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U.S. Senators Warn Tbilisi That 'Foreign Agents' Law Could Disrupt Relations
TBILISI -- A bipartisan group of 14 U.S. senators warned in a letter to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze that the Caucasus nation’s plan to reintroduce a "Russian-style foreign agents law" could lead to a change in U.S. policy toward Tbilisi.
In the letter -- sent on April 26 and obtained by Voice of America (VOA) -- the senators said they are “increasingly concerned that Georgia’s transatlantic aspirations are being undermined.”
The letter came after the U.S. Helsinki Commission called on the ruling Georgian Dream party to withdraw the "foreign agent" bill and urged Tbilisi “to divert from this destructive path."
Western governments and rights groups have condemned Georgia's controversial "foreign agents" bill, which many say is a replica of a similar Russian law used to muzzle dissent in that country.
Thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets to protest the bill after the ruling party gave an initial green light to it, despite an outbreak of scuffles in parliament.
The legislation also sparked mass protests when first introduced last year -- causing the government to withdraw the bill.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, leader of the parliamentary faction of Georgian Dream, this month said the party planned to reintroduce the bill, which would oblige noncommercial organizations and media outlets that receive foreign funding and who are engaged in broadly defined "political" activities to report their activities to the authorities.
It would also introduce wide oversight powers by the authorities and potential criminal sanctions for undefined criminal offenses.
Georgian Dream has said the new bill is identical to the one withdrawn last year, except for one change: The term "foreign agent" would be replaced by the words "an organization pursuing the interests of a foreign power."
The U.S. senators in their letter rejected Georgian government claims that the law is equivalent to a U.S. law that requires U.S. citizens to register as foreign agents if they represent the interests of a foreign party in the United States.
"We must also make it clear that the reintroduced foreign agents’ law does not mirror any U.S. law and would be used to silence the civil society and media that play a significant role in advancing Georgia’s democratic institutions," they wrote in the letter.
Former Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, chairman of Georgia Dream, on April 27 insisted that the senators' letter was "based on misconceptions."
Garibashvili told reporters that it was crucial to maintain communications with "European and American partners" so that "those misunderstandings are eliminated."
Georgian Dream officials have insisted the legislation is aimed at bringing transparency in a time of high tensions.
"Our country, unfortunately, is still facing challenges. The main challenge is foreign occupation of 20 percent of our country. Russian troops stand on the occupied territory, although there are also other risks in the country," Garibashvili said.
Anti-Russian sentiment can often be strong in Georgia. Russian troops still control around one-fifth of Georgian territory, most of it taken during a lightning war in 2008 that was ostensibly about breakaway efforts in two northeastern regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The final reading of the bill is scheduled to be debated on May 17. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili told the BBC that she will veto it if it’s approved in its final reading.
Zurabishvili said that her major concern is the fact that the bill in question is "exactly a copy of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's law."
However, Zurabishvili said the ruling Georgian Dream party has enough lawmakers to override her if she does use her veto.
The European Union's ambassador to Georgia has criticized the introduction of the bill, saying it's "incompatible" with the values of the bloc Tbilisi is looking to join.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) also assailed moves to introduce the law.
Georgia has been vocal in its drive to join the EU, which extended candidate status to Tbilisi late last year after the government recalled the first attempt at introducing the law following public protests.
EU officials have said that if Georgia adopts the bill as law, it would disrupt the nation’s membership hopes.
The EU and NATO are keen to maintain relations with Georgia and move it further away from Russian influence, but recent moves have caused concern in Western capitals.
Most opinion polls in Georgia indicate strong support from the public for closer ties with Western institutions.
With reporting by the Voice of America
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Armenian Archbishop Tells Rally He Would Be Willing To Become PM Candidate
YEREVAN -- An outspoken archbishop challenging the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian told a rally in Yerevan on May 12 that he would not avoid taking on new responsibilities -- including as a candidate for the premier’s post -- if his movement is able to bring about Pashinian’s impeachment in parliament.
Addressing a cheering crowd of thousands of supporters, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian, head of the Tavush Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church -- who has emerged as the leader of protests against a controversial border demarcation deal with Azerbaijan in recent weeks -- reiterated his demand for Pashinian to step down.
He claimed that he has been in consultations with a parliamentarian not aligned with either the pro-government or opposition factions, on whose one vote the issue of launching the impeachment process in parliament hinges.
Galstanian said that the nonaligned lawmaker, Ishkhan Zakharian, at least did not refuse to support the bid by the two opposition factions that the archbishop said have earlier agreed to start the impeachment process.
Galstanian also said he would be holding meetings with different political forces and public figures, including unions of artists, writers, and intelligentsia to discuss matters.
Pashinian and his political team -- who hold a comfortable majority in the country’s legislative body -- have dismissed the resignation demand presented by the movement led by the archbishop.
Any impeachment move would need the support of at least 18 members of the pro-Pashinian Civil Contract faction in parliament to succeed.
Under Armenian law, any vote of no-confidence in the incumbent prime minister should come with the name of a premier candidate who could replace him or her immediately if the move succeeds.
Galstanian said on May 12 he would assume that role “with the supreme patriarch’s blessing” and “if God wills.”
“We need a new government, a people’s government, a government that cares, a government of reconciliation,” the archbishop said.
He called for more actions of civil disobedience on May 13, urging students and workers to boycott classes and jobs.
“Tomorrow morning, beginning at 8 a.m., we will try to organize total strikes, paralyze the entire city, and express our disagreement with lies and evil in different regions of Armenia,” Galstanian said.
Putin Fires Longtime Ally Shoigu As Defense Minister, Names Little-Known Successor
Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose military has been criticized at home for a perceived lack of progress and heavy losses during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, announced that he was replacing longtime ally Sergei Shoigu as defense minister.
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The Kremlin said that Shoigu, 66, would be replaced by former First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov, 65, a little-known politician who specializes in economic matters.
Shoigu, who has been defense minister since 2012 and has been leading Russia's military through its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in 2022, has been named to head Russia's Security Council, which advises the president on national security matters.
The Kremlin said that as part of Shoigu's Security Council duties, the former defense chief will advise on matters involving military-industrial issues.
