Paris (Imran Y. CHOUDHRY) :- Former Press Secretary to the President, Former Press Minister to the Embassy of Pakistan to France, Former MD, SRBC Mr. Qamar Bashir analysis : While the world is already grappling with multiple wars—Russia’s relentless campaign in Ukraine, and a raging trade war between the United States and China—a new front of confrontation is brewing, and it may prove to be the most perilous yet. That front lies in Iran’s uranium enrichment program, which has again placed the region, and perhaps the world, on the edge of catastrophic conflict.
The latest round of indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States, mediated through Oman, ended in a stalemate. The U.S. demanded that Iran completely cease enrichment of uranium, alleging it has already reached 50%—a level perilously close to weapons-grade. President Donald Trump, in his characteristic bluntness, declared such enrichment “unacceptable” and reiterated that bombing Iran’s nuclear sites remains “on the table”—especially if Israel takes the lead.
In response, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed a gender-segregated crowd—women dressed in black abayas, men seated apart—and rejected the U.S. proposal outright. He warned that accepting such terms would render Iran’s nuclear plants useless. “If we give up enrichment, our nuclear plants will be empty shells, reliant on the West for fuel,” he declared. “It would be the ultimate betrayal of our national interests.”
Indeed, despite crippling U.S. and EU sanctions, Iran’s nuclear program has persisted. Tehran insists it only seeks nuclear fuel for energy, not weapons. But the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a report indicating enrichment levels dangerously close to weapons-grade, stirring alarms in Washington, Tel Aviv, and beyond.
Yet this time, the geopolitical dynamics are drastically different. A surprising twist emerged when President Vladimir Putin of Russia declared Russia’s intent to join the negotiations, suggesting that excluding Moscow from talks with such far-reaching implications was unacceptable. Putin’s intervention has drastically shifted the equation. What was once a two-player confrontation between Washington and Tehran may now evolve into a global standoff, especially if Moscow pledges to defend Tehran militarily or diplomatically.
If Russia indeed aligns itself with Iran, an Israeli or U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities could be interpreted by Moscow as an attack on its sphere of influence—provoking an unpredictable military response. Further complicating the matter, President Trump recently held a 90-minute phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Officially, the talk focused on trade and investment, but Trump took the unusual step of explicitly stating that Iran was “not discussed.” This denial has only fueled speculation that Beijing, too, may be stepping into the shadows of the Iranian nuclear crisis.
If China and Russia jointly back Iran, it would create an unambiguous geopolitical divide: on one side, the U.S. and Israel; on the other, Iran with the diplomatic, economic, and possibly military support of two global powers. Such polarization could render any military action against Iran unthinkable and turn what was once a manageable regional tension into a global crisis with echoes of the Cold War.
The stakes are already high. Iran’s Foreign Minister warned Israel that any attack would be met with massive retaliation, and Khamenei himself vowed that “aggression will be punished proportionally.” Tehran’s position is firm: enrichment is a sovereign right, and the Western demand to halt it—without a concurrent lifting of sanctions—is fundamentally unjust.
It is this asymmetry that lies at the heart of Iran’s frustration. Washington demands denuclearization, but offers no meaningful economic relief in return. As Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei recently put it: “We must ensure that Iran will effectively benefit economically and that its banking and trade relations with other countries will return to normal.” Without these guarantees, he said, any deal would be one-sided.
Iran now plans to present a counter-proposal, which it calls “reasonable, logical, and balanced.” But the U.S. remains skeptical. Trump told reporters, “They’re just asking for things that you can’t do. They want to keep enrichment. We can’t have enrichment.” The next round of talks is tentatively set for Muscat this Sunday, although both Iranian and American officials have expressed uncertainty over the date.
Amid these tensions, Israel remains a wildcard. It is widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, though it neither confirms nor denies their existence. Iran accuses the West of hypocrisy: turning a blind eye to Israel’s nuclear arsenal while fixating on Iran’s civilian program. Tehran has even hinted at releasing classified Israeli documents allegedly proving Western complicity in bolstering Israel’s nuclear capacity.
This double standard resonates deeply in the Muslim world. If the U.S. and its allies are truly committed to nuclear non-proliferation, why the silence on Israel? Why is Iran—an NPT signatory and a member of the United Nations—denied what others enjoy freely? Iran argues that if nuclear capability is a sovereign right for the U.S., Russia, China, India, Pakistan, France, and even Israel, then denying that right to Iran is an unjustified discrimination rooted in geopolitical favoritism, not international law.
President Trump, for his part, continues to play both hawk and dealmaker. He insists his administration is guided by “common sense,” yet his threats are often maximalist and theatrical. He’s threatened to seize the Panama Canal, annex parts of Canada, and even buy Greenland—none of which materialized. His threat to bomb Iran could be a negotiating tactic to strengthen his hand at the table. But with Iran, such brinkmanship carries a heavier cost.
Iran is not Panama or Greenland. It is a civilization-state with a proud history, stretching back to the Achaemenid Empire, rivaling Rome in antiquity and influence. Its people are fiercely nationalistic and will not capitulate easily—especially not to threats.
So what lies ahead?
The most logical path forward—if we are to avoid catastrophe—is mutual recognition of each nation’s rights and responsibilities. If the West truly wants to avoid proliferation, it must apply the same standards across the board, including Israel. Iran, too, must commit transparently to peaceful nuclear development, with rigorous international inspections.
But any one-sided approach, which demands total Iranian compliance while ignoring Israeli capabilities and refusing to lift economic sanctions, is doomed to fail.
The world today is no longer unipolar. China and Russia are no longer silent spectators. With their involvement, the U.S. no longer enjoys uncontested leverage. This emerging multipolarity means diplomacy, not domination, must guide the next phase of the Iranian nuclear talks.
For the sake of global peace, let better sense prevail. Let every nation uphold international law, act with transparency, and above all, avoid nuclear brinkmanship. Because in a nuclear conflict, there are no winners—only mutual destruction, and irreversible loss for all of humanity.

