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Iran's President Hassan Rouhani speaks during the UN General Assembly at the United Nations on September 20, 2017 in New York. (Photo by AFP)

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, September 20, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, September 21, 2017.

 

Rouhani dismisses anti-Iran threats

The Iranian president has criticized the west’s double standards regarding the humanitarian catastrophes happening in the Middle East region and in Asia. During a press briefing in New York, Hassan Rouhani criticized the United Nations Security Council for failing to stand up for Yemen amid a Saudi aerial campaign and blockade. He noted that the Saudi war on Yemen has led to thousands of deaths, an outbreak of diseases and a humanitarian crisis. The Iranian president stressed that the conflict in Yemen could only be resolved through political dialog. Rouhani also noted that the international community would have reacted differently to the situation in Myanmar if the Rohingya crisis was happening elsewhere. He said more than 800,000 Rohingya Muslims had been forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing violence and the world had mostly remained silent on the issue.

Abbas slams Israeli occupation

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has slammed Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territories, which he believes only breed violence. Abbas says Israel “relentlessly” pursues its illegal settlement activities in the occupied land. Addressing the UN General Assembly, he called for an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, noting that the United Nations has a legal and moral obligation to end the occupation. Abbas stressed that Palestinians have repeatedly tried to revive the peace process, but Tel Aviv has hampered all efforts toward peace in the region. The Palestinian president said Israeli settlements have left no land for the state of Palestine.

Saudi war on Yemen

Saudi Arabia’s aerial campaign against Yemen takes more civilian lives. At least 3 people including a woman and a child were killed in the latest Saudi airstrikes in Hashwah district of the Sa'ada province. Six more people were also injured. The casualties took place as Saudi jets carried out eight attacks on the residential area. Around 13,000 Yemenis, most of them civilians, have been killed since the start of the Saudi aggression back in 2015. The brutal attacks have often targeted hospitals, schools, and other public places.

California sues Trump over Mexico wall

The state of California has sued US President Donald Trump’s administration over its plan to construct a wall along the country’s border with Mexico. The lawsuit has been filed by California’s Attorney General Havier Becerra. It argues that the border project would harm natural resources and economic interests including those coming from tourism industry. The suit also aims to stop the construction of the wall over its unconstitutionality. Building a wall along the Mexico border was one of the main campaign promises of Trump. He promised to construct the barrier to stop the entry of undocumented migrants from Mexico.

EU stresses ‘no need to renegotiate’ Iran nuclear deal

The European Union’s foreign policy chief has stressed that there is no need to change the Iran nuclear agreement despite the US president’s threats to scrap the deal unless it is re-opened for negotiations. Federica Mogherini said the EU would exert all efforts to make sure the nuclear deal stays in place. She added that all parties were fulfilling their commitments under the agreement. The high-ranking EU official stressed that the US agreed Iran was in full compliance of the landmark nuclear deal. The remarks were made following a closed-door meeting between the delegations of Iran and the P-5+1 group of countries, all of whom are signatories to the 2015 agreement. Mogherini hailed the meeting as frank and open.

Spain-Catalonia referendum row

The Spanish prime minister has called on Catalans to stop their "escalation of radicalism and disobedience" as thousands protest in Barcelona ahead of a planned independence referendum. In a televised statement, Mariano Rajoy said there was still time to avoid bigger problems. Earlier, 12 people were arrested in a crackdown on Catalan pro-independence officials as the region prepares for a vote to split from Spain. Meanwhile, Catalonia’s president has stressed that the referendum will go ahead despite the police raid of government offices.

France describes attacks on Rohingya as ‘genocide’

The French president has strongly condemned Myanmar’s heavy-handed crackdown on the Rohingya Muslims. Emmanuel Macron said “genocide” was taking place in Myanmar’s strife-torn Rakhine state. Macron also slammed what he called the ethnic cleansing of the minority group in Myanmar. He called for an immediate end to the growing escalation of violence against the Rohingya Muslims. Meanwhile, the British Prime Minister said her country would stop all military engagement and training of the Myanmar’s army until it ended its crackdown. Myanmar’s military started the new wave of aggression against the Muslim minority on August 25. So far more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh.

Democrats want proof Iran violated nuclear deal  

Democratic senators are demanding the US administration provide information to back its claim that Iran is not complying with the 2015 landmark nuclear agreement. In a letter to the secretary of state, defense secretary and other government officials, the lawmakers say the accord requires the administration to do so. The letter is signed by seven senior senators. It also notes the government must inform Congress within ten days of receiving information regarding any potentially significant Iranian breach or compliance concern related to the deal. The senators are also calling on the administration to issue a written report before October six if it is aware of any violations.

Iraq launches offensive targeting Daesh

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has announced the start of an offensive to liberate the town of Hawijah which is one of the last pieces of land still under the control of Daesh. Hawijah is located west of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. The Iraqi forces are on track to free the entire country from Daesh. They recently managed to dislodge the terrorists from the city of Tal Afar close to the Syrian border. Daesh took control of nearly one-third of Iraq’s territory in 2014. The terrorists wreaked havoc in the areas they seized. They inflicted great damage on Iraq’s infrastructure and ruined much of the country’s historical heritage.

China concern about Korean Peninsula

The Chinese foreign minister says the situation on the Korean Peninsula is getting more serious by the day and cannot be allowed to spin out of control. Wang Yi told his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel that a resolution to the North Korea issue cannot only rely on sanctions and not talks. The Chinese FM demanded the removal of the US missile system THAAD during a meeting with his South Korean counterpart. Tensions have flared on the Korean Peninsula after the deployment of the controversial system in the South. Pyongyang rejected the deployment and conducted several nuclear tests to “counter” US threats. US President Donald Trump threatened Pyongyang with annihilation in a harsh statement delivered during the UN General Assembly session on Tuesday.


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