Iran

[youlik]

Тегеран выдвинул Европе семь условий для сохранения ядерной сделки‍
23:40 23.05.2018

Translation
Tehran has put forward seven conditions for Europe to maintain the nuclear deal
23:40 23.05.2018
MOSCOW, may 23 — RIA Novosti. Iran's Supreme leader Ali Khamenei presented seven requirements to European leaders, in the implementation of which Tehran is ready to remain in the agreement on the atom, according to its official website.
"For the past two years, the US has several times violated the AGREEMENT (Joint comprehensive plan of action. — Primas'. ed.), while the Europeans remained silent. These three European countries (the European Troika — great Britain, France, Germany. — Primas'. ed.) must prove that they will not behave dishonestly and unreliably," — said in his Twitter.
Europe, according to the Supreme leader, should issue a resolution condemning the actions of the United States, should ensure that it will not raise the issue of the missile program and will not interfere in the regional policy of the Republic. He also demanded the sale of Iranian oil. In addition, according to him, European banks "should guarantee business transactions" with Iran.
"If the US manages to prevent the sale of our oil, we should be able to sell the desired amount of fuel. Europeans should compensate it in the form of guarantees and buy Iranian oil," he said.
In Iran, said that they do not need permission to develop defense
Khamenei also said that Europe should "oppose" us attempts to impose sanctions against Iran.
Us President Donald trump announced on may 8 that Washington is withdrawing from the agreement with Iran on the nuclear program reached by six international mediators (Russia, the US, Britain, China, France, Germany) in 2015. Trump also announced the restoration of all sanctions, including secondary (against other countries doing business with Iran), which was suspended as a result of the deal.
Тегеран выдвинул Европе семь условий для сохранения ядерной сделки

 

[Oxajil]

There've been some protests in Iran due to water shortages. What I'm hearing from some Iranian people in the West (who are buying BBC Farsi's propaganda and whatever shows up on their Telegram) that the government is doing very little to help the people when it comes to (clean) water. These people also told me about how the government is wasting money on Syria, when it could be spending it on the people. They're pretty much buying the MSM propaganda. And if you haven't seen it already, even Netanyahu said "Can you imagine what would happen if the Iranian government, instead of wasting your money on Syria, Yemen, and unnecessary wars in the Middle East, started solving these problems in Iran?" No comment needed

Regarding the water demonstrations in Iran's southwestern port city of Khorramshahr:

"...the initial protest over the issue of water salinity had been peaceful but that several "troublemakers" had taken advantage of the situation to wreak havoc, setting up bonfires and destroying public property at an intersection. ...

"Investigations show that those involved in unruly behavior were not residents of Khorramshahr and had come from other cities,"

"These individuals attacked stores and pharmacies with bats and sticks and created terror among the citizens by breaking glasses and burning part of the urban furniture. Some of the rioters were armed who fired in the air in several instances,

The governor assured that better quality drinking water will be on tap by Friday, calling on residents to practice self-restraint and ignore rumors being circulated on social media networks.

-Source

Interesting that the troublemakers came from other cities! As can be read, the govt is doing its best to provide good quality drinking water.

Now, journalist Vanessa Beeley mentioned something interesting in her tweet here that I wanted to share:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1013482973289730049

Notice the similarity with Iran now (taken from article mentioned in her tweet):

In light of this context, the article’s premise that the government “offered little help” is, at best, an unfair and inaccurate simplification of how the Syrian Government actually responded to the drought. At worst, it is an intentional and dishonest attempt to obscure the government’s evident attempts to solve the crisis and mitigate its impact. The reality is that the Syrian Government was simply overwhelmed by the scale of the drought (and its subsequent effects); it did not possess the ability – financial, logistical and otherwise – to respond adequately to it and did not receive sufficient funding from international donors to help account for this deficiency.

Of course, the Iranian govt is not perfect, which country is? The thing here is that media and political figures are using current circumstances there to support and push for some kind of 'regime change'. We all know what that means, and it is not for the benefit of the Iranian people!

 

[Ca.]

Joe Quinn on PressTV: Iran Summons French Ambassador Over MEK 'Govt-in-Waiting' Based in Paris -- Sott.net
PressTV Thu, 05 Jul 2018 08:14 UTC

https://twitter.com/x/status/1015480251407880192

Iran reiterates its commitment to nuclear deal — Lavrov
July 06, 18:36
The Russian top diplomat says Iran has once again pledged it will not abandon the nuclear deal despite Washington’s withdrawal from it
VIENNA, July 6. /TASS/. Iran has once again pledged it will not abandon the nuclear deal despite Washington’s withdrawal from it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday after a ministerial meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Vienna.

"Responding to the calls of all the other parties to the deal, Iran reiterated its commitment to the agreements committed to paper in the JCPOA. It means that Iran will continue to cooperate with the IAEA, i.e. what the others had called on it to do," he said

According to the Russian top diplomat, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that following the United States’ unilateral step towards actual breakdown of the deal his country had a formal right and an excuse to withdraw from the agreement as well, but Iran would not use it.

"I hope we will remain on these positions and, what is most important, Iran will keep on stocking to them," he added.

