A senior US official says President Trump decided to deal directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin on energy and sanctions after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly declined the requests he was making. The disclosure, first reported by Axios, has reignited debate in Washington and Europe over cracks in transatlantic coordination on Russia.
The US-brokered Gaza ceasefire deal marks its first anniversary this week, and reviews from parties to the agreement show that progress has stalled on the key issues. The deal, struck a year ago to end hostilities in Gaza and open humanitarian access, has not delivered substantive breakthroughs on the main agenda items.
Al Jazeera reported on September 14 that the United States has blocked the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation from travelling to Vienna for a key International Atomic Energy Agency conference, widely read as the latest US move to pile diplomatic and visa pressure on Iran and a fresh sign that multilateral diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear programme is tightening once again. The move could affect IAEA arrangements for inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities, the room for coordination between Iran and Western countries on the Agency’s board agenda, and the wider UN Security Council and EU diplomatic processes around the Iranian nuclear file.