WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, September 18, 2017.

Rohingya crisis

More relief aid have been delivered at Bangladesh border with Myanmar where thousands of Rohingya Muslims are stranded after fleeing a deadly government crackdown. Rohingya Muslims arrive in Bangladesh on a daily basis, staying in makeshift tents as refugee camps have been flooded with over 400,000 people. The mass departure began on August 25 when Myanmar’s military began a new wave of crackdown on the Muslim minority in the name of cleaning operations. But those who have managed to flee the crackdown tell horror stories of indiscriminate attacks by security forces and Buddhist extremists.

Israeli raids  

Israeli forces have arrested at least six Palestinians during raids in the occupied West Bank. Dozens of soldiers stormed a number of buildings in Qalqilyah and Ramallah early in the morning. They searched the houses of the detainees. Sporadic clashes also erupted after the incidents. Israeli raids in Palestinian towns, villages and refugee camps are an almost daily occurrence in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds. Officials in Ramallah say over 500 Palestinians including 130 minors were detained last month alone.

US ‘undermining JCPOA’

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has slammed the US administration’s hostile policies toward the 2015 nuclear deal. Ali Akbar Salehi says Washington is acting against the historic agreement. Salehi said Iran is confident that the agency will resist Washington’s unacceptable demands. He stressed that the integrity of the nuclear deal must be preserved by all of its signatories and they must be held accountable in this regard. Salehi said the nuclear activities of Iran are being carried out with utmost transparency including numerous inspections and unimpeded access to nuclear sites. Earlier, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has once again verified Iran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.

US-South Korea drills

South Korea and the United States have conducted a joint aerial drill amid simmering tensions with Pyongyang. The military drill involved a pair of US Air Force B-1B bombers and stealth F-35 fighters and six South Korean fighter jets. The Rockwell bombers drifted from the US base on the Pacific island of Guam and the American fighter jets took off from Japan. The warplanes flew over the Korean peninsula in an apparent show of force to the threat of military confrontation with the North. Seoul and Washington view Pyongyang’s missile tests as an unprecedented peril. North Korea argues that the missile program is a deterrent against the threat posed by the US.

Iraq Kurdistan vote

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has officially demanded the upcoming independence referendum in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region be suspended. The referendum on Kurdistan's secession from Iraq is slated for September 25. Abadi’s call comes following a ruling by the Iraqi Supreme Court that ordered the suspension of the vote. The top court says it will examine requests by the prime minister and several lawmakers to investigate if the breakaway of any region from Iraq is unconstitutional. Iran and Turkey, the United States and the United Nations have all called on the Kurdistan region’s government to halt the poll. Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani claims a yes vote will not trigger Kurdistan’s independence but will only start serious talks with Baghdad.

North Korea response

North Korea's Foreign Ministry has threatened to speed up the development of its nuclear activities in response to any new sanctions by the US and its allies. The announcement by the North Korean state media comes after the country’s leader said he wants balance in military force with the US. The North Korea Foreign Ministry has also blasted the recent UN Security Council sanctions on Pyongyang. A spokesman for the ministry said the measures represent “the most vicious, unethical and inhumane act of hostility” aimed at exterminating the people of North Korea. The Security Council imposed the sanctions over Pyongyang’s sixth and largest nuclear test. The north also conducted a new missile test last week. The country says its nuclear and missile programs are part of its defense policy to counter US threats and sanctions.

France defends Iran deal

France has defended the Iran nuclear deal, confirming its implementation and insisting that it must be upheld. Speaking ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian went on say Paris will do its best to convince US President Donald Trump that the deal is highly important. Trump has threatened to scrap the agreement many times since he took office last year. Many world countries have warned him against making good on his threat. Washington claims that Iran is violating the deal’s spirit; a charge Tehran vehemently denies.

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