Iran-US clash at UN General Assembly

The United States and Iran clashed on security and human rights, with Iranian President demanding US guarantees to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and the US President vowing Tehran would never get an atomic bomb.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi struck a defiant tone at the United Nations General Assembly by decrying "double standards" on human rights after the death of an Iranian woman in police custody that has sparked protests around Iran.

Raisi also said Tehran wanted former US President Donald Trump to face trial for the 2020 killing of Iran's top Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in a US drone attack in Iraq, holding up a picture of the general.

"There is a great and serious will to resolve all issues to revive the (2015 nuclear) deal," Raisi told the UN General Assembly. "We only wish one thing: observance of commitments."

Speaking later, US President Joe Biden reiterated his willingness to revive the nuclear pact under which Iran had agreed to restrain its atomic program in return for relief from economic sanctions.

In 2018, Trump withdrew the United States from the nuclear deal and unilaterally reimposed sanctions that have hobbled Iran's economy.

A year later, Tehran reacted by gradually violating the deal's nuclear limits and reviving US, Israeli and Gulf Arab fears that Iran may be seeking to obtain an atomic weapon, an ambition Iran denies.

"We have before us the experience of America's withdrawal from the (deal)," Raisi said. "With that experience and this perspective, can we ignore the important issue of guarantees for a durable agreement?"

Raisi did not mention Iran's demand that investigations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into traces of uranium found at three undeclared Iranian sites be closed, a major stumbling block to reviving the deal.

The US and European officials have said the probes can only be closed if Iran provides satisfactory answers to the UN nuclear watchdog whose chief, Rafael Grossi, said these issues cannot be wished away.

"The Islamic Republic considers the double standards of some governments in the field of human rights as the most important factor in the institutionalization of human rights violations," Raisi said in a text of his speech released by his office.

"Human rights belongs to all, but unfortunately it is trampled upon by many governments," Raisi added, referring to the discovery of unmarked graves of indigenous people in Canada, the suffering of the Palestinians and images of migrant children held in cages in the United States.

"While the United States is prepared for a mutual return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action if Iran steps up to its obligations, the United States is clear. We will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon," Biden said.

"We stand with the brave citizens and the brave women of Iran who right now are demonstrating to secure their basic rights," Biden added.

Zelenskiy sounds perfect moth peace of CIA

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has demanded a special United Nations tribunal to impose ‘just punishment’ on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. These include imposing financial penalties and stripping Moscow of its veto power in the Security Council.

Zelenskiy's recorded address to world leaders at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday came after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Moscow's first wartime mobilization since World War II and threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia in what he has cast as a defining East-West clash.

Moscow plans to conscript some 300,000 troops in an apparent escalation of its Ukraine invasion that began in February and has left thousands dead, displaced millions and reduced towns to rubble.

"A crime has been committed against Ukraine, and we demand just punishment," Zelenskiy told the UN body.

"A special tribunal should be created to punish Russia for the crime of aggression against our state... Russia should pay for this war with its assets," the Ukrainian president said, urging the UN to "remove the right of veto" from Russia as a Security Council member.

Zelenskiy laid out what he said were five non-negotiable conditions for peace. These included: punishment for Russian aggression, restoration of Ukraine's security and territorial integrity, and security guarantees.

Many delegates at the UN gave Zelenskiy a standing ovation at the end of his speech.

Earlier on Wednesday, Putin had ordered the military draft in a televised address in which he also announced moves to annex four Ukrainian provinces and threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia, declaring: "It's not a bluff".

The reservists' main task will be to reinforce the front line in Ukraine, which is currently over 1,000 km (621 miles) long, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

The reservists will need training and Western military analysts said it will be several months before they see action.

Flights out of Russia quickly sold out, and jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny called for mass demonstrations against the mobilization.

Independent protest monitoring group OVD-Info said more than 1,300 people had been detained in protests by Wednesday evening.

Offering no evidence, Putin accused officials in NATO states of threatening to use nuclear weapons against Russia. They should know that "the weathervane can turn towards them", he said, adding that Russia "also has various means of destruction".

"When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. It's not a bluff."

US President Joe Biden, in a speech to the UN General Assembly, responded: "Again, just today, President Putin has made overt nuclear threats against Europe, in a reckless disregard for the responsibilities of the non-proliferation regime."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemed Putin's "irresponsible escalation of the war", saying "Putin's behavior only goes to show that his invasion is failing."

Foreign Ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies confirmed in a meeting in New York on Wednesday their cooperation in extending support for Ukraine and responding to food and energy security, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

"It's clear Russia wants to destroy Ukraine," EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said. "We will not be intimidated." 

