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ISLAMABAD: Iranians from all walks of life have begun nationwide rallies to denounce recent foreign-backed riots, demonstrating their support for the Islamic Republic, state-run Press TV reported on Monday. The rallies in most provinces, including Tehran, will begin on Monday at 2 p.m. local time. However, some other provinces have started the rallies at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. &lsquo;Proof of unity &lsquo;Several officials described the nationwide demonstrations as &ldquo;proof of unity&rdquo;, which secures the nation&rsquo;s resilience. While stating that some shopkeepers last week staged limited street protests in several Iranian cities over economic instability, the state media report said that the demonstrations were steered toward violence after public statements by US and Israeli figures, amplified by Israeli-linked Persian-language outlets, encouraged vandalism and disorder. The report said that the authorities have acknowledged the legitimacy of peaceful economic grievances and vowed to address them. &lsquo;Will not back down against vandals&rsquo;The report blamed &ldquo;foreign-backed elements&rdquo; for exploiting concerns over rising living costs and the depreciation of the national currency, which it said is directly linked to unilateral US sanctions targeting Iran&rsquo;s central bank and oil exports. The Iranian authorities have declared that perpetrators of the latest unrest are &ldquo;backed by the United States and the Israeli regime&rdquo;. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced support for protesters and warned&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-iran-want-to-negotiate-and-meeting-being-set-up" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Washington could attack Iran</a>&nbsp;if what he called &ldquo;peaceful protesters&rdquo; were harmed, while former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has issued statements alluding to Mossad involvement and separatist plots, Press TV reported. The rallies came as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed on Friday that the state &ldquo;will not back down against vandals,&rdquo; urging unity and reiterating that a united nation can overcome any enemy.&nbsp; &lsquo;Legitimate targets&rsquo;Tehran Governor Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian insisted in televised comments that &ldquo;the number of protests is decreasing&rdquo;, AFP reported. The Iranian government on Sunday declared three days of national mourning for &ldquo;martyrs&rdquo; including members of the security forces killed. President Masoud Pezeshkian also urged Iranians to join a &ldquo;national resistance march&rdquo; Monday to denounce the violence. In response to Trump&#39;s repeated threats to intervene, Iran&#39;s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran would hit back, calling US military and shipping &ldquo;legitimate targets&rdquo; in comments broadcast by state TV.

Middle East

While stating that some shopkeepers last week staged limited street protests in several Iranian cities over economic instability, a state media report says the demonstrations were steered toward violence after public statements by US and Israeli figures.

