The curfew, which was declared in order to prevent the spread of locally-sourced Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Xi’an, the capital city of Shaanxi Province in northwest China, started from midnight. City residents have been asked not to leave their homes from this day forward unless absolutely necessary. Urban transportation and travelling out from city with a population of 13 million has banned except in special cases. Those who want to travel out from the city need to have negative COVID-19 test result or get permission before set off. While non-essential businesses are also has closed, all citizens excepting disease control teams and those working in vital sectors must obtain permission to leave their area of residence. Also only 1 person in every house is allowed to go out once in every 2 days for buying basic need products. Meanwhile, it’s yet unknown when the curfew will end.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arakchi issued a stern warning to the UK, Germany, and France, accusing them of making a “new strategic mistake” regarding Tehran’s nuclear program. In a social media post, Arakchi said, “Iran will give a tough and determined response to the violation of its rights,” criticizing the European trio for backing a resolution against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors.
Arakchi condemned the move as baseless, recalling past disputes in 2005 which led to the expansion of Iran’s uranium enrichment. “Have these three really not learned any lessons in the last twenty years?” he said.
Meanwhile, the IAEA reported on May 31 that Iran’s 60% enriched uranium stockpile had grown from 274.8 kg in February to 408.6 kg by May 17. In response, the UK, Germany, and France are reportedly preparing to refer Iran’s file to the UN Security Council, which could activate the “snapback” mechanism and reimpose UN sanctions.
TR