He will replace Nikolai Patrushev as head of the Security Council. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Patrushev's next position will be announced in the coming days.
Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council -- which also announced the changes -- said Putin has proposed reappointing Sergei Lavrov as Russia’s foreign minister.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said Russia's next defense chief will be another Putin "puppet."
"Sergei Shoigu has overseen over 355,000 casualties amongst his own soldiers & mass civilian suffering with an illegal campaign in Ukraine," he wrote on X.
"Russia needs a Defense Minister who would undo that disastrous legacy & end the invasion - but all they’ll get is another of Putin’s puppets."
Russia analyst and economics professor at the University of ChicagoKonstantin Sonin said on X that the changes illustrated the Kremlin’s thinking: "Things are not going according to Putin's plan, but he will endlessly rotate the same small group of loyalists."
"Putin has always feared to bring new people to the positions of authority -- even in the best of times, they must have been nobodies with no own perspectives. Toward the end of his rule, even more so," Sonin added.
Jimmy Rushton, a Kyiv-based foreign policy analyst, wrote that “Shoigu's replacement with a (relatively experienced and apparently competent) economist pretty clearly signals Putin believes victory in Ukraine will come via outproducing (and outlasting) Ukraine and her Western allies.
“He's preparing for many more years of war.”
Rob Lee, a senior fellow at Foreign Policy Research Institute, said he did not see the move as necessarily a demotion for Shoigu, pointing out that he’s been handed additional powers in his new job.
“This doesn't appear to be designed as a demotion for Shoigu, who not only received an important position as secretary of the Security Council but also will retain oversight of domestic and foreign defense issues, taking that from the new minister of defense,” he wrote.
The actions must be approved by the Federation Council, but both houses of Russia’s parliaments are considered rubber-stamp bodies for Putin’s wishes.The council said that “senators will hold consultations on the candidates proposed by the president at meetings of the committees on May 13 and at a meeting of the Federation Council on May 14.”
The moves come after the Russian government officially resigned following Putin’s inauguration on May 7 for the fifth time in a ceremony to kick off a new six-year term that was boycotted by most Western countries over his war in Ukraine and an election victory they rejected as being orchestrated to provide him a landslide result.
Russian lawmakers on May 10 approved Mikhail Mishustin as prime minister on May 10, hours after Putin nominated him for reappointment.
Shoigu's future as defense minister had been closely watched over the past year following the struggles of the military in Ukraine and other issues.
Although not directly implicated, Shoigu's Defense Ministry came under scrutiny after it was reported that Russian law enforcement officials had detained Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov on suspicion of taking a bribe.
The next day, the Basmanny district court in Moscow sent him to pretrial detention until June 23 after charging him with receiving a bribe on an especially large scale.
Shoigu is considered close to Putin, with whom he has taken hunting trips in the past. He is one of the founders of the United Russia party, which was the main pro-Putin force in parliament in the first two terms of his presidency.
Peskov said the Kremlin wanted to appoint an economic expert to head the Defense Ministry in the face of rising costs related to Russian security measures.
“This demands special attention,” he told reporters. "The Defense Ministry should absolutely be open to innovation, to the introduction of all advanced ideas.
"At this stage, the president has decided that a civilian should run the defense ministry,” he added.
Anatoly Serdyukov, who preceded Shoigu as defense minister from 2007-12, also had a background in economics and had served as head of the Federal Tax Service from 2004-07.
With reporting by the Financial Times and Reuters
Georgia Vows To Arrest Protesters Who Seek To Block Parliament In Overnight Action
TBILISI -- As Georgian protesters – who numbered in the tens of thousands on May 11 – prepared for another mass rally in central Tbilisi, government officials vowed to arrest demonstrators who attempt to block the parliament building ahead of discussions on the controversial "foreign agent" bill that has been condemned by the United States, the EU, and others.
Opposition leaders have called on protesters to gather late on May 12 and spend the night on the streets ahead of parliament’s planned third reading and likely passage of what critics call the “the Russian law” – similar to legislation used by the Kremlin to silence media and civil society groups in that country.
The bill is scheduled to be heard by committee in parliament on May 13, with a full vote – and likely passage – expected on May 14.
In a press briefing on May 12, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze claimed that ruling Georgian Dream lawmakers are certain to adopt the bill and that it will "reflect the will of Georgian society."
He warned protesters that "violence will not remain unpunished," while urging police to "show maximum patience and in responding to violence and insults, to act with a high standard.”
Meanwhile, in a separate briefing on May 12, President Salome Zurabishvili, who has broken with the government and come out in support of peaceful protests, strongly criticized the government and Georgian Dream leaders for not taking into account the views of thousands of citizens on the streets.
"It's very funny when politicians pretend to be able to count with high IQs and they can't count how many people there were,” she said, adding that the government “has lost the confidence of the people."
In front of an estimated 50,000 demonstrators assembled in central Tbilisi on May 11, poet Rati Amaghlobeli, one of the protest organizers, called on Georgians to come to the streets again on May 12.
The aim is to show the world that Georgians strongly oppose the bill, which has raised concerns about its potential effect on media and civil society as well as the country's European ambitions.
"We've got to have this country united tomorrow. We need to be that and so much more tomorrow. Let the world see!" Amaghlobeli said.
Protesters were encouraged to gather around the parliament starting at 10 p.m. and stay overnight so their presence could be felt as parliament convenes early on May 13 for discussions on the bill. Organizers urged them to bring sleeping bags, tents, and board games and said that a stage will be set up for music and songs.
Under the terms of the proposed legislation, media outlets, NGOs, and other nonprofits would be required to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if more than 20 percent of their funding comes from abroad.
Critics say it is modeled after decade-old "foreign agent" legislation that Russian President Vladimir Putin has used to crush dissent and punish independent institutions, and EU officials have said the bill could be a significant setback to Tbilisi's membership bid.
Demonstrators on May 11 chanted "Yes Europe!" and "No to the Russian law" as they assembled in different areas of the capital before making their way to Europe Square, in the heart of Tbilisi's historic district.
Previous rallies have been met with a violent response by security forces, including the use of tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators, as well as arrests. Roving bands of thugs have targeted demonstrators. Protesters and journalists have also shown injuries consistent with the use of rubber bullets, despite officials' denials.