Iranians begin nationwide rallies to condemn ‘foreign-backed riots': State media

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran&#39;s leadership had called him seeking &ldquo;to negotiate&rdquo; after he repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily if Tehran killed protesters. For two weeks, Iran has been rocked by a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/fresh-protests-in-iran-as-internet-blackout-persists" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">protest movement</a> that has swelled despite a crackdown. Initially sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, the demonstrations have evolved into a serious challenge to the Iranian government. Information has continued to trickle out of Iran despite a days-long internet shutdown, with videos filtering out of the capital, Tehran, and other cities over the past three nights showing large demonstrations. &quot;The leaders of Iran called&quot; yesterday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that &ldquo;a meeting is being set up... They want to negotiate.&quot; He added, however, that &quot;we may have to act before a meeting&quot;. &#39;Channel of communication with US open&#39; Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said Monday that a channel of communication is open between Iran and US President Donald Trump&#39;s special envoy for the Middle East despite the lack of diplomatic relations.&nbsp;&quot;This channel of communication between our foreign minister (Abbas Araghchi) and the special envoy of the president of the United States is open,&quot; ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in comments broadcast by state television, in apparent reference to Steve Witkoff.&nbsp;&quot;Messages are exchanged whenever necessary,&quot; he said, noting that while the US has no diplomatic presence in Iran, its interests are represented by the Swiss embassy. &#39;Strong options&#39;&nbsp;US President Trump said he was considering potential military action against Iran, amid mounting reports of deadly crackdowns against the country&#39;s mass anti-government protests. &quot;They&#39;re starting to, it looks like,&quot; Trump said, when asked by reporters aboard Air Force One if Iran had crossed his previously stated red line of protesters being killed. &quot;We&#39;re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it, and we&#39;re looking at some very strong options. We&#39;ll make a determination,&quot; he said. Meanwhile, a video circulating on Sunday showed dozens of bodies accumulating outside a morgue south of Tehran. The footage, geolocated by AFP to Kahrizak, showed bodies wrapped in black bags, with what appeared to be grieving relatives searching for loved ones.<h2 style="line-height: 2;"> </h2><h2 style="line-height: 2;">Near paralysis&nbsp;</h2>In Tehran, an AFP journalist described a city in a state of near paralysis. The price of meat has nearly doubled since the start of the protests, and many shops are closed.&nbsp; Those that do open must close at around 4:00 or 5:00 pm, when security forces deploy en masse. There were fewer videos showing protests on social media Sunday, but it was not clear to what extent that was due to the internet shutdown. One widely shared video showed protesters again gathering in the Pounak district of Tehran, shouting slogans in favor of the ousted monarchy. The protests have become one of the biggest challenges to the rule of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, coming in the wake of Israel&#39;s 12-day war against the Islamic republic in June, which was backed by the United States. State TV has aired images of burning buildings, including a mosque, as well as funeral processions for security personnel. But after three days of mass actions, state outlets were at pains to present a picture of calm returning, broadcasting images of smooth-flowing traffic on Sunday.&nbsp; &lsquo;Legitimate targets&rsquo;Tehran Governor Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian insisted in televised comments that &ldquo;the number of protests is decreasing&rdquo;. The Iranian government on Sunday declared three days of national mourning for &quot;martyrs,&quot; including members of the security forces killed. President Masoud Pezeshkian also urged Iranians to join a &quot;national resistance march&quot; on &nbsp;Monday to denounce the violence. In response to Trump&#39;s repeated threats to intervene, Iran&#39;s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-to-target-us-military-shipping-if-attacked-parliament-speaker" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Iran would hit back</a>, calling US military and shipping &ldquo;legitimate targets&rdquo; in comments broadcast by state TV. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Stand with the people&#39;&nbsp;</h2>Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran&rsquo;s ousted Shah, who has emerged as an anti-government figurehead, said he was prepared to return to the country and lead a democratic transition.&ldquo;I&#39;m already planning on that,&rdquo; he told Fox News on Sunday. He later urged Iran&#39;s security forces and government workers to join the demonstrators. &ldquo;Employees of state institutions, as well as members of the armed and security forces, have a choice: stand with the people and become allies of the nation, or choose complicity with the murderers of the people,&rdquo; he said in a social media post. He also urged protesters to replace the flags outside of Iranian embassies. &ldquo;The time has come for them to be adorned with Iran&#39;s national flag,&rdquo; he said. The ceremonial, pre-revolution flag has become an emblem of the global rallies that have mushroomed in support of Iran&rsquo;s demonstrators. In London, protesters managed over the weekend to swap out the Iranian embassy flag, hoisting in its place the tri-colored banner used under the last Shah.

Iran foreign ministry says communications channel is open between Iran and US President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, despite the lack of diplomatic relations.

