Iran FM outlines seven-day plan
for conditional reopening of
Strait of Hormuz
September 25th, 11:05pm
(PressTV)
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has outlined a seven-day plan
for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, saying implementation
would begin immediately if the United States accepted
Iran’s conditions.
Speaking at a press conference at the United Nations headquarters
in New York on Friday, the top diplomat said the seven-day period
would begin once Washington accepted the plan.
“If that happens tomorrow -- implementation
of the plan will begin immediately,” he said.
Araghchi said Iran believes the necessary process
could be completed within four or five days... if
the required measures were taken.
According to the foreign minister, under the proposed sequence,
the Strait of Hormuz would reopen on the sixth day, followed
by the United States’ entering into a final agreement on the
seventh day.
He said the measures required from the United States, had
already been communicated to the US side and were set
out within the framework of the Pakistan-mediated
memorandum of understanding.
Iran closed the chokepoint following the launch of the latest
round of unprovoked US-Israeli aggression against the
country... on February 28.
The Islamic Republic and the United States, agreed on a 60-day
reopening period as part of the memorandum of understanding
in June, but US violations ------- forced Tehran to reestablish
the closure.
“If there is the necessary seriousness on the US side, this
will happen and the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened,”
Araghchi said.
The official said Iran remained committed to safe and secure
navigation, but asserted that maritime security could not be
restored through further military aggression, threats, a
blockade or economic pressure, citing the various
instruments of pressure, that Washington has
been applying against Tehran.
“The Strait of Hormuz remained open until 28 February 2026,”
he said, adding that insecurity in the waterway and disruption
of maritime navigation were the direct result of aggressive
actions by the United States and the Israeli regime.
The official reminded that, under Article Five of the memorandum,
Iran undertook to put in place the necessary arrangements to
facilitate the safe passage of ships, adding that the Islamic
Republic immediately began technical talks with Oman
to implement the commitment and restore maritime
traffic to pre-war levels.
“Within two weeks of the implementation of the memorandum,
maritime traffic had returned to approximately 60 percent
of its pre-war level,” he said.
Nevertheless, subsequent unilateral US military aggression and
other aggressive measures violated and halted implementation
of the memorandum, he said.
Araghchi said... Iran continues to reaffirm its commitment to
international law, the UN Charter, and diplomacy, citing the
negotiations - that produced the Islamic Republic’s 2015
nuclear agreement with world countries as well as its
efforts to pursue diplomacy over the past two years.
He denounced the United States and the Israeli regime
for pursuing “aggression, threats, assassination,
economic warfare, and blatant disregard”
for international law and the
UN Charter.
The most recent round of US-Israeli aggression against Iran,
he said, claimed the lives of over 5,000 people, including
hundreds of women and children. He cited - attacks on
residential areas, schools, hospitals, energy facilities,
sports and cultural venues, transport infrastructure
...and other civilian targets.
Araghchi also condemned Washington for using economic
deprivation ------- as a means of political pressure.
“This is not diplomacy; it is coercion and economic terrorism,”
he said, adding that the measures violated Iran’s rights and
binding provisional measures.. issued by the International
Court of Justice on October 3, 2018 that ordered the US
---- to ease the sanctions it re-imposed on the Islamic
Republic ------- after abandoning the nuclear deal
earlier that year.
Addressing US allegations against Iran’s nuclear
energy program, Araghchi said they are political.
He rejected the claim that Iran was “on the verge” of acquiring a
nuclear weapon as a “big lie,” saying the Islamic Republic has
been a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty since
1970 ....and subject to extensive International Atomic
Energy Agency monitoring ....for decades.
He also said... the United States could not claim to defend nuclear
non-proliferation while targeting peaceful nuclear facilities under
IAEA safeguards, referring to Washington’s acts of aggression
against Iranian nuclear sites.
‘The choice now rests... with the US’
He concluded by placing responsibility
for the next step - with Washington.
“The choice now rests with the United States. Iran will not
accept coercion, threats, or intimidation - and will not
relinquish its sovereign rights under pressure,”
he said.
“The United Nations --- was established to prevent the ‘law of
the jungle’ from replacing the rule of international law. The
UN Charter is not optional. Sovereignty is not conditional.
