UN Nuclear Agency Weighs Censure of Iran for Undeclared Uranium Sites
The United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (UK) submitted a draft resolution (Reuters) condemning Iran’s lack of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the organization’s board. The board will vote on the resolution this week as it meets in Austria.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Iran has not provided “technically credible” explanations (CNN) for nuclear activities at three undeclared sites and is weeks away from having a “significant quantity of enriched uranium.” Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry said anyone pushing for a censure would “be responsible for the consequences.” Talks on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal have not been held since March.
Analysis
“Any agreement will also suffer from the same broader shortfalls as its predecessor did six years ago—likely exacerbated by worsening attitudes in the United States and in Iran itself,” Eurasia Group’s Henry Rome writes for Foreign Affairs.
“After reading the full US/E3-led draft resolution submitted to the IAEA Board of Governors on Iran’s safeguards obligations, it is clear that there is a transatlantic desire to not rock the boat given how mild the text is,” the European Leadership Network’s Sahil Shah tweets.
UK’s Johnson Meets With Cabinet After Surviving No-Confidence Vote
Prime Minister Boris Johnson survived a no-confidence vote (BBC), with 211 of his own party’s ministers voting in favor of him and 148 voting to oust him.
Russia/Ukraine: Russia’s defense minister said that Russia has captured (NYT) more than 6,000 Ukrainian service members, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said around 2,500 Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol have surrendered to Russian forces.
Pacific Rim
Cambodia’s Ruling Party Wins 74 Percent of Votes in Local Elections
Preliminary results showed that Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party received 74 percent of votes, while the opposition Candlelight Party received 22 percent (Nikkei) in Sunday’s local elections.
Hong Kong: A judge transferred the cases (AFP, Al Jazeera) of forty-seven people accused of subversion for organizing primary elections in 2020 to the city’s High Court, where they could face life sentences.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on the visit that foreign governments should make clear (Dawn) to the Taliban in Afghanistan that they are “heading in the wrong direction.”
Sri Lanka: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he will finish his two-year term despite protests calling for his resignation, but he will not run (Daily Mirror) for reelection in 2024.
Middle East and North Africa
Israel’s Ruling Coalition Fails to Pass Law After Two Defections
The legislation that failed by a vote of 52–58 (Times of Israel) would have extended the temporary application of Israeli law to Israelis living in the West Bank. Some officials saw the vote as a test for the coalition after it lost its parliamentary majority.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Mali Junta Adopts Decree for Two-Year Transition to Civilian Rule
The military government, which took power in a 2020 coup, hopes the plan will lead to the removal of sanctions (Reuters) spearheaded by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
South Africa/United Arab Emirates: Emirati authorities arrested businessmen (Bloomberg) Atul and Rajesh Gupta and are considering extraditing them to South Africa, where they are accused of looting billions of dollars from state-owned companies.
Americas
Thousands of Migrants Depart Southern Mexico for U.S.
The so-called migrant caravan is estimated to include up to five thousand people (AP), mostly from Central American countries, Cuba, and Venezuela. Advocates said they timed their departure with this week’s U.S.-hosted Summit of the Americas.
Dominican Republic: The country’s environment minister was shot dead (MercoPress) by a man who walked into his office.
United States
Harris to Announce $1.9 Billion in Private Sector Commitments to Central America