Nice ( Imran Y. CHOUDHRY):- The Ocean is our planet’s life support, but it’s under threat.

World leaders, investors, youth, Indigenous Peoples and scientists unite at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice to accelerate global action to Save Our Ocean.

The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) opened today in Nice, France, bringing together world leaders, scientists, and environmental advocates to address urgent challenges facing the world’s oceans, from pollution to overfishing and climate change.

France and Costa Rica co-hosted the five-day conference, which aims to accelerate global efforts to protect marine ecosystems. These ecosystems sustain over three billion people and play a critical role in regulating the Earth’s climate.

“The ocean, if we protect it, can help us fight climate change. So if we protect seagrass beds, for example, seagrass beds are like amazing heroes in catching carbon. If we protect whales, they also capture carbon. And healthy fisheries are also part of the carbon capture. And the deep sea, which we know is vital for carbon capture and storage.

Key priorities for the conference include advancing the target, a global commitment to protect 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030. Currently, only 8.4 percent of marine areas are under some form of protection.

“The action needs to start now and we need to put money and action behind these pledges and that is really what we are looking for at this ocean conference,” Battle said.

Another primary focus is securing enough ratifications for the High Seas Treaty, formally known as the BBNJ Agreement, which would enable the creation of marine protected areas in international waters. The treaty requires approval from at least 60 countries to take effect, but only 32 have ratified it so far.

French President Emmanuel Macron stressed the urgency of reaching the ratification threshold by the September 2025 deadline, while also calling for stronger measures against illegal fishing and harmful fisheries subsidies.

The conference features high-level discussions on sustainable financing mechanisms, including “blue bonds” and “blue loans,” to support ocean conservation efforts.

Scientists warn that rising ocean temperatures, acidification, and sea level rise threaten marine biodiversity and coastal communities, underscoring the need for coordinated global action.

Ambassador Mumtaz Zahra Baloch is leading the Pakistan delegation to the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3). Pakistan remains strongly committed to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); and conserving and sustainably using the ocean, sea and marine resources for sustainable development, in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water).

This Conference continued until the 13th of June for taking the decisions and strict actions to save Oceans.

