"Hello Bibi. It's me, Joe."
Biden calls Netanyahu. Iran will reverse nuclear program if sanction are lifted. Nato increases troop numbers in Iraq. Lebanese Court removes lead investigator of Beirut Port Blast.
Welcome back to Inshallah, the Substack newsletter that gathers for you the most important Middle East news of the week.
Iran will immediately reverse when U.S. sanctions are lifted.
Since the Biden administration entered the White House, Iran revived talks on the nuclear program. Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that Iran will immediately reverse actions in respect of its nuclear program when U.S. sanctions are lifted. It comes after the Biden Administration said it was ready to revive a 2015 agreement abandoned by President Donald Trump in 2018 before reimposing sanctions on Iran. Continue to read this story on Reuters.
The Lebanese Court of Cassation Thursday issued a decision to remove lead investigator Judge Fadi Sawwan from the Beirut blast probe.
This decision came after former Public Works and Transport Minister Ghazi Zeaiter and former Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil filed a request in December challenging the court to remove Sawwan from the case. More than six months after the Beirut Port blast that killed more than 200 people and left around 6,000 injured, families of victims and the general public still await for justice to be served and continue to call for accountability as no one has been sentenced yet in connection to the blast. Continue to read this story on The Daily Star.
"Hello Bibi, it's me, Joe".
US President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 17th February. Netanyahu’s office said they had discussed strengthening bilateral ties and building on the normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab and Muslim countries, brokered last year by the previous administration. They also spoke about “the Iranian threat and challenges of the region, agreeing to continue talks between them,” read the statement. Netanyahu had waited for this phone call for 27 days since Biden took office, and called several other world leaders. Such a delay was perceived in Jerusalem as deliberate distancing and even humiliation of Netanyahu. Read more about this story on Al-Monitor.
Nato increases troop numbers in Iraq to combat threats from Islamic State.
"We decided to expand Nato's training mission in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces as they fight terrorism and ensure that ISIS does not return," Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said during a news conference on Thursday following a meeting of Nato defense ministers. Continue to read this story on Middle East Eye.
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