Reports of actions by security forces during the May 11 demonstrations were unclear, and there was no immediate confirmation of arrests.
Activist Gia Japaridze called for the release of all those detained during the weeks of protests.
"We must make our voices heard. We must demand the Russian puppet authorities release detained political prisoners," said Japaridze, a former diplomat and university professor and the brother of opposition leader Zurab Japaridze.
The United States has been one of the biggest backers of Georgia's efforts to join the European Union and other Western institutions and one of the biggest critics of the draft legislation.
U.S. national-security adviser Jake Sullivan lauded the protesters on May 11.
"The Georgian people are making their views known," Sullivan wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Undeterred by intimidation tactics, tens of thousands of peaceful protestors turned out in rainy Tbilisi today to demand Georgian Dream withdraw the legislation."
Earlier in the day, the U.S. Embassy announced that Jim O'Brien, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, will visit the Georgian capital, along with the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, between May 14 and May 17.
The announcement came after 29 members of the U.S. House of Representatives issued an open letter to Kobakhidze expressing "grave concern" and "strongly" urging his government to withdraw the bill.
The U.S. lawmakers said in a May 10 letter that it was a "harmful bill" that would "undermine the will of the Georgian people who seek a future in the West."
The lawmakers said "in no uncertain terms" that its passage and further moves toward "Russian-style authoritarianism...would cause the United States to fundamentally reassess the nature of our relationship" with Georgia.
Also on May 10, 18 media and rights organizations, including the International Press Institute, said the proposed legislation "provides the authorities with a powerful tool to discredit, pressure, and eventually silence independent voices, thereby threatening press freedom and freedom of expression."
Kobakhidze's government insists the law is in line with EU standards and is only intended to increase "transparency" and prevent "harmful foreign influence" in the country's political scene.
The bill's backers appear to control sufficient votes for passage and possibly to override a veto that has been promised by President Salome Zurabishvili.
An earlier version of the bill was introduced by Georgian Dream allies last year but withdrawn amid public outcry.
Kremlin Critic Navalny Posthumously Awarded Dresden Peace Prize
Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny was posthumously awarded the 2024 Dresden Peace Prize in the German city on May 12. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, accepted for her husband, who died in a Russian Arctic prison in February while serving a 19-year term on charges supporters and many governments considered politically motivated. The award "is intended to pay tribute to his commitment to freedom, democracy, and peace," the Dresden jury said. The prize goes to individuals who have made contributions to peace and international understanding. Navalny was the third Russian among its laureates after Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and former Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov, who played a key role in the 1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Siberia.Realities, click here.
North Macedonia's First Female President Sworn In, Declines To Use 'North'
Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, North Macedonia's first female president, was inaugurated on May 12, although she declined to use the country’s full official name during the ceremony, angering opposition leaders. Siljanovska-Davkova has previously refused to use the word "North" before the country's name in public speeches, a snub directed at the divisive Prespa Agreement made with Greece in 2019 that resolved the countries' name dispute. The agreement, which mandated that Macedonia become North Macedonia, cleared the path for North Macedonia's further Western integration. In her speech, Siljanovska-Davkova said: "I will respect this parliament, forget the bad moments, only remember the good ones. I will be president on both the left and the right, for all citizens." To read the original story by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, click here.
Iranian Professor, Author Jailed On Multiple Charges
Iran's judiciary has said that Sadegh Zibakalam -- a university professor and critic of the government -- has been jailed and faces sentencing on multiple charges. The judiciary didn't specify the charges. Media reports said he was to serve a three-year prison term. The Telegram channel Pasdaran Cyber Corps said Zibakalam, 75, was arrested as he headed to a Tehran book fair to present his new book, Why Don't They Take You? Zibakalam has previously served time in prison for alleged propaganda against the state and for publishing false content online. He was also previously barred from engaging in political activities online. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, click here.
Search For Victims Under Way As Death Toll Hits 315 In Afghan Flooding
Emergency crews battled the elements as they searched for victims in hard-to-reach areas of northern Afghanistan, where at least 315 people have died in flash flooding caused by heavy rainfall. The Taliban, Afghanistan’s de facto rulers, on May 12 said at least 1,630 people were injured in Baghlan Province, the worst-hit area, and more than 2,660 homes destroyed. Badakhshan, Takhar, Ghor, Faryab, and other provinces have also been hit by the flooding. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that the UN and “its partners in Afghanistan are coordinating with the de facto authorities to swiftly assess needs and provide emergency assistance.” To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi, click here.
- By RFE/RL
Russian Assault On Kharkiv Intensifies As Belgorod Hit By Presumed Ukrainian Missile
Kyiv on May 12 said “all areas” of the Kharkiv region's border area are under Russian assault after Ukraine's top military commander said “decisive battles” were being fought there, while the Kremlin assailed what it called a Ukrainian attack on an apartment building in the Russian city of Belgorod.
Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov said on Telegram that Russian forces “continue to fire on the civilian population.”
“As of today, the number of mass artillery and air strikes have increased. Vovchansk, Lyptsi, and all the points of the northern border are under enemy fire almost around the clock,” he said, adding that the “situation is difficult.”
Continuous Shelling And Fear Of Repeated Occupation: The Evacuation Of Ukraine's Vovchansk
Vovchansk, a border town with a prewar population of about 17,500, has become the focal point of Russia’s latest offensive as the Kremlin’s forces attempt to take settlements just east of Kharkiv -- Ukraine’s second-largest city with some 1.4 million people.
Ukraine's top military commander has said that his forces have prevented Russian troops from breaking through defenses, as large-scale evacuations of civilians continue in the country's northeast.
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"Units of the defense forces are fighting fierce defensive battles," Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy wrote on Telegram on May 12. "The attempts of the Russian invaders to break through our defenses have been stopped."
However, Syrskiy echoed warnings from Kyiv about the dire situation Ukraine faces, with Russia boosting offensive efforts in the northeastern Kharkiv region and the eastern Donetsk region.
Syrskiy said that Russia was attacking the front at several points with the aim of advancing deep into Ukrainian territory.