Russia and Ukraine carried out an unexpected prisoner swap on Wednesday, the largest since the war began and involving almost 300 people, including 10 foreigners and the commanders who led a prolonged Ukrainian defence of Mariupol earlier this year. 

The foreigners released included two Britons and a Moroccan who had been sentenced to death in June after being captured fighting for Ukraine. Also freed in the deal brokered by Saudi Arabia, according to a Saudi ministry, were three other Britons, two Americans, a Croatian, and a Swedish national.

The released Ukrainians had been captured after a long battle for the port city of Mariupol earlier this year and included top military commanders, said Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office.

The moves come at a time when Russia has been facing a string of battlefield failures, with its invasion force routed in northeastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces say they are now poised to push deeper into territory Moscow had captured over months of heavy fighting.

"No amount of threats and propaganda can hide the fact that Ukraine is winning this war, the international community is united and Russia is becoming a global pariah," said British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

Russia's mobilization may be the riskiest domestic political move of Putin's two decades in power, and followed months of Kremlin promises it would do no such thing.

The war has so far appeared to enjoy popular support in a country where independent media have all been shut down and public criticism of the "special military operation" is banned.

But for many ordinary Russians, especially in the urban middle classes, the prospect of being sent to fight would be the first hint of the war affecting them personally.

Several Western military experts said drafting hundreds of thousands of new troops would take months, do little to slow Russia's losses, and could even make matters worse by drawing resources away from the battlefield to train and equip recruits.

 

Saudi Shoura Speaker asks Iran not to intervene in the affairs of other countries

The Shoura Council Speaker Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Bin Muhammad Bin Ibrahim Al-Sheikh stressed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the Crown Prince — is on a path of prosperity and welfare.

He reiterated that the region needs to be without conflicts while solving all its issues, mainly the Palestinian cause. He renewed Saudi Arabia’s inviolable support to the Palestinian people and their full right to establishing their independent Palestinian state on the pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Dr. Al-Sheikh made the remarks while heading Saudi Arabia’s delegation participating in the 16th meeting of Heads of Shoura, Representatives, National Assembly, and Parliament Councils in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states hosted by Oman Wednesday.

He noted that the future of the region requires adopting a vision that prioritizes realizing security, stability and prosperity, while focusing on mutual respect among regional countries.

He added that the region needs to enhance joint cultural and social bonds, and faces security and political challenges in a bid to achieve a comprehensive economic development.

He said, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia calls on Iran, in its capacity as a neighboring country whose people share the same religious and cultural values, to cooperate with regional countries through adhering to principles of the international legitimacy and refraining from interference in domestic affairs of other countries.”

“The Kingdom calls on Iran to cooperated with International Atomic Energy Agency, and honor its relevant pledges,” he added, stressing Saudi Arabia’s rejection of Iran’s occupation of three Emirati islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs.

He emphasized, at the same time, calls on Iran to respond to the UAE endeavors to solve the issue through direct negotiations or resorting to the International Court of Justice.

Dr. Al-Sheikh also noted that Saudi Arabia is always keen on the success of the truce reached under the auspices of UN in Yemen and its full rejection for Houthi militia to exploit the keenness of the international community and the coalition on peace and the militia’s rejection to honor its pledges.

He stressed that Saudi Arabia praises the efforts of the UN’s Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Hans Grundberg in enhancing commitment to truce that is in line with Saudi Arabia’s initiative to end the crisis in Yemen and reach a comprehensive political solution.

Can Joe Biden turn the world against Russia?

Joe Biden, President of United States will call on world leaders to stand up against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during his remarks to the United Nations General Assembly.

Biden will address the international body on Wednesday as he seeks to rally support to push back against Russia amid Ukraine’s recent gains on the battlefield.

“Among other things, he’ll offer a firm rebuke of Russia’s unjust war in Ukraine and make a call to the world to continue to stand against the naked aggression that we’ve seen the past several months,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday.

“The main thrust of his presentation will really be about the United Nations charter. About the foundational principle at the heart of that charter, that countries cannot conquer their neighbors by force,” Sullivan added.

Biden will address the United Nations General Assembly while facing an international crisis for a second consecutive year. Last year, Biden arrived in New York City roughly a month after the US pulled its forces out of Afghanistan in a chaotic withdrawal.

This year, Biden will speak at a critical juncture in the war in Ukraine, with Ukrainian forces making advances in counteroffensives and putting Russian President Vladimir Putin on the defensive.

Sullivan noted that neither Putin nor Chinese President Xi Jinping will be in New York for the meetings. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to be in attendance.

“Our competitors are facing increasingly strong headwinds and neither President Xi nor President Putin is even showing up,” he said.