‘Meeting being set up’ with Iran, but we may act first, says Trump

PARIS: Anti-government chants filled the streets of Iran&#39;s capital on Saturday night, as protesters pressed the biggest movement against the Islamic Republic in more than three years despite a crackdown under the cover of an internet blackout. Iran has blamed the United States for the demonstrations, which ignited in Tehran two weeks ago over economic hardship and have since spread nationwide with calls for ousting the clerical authorities. US &lsquo;ready to help&rsquo;Rights groups have reported dozens of deaths and expressed alarm on Saturday that authorities were intensifying the crackdown. Little information is filtering out after an internet shutdown, with monitor NetBlocks showing virtually no connectivity since Thursday. US President Donald Trump said his country was &quot;ready to help&quot; the movement, after warning Iran was in &quot;big trouble&quot; over its efforts to suppress the protests. &quot;Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!&quot; Trump posted on Truth Social Saturday. Possible military strikes&nbsp;According to the New York Times, Trump was recently briefed on options for possible military strikes. US officials, speaking to the Times anonymously, said Trump has not yet made a final decision about another intervention, after Washington joined Israel&#39;s 12-day war against the Islamic Republic in June. Crowds gathered again on Saturday in the north of the Iranian capital, setting off fireworks and banging pots as they shouted slogans in support of the ousted monarchy, according to video verified by AFP. Other videos, that AFP could not immediately verify, showed demonstrations in other parts of the capital where protesters shouted anti-government slogans. Shah&rsquo;s son calls for targeted protests&nbsp;Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran&#39;s deposed shah, urged Iranians to stage more targeted protests over the weekend. &quot;Our goal is no longer just to take to the streets. The goal is to prepare to seize and hold city centers,&quot; Pahlavi said in a video on social media. The demonstrations have posed one of the biggest challenges to the theocratic authorities who have ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution. &lsquo;Vandals&rsquo; doing Trump&rsquo;s bidding&nbsp;After initially calling for &quot;restraint&quot; and acknowledging economic grievances, they have since hardened their stance. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a defiant speech on Friday, lashed out at &quot;vandals&quot; doing Trump&#39;s bidding. Amnesty International said it was analysing &quot;distressing reports that security forces have intensified their unlawful use of lethal force against protesters&quot; since Thursday. Norway-based Iran Human Rights group has said at least 51 people have been killed in the crackdown so far, warning the actual toll could be higher. It posted images it said were of bodies of people shot dead in the protests on the floor of Alghadir hospital in eastern Tehran. &quot;These images provide further evidence of the excessive and lethal use of force against protesters,&quot; IHR said. Other images disseminated on social media and by Persian-language television channels outside Iran showed similarly large protests elsewhere in the capital, as well as in the eastern city of Mashhad, Tabriz in the north, and the holy city of Qom. In the western city of Hamedan, a man was shown waving a Shah-era Iranian flag featuring the lion and the sun. Iranian embassy in London&nbsp;The same flag briefly flew over the country&#39;s embassy in London after protesters reached the building&#39;s balcony, witnesses told AFP. On Thursday and Friday, an AFP journalist in Tehran saw streets deserted and plunged into darkness. &quot;The area is not safe,&quot; said a cafe manager as he prepared to close the shop around 4:00 pm. &lsquo;Enemy seeking to disrupt order&rsquo;&nbsp;Authorities say several members of the security forces have been killed, and state television aired images on Saturday of funerals for several members of the security forces killed in the protests, including a large gathering in the southern city of Shiraz. It also aired images of buildings, including a mosque, on fire. Iran&#39;s army said in a statement that it would &quot;vigorously protect and safeguard national interests&quot; against an &quot;enemy seeking to disrupt order and peace&quot;. Global leaders have urged restraint from Iranian authorities, with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen saying Europe backed Iranians&#39; mass protests and condemned the &ldquo;violent repression&rdquo; against the demonstrators.&nbsp;

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a speech on Friday, lashed out at ‘vandals’ doing Trump's bidding; Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran's deposed shah, urged Iranians to stage more targeted protests over the weekend.

Fresh protests in Iran as internet blackout persists

NUUK: &quot;We don&#39;t want to be Americans,&quot; Greenland&#39;s political parties said after US President Donald Trump again suggested using force to seize the mineral-rich Danish autonomous territory. The statement late Friday came after Trump repeated that Washington was &ldquo;going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not&rdquo;. &ldquo;We don&#39;t want to be Americans, we don&#39;t want to be Danish, we want to be Greenlanders,&rdquo; the leaders of five parties in Greenland&#39;s parliament said. &quot;The future of Greenland must be decided by Greenlanders.&quot; Denmark and other European allies have voiced shock at Trump&#39;s threats to take control of Greenland, where the United States already has a military base. Trump says controlling the strategic island is crucial for US national security, given the rising military activity of Russia and China in the Arctic. &lsquo;Nice way or the more difficult way&rsquo;&quot;We&#39;re not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland. That&#39;s what they&#39;re going to do if we don&#39;t. So we&#39;re going to be doing something with Greenland, either the nice way or the more difficult way,&quot; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-warns-greenland-deal-will-happen-easy-or-hard-threatens-iran" style="color:#0073e6;">US president said Friday.</a> Both Russia and China have increased military activity in the region in recent years, but neither has laid any claim to the vast icy island. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an invasion of Greenland would end &ldquo;everything&rdquo;, meaning the transatlantic NATO defense pact and the post-World War II security structure. Trump has made light of the concerns of Denmark, a steadfast US ally that joined the United States in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. &lsquo;Boat land there 500 years ago&rsquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;I&#39;m a fan of Denmark, too, I have to tell you. And you know, they&#39;ve been very nice to me,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;But you know, the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn&rsquo;t mean that they own the land.&rdquo; Secretary of State Marco Rubio is due to meet next week with Denmark&#39;s foreign minister and representatives from Greenland.

