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US Iran sanctions

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says removing the sanctions imposed by former US President Donald Trump against Tehran is a legal and moral obligation. On his Twitter page, Zarif said the removal of the sanctions is not negotiating leverage. He said the sanctions did not work for Trump and will not work for the current US administration either. On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it remains unclear whether Tehran is ready and willing to take what he called necessary steps to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. The agreement got into trouble after the US pulled out of it in 2018. Iran and the remaining signatories are now engaged in talks to revive the accord. Iran has repeatedly emphasized that Washington has to take the first step by removing all the sanctions verifiably.

Israel Gaza onslaught 

The Gaza Strip is still reeling from deaths and destruction caused by Israel’s airstrikes and shelling of civilian homes and vital infrastructure in the besieged Palestinian territory. Nearly 280 Gazans were killed and over 1,900 injured in eleven days of the Israeli aggression before a ceasefire last Friday. Local officials and international agencies say the destruction of civic structure makes it more difficult to treat the injured and deal with a surge in coronavirus cases there. Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross has said it is sending medical equipment and supplies to Gaza to treat the injured and cope with the collapsed infrastructure. According to the UN humanitarian coordinator, the World Health Organization and other institutions also plan to ship coronavirus vaccines to Gaza within days. Gaza officials say the reconstruction will cost tens of millions of dollars.

Myanmar court hearing

Myanmar’s ousted de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has appeared in court in person for the first time since the military coup in February. Suu Kyi’s lawyer said she held a face-to-face meeting with her legal team before the hearing. Suu Kyi faces charges ranging from the illicit use of walkie-talkie radios to violating a state secrets law. She is among more than four thousand people detained since the military ousted her government on February the first. The military had claimed voter fraud in November’s general elections won by landslide by Suu Kyi’s party. It now plans to dissolve the party. The coup has plunged Myanmar into chaos. Daily protests have been ongoing against the junta that has cracked down on protesters, killing hundreds so far. 

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