Teo regrets Marina’s decision to retire, reveals plans to shift her seat with backup agency job

Teo regrets Marina’s decision to retire, reveals plans to shift her seat with backup agency job

Alyaa Alhadjri
Published: May 31, 2026 8:06 PM
Updated: 11:09 PM



Johor DAP chairperson Teo Nie Ching revealed that the party had planned to move Skudai assemblyperson Marina Ibrahim to another urban state seat in the upcoming Johor election - with a chairpersonship at a statutory body prepared as a backup plan.

In a statement, Teo alluded to ongoing seat negotiations within Johor Harapan, and expressed regret over Marina’s decision announced this morning to retire from active politics.

Defending her plans, she said it had been made clear to the 38-year-old that the plan was for her to establish her presence as an elected representative before being part of DAP’s plans to expand into non-traditional seats.

This possibility of contesting an urban seat that Pakatan Harapan previously won in 2018 was raised during recent discussions with Marina, Teo said.

“The leadership feels that fielding a Malay candidate in such an urban seat is a highly strategic move and a vital opportunity for us to step out of our traditional strongholds.

“In our view, Marina is the most winnable candidate for this mission,” the Johor DAP chief said without naming the seat.

She said that a statutory body job would also be lined up as a safety net for the junior politician.

“To assure her that the party would stand by her regardless of the Johor state election’s outcome, I also shared my intention to propose her as the chairperson of a statutory body, which I believe she can contribute constructively,” said the Kulai MP.

“It is indeed saddening for me, both as a comrade and as the state chairperson, to see Marina step away from the political arena at this juncture.

“If the offer to contest in a new seat has upset Marina in any way, I would like to officially record my regrets,” Teo added.

It is believed that Teo is alluding to the contents of a purported letter from Marina dated May 30, to formally reject an alleged offer to contest in the Tiram state seat now held by Umno, and an offer to be appointed to a GLC position if she lost.

Malaysiakini has contacted Marina for comment.

Marina earlier hinted at internal reasons that contributed to her decision not to defend the Skudai seat.

In a Facebook post announcing her retirement this morning, Marina made an additional comment stating that: “I made this decision after discussing it with all my volunteers and colleagues.”

“If there are those who say that influence within the party is more important than hard work, that’s fine. I know where I stand.”

She did not elaborate further.

Marina has said that she plans to return to do community service work once her term expires.

Leading up to the Johor election, state mentri besar and Johor BN chief Onn Hafiz Ghazi has declared that the coalition will contest all 56 seats against Harapan and others.

This led to Harapan saying it too will contest all seats in Johor in retaliation.

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O Nie Ching, ne frigged it up, tui mah???😂😂😂

Iran rejects US deal pressure, insists rights must be guaranteed before agreement

Iran rejects US deal pressure, insists rights must be guaranteed before agreement



Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meanwhile, said that “until a clear conclusion is reached...everything that is being said now is speculation”, according to state TV. — AFP pic

Monday, 01 Jun 2026 9:23 AM MYT




TEHRAN, June 1 — Iran’s chief negotiator warned yesterday the United States was not to be trusted, saying Tehran would not agree to any deal with Washington unless it fully secured Iranian rights.
👍👍👍😀👍👍👍

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s remarks came as reports emerged that US President Donald Trump had sent a tougher peace proposal back to Iran, and underlined the rift that the parties still need to close.

Any tweaks to the draft could further delay an agreement to formally end the Middle East war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz after weeks of fraught negotiations marked by sharp rhetoric and occasional flare-ups of violence.

Iran was already in talks with the United States about the fate of its nuclear programme in February when the US and Israel launched air and missile strikes that wiped out much of the Islamic republic’s senior leadership.

And, while Tehran has long insisted that its nuclear programme is for purely civilian ends, the United States and its Western allies suspect it aims to develop a weapon.

The New York Times and Axios reported on Saturday that Trump had sent back a “tougher” new framework to be considered by Iran, though details remain unclear.


Trump has said his priorities include stopping Iran from developing any nuclear weapon and reopening the Hormuz shipping lane, which Iran has blockaded since the war began.

“The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons. They’ve agreed to that, and it was very interesting,” he told his daughter-in-law Lara Trump in an interview on her Fox News show.

Tehran, however, has previously cast doubt on Trump’s assertions and the sides remain far apart on key issues.

“We will not approve any agreement until we are certain that the rights of the Iranian people have been upheld,” Ghalibaf said in a video broadcast on state television.

According to the Tasnim news agency, exchanges on the text “are ongoing, with both parties regularly proposing amendments”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meanwhile, said that “until a clear conclusion is reached...everything that is being said now is speculation”, according to state TV.

Iran has said it needs the release of $12 billion in frozen assets before engaging in substantive talks on its nuclear programme, dismissing earlier Trump comments that its enriched uranium stockpile would be destroyed as “baseless”, according to Iranian media.