Americas

Europe

US President Trump says controlling the strategic island is crucial for US national security, given the rising military activity of Russia and China in the Arctic.

'We don't want to be Americans': Greenland's political parties

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Friday the world&rsquo;s biggest oil companies will pledge to invest $100 billion to revive Venezuela&#39;s oil sector as he prepared for a meeting with top industry executives. US forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a sweeping military operation on Jan. 3, with Trump making no secret that control of Venezuela&#39;s oil was at the heart of his actions. &quot;At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,&quot; Trump wrote on his social media platform ahead of the gathering, where he was expected to convince the oil heads to support his plans in Venezuela. The Trump administration has repeatedly said that it is running Venezuela, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Wednesday asserting that Washington will control the country&#39;s oil industry &quot;indefinitely.&quot; Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro&#39;s deputy, has said that her government remains in charge, while the state-run oil firm has said only that it is in negotiations with the United States on oil sales. Second wave of strikes In his social media post, Trump said he cancelled a second wave of strikes on Venezuela due to what he called &quot;cooperation&quot; from the country. He noted Venezuela began releasing political prisoners this week and said the countries are &quot;working well together, especially as it pertains to rebuilding... their oil and gas infrastructure.&quot; US outlet NBC News reported that the heads of ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend the White House meeting. &quot;It&#39;s just a meeting to discuss, obviously, the immense opportunity that is before these oil companies right now,&quot; Trump&#39;s spokesperson Leavitt told reporters Wednesday. Chevron is the only US company currently licensed to operate in Venezuela. ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips left the country in 2007 after refusing then-President Hugo Chavez&#39;s demand that they surrender a majority stake in local operations to the government. Suffering under sanctions&nbsp;Sanctioned by Washington since 2019, Venezuela sits on about a fifth of the world&#39;s oil reserves and was once a major crude supplier to the United States. But it produced only about 1% of the world&#39;s total crude output in 2024, according to OPEC, having been hampered by years of underinvestment, sanctions, and embargoes. Trump sees the country&#39;s massive oil reserves as a windfall in his fight to further lower US domestic fuel prices, a major political issue. But he could face an uphill task convincing the major US oil companies to invest in Venezuela due to uncertainty about governance post-Maduro, security, and the massive expense of restoring production facilities. &#39;Controlled by me&#39;&nbsp;On Tuesday, Trump said that Venezuela&#39;s interim government would deliver up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, and that the proceeds &quot;will be controlled by me.&quot; &quot;The Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America,&quot; Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. &quot;This oil will be sold at its market price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States.&quot; He later added that the proceeds Venezuela would spend would be used solely to purchase US products. US Energy Secretary Wright has downplayed concerns about the investments required to ramp up Venezuelan production, saying it should be possible to increase output by several hundred thousand barrels a day in the short- to medium-term. He admitted, however, that it would require &quot;tens of billions of dollars and significant time&quot; to bring production back to historic highs of more than three million barrels per day. In his first term, Trump imposed an oil embargo aimed at economically suffocating Venezuela, which heavily depends on exports of the commodity. &#39;Selectively rolling back sanctions&#39; When he returned for his second term, he also revoked most of the licenses that allowed oil and gas multinationals to operate in the country, except for Chevron. Washington now says it is &quot;selectively rolling back sanctions&quot; to enable the sale and transport of Venezuelan crude oil on global markets. Wright said that the Trump administration would also help major US oil companies to establish a long-term presence. Venezuelan crude is known to be viscous and difficult to refine. The US Department of Energy is already planning to ship light oil to be mixed with Venezuelan crude to make the process easier. It also plans to authorize the shipment of equipment and experts to the country to upgrade infrastructure.