"Everyone has admitted that it is a substantial violation of the conditions that were agreed and actually allowed the tensions to be considerably lowered from the point of view of the military and political situation in the region, from the point of view of the strengthening of the non-proliferation regime and in the context of normalization of trade and economic ties with Iran," Lavrov said.

"Everyone agreed once more that Washington’s step had not been inspired by any other circumstances but the desire to politicize again the process, the situation around Iran and to set new conditions for Iran, which are not related to the problems existing around Iran’s nuclear program," the foreign minister said.

"Everyone agrees that this is an absolutely illegitimate practice, it cannot be taken for granted. However, this is a line of action that can hardly be changed. There is a serious fight ahead of us in the spheres of trade, economy and politics," the minister noted.

"We aim to develop such methods of maintaining trade and economic relations that would not create issues for economic operators of the countries that still form part of this deal," he added.

Published on Jul 7, 2018

 

[Ca.]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1025582298006257665

Netanyahu warns Iran against closing strategic oil route
2018-08-02
Attempts by Iran and its satellites to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait will be resolutely repelled by the international coalition involving Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday.

“If Iran tries to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, I am convinced that it will have to deal with an international coalition that is determined not to allow it. This coalition will include the State of Israel with all its military might,” Netanyahu said at a graduation ceremony at a naval school.

Earlier, Iran warned about the possibility of blocking oil supply routes through the Hormuz Bay, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea. However, the Iranian authorities did not mention the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The statement followed the halt of military operations in the Red Sea by the Yemeni Houthi movement, after a similar move by the Saudi authorities, which suspended the oil transportation across the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden until the security situation in the region improves.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located off the shores of Yemen, Djibouti, and Eritrea, connects the Red Sea with the Arabian Sea. The strait is one of the world’s major routes for the transportation of crude oil and other petroleum products.
Israel and Iran have a long history of trading accusations against each other.

Tel Aviv repeatedly blames Tehran for the alleged military presence in Syria and the alleged development of nuclear weapons, claiming that Iran is trying to undermine Israeli security.

Tehran denies the allegations, claiming that it is only sending military advisors and humanitarian aid to the Arab nation. Iran, in its turn, refuses to recognize the state of Israel.
ALSO READ 'Never, ever threaten the United States again' - Trump tweets to Rouhani

https://twitter.com/x/status/1021753857314045952

https://twitter.com/x/status/1025618596314132480

https://twitter.com/x/status/1025599747573338112

China Won’t Stop Buying Iranian Crude Oil Despite US Request | OilPrice.com
Aug 03, 2018, 1:00 PM CDT
Beijing has declined a request by U.S. envoys to stop importing crude oil from Iran, Bloomberg reports, citing unnamed sources in the know. While this is a major setback in President Trump’s quest of cutting Iranian oil exports to zero by November 4, Beijing, according to the sources, agreed to not increase its imports of Iranian crude.

U.S. officials are traveling around the world to persuade allies to suspend imports of Iranian oil ahead of the sanctions, but analysts doubt the push will be completely successful, as Iran’s return on international oil markets provided a very welcome diversity of oil supplies for buyers from Asia to Europe.

Iran, on the other hand, has warned the United States that Tehran would respond with “equal countermeasures” if the United States tries to block Iranian crude oil exports. “If America wants to take a serious step in this direction it will definitely be met with a reaction and equal countermeasures from Iran,” said foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi in early July.

Also in early July, the remaining signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, often called the Iran nuclear deal, declared their support for Iran in the face of the U.S. pull-out. The UK, France, Germany, Russia, and China assured Tehran that they will continue buying Iranian crude and maintain trade and investment relations despite the return of U.S. sanctions, although analysts are again skeptical that European oil companies will be able to conduct business in Iran after November 4. Indeed, French Total has already announced its withdrawal from the South Pars gas project after the State Department made a note of telling everyone concerned that no sanction waivers would be granted.

Besides China, Iran’s other top oil client, India, tried to make a stand initially, saying it would not honor Washington’s unilateral sanctions, but later Indian refiners started cutting back the amount of oil they purchase, citing concerns about their continued access to the U.S. financial market.

At the same time, however, Washington has softened its tone, saying that waivers may in fact be granted for some oil-dependent allies that are unable to quickly find a replacement for Iranian crude.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

#ساعت_6 #بحران_آب #درگیریIran Isfahan 2/8/18 clashes between protesters and riot police
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHR_soHR5ms

https://twitter.com/x/status/1024936052014895104

Meanwhile in Texas:
Coke, Meth And Booze: The Flip Side Of The Permian Oil Boom | OilPrice.com
Jul 29, 2018, 6:00 PM CDT

 

[Hi_Henry]

""Can you imagine what would happen if the Iranian government, instead of wasting your money on Syria, Yemen, and unnecessary wars in the Middle East, started solving these problems in Iran?" No comment needed "[Oxajil/QUOTE]

I could easily turn this around for the Iranian who said it.

"Can you imagine what would happen if the Western governments, instead of wasting your money on Syria, Yemen, and unnecessary wars in the Middle East, started solving their problems at Home?"

