How cancer patients in Gaza are coping under Israeli bombardment and embargo

Special How cancer patients in Gaza are coping under Israeli bombardment and embargo
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Palestinian children suffering from cancer receive treatment, main, at a hospital in prewar Gaza. The enclave once had a well-developed healthcare system. (AFP/File)
Special How cancer patients in Gaza are coping under Israeli bombardment and embargo
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A Palestinian youth transports a body in a donkey-pulled cart, near the Ahli Arabi hospital in Gaza City, on January 31, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by AFP)
Special How cancer patients in Gaza are coping under Israeli bombardment and embargo
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Medical equipment are scattered outside the Indonesian Hospital at the edge of the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, after Israeli troops reportedly raided the medical facility, on November 24, 2023. (AFP)
Special How cancer patients in Gaza are coping under Israeli bombardment and embargo
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An injured man is treated on the floor of Gaza City's al-Shifa hospital following an Israeli strike that killed at least 20 and wounded more than 150 as they waited for humanitarian aid. (AFP photo)
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Updated 04 February 2024
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How cancer patients in Gaza are coping under Israeli bombardment and embargo

How cancer patients in Gaza are coping under Israeli bombardment and embargo
  • Displacement, destruction of clinics, and loss of treatments amount to a death sentence for many cancer patients
  • Early diagnosis and life-saving treatment abroad now completely out of reach for thousands of Palestinians

DUBAI: Being diagnosed with cancer and undergoing a lengthy course of treatment is a frightening prospect at any time. Enduring such an ordeal in wartime is a different league of terror altogether.

Some 2 million Palestinian civilians in Gaza have been displaced by months of intense Israeli bombardment, while strict controls on the entry of humanitarian assistance have deprived them of even the most basic resources.

According to the World Health Organization, almost two-thirds of Gaza’s 36 hospitals have been knocked out of action by the fighting, while 13 are “partially functioning” with inadequate fuel and supplies, operating at many times their intended capacity.




Injured people receive treatment in Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital following a reported Israeli strike that killed at least 20 and wounded more than 150 as they waited for treatment on January 25, 2024.(AFP)

For people undergoing cancer treatment, the destruction of healthcare infrastructure, loss of access to life-sustaining drugs and therapies, and the discomfort of life in displacement could amount to a death sentence.

An article published in The Cureus Journal of Medical Science, citing figures from a Palestinian Ministry of Health report, put the cancer incidence rate in the region at 91.3 cases per 100,000 people in 2021.

“The situation is particularly exacerbated when conflicts prolong,” Dr. Soha Abdelbaky, an oncology consultant at Medcare Hospital Sharjah, told Arab News.




Emergency workers bring a Palestinian man, who was released after being detained with other civilians for questioning by Israeli forces, waits at Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah on Feb. 1, 2024. (AFP)

“Cancer patients in areas of conflict are often diagnosed at later stages and are less likely to receive the optimal treatment. For cancer patients, even a one-day delay is important, as the disease progresses at a rapid pace.”

Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians, and 240, including foreign nationals, were taken hostage.

INNUMBERS

2,000 Recorded cancer patients in Gaza prior to conflict.

300 Healthcare workers killed in Gaza since conflict began.

26% Rise in death rate owing to 3-month cancer treatment delay.

Since then, it has waged a ferocious air and ground campaign against Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, killing more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

With some 130 hostages still thought to be held in Gaza, the Israeli government said it was determined to continue operations until Hamas was defeated. Plans for the post-war governance of Gaza or a wider peace process, however, are yet to be determined.




Gaza once had a reasonably well-developed healthcare system with a workforce of about 25,000 doctors, nurses and specialists. (AFP)

Meanwhile, more than 2,000 cancer patients, over 1,000 people in need of dialysis to survive, 50,000 cardiovascular patients and about 60,000 diabetics have been left in urgent need of basic health services amid the carnage, according to Euro-Med Monitor.

Even prior to the current bombardment, 16 years of strict Israeli embargo had left people with chronic health conditions facing intense difficulties in accessing medical care.