US outlet NBC News reports heads of ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips are expected at the White House meeting today; Trump says he cancelled a second wave of strikes on Venezuela after 'cooperation' from the country.

Trump says 'at least $100B to be invested by Big Oil' in Venezuela ahead of White House meeting

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald J Trump said Wednesday that China and Russia fear and respect only a United States rebuilt under his leadership, arguing that American military strength depends primarily on US power rather than NATO alliances. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that &ldquo;the only Nation that China and Russia fear and respect is the DJT rebuilt U.S.A.,&rdquo; asserting that NATO would lack credibility without American involvement.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2008920160808091781&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=6049400c4ece6876c01e87f3ab8cf27c57b7517e&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 826px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2008920160808091781"></iframe></div></div>He claimed that Russia and China have &ldquo;zero fear of NATO without the United States&rdquo; and questioned whether the alliance would come to Washington&rsquo;s aid in a crisis. Trump credited himself with rebuilding the US military during his first term and said that this effort was central to global stability and deterrence. The president also repeated earlier claims that his leadership prevented Russia from fully overtaking Ukraine and that he played a decisive role in ending multiple international conflicts. Trump said: &quot;Remember, for all of those big NATO fans, they were at 2% GDP, and most weren&rsquo;t paying their bills, UNTIL I CAME ALONG. The USA was, foolishly, paying for them! I, respectfully, got them to 5% GDP, AND THEY PAY, immediately. Everyone said that couldn&rsquo;t be done, but it could, because, beyond all else, they are all my friends. Without my involvement, Russia would have ALL OF UKRAINE right now.&quot; The US president said: &quot;Remember, also, I single-handedly ENDED 8 WARS, and Norway, a NATO Member, foolishly chose not to give me the Noble Peace Prize. But that doesn&rsquo;t matter! What does matter is that I saved Millions of Lives. RUSSIA AND CHINA HAVE ZERO FEAR OF NATO WITHOUT THE UNITED STATES, AND I DOUBT NATO WOULD BE THERE FOR US IF WE REALLY NEEDED THEM. EVERYONE IS LUCKY THAT I REBUILT OUR MILITARY IN MY FIRST TERM, AND CONTINUE TO DO SO.&quot; &quot;We will always be there for NATO, even if they won&rsquo;t be there for us. The only Nation that China and Russia fear and respect is the DJT REBUILT U.S.A. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! President DJT.&quot; &nbsp;

Says, ‘RUSSIA AND CHINA HAVE ZERO FEAR OF NATO WITHOUT THE UNITED STATES, AND I DOUBT NATO WOULD BE THERE FOR US IF WE REALLY NEEDED THEM.’

Russia, China have zero fear of Nato without US: Trump 

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has &quot;actively discussed&quot; the purchase of Greenland with his team, the White House said Wednesday, saying he preferred diplomacy but would not rule out military action. &quot;That&#39;s something that&#39;s currently being actively discussed by the president and his national security team,&quot; Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked about a possible US offer to buy the territory from Denmark. &quot;His team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like.&quot; Leavitt reiterated that Trump believes acquiring Greenland would be in the interest of US national security. &quot;He views it in the best interest of the United States to deter Russian and Chinese aggression in the Arctic region. And so that&#39;s why his team is currently talking about what a potential purchase would look like.&quot; Asked why Trump would not rule out military action against a fellow NATO member, Leavitt replied: &quot;That&#39;s not something this president does. All options are always on the table for President Trump. &quot;But I will just say, the president&#39;s first option, always, has been diplomacy.&quot; US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said separately Wednesday that he planned to meet next week with Denmark, which requested talks after Trump&#39;s threats to Greenland. &quot;I&#39;ll be meeting with them next week,&quot; Rubio told reporters.

The White House confirms President Trump is actively discussing purchasing Greenland, citing US national security and Arctic threats, while emphasizing diplomacy and planning talks with Denmark despite not ruling out military options.

