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Iran-Nicaragua relations

Iran's President Ebrahim Raeisi says an unfair world order is currently trying to block the will of nations. He added that, however, a new world order is emerging, which favors independent countries like Iran and Nicaragua. Raeisi made the remarks in a joint presser with his Nicaraguan counterpart, Daniel Ortega, on the second day of his visit to the country. The Iranian president hailed the people of Nicaragua for their resistance against the world’s arrogant powers. Raeisi said strengthening relations with independent nations has always been high on the agenda of Iran’s foreign policy, and his Latin America tour is in line with that policy. Raeisi noted that Iran has turned into an advanced country in various fields of science and technology, and is ready to share its experiences with independent nations, including Nicaragua. Following Raeisi’s comments, several cooperation agreements were signed by the two countries’ officials to enhance Tehran-Managua relations. Iran's president is now in Cuba on the last leg of his tour of Latin America.

China-US tensions

China has urged the United States to stop meddling in its affairs and harming its security. This came in a phone call between Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and his American counterpart, Antony Blinken, ahead of the latter’s visit to Beijing next week. The Chinese minister added that Washington must respect Beijing’s core concerns to stop the downward trend in the two countries' relations. Blinken is set to become the highest ranking US government official to visit China in FIVE years. However, following Qin’s call, Washington said it doesn’t expect a breakthrough from the trip. US officials said Blinken would push to establish open communication channels to ensure competition with China does not spiral into conflict. Washington has repeatedly asked for an open military-to-military channel with China, but Beijing has not been willing to do that. US officials said issues related to Taiwan and the Ukraine war would also be addressed during the visit.

Sudan conflict

Intense fighting continues to rock several major cities in western Sudan, as the almost two-month-old conflict rages on between the country's warring factions. The conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has already caused a humanitarian crisis in the capital Khartoum, as well as Kordofan and Darfur regions. In the latest development, governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abbakar, was killed on Wednesday. Before being killed, he had accused the R-S-F and its allied militias of committing genocide, calling for international intervention. The Sudanese army has accused the R-S-F of kidnapping and assassinating the governor of West Darfur. According to the Sudanese Doctors Union, nearly 960 people have been killed since fighting began on April 15. The UN says some 1.7 million people have been displaced internally and more than 500,000 have fled the country.

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