This infographic was shared on social media by the Palestinian Ministry of Health three years ago. With the destruction of most of the hospitals in Gaza since October 7, 2023, the fate of many of the patients is uncertain. 

In November, the Palestinian Health Authority reported that the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital — the sole facility providing cancer treatment in the Gaza Strip — had ceased operations after sustaining damage.

Days later, fuel shortages reportedly led to the death of four of its patients, while 70 cancer patients were transferred to Dar Al-Salam Hospital in war-torn Khan Younis in southern Gaza.




Palestinian cancer patients, who had crossed from Gaza into Egypt, arrived at the Esenboga Airport in Ankara on November 16, 2023. Two planes carrying more than two dozen Palestinian cancer patients, many of them children, arrived in Turkey for treatment in the early hours of November 16. (AFP)

Gaza once had a reasonably well-developed healthcare system with a workforce of about 25,000 doctors, nurses and specialists. But months of fighting have brought the enclave’s medical infrastructure to its knees.

Aid agencies have been forced to prioritize emergency services. As a result, those with cancer symptoms or managing complex chronic conditions have been left to fend for themselves, reducing their chances of survival.

“Early detection is crucial,” Dr. Maya Bizri, assistant professor of psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine and director of psycho-oncology at the American University of Beirut, told Arab News.

“It’s important to note the up to 8 percent increase in mortality risk for every four weeks’ delay in getting a surgery needed for cancer.”

MOST PREVALENT TYPES OF CANCER

Breast cancer:

• Estimated new cases in 2018: 119,985.

• Deaths in 2018: 48,661.

• Worldwide estimated cases in 2020: 2.3 million.

• Prevalence attributed to lifestyle, environmental changes among females.

Lung cancer:

• Leading cause of global cancer incidence and mortality.

• Estimated diagnoses: 2 million

• Reported deaths: 1.8 million

• Prevalence linked to increased tobacco access and industrialization.

Prostate cancer:

• Second most common solid tumor in men.

• Fifth leading cause of cancer mortality.

• Occurs due to age, family history, genetic mutations.

Colorectal cancer:

• Increasing incidence in Middle East, especially among under-50s.

A 2020 study by the health journal Cancer Medicine showed that a three-month delay in surgery for a patient undergoing breast cancer treatment resulted in a 26 percent increase in the risk of death.

Another study by JCO Global Oncology in 2022 projected that a delay in care of only four months for five common types of cancer would lead to more than 3,600 additional deaths.

“Four weeks is just 30 days — the Gaza war has (lasted more than) 100 days now. So, if we reframe it, cancer care disruption is weaponized as another way that war kills civilians,” Bizri said.

“The weaponization of healthcare has been documented across different wars, with targeting of healthcare workers, despite it breaching the Geneva Convention in Ukraine, in Syria and most recently in Gaza.”




This aerial view shows people standing before destroyed buildings at the site of the Ahli Arab hospital in central Gaza on October 18, 2023 in the aftermath of an overnight Israeli strike. (AFP)

Israel denies accusations that its military deliberately targets health workers and civilian infrastructure. Instead, it has accused Hamas of using tunnel networks beneath Gaza’s hospitals to direct attacks, store weapons and conceal hostages.

Any damage to medical facilities, therefore, is the fault of Hamas, Israeli authorities say, accusing the group of using patients and doctors as human shields.

In other conflict zones around the world, the collapse of healthcare infrastructure usually compels those who can afford it to seek refuge in neighboring countries, frequently opting for temporary resettlement in order to access medical treatment.




Israeli bombardment since Oct. 7 is blamed for the destruction of lifesaving services, including ambulances. (AFP)

In 2022, 122 children in Gaza were diagnosed with cancer, mainly leukemia, according to the World Health Organization. They received only a portion of their care in Gaza owing to the lack of some services and many were routinely referred to hospitals in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Egypt, Israel and Jordan for further treatment.

Early in the latest conflict, the WHO and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital launched a campaign to evacuate sick children so they could be treated abroad. But that option is not available to the majority of cancer patients in Gaza because of the long-standing Israeli blockade.