Trump 'actively' discussing purchase of Greenland: White House

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump is discussing options, including military action, to take control of Greenland, the White House said Tuesday, upping tensions that Denmark warns could destroy the NATO alliance. Trump has stepped up his designs on the mineral-rich, self-governing Danish territory in the Arctic since the US military operation to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro last weekend. &lsquo;Always an option&rsquo;&nbsp;White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that &quot;acquiring Greenland is a national security priority&quot; for Trump to deter adversaries such as Russia and China. &quot;The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the commander in chief&#39;s disposal,&quot; she said in a statement to AFP. The Wall Street Journal reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that Trump&#39;s preferred option is to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding that the threats did not signal an imminent invasion. &lsquo;Everything would stop&rsquo;Denmark has warned that any attempt to seize Greenland by force would mean &quot;everything would stop,&quot; including NATO and 80 years of close transatlantic security links. Any US military action against Greenland would effectively collapse NATO, since the alliance&#39;s Article Five pledges that member states will defend any of their number that come under attack. Greenland and Denmark said earlier that they had asked to meet Rubio quickly as tensions rose over the issue. &lsquo;Not for sale&rsquo;&quot;It has so far not been possible,&quot; Greenland&#39;s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt wrote on social media, adding that they had been pushing for a meeting throughout 2025. Denmark&#39;s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said meeting Rubio should &quot;clear up certain misunderstandings.&quot; Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen earlier insisted that the island was not for sale, and that only its 57,000 people should decide its future. &#39;Not acceptable&#39;&nbsp;Allies have rallied around Denmark and Greenland while trying not to antagonize Trump. The leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain joined Denmark in a statement on Tuesday saying that they would defend the &quot;universal principles&quot; of &quot;sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.&quot; French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer both sought to play down the row as they attended Ukraine peace talks in Paris alongside Trump&#39;s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. &quot;I cannot imagine a scenario in which the United States of America would be placed in a position to violate Danish sovereignty,&quot; Macron said. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose country Trump earlier this year said should become the 51st state, also weighed in. &quot;The future of Greenland and Denmark is decided solely by the people of Denmark and Greenland,&quot; Carney told reporters in Paris. Military base in GreenlandThe United States already has a military base in Greenland, the Pituffik space base, with around 150 personnel stationed there. Greenland residents have also rejected Trump&#39;s threats. &quot;This is not something we appreciate,&quot; Christian Keldsen, director of the Greenland Business Association, told AFP in the capital Nuuk.&nbsp; &quot;It is not acceptable in the civilized world.&quot; Trump&#39;s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told CNN on Monday that &quot;nobody&#39;s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland!&quot; Copenhagen has, however, invested heavily in security, allocating some 90 billion kroner ($14 billion) in the last year. Trump has been floating the idea of annexing Greenland since his first term. &quot;It&#39;s like a broken record,&quot; Marc Jacobsen, a specialist in security, politics, and diplomacy in the Arctic at the Royal Danish Defence College, told AFP.

Denmark has warned that any move to take Greenland by force would mean that ‘everything would stop’, including NATO and 80 years of close transatlantic security links.

Trump weighs military option to acquire Greenland: White House

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Venezuela&#39;s interim government will deliver up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, and that the proceeds &quot;will be controlled by me&quot; as president. &quot;The Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America,&quot; Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. &quot;This oil will be sold at its market price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States.&quot;<div class="fr-embed" style="line-height: 2;"><iframe src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115850817778602689/embed" class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0;" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" spellcheck="false">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div>&#39;No foreign power&#39; running countryVenezuela&#39;s interim president Delcy Rodriguez insisted Tuesday that no foreign power was governing her country, after US President Donald Trump said Washington would &quot;run&quot; it during a transition after ousting her predecessor. Rodriguez, who was vice president under toppled leader Nicolas Maduro, has given mixed signals about how much she is prepared to cooperate with Trump, at times sounding conciliatory, at others defiant. Speaking three days after US special forces snatched Maduro and his wife in a stunning raid in Caracas prefaced by airstrikes, Rodriguez said: &quot;The government of Venezuela is in charge in our country, and no-one else.&quot; &quot;There is no foreign agent governing Venezuela.&quot; Trump insists Washington is now &quot;in charge&quot; of the Caribbean country but says he is prepared to work with Rodriguez -- provided she submits to his demand for access to Venezuela&#39;s vast oil reserves. Rodriguez has offered an olive branch but also appeared anxious to keep on her side the hardliners who control the security forces and paramilitaries, which have patrolled the streets since Maduro&#39;s capture. &quot;We are a people that does not surrender, we are a people that does not give up,&quot; she declared, paying tribute to the &quot;martyrs&quot; of the US attacks. Confirmation of lossesIn its first confirmation of losses, Venezuela&#39;s military on Tuesday published a list of 23 troops, including five generals, killed in the US strikes. Top ally Cuba separately issued a list of 32 dead Cuban military personnel, included two colonels and a lieutenant colonel, many of whom were members of Maduro&#39;s security detail. Venezuela has not yet confirmed the number of civilian casualties in the operation in which US forces grabbed Maduro and Flores and took them to the United States to face trial. Attorney General Tarek William Saab spoke Tuesday of &quot;dozens&quot; of civilian and military dead, without giving a breakdown.

