Qatar, Saudi Arabia condemn Iranian attacks on Oman as ‘unacceptable escalation’
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned Iranian attacks on Oman’s Duqm commercial port and an oil tanker off the country’s coast as “a violation” of Omani sovereignty and “an unacceptable escalation,” Anadolu reports.
In a statement, the Qatari Foreign Ministry expressed its “strong condemnation of the Iranian attacks that targeted Duqm commercial port in the sisterly Sultanate of Oman and an oil tanker off its coast,” describing the attacks as “a violation of the Sultanate’s sovereignty, an unacceptable escalation, and a cowardly targeting of a country playing an active mediation role.”
The ministry said Oman has been engaged in efforts to mediate between Iran and the international community “to defuse tensions and promote constructive dialogue to resolve outstanding issues.”
Qatar affirmed its “full solidarity” with Oman in all measures it takes to preserve its sovereignty, security, and stability, the statement added.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry also denounced Iran’s “blatant violation” of Oman’s sovereignty, reiterating the kingdom’s “full solidarity” with Muscat.
READ: Gulf countries condemn ‘Iranian’ attacks on UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan
A ministry statement said that the kingdom “is putting all its capabilities” at Oman’s disposal, and warned of the consequences of Iran’s “continued violation of the sovereignty of states, which undermines the security and stability of the region.”
Riyadh called on the international community “to take firm positions and measures against Iranian violations.”
Oman’s Maritime Security Center said early Sunday that four people were injured in an attack on a Palau-flagged oil tanker north of Khasab Port. A foreign worker was also injured after two drones hit Duqm commercial port on Oman’s eastern coast.
Oman has repeatedly served as a mediator in indirect nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran.
The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on Saturday, with Tehran staging retaliatory missile and drone strikes.
Iran on Sunday confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top officials in Israeli and US attacks on the country.
READ: Gulf bloc set to hold emergency meeting on Sunday amid US-Iran conflict
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Trump Says He’s ‘Entitled’ to Illegal Third Term as Allies Draft Voter Suppression Decree
Original article by Brett Wilkins republished form Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
Extensions of presidential terms or abolition of limits are hallmarks of dictators and backsliding leaders of erstwhile democracies.
President Donald Trump raised eyebrows and angst among democracy defenders Friday for saying he deserves an unconstitutional third term in office, remarks that came a day after reporting that right-wing activists are drafting an executive order that could empower him to ban mail-in ballots and voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“Maybe we do one more term. Should we do one more?” the 79-year-old Republican president asked attendees of an event at the Port of Corpus Christi in Texas, to roaring applause. “Do one more term. Well, we are entitled to it.”
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During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump rehashed his thoroughly debunked claim that Democrats stole the 2020 election for former President Joe Biden, saying this “should be my third term.”
A third term would require a constitutional amendment, as the 22nd Amendment restricts US presidents to two terms in office.
Extensions of presidential terms or abolition of limits are hallmarks of dictators and backsliding leaders of erstwhile democracies. After Chinese President Xi Jinping lifted constitutional term limits in 2018, Trump marveled, “He’s great,” adding, “He’s now president for life.”
Trump has made cryptic allusions to a third term in office on multiple occasions.
While many Trump supporters believe he should also be president for life, his allies in actual positions of power—including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and political strategist and convicted fraudster Steve Bannon, whom Trump granted clemency—have backed a third term for his administration.
A constitutional amendment enabling a third Trump term is not under any consideration and is all but impossible by the 2028 election. So Trump and his allies are working on other ways for the president to remain in office, focusing heavily on voter suppression. The Washington Post reported Thursday that a group of right-wing activists is writing a draft decree that would give the president “extraordinary power over voting.” On Friday, Democracy Docket published an April 2025 version of the draft order provided by a Trump ally, which the outlet described as “riddled with errors.”
According to the Post, the draft executive order would cite the pretext of alleged Chinese interference in the 2020 election. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence concluded that there was no such interference.
