Global roundup: Trump pushes more nations to join Abraham Accords; Iran says no imminent deal

US President Donald Trump on Monday pushed for several Muslim and Arab nations to join the Abraham Accords as part of a broader regional settlement tied to the potential deal with Tehran while noting that the negotiations with the Islamic Republic were proceeding nicelyIn a very lengthy post on Truth Social Trump said the proposed arrangement could become a Historic Event for the Middle East and called on countries including Saudi Arabia Qatar Pakistan Turkiye Egypt Jordan and Bahrain to simultaneously sign onto the Abraham AccordsNegotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely It will only be a Great Deal for all or no Deal at all Trump wrote warning that failure to reach an agreement could mean Back to the Battlefront and shooting but bigger and stronger than ever beforeTrump asserted that Saudi Arabia and Qatar should immediately join the accords after a deal is reached with Iran and said other countries should follow He further suggested that Iran itself could eventually become part of the framework if a deal with the United States is successfully concludedAccording to Trump the Abraham Accords had delivered a Financial Economic and Social BOOM to existing members which he listed as the United Arab Emirates Bahrain Morocco Sudan and KazakhstanThe Abraham Accords have been great for them and will be even better for everybody and bring true Power Strength and Peace to the Middle East he stated in his postIran says conclusion reached on several issues with US but agreement not imminentIran says major progress in US talks but no imminent dealIrans Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei on Monday said that a conclusion has been reached on a large portion of issues under discussion with the US although no specific timeframe has been set for finalising any understanding local media reportedAddressing a press conference on Monday Baqaei said no one can claim that the signing of an agreement is imminent adding that political behaviour in the US was somewhat inconsistent Irans semiofficial Tasnim News Agency reportedBaqaei stated that US contradictory stance within hours complicates any negotiation process He said that decision making in Washington is disorganised He spoke about several resignations congressional opposition public opinion and internal contradictions in the US adding that this situation has created space for the influence of certain actors including those from the Israeli regimeRights groups urge Pakistan govt to introduce reforms for protecting minoritiesMinority rights organisations have requested Pakistans federal government to introduce constitutional reforms with a goal to strengthen protection for religious minorities women and children as part of the proposed 28th Constitutional Amendment BillAddressing a press conference in Islamabad leaders of the Minorities Alliance Pakistan MAP and allied groups presented a reform package that calls for introducing changes to constitutional provisions linked to political representation religious freedom and child protectionDuring the event MAP chairman Akmal Bhatti said Pakistan could not function as a pluralistic democracy as constitutional provisions restricted nonMuslims from taking the offices of President and Prime Minister and minority communities did not have direct democratic representationBhatti said that proposed reforms were aimed to ensure equality before the law and equal opportunities for everyone in Pakistan He stated that constitutional and legal structures should protect children from forced religious conversion and child marriageCrack found in California toxic chemical tank could relieve pressureAuthorities in California on Sunday said they discovered a crack in a damaged tank of toxic chemicals potentially relieving pressure as the threat of an explosion has forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuateAbout 50000 residents were ordered to leave their homes in the Garden Grove area of Orange County southeast of Los Angeles on Friday after the tank began to leak sending fumes over a heavily populated area about five miles from DisneylandFederal regulators dispatched a team of experts to advise on possible outcomes with Environmental Protection Agency EPA chief Lee Zeldin telling CNN on Sunday that the most catastrophic scenario would be if one tank exploded and caused other tanks nearby to explode with itHowever Zeldin said the most likely scenario is one of a lowvolume release where the local authorities are going to be able to monitor neutralise and contain the threatFirefighters were working overnight Sunday to confirm that the pressure in the tank has been released and that the threat of explosion is eliminatedWith IANS PTI ANI and AFP inputs