Obstacles in obtaining the necessary permits for travel outside the enclave further hinder the ability of cancer patients to access optimal care.




Children wounded following Israeli bombardment awaits treatment at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 20, 2023. (AFP)

Prior to the conflict, patients and their relatives had to submit a medical permit request to the Israeli Coordination and Liaison Administration. About 20,000 patients a year, almost a third of them children, sought permits to leave Gaza for healthcare.

According to the WHO, Israel approved just 63 percent of those requests in 2022.

Health agencies have repeatedly called for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian access, urged the warring parties to protect health personnel and infrastructure in line with international humanitarian law, and pleaded with Israeli authorities to prevent delays at checkpoints.




Emergency workers bring a Palestinian man, who was released after being detained with other civilians for questioning by Israeli forces, waits at Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah on February 1, 2024. (AFP)

In one instance, the WHO said, the detention of health partners during the transfer of critically ill individuals and the delivery of supplies to a hospital in northern Gaza resulted in the death of one patient.

There have also been multiple reported instances of ambulances and aid trucks coming under fire, resulting in the death of more than 300 healthcare personnel since the war began.

With limited staff and resources to cope with the enormous pressure of treating wounded civilians, the skills of Gaza’s remaining cancer specialists are needed for the more immediate demands of the war.

As a consequence, Dr. Bizri said: “Physicians with very advanced skills are now mostly tending to war injuries and life-saving interventions.”




As a result of the war, many doctors in Gaza have been relegated to tend to wounded patients, being unable to practice their specializations.  (AFP)

What is also often overlooked are the psychological repercussions of a cancer diagnosis on patients. Delayed or interrupted treatment can exacerbate such feelings during wartime, when patients report feeling more of a burden.

According to Dr. Abdelbaky, individuals undergoing cancer treatment in conflict zones also experience heightened fear anxiety and distress.

Worsening psychological conditions, including depressive disorders, “can have detrimental effects on the patient’s ability to cope with the diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and maintenance plans,” she said.




Repairing shattered infrastructure and training new health professionals will take years, all while caring for a maimed and deeply traumatized population. (AFP photo)

Even when the current conflict ends, the situation for cancer patients is unlikely to improve fast. Repairing shattered infrastructure and training new health professionals will take years, all while caring for a maimed and deeply traumatized population.

Shortages of equipment for diagnosis, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are also likely to continue well after the end of hostilities owing to supply chain disruptions, aid dependency and the unresolved issue of postwar governance.

Unless a ceasefire is declared and aid agencies are given sufficient access to the Gaza Strip to respond to the immediate health needs of the population, the prognosis for those with chronic conditions like cancer is poor.

 


US says Israel to open new Gaza crossing as aid deadline looms

Children stare at the destruction following an Israeli strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on November
Children stare at the destruction following an Israeli strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on November
Updated 49 min 49 sec ago
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US says Israel to open new Gaza crossing as aid deadline looms

Children stare at the destruction following an Israeli strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on November
  • The US has given Israel until November 13 to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza
  • Letter calls for a minimum of 350 trucks per day to be allowed into Gaza

WASHINGTON: Israel has informed the United States that it will open an additional crossing for aid into Gaza, the State Department said Thursday, as a US-imposed deadline looms next week.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have given Israel until November 13 to improve the humanitarian situation in the war-besieged Gaza Strip or risk the withholding of some military assistance from the United States, Israel’s biggest supporter.
They made the demands in a letter before Tuesday’s election of President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to give freer rein to Israel.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that Israel, after recently reopening the Erez crossing, has informed the United States that they “hope to open an additional new crossing at Kissufim” in “the next few days.”
“We have continued to press them, and we have seen them, including in the past few days since the election, take additional steps,” Miller told reporters.
He stopped short of saying how the United States would assess Israel’s compliance with the aid demands.
In the letter, Blinken and Austin had urged Israel to “consistently” let aid through four major crossings and to open a fifth crossing.
Kissufim, near a kibbutz across from southern Gaza that was attacked in the October 7, 2023 Hamas assault that sparked the war, has mostly been in disuse except by the military since Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.
The letter called for a minimum of 350 trucks per day to be allowed into Gaza. Miller said 229 trucks entered on Tuesday.
Outgoing President Joe Biden has repeatedly pressed Israel to improve humanitarian aid and protect civilians, while mostly stopping short of using leverage such as cutting off weapons.
Miller said Blinken hoped to keep using the rest of his term to press for an end to the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.


