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US President Donald Trump vowed Wednesday to end Sudan’s grinding civil war at the request of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, condemning “tremendous atrocities” in a conflict he has previously overlooked.Trump admitted that the devastating war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was “not on my charts” before Prince Mohammed bin Salman pushed him to get involved.But Trump said he would now work to “stabilize” the conflict with regional powers, notably including the United Arab Emirates, which denies accusations of backing the RSF with weapons and mercenaries.The United Nations has repeatedly called for greater global attention to the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 12 million since its outbreak in April 2023.”His majesty would like me to do something very powerful having to do with Sudan,” Trump said at a business forum with the Saudi royal a day after Prince Mohammed received a lavish reception at the White House.”It was not on my charts to be involved in, I thought it was just something that was crazy and out of control. But I just see how important that is to you, and to a lot of your friends in the room, Sudan. And we’re going to start working on Sudan.”Sudan’s Saudi-backed sovereign council, which is headed by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said it was ready to cooperate with the United States and Riyadh.In a statement, the council thanked Washington and Riyadh for “their continued efforts to stop Sudanese bloodshed.”International attention on the conflict has increased since the RSF recently seized the key Darfur city of El-Fasher after a relentless siege that has sparked warnings of crimes against humanity and genocide.- ‘Immediate halt’ -Trump had barely commented on the Sudan war in the nine months since he returned to office, focusing instead on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.But on Wednesday, the 79-year-old Republican said he would use the “influence of the presidency to bring an immediate halt” to the war.”Tremendous atrocities are taking place in Sudan. It has become the most violent place on Earth,” Trump said on his Truth Social network a few hours after his initial comments.”We will work with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern partners to get these atrocities to end, while at the same time stabilizing Sudan.”While the conflict has been off Trump’s radar, Washington has stepped up efforts in recent months to resolve it.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the UAE’s foreign minister on Friday to urge Abu Dhabi to back a Sudan ceasefire.Trump’s own Africa envoy Massad Boulos on Saturday told AFP that the war in Sudan was the “world’s biggest humanitarian crisis.”Trump repeatedly claims to have solved eight conflicts since returning to office in January as he seeks a Nobel Peace Prize.His promise to start working on the Sudan conflict reflects his close ties with the de facto Saudi leader, whom he hosted at the White House for a lavish visit on Tuesday.Their closeness was also underscored by his comments in the Oval Office on Tuesday, during which Trump defended the prince over the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the prince “knew nothing”.

Saudi Arabia has lifted a travel ban on a US citizen who criticized the kingdom on social media, his family said Wednesday, as President Donald Trump welcomed the crown prince.Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a US citizen of Saudi origin, had been arrested during a visit to his native country in 2021 after tweets that mentioned corruption and the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a dissident writer strangled and dismembered in a Saudi consulate.He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2022, in part on charges of destabilizing the kingdom. He was released a year later after appeals from the United States under president Joe Biden but prevented from leaving the country.His family said that Saudi authorities have now lifted a travel ban and that Almadi was on his way back to the United States.”This day would not have been possible without President Donald Trump and the tireless efforts of his administration,” the family said in a statement.”We hope the support and care we received will continue for those still held hostage in Saudi Arabia and in other parts of the world.”Trump on Tuesday laid out a red carpet for Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, who US intelligence said ordered the killing of Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote opinion pieces in The Washington Post.Trump defended the crown prince, saying that he “knew nothing” about the murder and that “things happen,” and snapped at a journalist who he said embarrassed the Saudi prince by asking about it.Crown Prince Mohammed, who pledged a $1 trillion investment in the United States, said Khashoggi’s murder was “painful” and a “huge mistake.”During Trump’s first term, vice president Mike Pence publicly urged Saudi Arabia to free Raif Badawi, a rights activist serving a 10-year prison sentence and publicly lashed 50 times for his blog postings.Badawi served out his sentence and remains banned from leaving Saudi Arabia.