Sullivan added that the Ukrainian military’s recent counteroffensive “will feature prominently in his speech.”

The meetings in New York come amid successful counteroffensives from the Ukrainian military, which has recently regained thousands of miles of territory in the country’s northeast and forced thousands of Russian troops to retreat.

Building support for Ukraine at the UN could prove difficult for Biden, as many members have either been sympathetic to Russia or antagonistic toward the United States. Russia sits on the UN Security Council, and as a result has the ability to thwart efforts to hold Moscow accountable.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in his speech at the UN on Tuesday criticized the economic impact of Western sanctions, but did not mention Russia in his remarks.

In the annual speech, Biden will also lay out his vision for American foreign policy and principal leadership, Sullivan said.

“He will make significant new announcements about the US government’s investments to address global food insecurity and he’ll lay out in detail how the US has restored its global leadership and the integrity of its word on the world stage by delivering on the promises we make and he has made as president,” he said.

The president will hold his first one-on-one meeting with the new prime minister of the United Kingdom, Liz Truss, and plans to host world leaders and their spouses while in New York. He will also host a session on combating AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria worldwide.

Ahead of the U.N. meetings, Sullivan was asked about the fallout to Biden responding “yes” on whether the US would defend Taiwan if Beijing tries to invade during a CBS News interview that aired on Sunday. 

 “We continue to stand behind the One China policy, we continue to stand against unilateral changes to the status quo, and we continue to stand for peace and stability,” Sullivan said.

The national security adviser argued that the president answered a hypothetical question in the interview, but did not announce a policy change, noting he’d made similar comments earlier this year in Tokyo.

“The president is a direct and straightforward person. He answered a hypothetical, he’s answered it before in a similar way and he has also been clear that he … stands behind the historic US policy towards Taiwan that has existed through Democratic and Republican administrations,” Sullivan said.

 

China: Saudi Arabia emerges the biggest oil supplier

Chinese crude oil imports from Russia in August surged 28% from a year earlier, but handed back its top supplier ranking to Saudi Arabia for the first time in four months.

Imports of Russian oil, including supplies pumped via the East Siberia Pacific Ocean pipeline and seaborne shipments from Russia's European and Far Eastern ports, totaled 8.342 million tons, data from the Chinese General Administration of Customs showed.

The August amount, equivalent to 1.96 million barrels per day (bpd), was slightly off May's record of nearly 2 million bpd.

China is Russia's largest oil buyer.

Russian imports rose as Chinese independent refiners extended purchases of discounted Russian supplies that elbowed out rival cargoes from West Africa and Brazil.

Emma Li, China analyst with Vortexa Analytics, said actual Russian supplies are likely at par with Saudi shipments at close to 8.5 million tons. Several cargoes of Russian Urals crude were reported as originating in Malaysia, according to ship-tracking data she has compiled.

Tuesday's customs data showed imports from Malaysia, often used as a transfer point in the past two years for oil originating from Iran, Venezuela and more recently Russia, nearly doubled from a year earlier, to 3.37 million tons, or 794,000 bpd, at record high.

China's purchases from Russia have climbed to reap the benefits of a plunge in European buying as the Ukraine crisis pushes Moscow in search of alternative markets. 

Still, imports from Saudi Arabia rebounded last month to 8.475 million tons, or 1.99 million bpd, 5% above a year ago levels.

Saudi Arabia also remains the biggest supplier on a year-to-date basis, shipping 58.31 million tons of oil from January to August, down 0.3%YoY, as compared to 55.79 million tons from Russia, which was up 7.3% from a year ago.

China's crude oil imports in August fell 9.4% from a year earlier, as outages at state-run refineries and lower operations at independent plants caused by weak margins capped buying.

The strong Russian purchases continued to weigh on competing supplies from Angola and Brazil, which fell in August by 34% and 47%YoY, respectively.

Customs reported no imports from Venezuela or Iran last month. State oil firms have shunned purchases since late 2019 avoiding likely secondary US sanctions.

However, Reuters reported that defense-focused China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) has moved 25 million barrels of Venezuelan crude into China since late 2020, which Chinese customs does not report.

China also did not import any crude from the United States.

Suez Canal to hike transit tolls

Tolls for vessels using the Suez Canal are set to rise by 15% next year (2023) with the exception of dry cargo and cruise ships which will increase by 10%.

The transit toll increases from January 2023 were announced at the weekend by Adm. Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA).

According to the SCA the increases are based on a number of pillars, the most important of which is average freight rates for various times of vessels.

