Daily News Brief - 13/09/2022
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Please find below today’s daily news brief.
Egypt: Son of former president claims that his cousin was ‘forcibly disappeared’ by Egyptian authorities
The son of former Egyptian president Mohammad Morsi claimed on Sunday that his cousin, Khaled Said Morsi, has been detained by authorities on September 6, adding that Khaled’s older brother had been in detention for nine years after drawing attention to his father’s mistreatment in prison in an open letter to the UN. Another son of the ex-leader died in 2019 at the age of 24 due to a heart attack, his lawyers claiming that he had been injected with a lethal substance. Mohammad Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was Egypt’s first and only democratically-elected president.
Iran: Several individuals were arrested in connection to the killing of an IRGC colonel in Tehran
Iran’s judiciary announced on Tuesday that several people have been arrested over the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) colonel Sayad Khodaei in Tehran in May this year. The judiciary’s spokesperson Masoud Setayeshi said that “this case is in the preliminary investigation stage,” adding that “the investigation is classified and confidential.” Tehran accused Israel of the assassination of Khodaei.
Iran | US: US secretary of state says that Iran’s response to the EU draft agreement is ‘a step backward’
Speaking at a press conference in Mexico City, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Iran’s response to the latest EU-proposed draft nuclear agreement is “a step backward,” adding that a new deal is “unlikely” any time soon. Further, he stated that “Iran seems either unwilling or unable to do what is necessary to reach an agreement and they continue to try to introduce extraneous issues to the negotiations that make an agreement less likely.” The statement comes days after France, Germany, and the UK expressed, in a joint statement, “serious doubts” about Iran’s sincerity.
Iraq: Political forces try to outline a plan to present to al-Sadr as the opposition alliance sticks to its initial nominee for premiership
Iraq’s Sovereignty Alliance and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) announced that political forces work on a plan to be presented to the influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Sadrist Movement after he called on its allies to withdraw from the Parliament. The KDP said that such a crucial decision can only be taken as a result of constructive dialogue. In the meantime, the main coalition of pro-Iran parties, the Coordination Framework (CF), revealed on Monday that it would keep its choice for premiership. The nomination by CF of Mohammad al-Sudani for the post of prime minister sparked a backlash from its main Shia rivals.
Israel | Iran | UN: Israeli defense minister tells UN diplomats that Iran has vastly increased its number of centrifuges
In a meeting with a group of ambassadors to the UN, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz told the officials that Iran has vastly increased the number of advanced centrifuges capable of enriching weapons-grade uranium. Citing Israeli intelligence, Gantz claimed that the number of centrifuges at Iran’s Natanz underground nuclear facility more than doubled in the past year and tripled at the Fordo site. Finally, the defense minister called on the UN Security Council to prepare a new set of sanctions on Tehran.
Israel | Palestine: At least 19 Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces in the latest daily raid in the occupied West Bank
According to the Palestinian media, at least 19 individuals were arrested by the Israeli forces from several locations throughout the occupied West Bank, including the town of Silwad, the Balata refugee camp, near Jenin, Tulkarem, and Yatta, near Hebron. Israel continues its daily military operations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank following a series of armed attacks against Israelis earlier this year.
Palestine | Russia: Hamas political leader meets with Russia’s foreign minister in Moscow
The head of Hamas’ politburo Ismail Haniyeh met with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow on Monday. During the talks, Lavrov called for the end of the Hamas-Fatah split. They also discussed bilateral relations and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The visit by the Hamas leader comes as relations between Russia and Israel are worsening, largely due to the latter’s support for Ukraine since Moscow’s invasion in February this year.
Saudi Arabia | US | Yemen: Saudi official holds talks with US envoy on the situation in Yemen
The Saudi ambassador to Yemen and supervisor of the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen Mohammad bin Saeed Al-Jaber met with the US envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking in Riyadh on Monday. The two officials stressed the importance to uphold the UN-sponsored truce in Yemen and the need for the Houthi rebels to reopen routes to the city of Ta’iz in order to ensure humanitarian access. They also emphasized the importance of supporting Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council to achieve peace, security, and stability in the country.
Turkey | Greece: Tensions between the two countries persist after the Turkish defense minister accused the Greek prime minister of hypocrisy
Commenting on Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ meeting with the French President Emmanuel Macron, the Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar accused Athens of deceit and hypocrisy. In a statement on Tuesday, Akar said that “they are trying to tarnish Turkey’s image. They are trying to exploit and distort every fact, influence third parties with lies and slander, and complain about Turkey to third countries.” The statement comes two days after the Greek coastguard opened fire on a Turkish cargo ship in international waters in the Aegean Sea.
Yemen | Germany: Yemen’s president scheduled to meet with the German chancellor on Tuesday
The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi is set to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Tuesday to discuss the latest developments in Yemen as well as the UN-sponsored truce. Al-Alimi expressed confidence that his visit will “further increase developmental interventions by German international organizations, which have already been operating in Yemen for decades.”