Post on Truth Social says ‘The Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America.’ 

Trump says Venezuela 'turning over' up to 50M barrels of oil to US

ISLAMABAD: The European Union&nbsp;and&nbsp;China have&nbsp;called for calm and restraint in Venezuela following the aftermath of the US intervention in the country.&nbsp;The statement, issued by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas, is supported by 26 EU member states, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.&nbsp;Kallas shared the statement on her social media account, X, on Monday.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 777px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2007902058876448897&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=e7b973618ac13baeaa9694f9063a7a18ae1fa8fe&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div> In the statement, the EU emphasized that all actors must avoid escalation and work toward a peaceful resolution to the crisis. It reiterated the importance of upholding international law and the UN Charter, noting that members of the United Nations Security Council bear a particular responsibility in maintaining the international security framework. Blatant use of forceChina condemned the &ldquo;blatant use of force against Venezuela&rdquo;, which&nbsp;&ldquo;violates international law and basic norms in international relations&rdquo;, said the China Foreign Office Spokesperson in a statement on X. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 775px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2008131825722601581&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard&sessionId=f576ada351bffaf2abd0c5d850ae9b1d9fee840d&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>&nbsp;It said that the move &ldquo;infringes upon Venezuela&rsquo;s sovereignty and threatens peace and security&rdquo; in Latin America and the Caribbean region.&nbsp;&ldquo;China calls on parties to respect Venezuela&rsquo;s right to independently choosing development path, and work for stability and the return of order in Venezuela&rdquo;, said the statement.&nbsp;The statement added that it supports the UN Security Council &ldquo;in holding an emergency meeting to discuss the U.S. military strikes on Venezuela&rdquo; and supports the &ldquo;Council in playing its due role according to its mandate.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;China is ready to work with the international community to firmly defend the UN Charter and the fundamental principles of international justice&rdquo;, concluded the statement.&nbsp;Venezuelan-led transition to democracyThe EU has consistently stated that Venezuelan President Nicol&aacute;s Maduro lacks the legitimacy of a democratically elected leader and has advocated for a Venezuelan-led transition to democracy that respects the country&rsquo;s sovereignty. The statement stressed that the Venezuelan people&rsquo;s right to determine their own future must be respected. The EU also highlighted the importance of combating transnational organized crime and drug trafficking while stressing that such challenges must be addressed in full respect of international law, territorial integrity, and sovereignty. Unconditional release of political prisoners&nbsp;Kallas&rsquo; statement noted that the EU is in close contact with the United States, as well as regional and international partners, to support dialogue with all parties, aiming for a negotiated, democratic, inclusive, and peaceful solution led by Venezuelans themselves. The statement underlined that respecting the will of the Venezuelan people is essential for restoring democracy and resolving the ongoing crisis. It also called for the unconditional release of all political prisoners currently detained in Venezuela and confirmed that EU Member States&rsquo; consular authorities are coordinating efforts to protect the safety of EU citizens, including those detained illegally in the country.

China, EU reiterate the importance of upholding international law and the UN Charter, noting that members of the United Nations Security Council bear a particular responsibility in maintaining the international security framework

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