"The situation is difficult, but the defense forces of Ukraine are doing everything to hold defensive lines and positions, inflict damage on the enemy," Syrskiy said.
On May 12, Synehubov said more than 4,000 people had been evacuated from areas where "there is a threat to the lives and health of civilians" after fighting intensified in the territory bordering Russia.
Russia launched a fresh assault on the region on May 10 and the following day claimed it had captured five villages. On May 12, Russian forces claimed they had taken four more villages.
Ukraine has said it is battling for control in the affected areas and appears to have struck back with strikes in Russia itself.
Russian officials said multiple people were killed and 20 injured on May 12 when fragments of a downed Tochka-U TRC missile fired by Ukraine hit an apartment block in Belgorod, a Russian regional capital near the border with the Kharkiv region.
Varying death tolls have been given in the incident, ranging from at least two to seven people.
"The city of Belgorod and the Belgorod region were subjected to massive shelling by the armed forces of Ukraine," said Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, who added that more people could be buried in the rubble of the apartment building.
On his Telegram page, Gladkov posted what he said were video and images of the collapsed apartment building.
Russia’s TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman quoted Dmitry Peskov as saying President Vladimir Putin had been briefed about the "barbaric" attack on the apartment block.
While Moscow itself denies targeting civilians, Russian air strikes have frequently hit hospitals, schools, and residential areas with devastating effect, with thousands of Ukrainian civilians killed since the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Kyiv has not commented on the incident in Belgorod, which has often has been the target of Ukrainian drone and missile attacks.
Battlefield claims on either side cannot immediately be verified.
During his nightly video address on May 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy raised alarms about frontline conditions in the war against Russia, highlighting the fighting in the Kharkiv region while also saying the situation in the eastern Donetsk region was "especially tense."
The Ukrainian General Staff early on May 11 cited more than 100 areas of fighting in the previous 24 hours, in addition to overnight missile and drone attacks, hinting at the intensity of the Russian campaign 27 months into the full-scale invasion.
Russia has also expanded its use of advanced rockets and missiles in addition to barrages from unmanned attack drones, and recently has targeted power infrastructure far from the front lines.
With reporting by Reuters
- By RFE/RL's Radio Farda and
- AP
Iran Election Runoff Puts Hard-Liners Firmly In Charge Of Parliament
Iran's hard-liners won most of the remaining seats in an election runoff to give them full control over the country's parliament, authorities said on May 11, while not sharing any details on turnout and as some media reported extremely low turnout. The result, and that of the previous vote in March, gives hard-liners 233 of the 290 seats in Iran's parliament, according to an AP count. The Farhikhtegan news site reported that turnout in Tehran's major constituency was "only 8 percent.” Since protests in recent years -- especially after the mass demonstrations that began after the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody -- participation in Iranian elections has declined dramatically. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, click here.
Yerevan Braces For New Protests After Dozens Detained In 'Civil Disobedience Actions'
YEREVAN -- At least 48 people have been detained in Yerevan for disobeying police orders as protests calling for the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian continue following word of a land deal last month with arch foe Azerbaijan, with more demonstrations planned for May 12.
The Interior Ministry on May 11 confirmed the latest detentions as police tried to clear streets in the capital clogged with demonstrators.
Protest leader Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian, who called on supporters to block street traffic on May 11, has said the next rally in Yerevan's central Republic Square would begin at 6:30 p.m. on May 12.
Galstanian said he would update his supporters on further actions during the May 12 rally.
Yerevan and Baku preliminarily agreed on a protocol signed on April 19 in which Armenia cedes control of four villages controlled by Yerevan since the 1990s.
Pashinian has said unilateral concessions are necessary to prevent Azerbaijani military aggression against Armenia.
A rally led by Galstanian on May 9 drew tens of thousands of people, and many returned the next evening to continue their challenge to Pashinian's legitimacy.
Police urged people to clear several main roadways in downtown Yerevan, including Azatutyun Avenue and Tigran Mets Avenue, before beginning the arrests on May 11.
Opposition lawmakers have vowed to try to impeach Pashinian.
Some Pashinian allies in parliament have accused his opponents of organizing a coup and have tried to link the movement to former President Robert Kocharian or Russian interests. They have also accused the 52-year-old Galstanian of being a Russian spy, without providing evidence.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars in the last three decades over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which had been a majority ethnic Armenian enclave since the Soviet collapse and is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory.
In 2020, Azerbaijan took back parts of Nagorno-Karabakh along with seven surrounding districts that Armenian forces had claimed during the earlier conflict.
After Baku took full control over the region as the result of a one-day military operation in September, nearly 100,000 ethnic Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
Azerbaijan's and Armenia's foreign ministers completed two days of negotiations in the Kazakh capital on May 11 aimed at a lasting peace treaty between the longtime South Caucasus rivals.
Following the meetings, both foreign ministries released nearly identical statements saying that “differences” remain between the sides and that negotiations would continue in the future.
Siljanovska-Davkova's Presidential Win Certified In North Macedonia
North Macedonia's State Election Commission (SEC) on May 11 certified challenger Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova's victory over center-left incumbent Stevo Pendarovski in this week's second-round presidential runoff, clearing the way for the longtime law professor to be sworn in as the Balkan nation's first female president on May 12. Siljanovska-Davkova, who turned 71 on May 11, received 561,000 votes to Pendarovski's 252,000 votes. She was supported by the nationalist opposition VMRO-DPMNE party that won the simultaneous parliamentary elections on May 8, and she is widely expected to pursue a more skeptical line on the country's long-standing efforts to join the European Union. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, click here.
- By RFE/RL and
- RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
Report: EU Said To Agree On Security Assurances For Ukraine
Germany's Welt am Sonntag reports that the European Union is currently discussing with Kyiv possible security assurances with the aim of providing what the outlet says are "extensive security commitments" by the beginning of July.
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In a May 11 report, the news outlet cites a draft document it has seen in which Brussels also grapples with the question of whether soldiers from EU countries may be deployed to Ukraine.
It says envoys from the EU's 27 member states "recently agreed" on the 11-page "confidential" text.
The outlet quotes the text as, in Welt's words, "exclud[ing] the direct participation of EU soldiers alongside Ukrainian soldiers in combat operations against Russia."
