International
The United States demands that Iran stop its “destabilizing activities” before a nuclear pact
The United States demanded that Iran stop its “destabilizing activities” around the world, as a precondition for both countries to resume negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear pact.
This is how the Joe Biden Administration reacted after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchí said that his country is ready to restart talks this week, during the UN General Assembly in New York, if “the other parties are willing.”
In statements to EFE, a State Department spokesman said that the United States considers diplomacy is “the best way” to achieve a solution, but right now it is a “very distant” possibility due to Iran’s behavior.
“The path that Iran must follow is, to a large extent, to put an end to its destabilizing activities around the world. That is something that Iran must show us with actions, not with words,” said this source.
The spokesman explained that if the Iranian government wants to demonstrate “its good faith,” it must first adopt a series of immediate measures that involve “stop arming terrorist groups” and “stop their nuclear escalation and lift their blockade on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)”.
Also stop “killing opponents”, stop the “unjust executions of Iranians” and stop “the transfer of missiles and drones to Russia” that are used in the war in Ukraine.
“We will continue to judge the regime by its actions, not by its words,” he said.
In 2015, Iran signed a nuclear agreement that limited its atomic activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions with six major powers, including the United States.
The Administration of Donald Trump (2017-2021) left the agreement unilaterally in 2018 and, since then, Iran has considerably increased its nuclear program, without it being possible to reach another pact.
The Biden government tried to revive the agreement, but negotiations with Iran broke down in 2022.
Last July, the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said that Iran was “one or two weeks” away from having enough enriched uranium to develop a nuclear weapon.
The OEIA recently estimated that Iran’s total stocks of enriched uranium, which according to the nuclear agreement should not exceed 300 kilos, totaled 5,751 kilos in mid-August.
Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian has been willing to try to improve relations with Western countries since taking office at the end of July, but has always stressed that he will not “tolerate
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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