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A30 world news
Diaranson 13 aPriL 2022

Iran supreme leader optimistic though nuclear talks stalled

past. be transferred, are false,” the push down energy prices.
State Department said. “Our Americans have been pay-
He added that the West had partners have not released ing some of the highest-ever
faced a “deadlock” since then- these restricted funds to Iran, prices at the pump for gaso-
President Donald Trump nor has the United States line, fueled by Russia’s war
unilaterally withdrew from authorized or approved any on Ukraine.
the nuclear deal in 2018. such transfer of restricted
funds to Iran.” Meanwhile, Khamenei also
“So far our negotiation team praised Palestinians for at-
has resisted before the other The 2015 nuclear deal saw tacks against Israelis that
party’s excessive demands Iran put advanced centrifuges killed and wounded several
and, God willing, (that re- into storage under the watch people in recent days.
sistance) will continue,” of the International Atomic
Khamenei said. Energy Agency, while keep- “These moves showed that
ing its enrichment at 3.67% Palestine is alive despite ef-
However, lead U.S. nego- purity and its stockpile at only forts by the U.S. and its fol-
(AP) — Iran’s supreme tiator Rob Malley has said in 300 kilograms (661 pounds) lowers and through the cur-
leader on Tuesday insisted Khamenei made a point to recent days that a deal is “not of uranium. rent moves the final victory
negotiations over Tehran’s praise the country’s for- just around the corner and is will be with the Palestinian
tattered nuclear deal “are eign minister and negotiat- not inevitable.” That’s been As of Feb. 19, the IAEA says people,” he said.
going ahead properly,” ing team, something that he repeated by other American Iran’s stockpile of all en-
even after repeated com- had grown sour on under officials since the talks in riched uranium was near- Iran does not recognize Israel
ments by American of- the government of previous Vienna went on a “pause” a ly 3,200 kilograms (7,055 and supports anti-Israeli mil-
ficials that an agreement President Hassan Rouhani, month ago. pounds). Some has been en- itant groups like the Palestin-
to restore the accord may who attended the event Tues- riched up to 60% purity — a ian group Hamas and Leba-
not happen. day night in Tehran as well. There’s been no immediate short technical step from non’s Shiite militia group
sign of them resuming, de- weapons-grade levels of 90%. Hezbollah.
The comments by Ayatol- “There is nothing wrong with spite Iranian media in recent Meanwhile, Iran has stopped
lah Ali Khamenei, during criticizing and commenting days suggesting a prisoner the IAEA from accessing its In Yemen, where Iran sup-
a meeting with hard-line on their performance, as long swap could see billions of surveillance camera footage. ports the Houthi rebels
President Ebrahim Raisi’s as it is free from suspicion dollars in Iranian assets un- against Iran’s regional ri-
administration marking the and pessimism and, as I have frozen in South Korea. That has worried nuclear val Saudi Arabia, Khamenei
holy Muslim fasting month said many times, does not nonproliferation experts. urged the kingdom to bring
of Ramadan, offered his en- weaken the elements of the The U.S. State Department While Iran insists its program an end to the war. A tempo-
dorsement of their “faithful field and disappoint the peo- on Tuesday said no deals had is peaceful, the IAEA and rary truce is ongoing there
and diligent” efforts. ple,” Khamenei said, accord- been reached on either a pris- Western governments say amid Ramadan.
ing to the state-run IRNA oner swap or on the nuclear Iran had an organized mili-
But restoring the deal re- news agency. accord. tary nuclear program up until “Why do you continue a war
mains in question, apparently the end of 2003. when you do not have the
over Iran’s demand that its Khamenei and other officials “Any reports otherwise, in- possibility of victory in it?”
paramilitary Revolutionary have referred to the Guard cluding reports that Iranian But having Iran able to sell its Khamenei asked. “Find a way
Guard be delisted by America and its expeditionary Quds funds held in restricted ac- crude oil and natural gas on and pull yourself out of the
as a terrorist group. Force as “the field” in the counts in third countries will the global market could also trouble.”

South Africa’s Durban area hit by heavy floods, 45 dead

(AP) — Prolonged rains people whose homes and “Our teams are on the ground continue to assess the dam- moment.”
and flooding in the Dur- possessions were washed to try and return the situation ages, we cannot be sure of the
ban area of South Africa away by the floods and tech- to normalcy,” he said. “We extent of the damages at the
have claimed the lives of nicians are working to restore
at least 45 people, damag- electricity to areas where
ing the port, major high- power had been knocked out.
ways and surrounding
areas in KwaZulu-Natal Emergency services have for
province, according to lo- several days been responding
cal officials. to urgent calls for help from
people stuck in their houses
South Africa’s military has but the number is begin-
been deployed to Durban ning to decrease, emergency
and the surrounding eThe- services spokesman Robert
kwini metropolitan area on McKenzie told The Associ-
Tuesday to assist with rescue ated Press on Tuesday.
operations as residents flee
flooded areas. “There are still cases of col-
lapsed buildings where op-
Some people have been swept erations are still continuing,”
away by surging waters, say he said.
officials. Durban port, the
largest and busiest shipping “Most of our power stations
terminal in sub-Saharan Af- have been flooded and our
rica, has been inundated with teams are working hard to
floodwaters that carried away restore power to the affected
shipping containers and left areas,” Mxolisi Kaunda, may-
them in a jumbled pile. or of the eThekwini metro-
politan municipality, told a
Authorities are providing press briefing Tuesday.
shelter for several hundred