Boko and Ambassador Muphoting outlined Botswana's long-term plans for becoming a net-zero, climate-resilient, and prosperous nation by 2050, they also emphasized how the country is working to increase its proportion of renewable energy in its power generating-sources, with a goal of reaching 30% renewables by 2030. Reaching this goal is vitally important, as coal-rich Botswana relies heavily on coal for electricity generation, and coal burning is a key contributor to global warming. The good news is that Botswana is taking steps to develop 1.5 GW of solar power projects by 2030 to help reduce its reliance on coal.
