Antony Blinken

December 11, 2024 5:19 PM

Blinken to testify in Congress on Afghanistan weeks before his term ends

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will testify to a Republican-led House of Representatives committee on Wednesday on the August 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, ending a long dispute with the panel weeks before the end of his term. The House Foreign Affairs Committee and the State Department have have been wrangling over Blinken's appearance for months. Panel Republicans voted in September - weeks before the presidential election - to recommend the top U.S. diplomat be held in contempt o...

December 4, 2024 8:46 AM

America welcomes South Korean President Yoon’s decision to lift martial law

The US on Wednesday welcomed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's rescinding of the martial law declaration following the National Assembly's unanimous vote to reject it. In a statement issued by US State Department, the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, emphasised the importance of resolving political disagreements peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law. He also reiterated the US's commitment to supporting the people of Korea and the enduring alliance between the US and South Ko...

October 23, 2024 3:40 PM

Blinken urges halt to Middle East conflict as Israel bombs historic Lebanese port city

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed on Wednesday for a halt to fighting between Israel and militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, but heavy Israeli air strikes on a large historic Lebanese port city demonstrated that there was no respite. Israel began to bomb the UNESCO-listed port city of Tyre on Wednesday roughly three hours after issuing an order online for residents to flee central areas. Huge clouds of thick smoke billowed above residential buildings. Tens of thousands of people h...

October 22, 2024 11:36 AM

Blinken heads to Middle East for new ceasefire push as Israel strikes Beirut

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to the Middle East on Monday to launch another push for an elusive ceasefire, seeking to revive negotiations to end the Gaza war and defuse the spillover conflict in Lebanon. Blinken's trip to the region is his 11th since the attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, that triggered the Gaza war. It comes as Israel intensifies its military campaign against Iran-backed militants - Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbolla...

September 25, 2024 12:04 PM

Jaishankar emphasizes India’s role in combating synthetic drug threats at Global Coalition Summit

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar highlighted India’s pivotal role in the global fight against the illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs during the Summit for the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats held on Tuesday in New York. Addressing the summit, Jaishankar, who serves as co-chair of Working Group 1, said that India had faced a lot of challenges due to the nexus between terrorist organisations, narco-trafficking and cross-border rackets. "India's rol...

September 24, 2024 8:42 AM

US has long endorsed permanent UNSC seats for India, Germany, Japan: Antony Blinken

Affirming support for the reformation of United Nations Security Council to better represent the developing world, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said that the United States has long endorsed permanent seats in the council for India, Japan and Germany. Speaking at the 'Summit of the Future' at the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday (local time), Blinken put forward the US' idea of two permanent seats for Africa, one rotating seat for Small Island Developing States...

September 22, 2024 12:31 AM

PM Modi meets US President Joe Biden; discussions on Russia and China expected

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his three-day visit to the United States, met with President Joe Biden on Saturday morning (local time) for a crucial bilateral discussion. The leaders are expected to focus on pressing topics, including relations with China and Russia. The meeting took place at President Biden's personal residence and featured key members from both delegations. The US delegation included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and Ambassador ...

September 10, 2024 7:18 PM

Blinken says Russia received missiles from Iran, warns of threat to European security

Russia has received ballistic missiles from Iran and will likely use them in Ukraine within weeks, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday, warning that cooperation between Moscow and Tehran threatens wider European security. Blinken, speaking at a news conference in London ahead of a visit to Kyiv alongside Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, said Washington had privately warned Iran that providing ballistic missiles to Russia would "constitute a dramatic escalation" and sa...

August 21, 2024 11:16 AM

Blinken wraps up Mideast trip with Gaza deal still elusive

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought during a whirlwind trip to the Middle East to inject urgency into efforts to broker a Gaza ceasefire deal, but departed the region on Tuesday with an agreement between Israel and Hamas still elusive. Blinken and mediators from Egypt and Qatar have pinned their hopes on a U.S. "bridging proposal" aimed at narrowing the gaps between the two sides in the 10-month-old war, after negotiations last week paused without a breakthrough. The deal "needs ...

August 19, 2024 4:24 PM

Blinken warns Israel, Hamas of best, last chance to end Gaza war

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Monday that the latest push for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal was probably the best and possibly last opportunity, urging Israel and Hamas towards an elusive agreement. Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has cast doubt on the chances of reaching a deal since talks in Qatar last week paused without a breakthrough, but the negotiations are to resume this week based on a U.S. "bridging proposal". Blinken met Israeli President Isaac Herzog...