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JCPOA revival talks

The Vienna talks between Iran and the P4+1 are paused at the request of the European Union foreign policy chief. Iran says the pause could provide a momentum for resolving the remaining issues. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman has noted that a successful conclusion of the talks will be the main focus of all the parties involved. Saeed Khatibzadeh stresses that no external factor can affect the parties’ joint will to go forward for a collective agreement. Earlier, the EU foreign policy chief suggested a temporary halt to the talks due to what he called external factors. Josep Borrell tweeted that a final text is essentially ready and on the table. Borrell added that he and his team will be in contact with all the JCPOA parties and the US to overcome the current situation. The EU’s top negotiator Enrique Mora has expressed hope that the parties would be able to resume negotiations very soon. The Chinese envoy to the talks has expressed regret over the pause. Iran has time and again stressed that Washington needs to make a political decision to ensure Tehran’s basic demands are met.

EU Ukraine divisions

European Union leaders meet for the second day in France for talks over the Russian offensive in Ukraine. They’ve dismissed Kiev’s appeal for rapid accession to the bloc, following divisions among the leaders over the demand. France is also opposed to Ukraine’s fast EU membership. French President Emmanuel Macron argues that the bloc cannot open a membership procedure with a country at war. He says caution is needed. That’s while Ukraine's neighbors on the EU's eastern flank support the country’s rapid accession. The EU has also remained divided on the scope of further sanctions against Russia over Ukraine. Some leaders are pushing for tougher measures that would hit Russia's oil and gas industries, despite repercussions for the EU itself. Others including Germany have ruled out the ban.

Yemen retaliation

Yemen’s armed forces say they have carried out a large-scale drone operation targeting Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities. The spokesman for the Yemeni army says they have targeted a Saudi Aramco refinery in Riyadh using three Sammaad-3 drones. Yahya Saree says six Sammaad-1 drones also attacked Aramco facilities in Jizan, Abha and other regions. He says the operation, codenamed Breaking the Siege One, was a response to Riyadh’s fuel embargo on Yemen. Saree says his country is ready to carry out more operations in retaliation to Saudi Arabia’s aggression and its blockade. Meanwhile, the Saudi state news agency has cited a government official as confirming that a refinery in Riyadh was attacked on Thursday. The news agency however said the attack caused a small fire that was contained, and the refinery’s operations and supplies were not affected.

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