US President Donald Trump vowed Wednesday to end Sudan’s grinding civil war at the request of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, condemning “tremendous atrocities” in a conflict he has previously overlooked.Trump admitted that the devastating civil war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was “not on my charts” before de facto Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman pushed him to get involved.But Trump said he would now work to “stabilize” the conflict with regional powers, notably including the United Arab Emirates, which denies accusations of backing the RSF with weapons and mercenaries.The United Nations has repeatedly called for greater global attention to the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 12 million since its outbreak in April 2023.”His majesty would like me to do something very powerful having to do with Sudan,” Trump said at a business forum with the Saudi royal a day after Prince Mohammed received a lavish reception at the White House.”It was not on my charts to be involved in, I thought it was just something that was crazy and out of control. But I just see how important that is to you, and to a lot of your friends in the room, Sudan. And we’re going to start working on Sudan.”Shortly afterward Trump, who had barely commented on the Sudan war in the nine months since he returned to office, was talking about the conflict again on social media.The 79-year-old Republican said he would use the “influence of the presidency to bring an immediate halt” to the war.”Tremendous atrocities are taking place in Sudan. It has become the most violent place on Earth and, likewise, the single biggest Humanitarian Crisis,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.- ‘Gone bad’ -Trump called Sudan a “Great Civilization and Culture, unfortunately gone bad” that could be fixed with the help of wealthy regional powers.”We will work with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern partners to get these atrocities to end, while at the same time stabilizing Sudan,” he added.Saudi Arabia supports Sudan’s army-aligned government. The army accuses the United Arab Emirates of backing the RSF, which the UAE denies.The RSF recently seized the key city of Al-Fasher after a relentless siege, leading the UN Human Rights Council on Friday to order a probe of alleged atrocities. Despite the conflict being off Trump’s radar, Washington has stepped up efforts in recent months to finalize a truce between the warring parties.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the UAE’s foreign minister on Friday to urge Abu Dhabi to back a Sudan ceasefire.And Trump’s own Africa envoy Massad Boulos on Saturday told AFP that the war in Sudan was the “world’s biggest humanitarian crisis.”Trump repeatedly claims to have solved eight conflicts since returning to office in January but has until now focused instead on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine in his pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize.His promise to start working on the Sudan conflict reflects his close ties with the de facto Saudi leader, whom he hosted at the White House for a lavish visit on Tuesday.Their closeness was also underscored by his comments in the Oval Office on Tuesday, during which Trump defended the prince over the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the prince “knew nothing”.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would start “working” to end the war in Sudan, after visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked him to help solve the devastating conflict.Trump has until now barely commented on the conflict between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 12 million since its outbreak in April 2023.”His majesty would like me to do something very powerful having to do with Sudan,” Trump said at a Saudi-US business forum attended by Prince Mohammed.”It was not on my charts to be involved in, I thought it was just something that was crazy and out of control,” he added.”But I just see how important that is to you, and to a lot of your friends in the room, Sudan. And we’re going to start working on Sudan.”Despite the conflict being off Trump’s radar, Washington has stepped up efforts in recent months to finalize a truce between the warring parties.Saudi Arabia supports Sudan’s army-aligned government. The army accuses the United Arab Emirates of backing the RSF with weapons and mercenaries, which the UAE denies.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the UAE’s foreign minister on Friday to urge Abu Dhabi to back a Sudan ceasefire.The RSF recently seized the key city of Al-Fasher after a relentless siege, leading the UN Human Rights Council on Friday to order a probe of alleged atrocities. Trump’s own Africa envoy Massad Boulos meanwhile on Saturday told AFP that the war in Sudan was the “the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis.”Trump repeatedly claims to have solved eight conflicts since returning to office in January but focused instead on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine in his pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize.His promise to start working on the Sudan conflict reflects his close relationship with the de facto Saudi leader, whom he hosted at the White House for a lavish visit on Tuesday.”I didn’t think that was one that was going to be so easy to do. But we’re going to start work,” Trump added at the business forum, where the prince also gave brief remarks.Trump’s closeness to the Saudi royal was also underscored by his comments in the Oval Office on Tuesday, during which he defended the prince over the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the prince “knew nothing”.