MS NOW national security contributor Marc Polymeropoulos called the draft order “batshit authoritarianism.”
Original article by Brett Wilkins republished form Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
- Trump Says Bombing of Iran to Continue ‘Uninterrupted’ After Reported Killing of Supreme Leader
- ‘More Horrific Death and Destruction Will Come,’ Warns Tlaib as Israeli Strike Kills Dozens of Iranian Kids
- Demanding Action From Congress, Khanna Says ‘The American People Are Tired of Regime Change Wars’
- ‘The Behavior of Rogue States’: Global Revulsion as US and Israel Launch War on Iran
- Oman’s Foreign Minister Said US-Iran Deal Was ‘Within Our Reach.’ Then Trump Started Bombing
- Iran Demands Emergency United Nations Action Amid ‘Criminal Aggression’ by US, Israel
- ‘Bombs Will Be Dropping Everywhere’: Trump Launches Illegal Regime Change War Against Iran
Oman’s Foreign Minister Said US-Iran Deal Was ‘Within Our Reach.’ Then Trump Started Bombing
Original article by Jake Johnson republished form Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
“The Omani FM decided to go public,” suggested one observer, “so that the American people knew that peace was within reach when Trump instead opted for war.”
Hours before President Donald Trump announced his decision to bomb Iran and pursue the overthrow of its government, the foreign minister of Oman appeared, in person, on one of the most prominent US television news programs to declare that a diplomatic breakthrough was possible.
“I can see that the peace deal is within our reach,” Badr Albusaidi, the mediator of recent talks between the US and Iran, told “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan on Friday. “I’m asking to continue this process because we have already achieved quite a substantial progress in the direction of a deal. And the heart of this deal is very important, and I think we have captured that heart.”
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Pressed for specifics, Albusaidi said that Iran committed during the talks to renounce the possibility of amassing “nuclear material that will create a bomb”—a pledge that Trump claimed Iran refused to make as part of his justification for Saturday’s strikes.
“This is something that is not in the old deal that was negotiated during President Obama’s time,” Albusaidi said, referring to the 2015 nuclear accord that Trump ditched during his first term in the White House. “This is something completely new. It really makes the enrichment argument less relevant, because now we are talking about zero stockpiling. And that is very, very important, because if you cannot stockpile material that is enriched, then there is no way you can actually create a bomb, whether you enrich or don’t enrich. And I think this is really something that has been missed a lot by the media, and I want to clarify that from the standpoint of a mediator.”
“There is no accumulation, so there would be zero accumulation, zero stockpiling, and full verification,” the Omani foreign minister continued. “Full and comprehensive verification by the [International Atomic Energy Agency].”
In a social media post following the interview, Albusaidi reiterated that a deal “is now within reach” and implored all parties to “support the negotiators in closing the deal.” Prior to Saturday’s attacks, additional US-Iran talks were scheduled for next week.
Watch the full segment, which critics highlighted as evidence that the US-Israeli attacks on Saturday were aimed at forestalling a diplomatic resolution:
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the US-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, wrote in response to Albusaidi’s remarks that “the Omanis are famously cautious.”
“The Omani FM going on CBS to reveal what has actually been achieved in the negotiations is quite unprecedented. And what has been achieved is significant—Trump can indeed declare victory. Listen to this segment—it goes way beyond what Obama achieved,” Parsi wrote. “But everything indicates that Trump won’t take yes for an answer. That he will start a war of choice very soon.”
“Which is probably why the Omani FM decided to go public,” Parsi added. “So that the American people knew that peace was within reach when Trump instead opted for war.”
According to one survey released earlier this month, just 21% of Americans support “the United States initiating an attack on Iran under the current circumstances.”
