Page 10 - aruba-today-20190706

A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 6 July 2019
Former Guard commander says Iran should seize UK oil tanker

By AMIR VAHDAT Spanish authorities said the
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A for- seizure came at the request
mer leader of Iran's pow- of the U.S.
erful Revolutionary Guard A spokesman for the gov-
said Friday that the Islamic ernment of Gibraltar, who
Republic should consider wasn't authorized to be
seizing a British oil tanker in identified by name in me-
response to authorities de- dia reports, said that all 28
taining an Iranian oil tanker crew members remain on
off the coast of Gibraltar. the vessel while being in-
The comments by Mohsen terviewed as witnesses and
Rezaei came amid height- not questioned under crimi-
ened tensions over Iran's nal procedures.
unraveling 2015 nuclear The crew is made of mainly
deal with Western powers, Indian, Pakistani and Ukrai-
which the U.S. withdrew nian nationals, he said.
from last year. A local newspaper, the Gi-
"If England does not re- braltar Chronicle, reported
lease the Iranian oil tanker, Friday that the supertanker
the duty ... (of Iran) is to re- can only be detained for 72
spond and seize one Eng- hours unless the Supreme
lish oil tanker," he said in a Court of the British overseas
tweet. In this picture released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, former territory extends the dead-
In recent days, Iran has commander of the Revolutionary Guard Mohsen Rezaei, second left, salutes Supreme Leader line while the probe is con-
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, while he arrives at a graduation ceremony of the Revolutionary
broken through the limit the Guard's officers, in Tehran, Iran. ducted.
deal put on its stockpile of Associated Press U.S. national security ad-
low-enriched uranium and viser John Bolton tweeted
plans on Sunday to boost region. from Rezaei, one that cur- Authorities in Gibraltar in- that the ship's seizure was
its enrichment. In the past Rezaei led the Guard dur- rent officials have yet to tercepted the super tanker "excellent news."
months, the U.S. has rushed ing Iran's 1980s "Tanker War" make. on Thursday, saying they "America & our allies will
thousands of additional in the Persian Gulf targeting Iran's Foreign Ministry believed it to be breaching continue to prevent re-
troops, an aircraft car- the oil trade of the U.S. and spokesman earlier called European Union sanctions gimes in Tehran & Damas-
rier, B-52 bombers and ad- its Arab allies. on the U.K. to release the by carrying a shipment of cus from profiting off this il-
vanced fighter jets to the It was a striking comment tanker. Iranian crude oil to Syria. licit trade," Bolton added.q

Sudan's protesters welcome power-sharing deal with military

By FAY ABUELGASIM the first 21 months, followed
NOHA ELHENNAWY by a civilian member after,
Associated Press according to the state-
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) ment.
— Leaders of Sudan's pro- This suggests a significant
democracy movement on concession on the part of
Friday welcomed a new pro-democracy forces,
power-sharing agreement which had insisted that the
with the ruling military coun- sovereign council have
cil as a victory for their "rev- only a civilian president.
olution," raising hopes for However, the deal did se-
an end to the three-month cure another key demand
standoff with the generals — that protest leaders
and deadly violence. select the members of a
The emerging deal could technocratic Cabinet to
break the political im- be formed independently
passe that has gripped the from the generals.
country since the military The African Union and Ethi-
ousted the longtime auto- opia made intensive efforts
crat Omar al-Bashir in April, to bring the generals and
amid an uprising against his the protesters back to the
rule. In this June 30, 2019 archive photograph, Sudanese protesters shout slogans during a protest negotiating table.
"Today, our revolution has against the military council in Khartoum, Sudan. Negotiations resumed ear-
won and our victory shines," Associated Press lier this week after tens of
said a statement posted thousands of demonstra-
early Friday on the Face- the military headquarters in leadership, to no avail. statement. tors flooded the streets of
book page of the Suda- Khartoum on June 3. More But early on Friday, the two The council will include five Sudan's main cities over
nese Professionals' Associa- than a hundred people parties agreed to form a civilians representing the the weekend in the biggest
tion, which has spearhead- were killed since then, ac- joint sovereign council — protest movement and five show of numbers since the
ed the protests. cording to the protesters. previously a sticking point military members. An elev- razing of the protesters' sit-
Talks on a power-sharing In the ensuing weeks, pro- in the talks — to lead the enth seat will go to a civil- in camp. At least 11 people
agreement had collapsed testers stayed in the streets country during a transition ian chosen by both parties. were killed in clashes with
when security forces razed demanding that the gen- period of three years and A military member will pre- security forces, according
a protest camp outside erals hand power to civilian three months, said the SPA side over the council during to protest organizers.q