International

Antony Blinken assures that the Panamanian sovereignty of the Panama Canal “will not change”

The Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, assured this Thursday that Panamanian sovereignty over the Panama Canal “will not change,” despite the threat of President-elect Donald Trump to regain US control of the interoceanic route.

“We have a treaty and a policy in force for many years and that is not going to change. As I said before, it’s not worth spending time on this,” he said at his last press conference before leaving office.

His answer was similar to the one he gave last week in Paris when he was questioned by Trump’s plan to annex Greenland to the United States.

“It’s not worth spending time on that issue because that’s not going to happen,” he said at the time.

Blinken’s statements come a day after the nominee to succeed him, Marco Rubio, suggested that China’s influence on the Panama Canal is a violation of the terms of the delivery of the road to the Panamanians.

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Rubio, next Secretary of State in the Trump Administration, warned during his confirmation hearing in the Senate that this is “a very legitimate issue” for the United States, although it opened the door to dialogue with the Panamanian authorities.

“Panama is a great partner in many other matters, and I hope we can solve this issue of the channel and its security,” Blinken said.

“Although technically sovereignty over the canal has not been handed over to a foreign power, in reality a foreign power today possesses, through its companies, which are not independent, the ability to turn the channel into a bottleneck at a time of conflict,” he added.

Blinken was convinced that the agreement for a truce in the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages will take effect on Sunday as planned, despite the fact that Israel and Hamas accuse each other of delaying it.

“I am confident and fully hope that the implementation will begin as we said on Sunday,” the head of US diplomacy said at his last press conference before leaving office.

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On Thursday, the Israeli government accused Hamas of introducing new conditions in the ceasefire and hostage release agreement announced last night, while the Islamist group recriminated the Israelis for trying to “create tension at a critical moment.”

The relatives of the hostages who still remain in Gaza attend with anguish to the rifirrafe, less than three days before the agreed date for the departure of the first kidnapped.

The announced ceasefire should come into force next Sunday and would allow the release of Israeli hostages – alive and dead – and access to humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave, where more than 46,700 people have died since October 7, 2023.

The team of outgoing President of the United States, Joe Biden, and President-elect Donald Trump, participated in the final stretch of the negotiations, which also had the mediation of Qatar and Egypt.

The Secretary of State urged the next Donald Trump Administration to ensure that the ceasefire agreement that the next president wants to achieve in Ukraine is truly “lasting.”

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“One of the most important things here is that if there is a ceasefire, that it is durable and that it is maintained,” said the head of US diplomacy in his last press conference.

For Blinken, this is key, because, as he warned, the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, “will want to take weight off him” and “attack when he feels it’s time.”

“A ceasefire agreement must be reached with the effective deterrence necessary so that Russia does not attack again,” he warned.

Trump, who will assume power on January 20, has criticized the constant sending of weapons to Ukraine by the Joe Biden Administration and has made it a priority to end the war started by the Russian invasion of February 2022.

Blinken defended that the strategy of the outgoing government, focused on sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia, sought to put Ukraine “in a position of power” against the Kremlin.

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“That I could continue fighting, if necessary, or sit down to negotiate, if that’s what they wanted, but do it from a strong position,” he added.

He also claimed that this plan has caused “unimaginable” losses for Russia: “We see the impact on its economy, on its future and on its inability to invest in critical infrastructure for the future.”

Marco Rubio, Blinken’s successor, declared on Wednesday that the policy of the new US government will be to end the war and asked for “concessions” to both Ukraine and Russia.

The next Secretary of State said that Russia will not be able to invade all of Ukraine, but he also described it as “unrealistic” to think that Ukraine will be able to recover the pre-invasion borders.

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International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”