Original article by Jake Johnson republished form Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
- Trump Says Bombing of Iran to Continue ‘Uninterrupted’ After Reported Killing of Supreme Leader
- ‘More Horrific Death and Destruction Will Come,’ Warns Tlaib as Israeli Strike Kills Dozens of Iranian Kids
- Demanding Action From Congress, Khanna Says ‘The American People Are Tired of Regime Change Wars’
- ‘The Behavior of Rogue States’: Global Revulsion as US and Israel Launch War on Iran
- Oman’s Foreign Minister Said US-Iran Deal Was ‘Within Our Reach.’ Then Trump Started Bombing
- Iran Demands Emergency United Nations Action Amid ‘Criminal Aggression’ by US, Israel
- ‘Bombs Will Be Dropping Everywhere’: Trump Launches Illegal Regime Change War Against Iran
Demanding Action From Congress, Khanna Says ‘The American People Are Tired of Regime Change Wars’
Original article by Jake Johnson republished form Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
“We don’t want to be at war with a country of 90 million people in the Middle East,” said Democratic US Rep. Ro Khanna.
US Rep. Ro Khanna on Saturday demanded swift action from Congress to stop the Trump administration’s unauthorized military assault on Iran, saying in a video posted to social media that “the American people are tired of regime change wars that cost us billions of dollars and risk our lives.”
“We don’t want to be at war with a country of 90 million people in the Middle East,” said Khanna (D-Calif.), calling on Congress to reconvene for a vote on Monday.
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“Every member of Congress should go on record today on how they will vote on Thomas Massie and my War Powers resolution,” Khanna added, referring to the Kentucky Republican who is co-leading the measure.
If passed, the resolution would require the president “to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force against Iran.”
The White House reportedly only notified some members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees after the US-Israeli military assault on Iran began. According to Reuters, an Israeli defense official said that “the operation had been planned for months in coordination with Washington, and that the launch date was decided weeks ago.”
Watch Khanna’s remarks:
Days prior to the US-Israeli attack on Iran, the House Democratic leadership announced it would force a vote next week on the Khanna-Massie War Powers resolution following reports that top Democrats were slowwalking the measure behind closed doors.
Senate Democrats also said they planned to vote next week on a War Powers resolution led by Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia.
In a statement on Saturday, Kaine called the US attacks on Iran “illegal” and said that “every single senator needs to go on the record about this dangerous, unnecessary, and idiotic action.”
“Has President Trump learned nothing from decades of US meddling in Iran and forever wars in the Middle East? Is he too mentally incapacitated to realize that we had a diplomatic agreement with Iran that was keeping its nuclear program in check, until he ripped it up during his first term?” Kaine asked. “These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray they do not cost our sons and daughters in uniform and at embassies throughout the region their lives. The Senate should immediately return to session and vote on my War Powers resolution.”
The chances of a War Powers resolution getting through the Republican-controlled Congress are virtually nonexistent, even though the American public overwhelmingly opposes US military action against Iran. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) both issued statements applauding Trump for the unauthorized Saturday attacks.
Cavan Kharrazian, senior policy adviser to the advocacy group Demand Progress, said that “Trump has no authority to launch another war on his own.”
“The Constitution is clear. The need for a War Powers resolution is clear. Congress decides when this country goes to war, not the president,” said Kharrazian. “Next week, every member of Congress will have to choose. Side with illegal, endless war, or side with the American people and reject yet another regime change war in the Middle East. Like with Iraq, the choice they make will echo loudly for years to come.”
Original article by Jake Johnson republished form Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
- Trump Says Bombing of Iran to Continue ‘Uninterrupted’ After Reported Killing of Supreme Leader
- ‘More Horrific Death and Destruction Will Come,’ Warns Tlaib as Israeli Strike Kills Dozens of Iranian Kids
- Demanding Action From Congress, Khanna Says ‘The American People Are Tired of Regime Change Wars’
- ‘The Behavior of Rogue States’: Global Revulsion as US and Israel Launch War on Iran
- Oman’s Foreign Minister Said US-Iran Deal Was ‘Within Our Reach.’ Then Trump Started Bombing
- Iran Demands Emergency United Nations Action Amid ‘Criminal Aggression’ by US, Israel
- ‘Bombs Will Be Dropping Everywhere’: Trump Launches Illegal Regime Change War Against Iran