The head of the UN nuclear agency on Wednesday renewed his call for Iran to allow inspections at key nuclear sites attacked by Israel and the United States in June.Tensions between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have repeatedly flared in recent years and were further inflamed after a 12-day war in June that saw Israeli and US strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.Since the war, agency inspectors have not been granted access to sites such as Fordo and Natanz, which were hit in the strikes, but they have been able to visit other sites.”We have performed a number of inspections, but we have not been able to go to the attack sites. I hope we will be able. Indeed, we have to go because this is part of Iran’s commitments,” IAEA head Rafael Grossi told reporters after opening the regular board meeting of the Vienna-based agency.”I hope we’ll be able to move in a constructive manner.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday evening rejected any cooperation with the IAEA “regarding the bombed sites”.”We only cooperate regarding nuclear facilities that have not been affected, in compliance with IAEA regulations,” he stated on Telegram.Britain, France, Germany and the United States have submitted a draft resolution to the board, seen by AFP on Wednesday, urging Iran to “cooperate fully” with the IAEA.The draft, which is expected to be voted on by the IAEA board during its meeting this week, stresses that it is “imperative” for Iran to comply with its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.  It also urges Iran to provide “access that the agency requests”.- ‘Provocative action’ -In a joint statement seen by AFP, representatives to the board from eight countries including Iran, China and Russia warned on Wednesday against adopting any new resolution that “risks undermining the cooperative momentum and the constructive political atmosphere that have characterised the recent interactions between Iran and the Agency”.Such a decision would be considered a “provocative action”, they said.Iranian officials had warned against adopting an anti-Iran resolution, with deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi saying on Sunday it would force his country to “conduct a fundamental review” of its relations with the agency.Grossi said on Wednesday it would not be “logical” for a resolution to prompt less cooperation with his agency.Last week, the IAEA called on Iran to allow it to verify its enriched uranium inventories, especially its sensitive stockpile of highly enriched uranium that was “long overdue”, according to a confidential report seen by AFP.”This is the consensus — and also being confirmed by the Iranian government — that the stockpile of enriched uranium is still there, so we need to check on that,” Grossi said on Wednesday.In the aftermath of the June war, Tehran suspended its cooperation with the IAEA and restricted the watchdog’s inspectors from accessing the bombed sites, accusing it of bias and failing to condemn the attacks.Araghchi said Sunday that “no enrichment” was taking place at present because the sites were damaged in the Israel war and that the country had no undeclared uranium enrichment sites.The assertion came after US media reported that Iran had accelerated construction at a secret underground nuclear site called “Pickaxe Mountain”, or Kuh-e Kolang, near its Natanz facility.

Residents of Lebanon’s Ain al-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp described their fear and astonishment a day after a deadly strike that Israel said targeted a Hamas compound, a claim the Palestinian militant group rejected.Tuesday night’s raid, which Lebanese authorities said killed 13 people, was the worst since a ceasefire took effect last year between Israel and Hezbollah. Emergency workers were still collecting human remains on Wednesday at the devastated site, located near one of the entrances to the overcrowded, impoverished Palestinian camp, an AFP correspondent saw.”The bombing last night happened while people were at home were getting ready for bed,” camp resident Mohammed Mustafa, 67, told AFP. “We heard the sound of three missiles, then our home shook. The children were shaking with fear.”On Wednesday morning, Palestinian factions allowed journalists to access the heavily damaged site — a metal-roofed structure near a parking lot and a mosque — after previously imposing a security cordon.By longstanding convention, the Lebanese army stays out of the camps and leaves Palestinian factions to handle security.Blood stained the inside of the structure and the road leading to it. The roof was largely blown off and the walls riddled with shrapnel.Wadih Ali, 40, a taxi driver who lives in an adjacent building, said the site was “not a closed-off place, anybody could go in there”.”Over the summer, there was a pool for children, and recently it was turned into a football field,” he said.On the ground among the debris were the remains of several coloured, interlocking floor tiles sometimes found in play or exercise areas, though there were no clear indications as to what the stricken site was used for.AFP was unable to independently confirm the ages or identities of those killed.- ‘Only concern is killing’ -Near the site were damaged homes, charred cars and shopfronts with shattered glass.Schools and institutions in the camp were closed in mourning.The Israeli military said in a statement that it “struck terrorists who operated in a Hamas training compound in the Ain al-Helweh area”.Hamas, however, called Israel’s claims “pure fabrications and lies”, insisting it had no military installations in the camps in Lebanon.It said the site “was an open sports field frequented by the youth of the camp”, and that “those targeted were a group of young boys” using it at the time.Ain al-Helweh was largely spared during more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah before last November’s ceasefire took effect.The conflict began when Hezbollah began firing across the border into Israel in October 2023 in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas in the Gaza war.Israel has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon despite the truce — usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah, but also occasionally Hamas — and still has troops in some parts of south Lebanon.Ain al-Helweh and other refugee camps were created for Palestinians who were driven out or fled during the 1948 war that accompanied Israel’s creation.Lebanon hosts about 222,000 Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations agency UNRWA.Standing near damaged vehicles, Jamal Shreidi, 65, expressed astonishment at the strike.”Did this site, these cars, harbour terrorists?” he said.”Israel’s only concern is killing,” he added.