Diplomacy does not mean surrender. And peace cannot
be built through threats of annihilation,” the official
said, pointing to the repeated threats issued by
US President Donald Trump ......against the
Islamic Republic.
_________________________________________
British universities work with
Israel-linked arms giant -- to
curb pro-Palestine protests:
Report
September 25th, 2:46pm
(PressTV)
Thirteen UK universities have reportedly worked with Britain’s
biggest arms manufacturer, BAE Systems, to contain pro-
Palestine protests and tighten security on their
campuses, as students have demanded an
end to the institutions’ ties with the
weapons giant.
Internal memoranda and emails obtained in a joint investigation by
Liberty Investigates and Al Jazeera, reveal coordination between
the universities and BAE Systems - over student demonstrations,
with efforts to counter campaigns calling for the universities to
sever contractual relationships with the arms manufacturer.
Six of the academic institutions — specifically the universities
of Manchester, Nottingham, Southampton, Birmingham, and
Strathclyde, along with Cranfield University — have been
designated by BAE as “strategic partners” ...and
collectively receive up to $20 million annually
from the arms manufacturer through their
funding arrangements.
“When public universities ------- take operational cues and security
strategies from weapons manufacturers - to suppress their own
students, the boundary between higher education & corporate
defense interests collapses,” said Gina Romero, UN special
rapporteur --- for peaceful assembly and association.
“This investigation reveals a troubling pattern: universities
managing protest not as spaces of free inquiry, but as
corporate risk to be mitigated ---- for key financial
sponsors,” Romero added.
Student movements throughout the UK -- have persistently called
upon universities to sever their relationships with BAE Systems,
which manufactures components for Israeli combat aircraft,
as well as other corporations deemed complicit in the
Israeli military’s genocide of Palestinians in the
Gaza Strip.
“The student movement ----- has mobilized huge numbers in support of
Palestine, often protesting university investment in the arms trade,”
said Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour Party leader.
“I’ve witnessed a lot of repression against student movements over
the years, but it has never been as severe as it is today,” he added.
At the University of Sheffield, an investigator sought counsel from
BAE Systems.... before taking disciplinary measures against four
individuals after protesting students posted messages, such as
“BAE kills kids” at a virtual careers event held in October 2024.
Both the universities of Nottingham and Southampton have similarly
notified BAE Systems -- that they monitor social media platforms to
identify signs of emerging protest activity.
“At the end of the day... this comes down to the relationships the
university has with these companies --- and trying to stop them
being damaged,” said a student who faced disciplinary action.
The revelations come -- amid a deteriorating financial situation
affecting British universities, as documented by the Office for
Students, which reported that over one-third of institutions
recorded deficits throughout the preceding fiscal year.
A growing body of evidence shows that UK universities maintain
deep financial, research and investment ties to Israel, and to
arms firms that supply the Israeli military.
______________________________
Two Israeli soldiers killed
after drone explodes
in northern Gaza
September 25th, 11:05am
(PressTV)
Two Israeli soldiers were killed in northern Gaza on Thursday
while inspecting an unexploded Israeli drone near a military
post, according to the military.
The drone exploded as the soldiers approached it,
the Israeli military said in a statement on Friday.
They were transferred to a hospital, where they were
pronounced dead. The military said the incident
was under investigation.
Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since last October’s
ceasefire that was supposed to halt a more than
two-year genocidal war on Gaza.
Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and
frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held
zones and have killed 1,408 Palestinians since
the ceasefire went into effect, according to
Gaza health officials.
In violation of the ceasefire, Israel has also not allowed
the agreed quantities of humanitarian aid.. into Gaza,
where about 2.4 million Palestinians live, including
roughly 1.5 million who have been displaced.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported
earlier this month that Israeli strikes had destroyed
more than $770,000 worth of nutrition supplies
--------- intended for more than 45,000 children,
pregnant women, and feeding mothers.
Israel launched its devastating war on Gaza
on October 7, 2023, with US backing.
The aggression killed about 73,000 Palestinians and
wounded more than 174,000, most of them women
and children, and destroyed about 90% of Gaza’s
civilian infrastructure.