France mulling new sanctions on Israeli settlers, minister says in West Bank

France mulling new sanctions on Israeli settlers, minister says in West Bank
Updated 07 November 2024
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France mulling new sanctions on Israeli settlers, minister says in West Bank

France mulling new sanctions on Israeli settlers, minister says in West Bank
  • “France has been a driving force to establish the first sanction regime at the European level,” Barrot said
  • Barrot renewed France’s commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

RAMALLAH: France is mulling new sanctions on those enabling the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, regarded as illegal under international law, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on a visit to the territory on Thursday.
“France has been a driving force to establish the first sanction regime at the European level targeting individuals or entities, either actors or accomplices of settlement activities,” Barrot said after talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah.
“This regime has been activated two times already and we’re working on a third batch of sanctions targeting these activities that again are illegal with respect to international law.”
Barrot renewed France’s commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and warned settlement activities “threaten the political perspective that can ensure durable peace for Israel and Palestine.”
Before meeting Abbas, Barrot visited the adjacent town of Al-Bireh, where Israeli settlers set fire to 20 cars on Monday, damaging a nearby building.
After speaking with residents and local officials at the scene, Barrot noted that the attack took place in a part of the West Bank where the Palestinians were supposed to enjoy both civil and security control under the Oslo Accords of the 1990s.
“These attacks from extremist and violent settlers are not only completely inexcusable, not only contrary to international law, but they weaken the perspective of a two-state solution,” Barrot said.
Ramallah and Al-Bireh governor Laila Ghannam expressed outrage that settler attacks were “taking place in full view and hearing of the entire silent international community.”
“Perhaps today, with the visit of the French foreign minister, there will be a spotlight here,” she told AFP.
Speaking in Jerusalem earlier Thursday, Barrot said he saw prospects for ending Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon after Donald Trump’s re-election, citing the Republican’s “wish to see the end of the Middle East’s endless wars” as well as recent “tactical successes” for Israel.


Moroccan population grows to 36.8 million in 2024

The Moroccan population grew by 2.98 million since the last census in 2014. (AFP)
The Moroccan population grew by 2.98 million since the last census in 2014. (AFP)
Updated 07 November 2024
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Moroccan population grows to 36.8 million in 2024

The Moroccan population grew by 2.98 million since the last census in 2014. (AFP)

RABAT: The Moroccan population grew to 36.82 million by September 2024, according to the preliminary results of a national census, the spokesman for the government said on Thursday.
Compared with the most recent census in 2014, the Moroccan population grew by 2.98 million or 8.8 percent, spokesman Mustapha Baitas told reporters.
The number of households grew to 9.27 million by September 2024, up 26.8 percent compared to 2014, while the number of foreigners living in the country increased to 148,152, up 71.8 percent, he said.


Israel escalates attacks on Lebanon as strikes hit near Beirut airport

A rescuer and a member of the Malaysian battalion of UNIFIL treat a soldier wounded in an Israeli airstrike near Sidon. (AFP)
A rescuer and a member of the Malaysian battalion of UNIFIL treat a soldier wounded in an Israeli airstrike near Sidon. (AFP)
Updated 07 November 2024
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Israel escalates attacks on Lebanon as strikes hit near Beirut airport

A rescuer and a member of the Malaysian battalion of UNIFIL treat a soldier wounded in an Israeli airstrike near Sidon. (AFP)
  • Drone strike near Sidon kills three and injures Lebanese soldiers and UN peacekeepers
  • Former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s uncle and family members also killed

BEIRUT: At least 10 people were killed in Lebanon on Thursday in Israeli drone attacks on roads across the south, Mount Lebanon and Bekaa.