Flare-ups

One of Washington’s stated war aims was the destruction of Iran’s ballistic missile programme, with General Dan Caine—the top US military officer—estimating in April that more than 80 percent of its missile facilities had been struck.

But CNN reported on Sunday that an analysis of satellite imagery showed Tehran has since been able to excavate 50 out of 69 tunnel entrances hit by US strikes at 18 underground missile sites.

Though daily strikes throughout Iran and the Gulf halted after Tehran and Washington agreed to a temporary ceasefire in April, there have been sporadic attacks.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had shot down a US military drone “about to enter Iranian territorial waters”, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported, though Washington has not confirmed the incident.

Trump is under pressure to secure a deal that would lift competing US and Iranian blockades around the Strait of Hormuz that have strangled a vital route for global oil supplies.

After Trump said Iran would charge “no tolls” on ships passing through the strait under any deal, Iranian news agency Fars cited sources saying “no such clause” existed.

Iran’s ISNA news agency on Saturday quoted lawmaker Alireza Salimi as saying a plan for Iranian “management and sovereignty” over the strait—including imposing “administrative fees”—would soon go before parliament.


Lebanon front

Tehran has insisted that any peace deal include Lebanon, where fierce fighting continues, with Beirut accusing Israel of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy” as it expands operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah.

A truce between Israel and Hezbollah formally began on April 17 but it has never been observed, with both sides accusing each other of violating it.

An Israeli strike on Deir Zahrani in southern Lebanon killed eight people on Sunday, including three women, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Monday on the widening Israeli offensive following its capture of the strategic medieval castle of Beaufort, diplomatic sources told AFP.

Smoke billowed from the surrounding area Sunday as its flag was seen by AFP above the castle, which Israel famously used as a base during their previous two-decade occupation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the retaking of Beaufort “a dramatic shift.” — AFP

It’s not for PAS to decide on opposition parties, says Ramasamy

It’s not for PAS to decide on opposition parties, says Ramasamy


The Urimai chairman takes issue with a PAS leader's view on which parties may contest under the Perikatan Nasional banner

Urimai chairman P Ramasamy said his party was ‘not desperate’ to get into Perikatan Nasional’s fold.

PETALING JAYA: PAS cannot unilaterally decide on the direction the opposition parties could take, Urimai chairman P Ramasamy said today after the Islamic party declared that only the parties in Perikatan Nasional may contest in elections under the coalition’s banner.

Urimai is part of Ikatan Prihatin  Rakyat, a loose coalition chaired by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin.

Ramasamy said he did not think that Muhyiddin would have proclaimed “without any basis” that IPR members could stand in the coming Melaka election on the PN ticket.


He said that although IPR component parties are not PN members, they are closely tied to Bersatu.

“PAS should not think and act as though it alone can determine the trajectory of the opposition in the country,” Ramasamy said in a Facebook post in response to a statement by PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.


Tuan Ibrahim had said since IPR component parties are not part of PN, the coalition could not allow them to contest under its banner.

He also said no decision was ever made to allow parties in IPR to contest under the PN banner.

PN is currently chaired by PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.

Yesterday, Muhyiddin said that parties in IPR could negotiate with a “PN-level committee” on which seats in Melaka they are keen on contesting.


However, Tuan Ibrahim, who is also PN deputy chairman, denied that such a committee exists.

Ramasamy said PAS’s refusal to recognise IPR suggested that the party has an ulterior political motive in sidelining Bersatu.


“While I cannot collectively speak on behalf of IPR, I can certainly say that Urimai is not desperate to get into PN’s fold,” he said.

Newark imposes curfew around ICE detention centre after fresh protest clashes

Newark imposes curfew around ICE detention centre after fresh protest clashes



A protester waves an upside-down American flag at a police blockade near the Delaney Hall detention center during a protest against the transfer of detainees and federal immigration policies yesterday. — AFP pic

Monday, 01 Jun 2026 8:56 AM MYT


NEW YORK, June 1 — The mayor of a New Jersey city declared a curfew yesterday around a migrant detention center after another night of clashes between police and protesters opposed to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

“To ensure the safety and well-being of all residents, a mandatory curfew for a half-mile area surrounding Delaney Hall is being implemented, effective immediately,” Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement.

Access to the Delaney Hall facility, which is operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), will be prohibited from 9 pm to 6 am until further notice, the mayor said.

The decision followed another night of tensions outside the 1,000-bed privately operated facility, which has been the focus of protests for several days.


After a day of largely peaceful demonstrations on Saturday, including a counter-protest in support of ICE, some protesters attempted to breach a police barricade, prompting police to use tear gas.

Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey’s Democratic governor, condemned the violence.


“I don’t know why these individuals attacked or what they are trying to do, but I refuse to let these dangerous acts undermine New Jersey’s commitment to public safety,” Sherrill said on X.

