US seeks to ‘break’ Russia-Iran alliance
“The United States will work to sever Russia”s alliances” with the countries, he said, addressing the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
The official claimed that these alliances did not exist four years ago during Donald Trump’s first tenure as the American president, brushing off the countries’ time-honored partnerships.
The remarks came as Iran and Russia continue to deepen their strategic partnership through long-term agreements and sizeable joint projects.
The Russo-Iranian partnership has reached new heights in recent years, marked by their cooperation in infrastructure, energy, and defense sectors.
Last month, Tehran and Moscow signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, laying the groundwork for long-term collaboration on various mega-projects for the upcoming 20 years. According to observers, the agreement reflected the nations” shared vision of a multipolar world order and their opposition to unilateral Western policies.
The United States, however, views the partnership as a threat to its dominance in the Eurasia region, they note.
Kellogg suggested that increased sanctions and diplomatic pressure might be employed to weaken these alliances.
“Tightening sanctions against Russia could significantly affect its behavior,” he said, adding that Russia”s economy remained, what he called, heavily reliant on oil and gas exports, according to PressTV.
He claimed that current sanctions enforcement against the country by the US and its allies was only at a level three on a 10-point scale, suggesting that more stringent measures could “break the economic backbone” of Russia.
The United States has done something similar before, particularly with Iran, the envoy said, referring to the illegal American economic restrictions against the Islamic Republic that were increased following the former’s unilateral and unlawful withdrawal from a multi-party and United Nations-endorsed nuclear deal between Tehran and others.
Iran, however, has responded by further diversifying its economic and trade partnerships, finding more ways to bypass the sanctions, reinvigorating domestic production, and further reinforcing its cooperation with its key allies, including Russia and China.
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Zelensky comments on draft US minerals deal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday a draft minerals deal with Washington did not contain the security provisions that Kyiv needed and three sources said the United States had proposed taking ownership of 50% of Ukraine”s critical minerals.
The negotiations illustrate the perilous diplomatic waters that Ukraine”s leader must navigate as he seeks to win the backing of Donald Trump and secure post-war security guarantees, as the US president pushes to end the war with Russia.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent presented a draft deal during a trip to Kyiv on Wednesday after Zelenskiy set out the contours of an agreement that could open up Ukraine”s vast natural wealth to US investment, two sources familiar with the matter said.
Ukraine, which is trying to forge ties with Trump by appealing to his penchant for a deal, has not disclosed the content of the discussions, though two Ukrainian sources said on Friday that Kyiv had given a revised draft to the US side.
Asked by reporters what the problem with the US document was, Zelenskiy said in his most candid comments to date, “It”s not in our interest today, not in (the) interest of (a) sovereign Ukraine.”
“There are not very concrete things about security guarantees in this document. That for me is very important: the connection between some kind of security guarantees and some kind of investment,” he continued.
Zelenskiy”s team has placed high importance on the need for Ukraine to receive guarantees from the US that would deter Russia from launching a new invasion once a peace deal is reached. Bessent has said the deal could provide Ukraine with a “security shield” and intertwine Kyiv”s economy with the United States.
Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters Zelenskiy had declined to sign the deal on Wednesday when the United States presented a document that proposed giving the United States ownership of half of Ukraine”s critical minerals.
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نگرانی ها از تخصیص اعتبارات خراسان جنوبی
به گزارش خبرنگار مهر، مرتضی ذاکریان شب گذشته در ستاد درآمدهای استان که با حضور استاندار برگزار شد، اظهار کرد: طی سه سال گذشته توانستیم با اقناع مرکز با توجه به داده‌ها و واقعیت‌های اقتصادی استان روند تعهدات درآمدی استان را عادلانه کنیم و سیر نزولی داشته باشیم.
مدیرکل امور اقتصادی و دارایی خراسان جنوبی بیان کرد: در سال ۱۴۰۱ سهم استان از تأمین کل درآمدهای کشور ۰.۳۴ درصد در سال گذشته ۰.۲۹ درصد و در سال جاری به ۰.۲۸ درصد رسیده است.
به گفته ذاکریان امسال خراسان‌جنوبی به لحاظ تأمین درآمدهای کشور استان سی‌ام کشور است اما بضاعت استان برای تحقق تعهدات درآمدی استان پایین است.
ذاکریان گفت: تعهد درآمدی خراسان جنوبی در سال جاری سه هزار و ۱۶۲ میلیارد تومان است.
وی با بیان اینکه تا پایان دی ماه باید دو هزار و ۶۳۵ میلیارد تومان باید محقق می‌شد بیان داشت: دو هزار و ۳۸۷ میلیارد تومان محقق شده که ۹.۴ درصد کسری داریم.
وی تصریح کرد: ۹۱.۶ درصد تعهد درآمدی استان محقق شده است.
ذاکریان ادامه داد: اگر ۱۰۰ درصد تعهد درآمدی استان محقق شود تخصیص اعتبارات هزینه‌ای استان ۱۰۰ درصد خواهد بود.
وی بیان کرد: به ازای هر یک درصد مازاد درآمدهای عمومی استان تخصیص هزینه‌ای نیز سه درصد افزایش خواهد یافت.
وی در خصوص ارتباط تحقق درآمدی استان با تخصیص اعتبارات تملکی استان هم گفت: در صورت تحقق ۱۰۰ درصد تعهد درآمدهای عمومی ۴۰ درصد اعتبارات تملک دارایی‌های سرمایه‌ای استان تخصیص می‌یابد.
به گفته وی به ازای هر یک درصد مازاد درآمد چهار درصد تخصیص اعتبارات تملکی استان افزایش خواهد یافت.
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