But the draft reportedly pledges weapons and nonlethal supplies and training and other assistance.
While an overwhelming majority of the bloc agrees with providing military supplies to Ukraine, questions of degree have persisted between even staunch hawks to help that country beat back the full-scale Russian invasion that began in February 2022.
For months now, French President Emmanuel Macron has declined to rule out the possibility of troops from among Kyiv's Western allies being sent to Ukraine. Asked directly in mid-March, he said that "all these options are possible."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to paint the military supply of Ukraine as an indication that NATO and the West are already de facto involved in the conflict.
The United States and other supporters of Kyiv reject that characterization.
And NATO and the United States have cautiously limited their involvement to avoid giving Moscow the upper hand in what they regard as a war of conquest in Ukraine that threatens the international order and sovereignty.
Drone Sparks Fire At Russian Oil Refinery After Zelenskiy Says Front Line 'Especially Tense'
KYIV -- A suspected Ukrainian drone attack has caused a brief fire at an oil refinery in southern Russia's Volgograd region, according to a local official.
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"The fire was extinguished. There were no casualties,” regional Governor Andrei Bocharov said on Telegram on May 12.
Telegram channels close to Russian security services posted images showing flames rising from what appeared to be an industrial building at the site of the incident.
Neither the Russian energy giant LUKoil, which owns the refinery, nor Kyiv has commented on the incident.
The attack came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy raised alarms about frontline conditions in the war against Russia.
Zelenskiy said during his nightly video address on May 11 that the situation in the eastern Donetsk region was "especially tense." In the northeastern Kharkiv region, meanwhile, thousands of local residents have reportedly been forced to flee in the face of relentless Russian air assaults.
"Today, the focus is primarily on the front line – on the situation in our regions where the risks of the Russian offensive actions are the highest," Zelenskiy said.
Zelenskiy stated that "defensive operations" were under way in the Kharkiv region, naming several villages near the border with Russia, and saying his forces were "bravely defending their positions."
Russian shelling in the region led the Ukrainian military to declare an air alert over most of the country, and Kharkiv authorities said on May 12 that more than 4,000 people had been evacuated.
The Ukrainian General Staff early on May 11 cited more than 100 areas of fighting in the previous 24 hours, in addition to overnight missile and drone attacks, hinting at the intensity of the Russian campaign 27 months into the full-scale invasion.
On May 10, Russian troops attempted to open a new front by breaking through Ukrainian lines in the northeastern Kharkiv region, a move Kyiv said its forces repelled, though fighting was reported to be continuing.
Ukraine's military was reportedly speeding reinforcements to the area, as local residents expressed shock over the scale of the attacks.
Residents of the Ukrainian town of Vovchansk near the Russian border said on May 11 that overnight strikes caused shortages of food, water, and fuel. Vovchansk, with a prewar population of about 17,500 people, is northeast of Kharkiv and about 6 kilometers from the border.
"It has already become really scary. All life is here: my grandchildren, children,” Antonina Kornuta told RFE/RL. “I don't want to evacuate."
Valeriy Dubskiy told RFE/RL that “water sources are far away and people must wait in long lines. You cannot get water after such bombardment. We are running away from the shelling, from the bombardment, from death -- from the Russian death."
Another female resident said that "planes dropped a lot of bombs on the town during the night. It looked as if the sky had exploded. It was very scary, very noisy."
Russia's Defense Ministry on May 11 claimed to have captured six border communities around Kharkiv -- Pletenivka, Ohirtseve, Borysivka, Pylna, and Strilecha -- and the village of Keramik in the Donetsk region.
But the Ukrainian side did not confirm such losses and RFE/RL could not independently verify the Russian assertion.
Russia has expanded its use of advanced rockets and missiles in addition to barrages from unmanned attack drones and recently has specifically targeted power infrastructure even far from the front lines.
Moscow denies targeting civilians, but Russian air strikes have frequently hit hospitals, schools, and residential areas with devastating effect.
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
Aid Workers Say Death Toll Over 300 From Flooding In Northern Afghanistan
The latest wave of flooding in northern Afghanistan from heavy seasonal rains has left more than 300 people dead and many more injured and more than 1,000 homes destroyed, according to UN World Food Program (WFP) officials.
The WFP figure is twice the death toll reported hours earlier on May 11 by a spokesman for the Taliban-led government's Interior Ministry.
Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qaniee told Reuters that at least 135 people were injured.
Baghlan Province was initially said to be among the hardest-hit areas, but officials added Badakhshan, Ghor, and Herat provinces to that list.
Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid expressed "profound sorrow" and cited a "grievous toll" in those four regions.
He also cited "extensive devastation” and “significant financial losses.”
The Taliban Defense Ministry said on May 11 that air forces were evacuating stranded residents in Baghlan and had transported some to military hospitals.
The Taliban-led government is recognized only by China, although a number of countries work with those authorities in many cases to help alleviate the humanitarian hardships that have continued since the Taliban captured most of the country in mid-2021 as U.S.-led international troops withdrew and the UN-backed government fled.
With reporting by Reuters
'Differences' Remain As Azerbaijan, Armenia Conclude Peace Talks In Kazakhstan
Armenia and Azerbaijan negotiators continue to disagree on key provisions of a bilateral peace treaty, officials in Yerevan and Baku said on May 11 after the foreign ministers of the two nations ended two days of fresh negotiations in Kazakhstan.
The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers were meeting in the Kazakh capital, Almaty, in talks aimed at reaching a lasting peace treaty between the longtime South Caucasus rivals.
“The parties agreed to continue negotiations on open issues where there are still differences,” both ministries said in nearly identical statements.
The statements did not specify the differences. Nor did they indicate whether Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, had made any progress toward a peace deal.
The negotiations come against a backdrop of mounting street protests in Yerevan against a demarcation deal last month, as Baku tries to consolidate its gains from a lightning offensive last year to retake areas long held by ethnic Armenians.
Mirzoyan said on May 10 that his country is prepared not just for a peace treaty but also to move forward to unblock transport routes.
Mirzoyan and Bayramov last negotiated directly with each other in Berlin in February.
Kazakh Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu hosted the talks in Almaty.