Paris (Imran Y. CHOUDHRY) :- Former Press Secretary to the President, Former Press Minister to the Embassy of Pakistan to France, Former MD, SRBC Mr. Qamar Bashir analysis : Burkina Faso, a landlocked nation in West Africa with a population of over 22 million, has long been a battleground for competing global interests. Rich in gold, copper, and other minerals, yet plagued by poverty and conflict, the country has struggled to assert control over its wealth. In September 2022, a bold new leader emerged—Ibrahim Traoré, a 34-year-old army captain—who seized power in a military coup, vowing to reclaim Burkina Faso’s sovereignty from foreign exploitation. Traoré has since become a symbol of resistance, not just for Burkina Faso, but for an entire continent, as he challenges the Western narrative that has long defined Africa’s story.
In a world long manipulated by Western narratives, where the lens of global media has distorted the true image of Africa, a single voice has risen to shatter the illusion—a voice that echoes the suppressed struggles and stolen dreams of an entire continent. That voice belongs to Ibrahim Traoré, the young, fearless leader of Burkina Faso, who is shaking the foundations of global power and calling out the hypocrisy of the so-called saviors of humanity.
It was a fine day when I stumbled upon Traoré’s powerful speech—an unfiltered exposure of the Western media’s stealthy agenda in shaping global perceptions. He spoke not as a polished politician but as a son of Africa, a man who had seen his homeland reduced to a caricature of poverty and despair. Traoré laid bare the ugly truth: for decades, Africa has been portrayed through a narrow, oppressive lens—of starving children with swollen bellies, of violence, corruption, and hopelessness—while the West parades as a benevolent savior, offering aid and charity to uplift the helpless.
But the real story, as Traoré thundered, is one of theft—of minerals, of wealth, of sovereignty. In the name of development, Western corporations and governments have plundered Africa’s rich resources—cobalt, copper, gold, oil—filling their coffers while leaving Africans in abject poverty. He exposed the billion-dollar profits that flow from African soil to Western boardrooms, while African streets remain lined with hunger and neglect. Traoré’s words were not mere rhetoric—they were a battle cry, a call for Africans to reclaim their dignity, to rise as equal partners on the world stage.
His message resonated far beyond Burkina Faso. Traoré has become a symbol of Africa’s collective awakening—a young, enterprising leader who uses every available platform—be it speeches, videos, or direct outreach to global media elites—to amplify the voice of a continent no longer willing to bow to the West. He has called out France, the UK, and the USA for their centuries of exploitation, exposing, in a stunning episode, how the French ambassador to Burkina Faso was caught fleeing with billions in cash, gold, weapons, and detailed maps of the nation’s mineral wealth. The deals struck with Burkina Faso, it turns out, were a sham—showing the government a fraction of the true value, while the real riches were siphoned away in secret.
Traoré also lifted the veil on how foreign journalists, stationed in Africa under the guise of reporting, were in fact spies—embedded agents gathering intelligence for Western corporations and military establishments, ensuring the cycle of plunder and poverty continued uninterrupted. The story of Africa, as dictated by the West, is a lie—a narrative designed to keep the continent weak, dependent, and submissive.
But Traoré is not a man to be silenced. His vision is radical, yet profoundly logical: Africa must control its own resources, build its own industries, and develop its own human capital. He has rejected token gestures of aid—famously turning down an offer from the Saudi king to build 200 mosques in Burkina Faso, saying, “If Gazans can pray without mosques under bombardment, we too can pray without them. What we need are schools, hospitals, laboratories, and technology to feed and empower our people.” His refusal was not an act of defiance against faith, but a statement of priorities: Africa needs tools, not symbols.
Traoré’s stance has made him a target. Western powers are scrambling to understand the implications of his words—how this single voice, carried on the wind across the continent, is stirring a consciousness long suppressed. His message is simple yet revolutionary: Africa will no longer be a playground for foreign interests. It will rise as a dignified, sovereign continent, guided by its own aspirations and led by its own people.
Traoré understands that Africa’s wealth is meaningless without the capacity to harness it. He has called on the African diaspora—doctors, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, who have thrived abroad—to return home, to lend their expertise and build the foundations of an independent Africa. He knows that extracting resources requires technology, capital, and skilled human resources—assets that have long been controlled by Western corporations. But he is determined to forge new partnerships—with China, Russia, the Muslim world—based on mutual respect and shared progress, not exploitation.
Burkina Faso, under Traoré’s leadership, is no longer content to be a passive supplier of raw materials. The vision is clear: build the refineries, the factories, the universities, the research centers. Educate the youth, empower the women, and create an economy that serves the people, not foreign shareholders. Traoré’s fight is not just for Burkina Faso—it is for Africa. It is for every nation that has been told its place is at the bottom of the global ladder, for every community robbed of its future, for every family left hungry while their soil enriches others.
In Traoré’s eyes, the future of Africa is not one of handouts and dependency. It is a future of self-reliance, dignity, and justice. He is a man who refuses to be a pawn in the global game—a man who stands tall against the tides of history, declaring that Africa’s time has come, and it will no longer be silenced.
The world may not yet fully grasp the power of Ibrahim Traoré’s vision, but one thing is certain: a storm is brewing in Africa, and it carries the name of a young captain from Burkina Faso who dares to dream of a continent free from chains.