Trump envoy Steve Witkoff says US-Iran talks are 'promising'
"We are already talking to each other, not just directly but also through interlocutors. I think that the conversations are promising. We are hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement that resurrects Iran," Witkoff said in an interview on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" show.
"Now its for us to sit down with the Iranians and get to a comprehensive peace agreement, and I am very confident that we are going to achieve that," he added.
Since April, Iran and the U.S. have held indirect talks aimed at finding a new diplomatic solution regarding Iran's nuclear program. Tehran says its program is peaceful and Washington says it wants to ensure Iran cannot build a nuclear weapon.
Trump announced a ceasefire on Monday between U.S. ally Israel and its regional rival Iran which was aimed at ending their air war that began on June 13 when Israel struck Iran. The conflict had raised alarms in a region that was already on edge since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons and says its war against Iran aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons. Iran is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty while Israel is not.
The U.S. struck Iran's nuclear sites over the weekend and Iran targeted a U.S. base in Qatar on Monday in retaliation, before Trump announced an Israel-Iran ceasefire on social media.
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The Guardian
33 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Macron not expected at UN summit on two-state solution for Palestine and Israel
A UN summit on a two-state solution for Palestine and Israel – postponed by the Israel-Iran war – has been rescheduled for 28 and 29 July, but it is not expected that the French president, Emmanuel Macron, will attend, making it less likely that it will trigger a series of high-profile announcements on recognition of a Palestinian state. Macron, who last week told UK parliamentarians a two-state solution was 'the only way to build peace and stability for all in the whole region', has been trying to build momentum for recognition of a state of Palestine by a wide group of countries, but the lack of movement in ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel is making such decisions more complex. Israel and the US both oppose recognition of a Palestinian state, and have been advising UN delegations not to attend the UN conference in New York. Israel has said that recognition would be seen as a reward for Hamas terrorism. The conference originally slated for June was postponed when the Israeli attack on Iran created a security crisis across the Middle East. The conference has a set of working parties that are designed to ease the path to a two-state solution, including plans for future Palestinian governance, economic renewal and challenging the narratives of hate. French sources insisted decisions on recognition had not been made, and a subsequent event in Paris would provide the platform. Recognition was discussed last week at the Anglo-French summit, where Macron made two public appeals without setting a timetable. Macron called for recognition in his speech to UK parliamentarians and in his closing press conference. 'With Gaza in ruin and the West Bank being attacked on a daily basis, the perspective of a Palestinian state has never been put at risk as it is,' he told MPs. 'And this is why this solution of the two states and the recognition of the state of Palestine is … the only way to build peace and stability for all in the whole region.' The joint declaration issued by Macron and the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, simply reaffirmed their commitment to 'recognising a Palestinian state, as a contribution to a peace process'. And they pledged to 'work together to support its development and the realisation of a two-state solution'. Le Monde reported at the weekend that neither Macron nor the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, would attend the UN conference, and that the summit would instead be led by foreign ministers. That does not preclude Macron making his long-trailed announcement at a different point. The French preference has been to make the historic recognition announcement jointly with the UK, and possibly Canada. Speaking about the issue at length to parliament's foreign affairs select committee, the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, referred to the country's role in shaping the Middle East through the Balfour declaration, saying: 'I would prefer that the United Kingdom is part of a process, particularly if you look at the history, including our relationship with Balfour and the two communities that were effectively brought together at the birth of the Israeli state.' He added: 'A ceasefire might be the beginning of a process, and I suspect that our French colleagues are also waiting to see whether there is a ceasefire in the next few days. That would be the beginning of something, particularly if it is a permanent ceasefire and not a pause.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Lammy said the decisions of some European countries to recently recognise a Palestinian state had not led to changes on the ground in the West Bank and Gaza, but he admitted it was a judgment call and said he had some sympathy with those who argued that the pace of building Israeli settlements on the West Bank was putting the existence of a Palestinian state in question. He stressed he did not see a wider normalisation between Saudi Arabia and Israel taking place unless Israel made some concession on the recognition of Palestine. 'From my conversations with the Saudis and the Saudi foreign minister, normalisation will be impossible to achieve until there is a ceasefire and unless there is tangible progress on two states. Frankly, I commend my Saudi counterparts for holding true to that,' he told MPs. Separately, foreign ministers from Israel and Palestine are expected to attend a dinner in Brussels on Monday. The Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar, and his Palestinian counterpart, Varsen Aghabekian, have both confirmed their attendance at an EU-Southern Neighbourhood ministerial meeting, but it is not clear if they will meet or talk to one another. The aim of the Brussels meeting is to strengthen relations between the EU and its 10 partner countries in the Mediterranean region.