Yerevan and Baku preliminarily agreed in a protocol signed on April 19 on separate sections of the border line to align it with a Soviet-era border between the respective republics. In it, Armenia cedes control of four villages controlled by Yerevan since the 1990s.
The deal has been staunchly opposed by an outspoken Armenian archbishop who has attracted tens of thousands of demonstrators in Yerevan with calls for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's resignation and a civil disobedience campaign.
The border agreement has been hailed by the United States and the European Union, as well as by Pashinian, who has been accused by opposition politicians of giving up territory with no guarantees.
Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian, the leader of the Tavush Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, led a march on May 10 at which he called for university students to ratchet up pressure for Pashinian's resignation.
"We must continue our civil disobedience actions," he said.
- By AP
U.S. Announces $400 Million Package Of Weapons For Ukraine
The United States announced a new $400 million package of military aid for Ukraine on May 10, as Kyiv struggles to hold off advances by Russian troops in the northeast Kharkiv region. This is the third tranche of aid for Ukraine since Congress passed supplemental funding in late April after months of gridlock. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had warned a day earlier that his country was facing “a really difficult situation” in the east but said a new supply of U.S. weapons was coming and “we will be able to stop them.” To read the original story by AP, click here.
- By Current Time
Partner Of Sanctioned Russian Oligarch Bought Austrian Villas Worth $28 Million
The 50-year-old partner of Russian oligarch and sanctioned former Rosneft CEO Eduard Khudainatov is the mystery buyer of four chalets in the Austrian Alpine resort of Kitzbuehel worth a combined 26 million euros ($28 million), according to a joint investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and media partners. The woman, Svetlana Eliseeva, is reportedly the mother of at least two of Khudainatov's children. The purchases reportedly began in 2017. Khudainatov, who has been sanctioned by the European Union but not the United States, has claimed ownership of two superyachts seized by U.S. and Italian officials, respectively. To read the original article by Current Time, click here.
Georgian Protesters Converge In Central Tbilisi As U.S. Sets High-Level Visit
TBILISI – Tens of thousands of Georgians converged on the capital's Europe Square as protests intensified against a so-called "foreign agent" bill that has alarmed the country's Western partners for its perceived chilling effect on media and civil society and following an announcement that the United States will send a top official to Tbilisi to discuss the situation.
People began gathering around 7 p.m. on May 11 in three locations in the capital – in Republic and Marjanishvili squares and near the 300 Aragveli subway station – chanting "Yes Europe!" and "No to the Russian law."
As planned, various protest groups converged at about 9 p.m. at Europe Square in the heart of Tbilisi's historic district for what could turn out to be another mass demonstration of the type seen in the capital over recent days.
Reports of action by security forces were sketchy, and there were no immediate confirmation of arrests.
At Europe Square, protest leaders called for a large-scale demonstration and an overnight stay on the streets starting on May 12 amid reports the parliament will conduct the third, and likely final, reading of the controversial bill on May 13 before its passage.
"We've got to have this country united tomorrow. We need to be that and so much more tomorrow. Let the world see!" said poet Rati Amaghlobeli, one of the organizers.
Activist Gia Japaridze called for the release of all those detained during the weeks of protests.
"We must make our voices heard. We must demand the Russian puppet authorities release detained political prisoners," said Japaridze, a former diplomat and university professor and the brother of opposition leader Zurab Japaridze.
Earlier in the day, the U.S. Embassy announced that Jim O'Brien, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, will visit the Georgian capital, along with the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, between May 14 and May 17.
"In Georgia, he will meet with representatives from government, civil society, and the private sector to express the United States’ enduring commitment to the Georgian people and to Georgia’s desire for a peaceful, prosperous, and secure Euro-Atlantic future," the embassy statement said.
The announcement came after dozens of members of the U.S. House of Representatives issued an open letter to Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze expressing "grave concern" and "strongly" urging his government to withdraw the bill.
The bill's sponsors from the ruling Georgian Dream party have said it could be approved in a final reading as soon as May 13.
The 29 U.S. lawmakers call it a "harmful bill" that would "undermine the will of the Georgian people who seek a future in the West," and they reject comparisons to decades-old U.S. legislation.
They say "in no uncertain terms" that its passage and further moves toward "Russian-style authoritarianism...would cause the United States to fundamentally reassess the nature of our relationship."
Their concerns are amplified by the Georgian Dream government's "response to peaceful protests," they say in the May 10 letter.
Weeks of protests against what critics call "the Russian law" -- legislation pushed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, despite widespread anger from much of the country and criticism abroad -- have led to strong police actions, while roving bands of thugs have targeted demonstrators.
Riot police have used tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators, and protesters and journalists have shown injuries consistent with the use of rubber bullets, despite officials' denials.
WATCH: At a Europe Day celebration in Tbilisi, EU Ambassador Pawel Herczynski told a crowd of Georgians to "keep the course toward the EU."
The bill's backers appear to control sufficient votes for passage and possibly to override a veto that has been promised by President Salome Zurabishvili.
In a joint letter issued on May 10, the 18 media and rights organizations, including the International Press Institute, said the proposed legislation, which recently passed in its second reading in parliament, "provides the authorities with a powerful tool to discredit, pressure, and eventually silence independent voices, thereby threatening press freedom and freedom of expression."
In an indication of dissent inside the Georgian government, the country's ambassador to France, Gotcha Javakhishvili, resigned in protest against the so-called “foreign agent” bill, becoming the first senior official to do so.
"I no longer see my role and resources in this direction: the move towards Europe," Javakhishvili said on social media.
The controversial bill says media outlets, NGOs, and other nonprofits must register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if more than 20 percent of their funding comes from abroad.
EU officials have said the bill could be a significant setback to Tbilisi's membership bid.
An earlier version of the bill was introduced by Georgian Dream allies last year but withdrawn amid public outcry.
Critics say it is modeled after decade-old "foreign agent" legislation that Russian President Vladimir Putin has used to crush dissent and punish independent institutions.
Kobakhidze's government insists the law is in line with EU standards and is only intended to increase "transparency" and prevent "harmful foreign influence" in the country's political scene.