Former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s uncle and his family members were also killed by strikes in southern Lebanon.

In Baalbek-Hermel, dozens of victims were laid to rest. They died trapped under the rubble of several flattened buildings, some adjacent to the Baalbek Temple.

In the afternoon, an Israeli strike targeted Tyre.

An Israeli drone hit a car on the Araya road in Mount Lebanon, killing the driver, a 30-year-old woman, making her Israel’s first female target.

Doaa Mattar’s family said that they lost contact with their daughter at the time of the raid.

A relative said that Mattar had taken her friend’s car to drive her family from Beirut to Bhamdoun.

Her body was taken to Hezbollah’s Al-Rassoul Al-Azam Hospital, while two injured passersby — a man and his grandson — were transported to the Sacre Coeur Hospital.

Hours later, another Israeli drone targeted a car on the Awali River road at the entrance to the city of Sidon, south of Beirut.

The strike killed three people inside the vehicle, injured three Lebanese soldiers at a nearby checkpoint and damaged several cars, including a passing UNIFIL convoy bus.

It resulted in five minor injuries among Malaysian UNIFIL soldiers and two civilian injuries.

Meanwhile, Beirut’s southern suburb experienced a violent night of airstrikes that continued until the early hours of Thursday morning, targeting Haret Hreik, Burj Al-Barajneh, Tahwitat Al-Ghadir and Ouzai.

One of the strikes came close to a runway at Beirut airport, causing damage to facilities.

However, airport operations continued, with Middle East Airlines switching to alternative runways for landing minutes after Israel issued evacuation warnings.

All planes heading for Beirut landed shortly before midnight ahead of the Israeli-imposed deadline.

The airstrikes on the southern suburb of Beirut caused extensive damage to residential buildings, shops, schools, social facilities and health centers.

A week of relative calm in Beirut’s southern suburb was shattered as warning sirens caused recently returned residents to flee north.

Many families were forced on to the streets, waiting in their vehicles at a safe distance from the targeted areas.

The Israeli military claimed to have conducted precision strikes against Hezbollah command centers and military infrastructure in the Lebanese capital, according to military spokesman Avichay Adraee.

Israel’s systematic destruction of southern Lebanese towns continued with renewed intensity. Israeli forces reportedly rigged and detonated entire neighborhoods in the border town of Mays Al-Jabal.

Israeli warplanes conducted strikes on the outskirts of Yahmar Al-Shaqif near the Litani River, hitting the town center and eastern areas. The predominantly Christian town of Rmeish, whose residents have steadfastly refused to leave, was also targeted.

In Jbaa, located in the Tuffah region, airstrikes caused significant damage. A separate strike on Bazouriye killed four members of Nasrallah’s extended family, including his uncle, cousins and their grandson.

Reports indicate that Israeli forces used internationally prohibited cluster bombs in their targeting of agricultural fields.

The scope of destruction has reached unprecedented levels in Nabatieh, where medical facilities, businesses, institutions, warehouses and residential buildings have been severely damaged.

Footage shared on social media revealed that entire neighborhoods had been turned into rubble.

Violent clashes erupted on Wednesday evening between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces near Rmeish and Yaroun, opposite the Dovev settlement.

Exchanges of fire were also reported near Aita Al-Shaab when Israeli forces attempted to advance into Lebanese territory.

The death and injury toll continues to mount, with the Bekaa region alone reporting 60 casualties, with dozens wounded.

Scenes of mass burials echoed those from Gaza. Among the dead are multiple generations of families, including the Abu Asbar family, who lost parents, children, grandchildren and in-laws during a single Israeli strike.

The attacks have also threatened Lebanon’s cultural heritage, with damage reported near the historic Baalbek Castle complex and the century-old Al-Manshieh building, known for its cultural artifacts.

The Palmyra Hotel, which has hosted decades of Baalbek festivals, also sustained damage.

Baalbek Mayor Mustafa Al-Shall said: “The enemy is targeting poor and residential neighborhoods, and it did not spare archaeological, heritage and historical sites. The number of martyrs in Baalbek is very high.”

