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A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 26 June 2019

Iran calls new US sanctions ‘outrageous and idiotic’

By NASSER KARIMI Khamenei and his associ-
Associated Press ates. The sanctions follow
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on Iran’s downing last week of
Tuesday sharply criticized a U.S. surveillance drone,
new U.S. sanctions target- worth over $100 million,
ing the Islamic Republic’s over the Strait of Hormuz,
supreme leader and other an attack that sharply es-
top officials, saying the calated the crisis in the Per-
measures spell the “perma- sian Gulf. After the down-
nent closure” for diplomacy ing of the drone, Trump
between the two nations. pulled back from the brink
For his part, Iran’s president of retaliatory military strikes
described the White House but continued his pressure
as “afflicted by mental re- campaign against Iran.
tardation.” U.S. officials also said they
President Hassan Rou- plan sanctions against
hani went on to call the Iranian Foreign Minister
sanctions against Su- Mohammad Javad Zarif,
preme Leader Ayatollah something that drew Rou-
Ali Khamenei “outrageous hani’s anger during his tele-
and idiotic,” especially as vised address on Tuesday.
the 80-year-old Shiite cleric “You sanction the foreign
has no plans to ever travel minister simultaneously with
to the United States. In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President a request for talks,” an ex-
From Israel, Trump’s na- Hassan Rouhani attends a meeting with the Health Ministry officials in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, June asperated Rouhani said
tional security adviser John 25, 2019. and called the sanctions
Bolton said talks with the Associated Press “outrageous and idiotic.”
U.S. were still possible and Iran’s leadership and the ar deal and imposing crip- an aircraft carrier to the There was no immediate
that the U.S. is leaving an chief of Iranian diplomacy pling new sanctions on Teh- Middle East and deployed reaction from Washington
“open door” for Iran to mean the permanent clo- ran. Recently, Iran quadru- additional troops along- early on Tuesday to the re-
walk through. sure of the road of diplo- pled its production of low- side the tens of thousands marks from Iran. The sharp
But the comments from macy with the frustrated enriched uranium to be on already there. All this has comments are reminiscent
Tehran clearly showed its U.S. administration,” said pace to break one of the raised fears that a miscal- of North Korea’s verbal
leaders think otherwise at Abbas Mousavi, a Foreign deal’s terms by next week culation or further rise in attacks on Trump before
a time of heightened ten- Ministry spokesman, ac- while also threatening to tensions could push the the dramatic change in
sions between Washington cording to the state-run raise enrichment closer to U.S. and Iran into an open course and the start of ne-
and Tehran over its nuclear IRNA news agency. weapons-grade levels on conflict, 40 years after the gotiations with Washington.
program and Iran’s down- The crisis gripping the Mid- July 7 — if Europe doesn’t Islamic Revolution. However, in Iran’s case,
ing of a U.S. military surveil- dle East is rooted in Trump offer a new deal. President Donald Trump there are no signs Iranian
lance drone last week. withdrawing the U.S. a year Citing unspecified Iranian enacted the new sanc- leadership would welcome
“The fruitless sanctions on ago from Iran’s 2015 nucle- threats, the U.S. has sent tions on Monday against talks.q

Egypt arrests 8, including ex-lawmaker and secular activists

By SAMY MAGDY economic entities linked Sissi in the 2014 presidential
Associated Press to the Brotherhood, which election.
CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian po- Egypt designated a terrorist Abdel-Aziz el-Husseini, a
lice arrested at least eight group in 2013. senior leader in the Kara-
people on Tuesday, includ- According to rights lawyer ma, or Dignity party, said
ing a former lawmaker and Gamal Eid, police arrested el-Elaimy and Monis took
key secular activists in the el-Elaimy on Tuesday morn- part in meetings with politi-
country’s 2011 uprising, for ing in Cairo’s Maadi district. cal parties and opposition
their alleged ties to the out- A vocal critic of el-Sissi’s lawmakers to discuss pos-
lawed Muslim Brotherhood government, el-Elaimy is sibilities to run in the 2020
group, authorities said. a leading member of the parliamentary elections.
The arrests mark the latest secular Egyptian Social Their latest meeting was
in a years-long crackdown Democratic Party. He was late Monday in Cairo, he
by President Abdel-Fattah a parliament member af- added.
el-Sissi’s government on Is- ter the 2011 uprising that The meetings included the
lamists, critics and dissent in People chant slogans for ousted former Egyptian President toppled autocrat President Civil Democratic Move-
general. Mohammed Morsi in Tunis, Tunisia. Hosni Mubarak. ment, a coalition of liberal
Last week, Egypt’s former Associated Press Economist Omar el-Shene- and left-leaning parties,
President Mohammed and failing to provide ade- protests against his divisive ty and journalists Hossam which called for their re-
Morsi who hailed from the quate medication, allega- rule. Monis and Hisham Fouad lease.
Brotherhood, collapsed tions denied by authorities. Tuesday’s statement from were also arrested, the min- Amnesty International con-
and died in a Cairo court- Morsi, Egypt’s first freely the Interior Ministry, which istry said. demned the arrests, as part
room during one of his trials. elected president, had oversees the police, said Monis was the presidential of “the Egyptian authori-
His death sparked criticism been imprisoned since his the arrest of Zyad el-Elaimy, campaign manager for ties’ systematic persecu-
of el-Sissi’s government with ouster by the military in the former lawmaker, was opposition leader Ham- tion and brutal crackdown
rights activists accusing it 2013, after only one year part of a raid that targeted deen Sabahi, the only can- on anyone who dares to
of mistreating Morsi in jail in power and amid mass at least 19 businesses and didate who ran against el- criticize them.” q