“In this regard, there were considerable and consecutive increases within the past period; especially in container ships' freight rates, compared to those recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic which will be reflected in the high operational profits that will be achieved by navigational lines throughout 2023 in light of the continued impact of the disturbances in global supply chains and the congestion in ports world-wide, as well as the fact that shipping lines have secured long-term shipping contracts at very high rates,” said Adm Rabiee.

The much-improved performance of the tanker market was also noted by the SCA with daily crude tanker charter rates up 88% compared to average rates in 2021, average daily rates for LNG carriers increasing by 11% compared to the previous year.

Tolls for all vessel types including tankers and container ships will increase by 15%. The only exceptions are dry bulk ships, where charter rates are currently extremely low and cruise ships, a sector still recovering from an almost total shutdown during the pandemic.

It comes at a time when ship operators already face rising fuel costs. However, the increased savings made on higher fuel costs by using the shorter route through the Suez Canal was used in part to justify the toll increases.

The Suez Canal offers a significantly shorter route between Asia and Europe with the alternative involving sailing round the Cape of Good Hope.

When the Suez Canal was blocked by the grounded containership Ever Given in March 2021 analysts Sea Intelligence estimated on the basis of vessels sailing at 17 knots transiting via the Cape of Good Hope would add seven days to a Singapore to Rotterdam voyage, 10 days to West Mediterranean, a little over two weeks to East Mediterranean and between 2.5 – 4.5 days to the US East Coast.

Adm Rabiee also noted that the increases are inevitable given current global inflation of over 8% and increasing operational and navigational costs for the Suez Canal.

“It was emphasized as well that the SCA adopts a number of mechanisms with the sole aim of having its pricing policies cope with the changes in the maritime transport market and to ensure that the Canal remains the most efficient and least costly route compared to alternative routes,” the Authority said.

These take the form of rebates of up to 75% for specific sectors of shipping for defined periods if market conditions result in the canal becoming less competitive.

 

Iran joins Shanghai Cooperation Organization

The 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit ended on Friday on a positive note. Iran officially joined the SCO, and all the participants signed the Samarkand Declaration in the end.

Iran's full membership in the SCO was announced by the President of Uzbekistan, which was applauded by the participants. China, Russia, India, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan attended the 22nd SCO summit.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi spoke at the second day of the summit on Friday, stressing that maximum interaction and relation with the countries of the region, including the SCO states. He also said effective presence in regional and international orders are the focus of Iran’s foreign policy.

Uzbekistan, which chaired the SCO for one year, will hand over the SCO presidency to India. India will assume the next SCO rotating presidency and hold the next meeting of the council of heads of state of the SCO in 2023.

During the summit, an agreement was reached on admitting Bahrain, the Maldives, the UAE, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners. Relevant parties noticed that MOUs granting Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar the status of SCO dialogue partners had been signed.

The Samarkand Declaration which was signed by all countries participating in the summit underlined that the world is undergoing global changes and has entered a new period of rapid development and major transformation, with the trend towards a multi-polar world intensifying, countries increasingly interdependent, and informatization and digitalization accelerating. 

“Based on the principles of the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the member states oppose grouping, and ideological and confrontational approaches to solving international and regional issues, and stick to a coordinated manner to security threats and challenges in traditional and non-traditional fields,” the declaration added.

Considering the views of the SCO member states, the declaration reaffirmed that it is of great practical significance to work together to build a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice as well as win-win cooperation, and to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

In the declaration, the SCO states also emphasized the continuous implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

The SCO members also called on the JCPOA parties to commit to their obligations in line with the comprehensive, full and effective implementation of the JCPOA.

“The member-states stand for respecting the right of the people of all countries to independently choose their own paths of political, economic and social development,” according to the declaration.

The SCO emphasizes continuous implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

They also reaffirmed that differences and disputes between countries should be resolved peacefully through dialogue and consultation.

Elsewhere in the declaration, the member-states reiterated their steadfast commitment to combating terrorism, separatism and extremism.

They pointed out that the interference in the internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of combating terrorism and extremism is unacceptable, as well as the use of terrorist, extremist and radical groups for one's own purposes.

The member states underlined the key role of the United Nations in responding to threats in the information space, calling for creating a safe, fair and open information space on the basis of respect for sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

The member states that are signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons are committed to strict compliance with the provisions of the treaty and consolidating the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, according to the declaration. 

The member-states also underlined that the only solution to regional conflicts is through political and diplomatic means “on the basis of adherence to universally recognized principles and norms of international law.”

They noted that the coordination of the situation in Afghanistan at an early date is one of the important factors for maintaining and consolidating security and stability in the SCO region. The SCO reaffirmed support for Afghanistan to become “an independent, neutral, united, democratic and peaceful country, which is free of terrorism, war and drugs.”