Telegraph
35 minutes ago
- Telegraph
EU doing more than UK to help Briton detained in Dubai, says family
The family of a British man who has been locked up in Dubai for 17 years have said the European Union is doing more to free him than the Government. Heather Cornelius, whose husband Ryan is detained by the UAE, said Brussels had given her 'hope again' after 17 years of failures by the Foreign Office to secure her partner's release. It came after the European Parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling for the immediate release of Mr Cornelius, and for the British Government 'to take all necessary action' to facilitate that. The resolution, backed by 511 MEPs, also criticised the charges against Mr Cornelius, 71, as 'false' and a breach of international law. Mr Cornelius was convicted of defrauding Dubai Islamic Bank in 2008, alongside two fellow expats, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. At the end of their original sentences in 2018, a judge extended their sentences by 20 years in response to an application by the Islamic bank. Chris Pagett, Mr Cornelius' brother-in-law and a Foreign Office veteran of 32 years, said the family's calls for support from the Government had failed because diplomats were attempting to protect their ties with the UAE. Mr Pagett told The Telegraph: 'It's not that we've given up. We're very much trying to engage the British Government, but the Government and the Foreign Office are clearly in a bind over this case, or over anything that sort of creates turbulence around what it regards as one of its key sort of foreign relationships, the relationship with the UAE.' One of the proposals put forward by the family, alongside Sir William Browder, the American-born English financier and political activist, is sanctions against Dubai officials involved in Mr Cornelius' imprisonment. Mr Pagett said: 'They [Dubai] should worry about sanctions, but they're clearly not worried. 'They know that the British Government will never dare to do it. They don't have that same comfort with the EU.' He said the European Commission had discussed an 'explicit link' between Mr Cornelius's case and a trade deal between the bloc and UAE. The EU Parliament's resolution will force top Brussels officials to also raise his imprisonment with counterparts in Dubai and Britain. This renewed focus on Mr Cornelius couldn't come at a more important time for the family, who feel like Labour has largely ignored them since winning power. Lord Cameron, the former Conservative, had given them hope, appearing to know the case inside-out when they first met and promising to put it at the top of his to-do list. This sense of urgency was extinguished when David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, took over, despite the family urging him to impose financial sanctions on one of the Gulf emirate's most senior officials. Mrs Cornelius described their first meeting with Hamish Falconer, a junior minister for the Middle East and North Africa, as 'devastating'. 'His opening words were: 'I can't offer you any hope',' she said. Shortly after Sir Keir Starmer met Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Dubai's president, he was unable to say whether he'd raised Mr Cornelius's detention, in response to a question in the House of Commons. Mrs Cornelius, an Irish passport holder, has turned to Brussels for help because of the apparent resistance of the British Government to assist. She fears her time left with her ageing husband is being stolen away from her because of his imprisonment. Her three children, now in their late twenties and early thirties, have already grown up without their father. 'We don't have very long, Ryan and I,' she said. 'I'm 65 and Ryan is 71, you see what little time you do have left when you get older.' The 65-year-old had spent decades trying to enlist the help of the Government and only switched tactics when it felt like her efforts had become futile. She said: 'We went to Dublin and Brussels in the last couple of months. And it's incredible, absolutely incredible, what they have achieved in that short time. 'They said to me, 'why hasn't the British Government helped you more?' They find it implausible. They don't understand.' She said it had become hard to 'hold onto hope' until the EU Parliament passed its resolution. 'It has really given me a huge amount of hope again, and Ryan, he just couldn't believe it, it was fantastic,' Mrs Cornelius added.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Search ends for missing crew of ship sunk by Houthis in Red Sea
The search for sailors missing after Yemen 's Houthis sank a ship in the Red Sea has ended, the private security firms involved said on Monday. At least four people are presumed dead and 11 remain unaccounted for. The announcement came as satellite images showed oil slicks from where the bulk carrier Eternity C sank as well as another where the cargo carrier Magic Seas went down. The Yemeni sank the two ships over a week ago as part of their campaign targeting vessels in protest against Israel 's war on Gaza. The attacks have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which $1 trillion of goods usually passes a year. Private security firms Ambrey and Diaplous Group conducted the search for those missing from the Eternity C, which had a three-man security team aboard but requested no escort from either the US navy or an EU force in the region. The ship came under attack on July 7 and faced hours of assaults by small arms and drones before ultimately sinking in the Red Sea. The initial attack on the Eternity C came a day after the attack on the Magic Seas. Both vessels were Liberian flagged and Greek owned. Ten people were recovered alive after the attack, including eight Filipino crew members and a Greek and Indian from the vessel's security team, the EU's Operation Aspides said. At least four people were presumed dead, leaving 11 missing, the mission added. The Houthis, who rule most of Yemen, claimed to have taken some mariners after the attack but offered no evidence. The American embassy in Yemen said it believed the Houthis had 'kidnapped' some of the crew. 'The decision to end the search has been taken by the vessel's owner reluctantly but it believes that, in all the circumstances, the priority must now be to get the 10 souls safely recovered alive ashore and to provide them with the urgent medical support they need at this difficult time,' a statement by the security firms said. 'The thoughts of all those involved in the rescue operation are with the families of those who remain missing.' The targeting of the vessels raises concerns about damage to the environment in the Red Sea, home to corals and wildlife that draw divers, tourists and scientists. Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC analysed on Monday by the Associated Press showed large, spreading oil slicks where the vessels sank in the southern Red Sea. Wim Zwijnenburg, an analyst with Dutch peace organisation PAX, estimated the length of the slick from the Eternity C at some 80km and from the Magic Seas at 65km. He warned they could threaten wildlife reserves in nearby Eritrea in Africa and elsewhere. The oil came from the ship's tanks and had been used for their own propulsion. Other shipping disasters have seen much of the slicks evaporate on their own, though they have caused damage to the environment. Between November 2023 and December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 ships allegedly linked to Israel and its western backers with missiles and drones. They suspended the campaign after a ceasefire was reached in Gaza earlier this year, but resumed their attacks when Israel broke the truce and renewed its assault on the beseiged Palestinian territory. In their campaign so far, they have sunk four vessels and killed at least eight mariners. After they refused to stop their attacks on shipping linked to Israel, the Yemeni became the target of an intense weekslong campaign of airstrikes ordered by US president Donald Trump before he declared a ceasefire had been reached.