On Friday, authorities sought to ease tensions by transferring security responsibilities from ICE to state police and setting up designated protest areas. The measures, however, failed to prevent further nighttime clashes.

The protests were triggered by a hunger and work strike launched by detainees at Delaney Hall over their living conditions.

The strike has drawn support from a number of Democratic lawmakers. — AFP

Iran’s strongest card in nuclear talks: Its highly enriched uranium — and how much survived the June attacks

Iran’s strongest card in nuclear talks: Its highly enriched uranium — and how much survived the June attacks



This picture shows a general view of an Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) in Isfahan on November 20, 2004. Iran and the United States are in discussions to extend their ceasefire so as to start negotiations on issues including Tehran’s nuclear programme, where Washington insists Iran must not be able ‌to make a nuclear weapon. — AFP pic

Monday, 01 Jun 2026 7:00 AM MYT


VIENNA, June 1 — Iran and the United States are in discussions to extend their ceasefire so as to start negotiations on issues including Tehran’s nuclear programme, where Washington insists Iran must not be able ‌to make a nuclear weapon. While much of Iran’s uranium enrichment infrastructure was destroyed or badly damaged when Israel and the US bombed it in June, a large part of the highly enriched uranium it amassed is thought to have survived. That is the biggest US concern ahead of nuclear talks.

On Friday Trump said in a social media post that Iran ‌must agree that the enriched uranium buried underground after earlier US strikes be “unearthed” and destroyed in coordination with Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog.


What is highly enriched uranium?

One of two fissile materials, along with plutonium, with which one can make the core of a nuclear bomb. While plutonium is usually extracted from the spent fuel of a nuclear reactor, requiring large and highly visible infrastructure, uranium can be enriched using centrifuges that have a much smaller footprint. Two of Iran’s three enrichment sites that are known to have been operating when Israel and the US attacked in June were underground. The above-ground one was clearly destroyed.


Uranium is highly enriched when it has reached 20 per cent purity, and weapons-grade as of around 90 per cent.


Modern reactors generally use fuel enriched to up to 5 per cent, but some use fuel enriched to higher levels. The ones that power US nuclear submarines reportedly use fuel enriched beyond 90 per cent.



A handout file photo, released by Iran's Atomic Energy Organization on November 4, 2019, shows the atomic enrichment facilities Natanz nuclear research centre, some 300 kilometres south of capital Tehran. — AFP pic


How much does Iran have?

Iran has not informed the UN nuclear watchdog of the fate of its enriched uranium since the June attacks or let its inspectors return to the sites where it was stored.

The International ‌Atomic Energy Agency estimates Iran had these amounts when the first Israeli bombs fell on June 13:

• 440.9 kg enriched to up to 60 per cent
• 184.1 kg enriched to up to 20 per cent
• 6,024.4 kg enriched to up to ⁠5 per cent
• 2,391.1 kg enriched to up to 2 per cent

According to an IAEA yardstick, the amount at 60 per cent ⁠is enough, if enriched further, for 10 nuclear weapons. ⁠The 20 per cent stock would be enough for ⁠one and the 5 per cent could produce 12. How much has survived is unclear. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said his agency believes “a bit more than 200 kg” of the 60 per cent stock is stored at a tunnel complex in Isfahan that appears to have been largely unharmed by the June attacks. Some was also at the Natanz ⁠nuclear site, he said.


Why the concern?

US concern has been focused on the 60 per cent material because that would be easiest and thus quickest to make a bomb with. Washington wants it gone. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

As the enrichment level of uranium increases, it becomes exponentially easier to enrich further. Getting from 60 per cent to 90 per cent is easier than getting from unenriched to 5 per cent.

President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of a nuclear deal between Iran and major powers that kept Tehran at a far greater distance from being able to produce an atom bomb than it is at now. The US withdrawal in ⁠2018 caused the deal to unravel, and Iran quickly expanded its atomic programme.

Under that 2015 deal, Iran did not enrich beyond 3.67 per cent.

Even at 90 per cent, however, it takes more steps to produce the core of a bomb. When it is enriched, the uranium is in gas ⁠form. It must then be turned into metal for use in a weapon.


Can you move it?

Yes. Iran moved enriched material between sites under IAEA monitoring before the ⁠June attacks.

Under the 2015 ⁠deal and a precursor to it, Iran’s stocks of uranium enriched to up to 20 per cent were diluted or turned into reactor fuel plates and shipped out of the country.

Moving nuclear material like highly enriched uranium internationally is a sensitive but relatively routine procedure.

“It requires some precaution but it can be moved,” Grossi told PBS in March when asked about ‌the 60 per cent material.


Will Iran give it up?

Iran’s supreme leader has issued a directive that the 60 per cent material should not be sent abroad, two senior Iranian sources said last week.

Iranian sources say Tehran might agree to send half of it to a third country, receiving uranium enriched to 5 per cent in return, and dilute the other half inside Iran. — Reuters