The comments suggest that talks that began in 2021 to revive the 2015 nuclear deal could be indefinitely stalled. The talks have slowed in recent weeks as U.S. and other Western policymakers increasingly focus (The Hill) on punishing Iran for cracking down anti-government protesters and allegedly supplying drones that Russia has used against Ukraine.
Analysis
“Iran’s support for Russia & crackdown on protests has ended any chance the U.S. will rejoin the [nuclear deal] anytime soon, if ever, as it would throw an economic lifeline to a repressive and aggressive regime that could well be on the ropes,” CFR President Richard Haass tweets.
“The suspension of nuclear talks would send a clear message to Tehran that as long as the regime brutalizes protesters, it will not be business as usual in its dealings with Western powers,” Roham Alvandi of the London School of Economics and Political Science writes for Foreign Policy.
Beijing indefinitely delayed (NYT) the release of gross domestic product (GDP) data and other economic indicators set to be published today. The figures were expected to show lackluster growth.
U.S./China: New U.S. export restrictions on China’s chip sector could force more than forty American executives to choose between their U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status and their jobs at Chinese chip companies, the Wall Street Journal reported.
South and Central Asia
Militants Kill Two Migrant Workers in India-Administered Kashmir
Police said the suspected militants threw a grenade (AP) at a house where the two workers from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh were staying. The attack came two days after a Kashmiri Hindu man was killed in a shooting police also blamed on militants.
U.S./Afghanistan: U.S. officials told the Taliban that the United States will not fund armed, nonstate actors in Afghanistan, Taliban sources told Al Jazeera. Tajik groups that continue to oppose the Taliban received Western funding in the past.
Middle East and North Africa
Australia Reverses Recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
Australia had switched the recognition (ABC) from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem in late 2018, a year after the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Ethiopian Government Forces Take Tigrayan City After Days of Air Strikes, Artillery Fire
The fighting in the city of Shire was some of the most intense (WaPo) Ethiopia has seen since a cease-fire was broken in August. Thousands of residents left the city over the weekend.
For the Africa in Transition blog, CFR’s Michelle Gavin discusses the lack of political will to end the war in Tigray.
Mozambique: The EU is considering paying (Bloomberg) troops from Rwanda to fight Islamist militants in Mozambique, where fighting has led to the suspension of a $20 billion natural gas project.
To stave off an energy supply crunch, Chancellor Olaf Scholz ordered (DW) Germany’s three remaining nuclear power plants to remain in operation until April. Germany had originally planned to phase out all nuclear power by December.
Russia/Ukraine: A prisoner swap between the countries led to the release (The Guardian) of 108 Ukrainians and 110 Russians, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Americas
Cuba Replaces Energy Minister After Blackouts Cause Rare Protests
The Cuban government named (Reuters) Vicente de la O Levy, the former head of its state electronics company, as energy and mines minister after power outages led to protests in cities across the country.
U.S./Haiti/Mexico: The United States and Mexico said they are preparing (AP) a UN resolution for a “non-UN” security mission to respond to unrest in Haiti. They proposed that an unnamed partner country would lead the mission.
United States
Congress Launches Investigation Into Mississippi Water Crisis
Lawmakers from Mississippi and New York kicked off the probe (AP) with a query into how Mississippi plans to spend federal infrastructure funds. Over the summer, 150,000 people in the capital of Jackson were left without running water for several days, and the city was under a boil-water notice for months due to evidence of unsafe drinking water.
