China urges the United States to drop its blockade and sanctions against Cuba and take concrete actions to promote regional peace and stability, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing on Monday. Mao made the statement in response to a media query on the latest threat on Cuba by U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday.
"China firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security, opposes external interference, and once again urges the United States to immediately cease its blockade and sanctions against Cuba as well as any form of coercion, and to do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability," Mao said.
Trump on Sunday suggested Cuba should make a deal with Washington. "There will be no more oil or money going to Cuba -- Zero! I strongly suggest they make a deal, before it is too late," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
"Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of oil and money from Venezuela," Trump said.
China urges U.S. to halt blockade, sanctions on Cuba: spokeswoman
China urges U.S. to halt blockade, sanctions on Cuba: spokeswoman
China urges U.S. to halt blockade, sanctions on Cuba: spokeswoman
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the situation in Iran is "under total control" following violence linked to protests that spiked over the weekend.
Addressing foreign diplomats in Tehran, the foreign minister noted that armed terrorist groups had infiltrated the protests, attempting to divert them from their legitimate course. He claimed that evidence has been gathered showing Iranian security forces being shot at, with the aim of causing further casualties. He accused the United States and Israel of exploiting the unrest to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.
Araghchi further stated that the government is closely monitoring developments on the streets, emphasizing that "the situation has come under control." He also affirmed that internet services, curtailed during the unrest, would be restored after coordination with security agencies.
The government has engaged in dialogue with merchants and protest representatives and initiated reforms to address grievances related to price hikes and currency depreciation. Iran has taken a series of actions and measures to respond to the demands of peaceful demonstrators, the foreign minister said.
Earlier on Sunday, Araghchi said that clear evidence links recent riots and vandalism of public facilities in Iran to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. This came after former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned Mossad agents operating on Iran's streets in a social media post. The Iranian foreign minister asserted that police are being attacked by "terrorists" acting under the direction of Israeli operatives, whom Pompeo publicly acknowledged.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and U.S. sanctions.
Iranian foreign minister says situation "fully under control," accuses Israeli intelligence of stoking unrest