The 29 members of the U.S. Congress complain in their letter to Kobakhidze of "the proposed bill's similarities to a law against 'foreign agents' enacted in Russia by Vladimir Putin in 2012, which was also justified under the guise of 'transparency.'"
"The situation in Georgia is clear," they warn. "The government can choose to listen to the voices of the Georgian people or continue down a dark road to Russian-style authoritarianism."
Iranian Rappers Detained As Government Continues To Squelch Dissent
Iranian rappers Vafa Ahmadpor and Danial Maghaddam were arrested after the release of a music video titled "Standby," which is critical of the authoritarian measures in place in Iran.
Rights groups said the two men were arrested in the city of Shiraz on May 9 and that their current whereabouts are unknown. Iranian officials have not commented.
The pair’s video highlights issues such as repression by security forces, economic hardships, and the activities of the morality police while proclaiming that "we, the people of Iran, remain united and will take over this country."
On May 5 they also posted a video of them paying respects at the grave of slain street protester Arman Emadi.
In the video, Maghaddam says, “We’re one nation. Do you want to kill us all?” Maghaddam said in a post on his Instagram account on May 8 that security agents had appeared outside his residence.
He mentioned that Ahmadpor was with him at the time of the incident.
It’s not the first run-in with law enforcement for Ahmadpor, who had been previously detained in February at his home.
Maghaddam has collaborated with figures like Gholam Koveitipor, Sahar Zakaria, and Saba Kamali to address social issues such as violence against women.
In December, he disclosed that a legal case had been initiated against him, Zakaria, and Kamali in the Culture and Media Court for supposedly "inviting corruption and indecency."
Many Iranian artists and public figures have faced Iran’s judiciary for expressing their support of nationwide protests following the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini while in custody for an alleged hijab violation.
Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance has taken a hard-line stance against protesting artists, repeatedly threatening them with a work ban.
Thousands of people, including protesters, journalists, lawyers, athletes, and artists have been arrested and at least 500 people have been killed in Iran's brutal crackdown on the protests.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
Woman Fined In Russia's Tatarstan For Calls To Learn The Local Language
A court in Russia's autonomous republic of Tatarstan has fined a 63-year-old woman for violating Russia's “territorial integrity” after she made an appeal on social media for people to learn the Tatar language. Ruzilya Sharafutdinova, who denied the charges, was ordered to pay 80,000 rubles ($865) for audio messages left in a chat group on Telegram that was dedicated to discussing Tatarstan and the state of learning of the Tatar language. In one audio clip, Sharafutdinova is reported to have said that the Tatar language needed to be studied at home. In court, Sharafutudinova denied calling for Tatarstan's independence or supporting secession. To read the original story from RFE/RL’s Tatar-Bashkir Service, click here.
Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Meet For Latest Round Of Peace Talks
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan began two days of fresh negotiations in Kazakhstan on May 10, focusing on a peace treaty between the two South Caucasus states. They were joined by their Kazakh counterpart Murat Nurtleu at the opening session of the talks held in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty. In his opening remarks, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov expressed confidence that he and Armenia’s Ararat Mirzoyan “will work productively in the next two days to find solutions to outstanding issues.” To read the original report from RFE/RL's Armenian Service, click here.
- By Kian Sharifi
U.S. Seeks Shift In Iranian 'Decision-Making Calculus' Through Saudi-Israeli Normalization
The United States wants to force a gradual shift in Iran’s “decision-making calculus” by signing a defense deal with Saudi Arabia and securing the normalization of relations between Riyadh and Israel.
“We continue to work with allies and partners to enhance their capabilities to deter and counter the threats Iran poses, impose costs on Iran for its actions, and seek to shift Iran’s decision-making calculus over time,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson told RFE/RL.
The security package has several components, including a bilateral U.S.-Saudi defense pact aimed at enhancing the Sunni kingdom’s deterrence capabilities. But Washington is adamant that regardless of how close the Americans and the Saudis are to a bilateral agreement, the security package cannot materialize without Saudi-Israeli normalization.
Saudi Arabia has conditioned the normalization of ties with Israel on the establishment of a cease-fire in Gaza and a credible pathway to Palestinian statehood.
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden sees a three-way deal key to ensuring a sustainable peace in the Middle East, which includes isolating Iran and making it costly for the Islamic republic to maintain its current regional policies.
“Iran’s isolation in the region and in the international community is a result of its own policies,” the spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement to RFE/RL.
A calculus shift will “definitely” happen, but not in the way that the United States wants, according to Hamidreza Azizi, a fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
“Any sort of coalition-building would result in Iran going for counter-coalitions,” he added.
But analysts maintain that for Saudi Arabia, isolating Iran is not the core objective of a security pact with the United States.
The Saudis see normalizing relations with Israel as a strategic leverage to help them extract substantial security commitments from Washington, “thereby balancing against Iranian influence without overtly antagonizing Tehran," Azizi said.
Meanwhile, securing a path toward Palestinian statehood could help Saudi Arabia assert its leadership within the Muslim world and effectively end the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Iran has long opposed Arab normalization with Israel and is a staunch critic of the Abraham Accords, which saw Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) establish diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020.
On May 1, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei implicitly criticized Saudi Arabia for looking to normalize relations with Israel in the hopes of resolving the Palestinian question.
Anna Jacobs, a senior Gulf analyst at the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, argued that the U.A.E. model of balancing relations with Iran and Israel suggests that Saudi Arabia can do the same.
“Riyadh seems confident that normalization with Israel wouldn’t have a major impact on its relationship with Tehran,” she said. “The Saudi strategy with Iran right now is both containment and engagement.”
U.S. Expresses Confidence Ukraine Will Repel Any Fresh Russian Offensive
Washington says it expects Russia to intensify a new offensive in Ukraine but expressed confidence in Kyiv and doubted that Moscow will make major territorial gains.
"It is possible that Russia will make further advances in the coming weeks, but we do not anticipate any major breakthroughs, and over time, the influx of U.S. assistance will enable Ukraine to withstand these attacks over the course of 2024," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington on May 10.
His comments came hours after Russian troops attempted to open a new front by breaking through Ukrainian lines in the Kharkiv region, a move Kyiv said its forces repelled, though fighting was reported to be continuing.