One Israeli strike targeted soldier Raed Dandash, born in 2003, as he was driving his car in the town of Talia, in the Bekaa.

An official statement said: “Along with Raed, the strike killed his sister Nathalie and his brother Mohammed, while their mother was seriously injured.”

Airstrikes hit new areas in northern Bekaa, including the towns of Fakeha and Harfouch, killing one.

Lebanon’s officials were shocked by the attacks that targeted the vicinity of Baalbek Castle.

Culture Minister Mohammed Wissam Mortada sent an urgent appeal to UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay through the head of Lebanon’s permanent mission to the organization, Mustafa Deeb, to “save the castle.”

Several MPs also sent a letter to Azoulay, calling on the international organization to “protect the common heritage of humanity.”

In the letter, MP Najat Saliba called for “the protection of historical sites in Lebanon, especially Baalbek, Tyre, Sidon and other valuable landmarks that are in grave danger due to the escalation of atrocities.”

She said: “These landmarks are priceless not only for our nation but for humanity. They are facing a growing danger with the escalation of the war. Their protection is a responsibility that needs to be assumed in order to preserve a part of human civilization that belongs to our common global and international heritage.”

One building destroyed by Israeli strikes bore an etching showing the year 1928. It was once frequented by French officers during France’s rule over the country.

The Israeli army announced that one of its soldiers “was killed in battles in southern Lebanon, while 60 Hezbollah members were killed during the past 24 hours.”

Hezbollah issued a statement calling on settlers in northern Israel to leave their settlements, warning that they had become become military targets.


Iran’s Pezeshkian says Tehran indifferent to US election result

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran's priority is to develop relations with Islamic and neighboring countries. (AFP/Fi
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran's priority is to develop relations with Islamic and neighboring countries. (AFP/Fi
Updated 07 November 2024
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Iran’s Pezeshkian says Tehran indifferent to US election result

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran's priority is to develop relations with Islamic and neighboring countries. (AFP/Fi
  • Pezeshkian says ‘it does not matter’ to Iran who won US election
  • Iran government spokesperson plays down importance of Trump

DUBAI: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the result of the US election did not matter to his country, state media reported on Thursday, amid heightened tensions with Washington over its support for Iran’s arch-enemy, Israel.
Donald Trump’s return to the White House following his election victory this week could mean tougher enforcement of US oil sanctions against Iran, which he initiated in 2018 after quitting a nuclear pact between Tehran and global powers.
The Biden administration has strongly supported Israel in its wars against the Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as Israeli actions against Iran itself.
Some analysts believe Trump will give Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a greater free hand in dealing with Iran.
“To us it does not matter at all who has won the American election, because our country and system relies on its inner strength and a great and honorable nation,” Pezeshkian said late on Wednesday, quoted by the state news agency IRNA.
It was his first comment on Trump’s election victory.
“We will not be close-minded in developing our relations with other countries (while) we have made it our priority to develop relations with Islamic and neighboring countries,” Pezeshkian said.
It was not immediately clear if Pezeshkian was also referring to the United States, with which Iran does not have diplomatic relations. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters of state, has banned holding any direct talks with the United States.
An Iranian government spokesperson earlier played down the importance of the US election, while a Revolutionary Guards commander voiced readiness for confrontation.
The Iranian leaders’ main concern is the potential for Trump to empower Netanyahu to strike Iran’s nuclear sites, conduct assassinations and reimpose his “maximum pressure” policy through heightened sanctions on the country’s oil industry.
Some, however, suspect Trump will be cautious about the possibility of war.
In 2018, the then-Trump administration exited Iran’s 2015 nuclear pact with six world powers and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to violate the pact’s nuclear limits.
International sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program forced Tehran to reach the 2015 pact under which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for lifting the punitive measures.
Trump’s tough stance could force Ayatollah Khamenei to approve talks “whether direct or indirect” with the United States, two Iranian officials have told Reuters.
In September, Pezeshkian said Tehran was ready to end its nuclear standoff with the West, which accuses it of seeking capacity to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.