Kirby also spoke after the White House announced that the United States is preparing a $400 million military aid package for Ukraine, as the country returns to a regular pace of supplying weapons to Kyiv after lawmakers passed a bill that includes $61 billion in assistance for Ukraine.
Earlier in Kyiv at a press conference, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that the attack early in the morning on May 10 failed to catch Ukrainian troops by surprise.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.
"Ukraine met them there with troops: brigades and artillery," Zelenskiy said, warning that Moscow could send more forces to back its attempted push that military sources said was aimed at establishing a "buffer zone" to prevent Ukrainian forces from shelling Russian territory.
The northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv borders Russia, with the outskirts of its homonymous capital, Kharkiv, only 25 kilometers from the frontier.
Russian troops attacked after hours of heavy artillery fire, the press service of Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported.
"After dark, Russian occupiers stepped up the fire pressure on our defense line with the support of artillery. At approximately 5 a.m., the enemy attempted to break through our defense line under the cover of armored vehicles," the ministry said.
Reserve units have been deployed to strengthen the defense lines, and Ukrainian forces continue to hold back the enemy's offensive, the ministry said, adding that clashes of various intensity are still under way.
Earlier, Oleh Synyehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, reported that the town of Vovchansk, some 70 kilometers northeast of Kharkiv and only four kilometers from the Russian border, was coming under heavy Russian shelling.
"All night long, shelling from antiaircraft guns and artillery continued. There were unsuccessful [Russian] attempts...to break through the border," Synyehubov wrote on Telegram.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said fighting against Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups had continued into the afternoon.
With a prewar population of 1.4 million, Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city and one of its most important economic and industrial powerhouses and was one of the initial targets of Russia's invasion, experiencing heavy fighting in the spring of 2022.
A successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in September 2022 liberated most of the Kharkiv region, throwing Russian forces back and allowing the return of a large part of the city's population.
But Russian artillery, drone, and missile strikes on the region and its capital have intensified massively over the past several months as the Ukrainian forces' shortage of ammunition and air defense systems became more and more acute while a desperately needed U.S. military aid package was being held up by political bickering in the House of Representatives.
Many civilians have been killed and infrastructure has been seriously damaged in the region. A day before the May 10 Russian attacks, 21 settlements were hit by Russian artillery and mortar strikes, authorities reported.
Synyehubov said one person had been killed and at least three people had been wounded in that series of attacks.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, three civilians were killed.
One woman was killed in a Russian strike on Sumy region, local authorities reported.
Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said two people were killed in Nikopol and eight were wounded. In Donetsk, one person was wounded, regional head Vadym Filashkin said. Oleksandr Prokudin, the governor of Kherson, said one person was wounded in his region.
Separately, an oil refinery caught fire in Russia's Kaluga region after an alleged Ukrainian drone strike.
Kaluga Governor Vladislav Shapsha said the fire has been quickly localized and put out.
Ukraine has not commented on the claim, which could not be independently confirmed.
The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses downed seven Ukrainian drones early on May 10 in the Moscow, Bryansk, and Belgorod regions.
Late on May 10, a suspected Ukrainian strike is reported to have triggered a large fire at an oil storage depot in Ukraine's occupied Luhansk region.
Russia-installed officials in the region said three people had been killed and seven wounded.
Romania Says 11,000 Ukrainian Men Have Illegally Entered To Evade Draft
Some 11,000 Ukrainian men have illegally crossed the border into northern Romania to avoid being drafted since the full-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, Romanian border police said. After crossing, the men, aged 18-60, usually request protection from Romanian authorities, said Florin Coman, the border police chief in Sighetu Marmatiei, a northern city near Romania's border with Ukraine. Coman said 19 men have died trying to cross the border -- 11 drowned in the Tisa River separating the two countries, while the rest died while trying to cross the Carpathian Mountains into Romania without proper equipment. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Moldovan Service, click here.
Senior Iranian Official Threatens Change In Nuclear Doctrine
A senior Iranian official has issued a stark warning that Tehran might change its nuclear doctrine and begin to build nuclear bombs if the nation's existence is threatened.
Kamal Kharrazi, head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations and senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in an interview aired on Al-Jazeera Arabic that Iran "has the capacity to produce a bomb," though the country has not taken the actual step of making one.
"Two years ago in an interview with Al-Jazeera, I announced that Iran has the capacity to produce a nuclear bomb. That capacity still exists today, but we have no intention of producing a nuclear bomb. However, if the existence of Iran is threatened, we will have to change our nuclear doctrine," he said.
The comments come at a time of escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, further complicated by the international community's concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions. The Islamic republic has repeatedly claimed that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, despite possessing the technical capabilities for weaponization.
A nuclear deal in 2015 lifted U.S. sanctions against Tehran, but in 2018, then-U.S. President Donald Trump left the agreement and Washington has since ratcheted up measures against Iran that have choked the country's economy.
Efforts to revive the deal have failed, and Tehran has violated terms of the pact by producing uranium with a higher enrichment threshold.
In March, Bloomberg News quoted a senior U.S. Defense Department official as saying Iran was less than 12 days away from obtaining the fissile material necessary to produce an atomic bomb.
The threat of a shift in doctrine follows an incident last month when Israel is said to have targeted a radar system at a base near the city of Isfahan.
The attack followed an incident on April 13, when Iran retaliated against an Israeli attack on its consulate in Damascus that claimed the lives of seven senior officers from the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles at Israel, though almost all failed to hit targets inside Israel.
After Khamenei issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, against nuclear weapons in 2005, officials were adamant that Tehran’s nuclear program was strictly for civilian purposes. But the rhetoric has shifted in recent years.
In the interview, Kharrazi also made reference to potential reactions to any attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
"If they want to strike at Iran's nuclear capabilities, it could naturally lead to a change in Iran's nuclear doctrine," he said.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned earlier this month that Iran is only weeks away from having enough enriched uranium to produce a nuclear bomb. Grossi has criticized Tehran’s cooperation with the agency as "unacceptable" and called for a significant shift in Iran's nuclear policy.
Kharrazi also hinted at the possibility of Iran withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and potentially moving toward developing nuclear weapons. Iran had previously warned it would leave the NPT if its regime felt threatened.
Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda
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