Iran and Syria are key nations in the geopolitical game. It has been this way for Centuries. Problem for the Anglo-Zionists is that Iran will not roll over on its back and Syria still has some strategic "friends" who do not want her to fall.

Some good analysis can be found here on the current situation,
SAKER

 

[Ca.]

Syriana Analysis Published on Aug 9, 2018
Yesterday, on the 8th of August 2018, the media office at the Syrian Presidency announced that the First Lady of Syria, Mrs Asmaa al-Assad began the initial stage of treatment of a malignant breast tumour which was discovered in its early stage. “Strongly, confidently and faithfully, Mrs Asmaa al-Assad started the first stage of treatment of a malignant tumour in the breast which was discovered in its early stage,” the office said on its Facebook page. Syriana Analysis prayers are with Mrs Asma Assad

https://twitter.com/x/status/1027518553220677634

https://twitter.com/x/status/1027518556756488193

https://twitter.com/x/status/1027570976970567681

https://twitter.com/x/status/1027349915398295554

 

[angelburst29]

July 31, 2018 - The Deep State's Long Enmity Toward the People of Iran
https://www.fff.org/2018/07/31/the-deep-states-long-enmity-toward-iranians/

The U.S. deep state’s hatred of the Iranian people goes back a long way, at least as far back as 1953. That was the year that the CIA, which was called into existence in 1947 when the U.S. government was being converted to a national-security state, targeted Iran with its first regime-change operation. And guess who paid the price for that operation. Yes, the people of Iran.

The Iranian Parliament had elected a man named Mohammad Mossadegh to be their prime minister. Mosaddegh would later be named Time magazine’s “Man of the Year.” As many government officials around the world have done, Mosaddegh nationalized the country’s oil industry, arguing that natural resources belonged to the nation.

The oil companies that bore the brunt of the nationalization were British-owned. Not surprisingly, they, along with British public officials, were livid over having the oil wells nationalized. British officials turned to the CIA for help.

The CIA asked President Truman for permission to initiate a coup to help the British oil companies, which the CIA knew would destroy the Iranian people’s experiment with democracy. To his everlasting credit, Truman said no. That didn’t stop the CIA however. As soon as President Eisenhower became president in 1952, the CIA renewed its request for a coup, arguing that Mossadegh was a “communist.”

Why did that make a difference? Because by this time, the U.S. deep state had launched its Cold War against America’s World War II partner and ally, the Soviet Union, which was run by a communist regime. Americans were inculcated with the fear that the communists were coming to get us, take over the federal government, and turn America Red. Thus, anyone labeled a “communist” automatically became a threat to U.S. “national security.”

Ike gave the go-ahead to the Iranian coup. In a brilliantly cunning plan, the CIA successfully toppled Mosaddegh but, surprisingly, left him alive. The CIA then vested the unelected Shah of Iran with total dictatorial power over the Iranian people. The Shah restored oil rights to the British petroleum countries.

The Shah’s regime was brutally oppressive, enforced by a national police-military-intelligence force called the SAVAK that was a combination of the Pentagon, CIA, NSA, and FBI. Trained and supported by the CIA, the SAVAK proceeded to subject the Iranian people to one of the most brutal and oppressive totalitarian regimes in the world. The U.S. government reinforced the oppression with money, armaments, and training.

For 25 years, the Iranian people suffered under the brutal dictatorship of the U.S.-installed and U.S.-supported Shah. That came to a screeching halt in 1979, when the Iranian people finally had had enough and decided to violently revolt against their U.S.-installed dictator.

While the Iranian people succeeded in their revolution, the problem is that they were unable to restore the democratic system that the CIA destroyed 25 years before. They ended up with another brutal dictatorial regime, this time a theocratic one.

The U.S. deep state has never forgiven the Iranian people for ousting its dictator, the Shah. As far as the deep staters are concerned, no one has the right to oust a U.S.-installed and U.S.-supported dictator from power, no matter how oppressive his tyranny is.

That’s what motivated U.S. officials to partner with Saddam Hussein — yes, that Saddam — the Iraqi dictator who they would later turn on and call the “new Hitler.” But this was back in the 1980s, when they were partnering with the “new Hitler” in his war against Iran. Still angry over what the Iranian people had done in 1979, all that U.S. officials wanted was for Saddam to kill as many Iranians as he could and, in the process, even defeat Iran and install another pro-U.S. dictator to run the Iranian government.

I sometimes wonder how many Americans realize that that’s when the United States furnished Saddam with those infamous weapons of mass destruction — the ones that would later be used as an excuse for turning on Iraq and launching a U.S. regime-change operation there. Back then, U.S. officials hoped that Saddam would use those WMDs to kill Iranians. (See “Where Did Iraq Get Its Weapons of Mass Destruction?” by Jacob G. Hornberger: Part 1 and Part 2.)

That’s what the economic sanctions on Iran are all about. For years, U.S. officials have targeted the Iranian people by using sanctions to inflict massive economic harm, even death, on them. The aim has been and is: Oust your dictatorship in another revolution and restore a pro-U.S. dictatorship in its stead or we will continue to squeeze the economic lifeblood out of you until you die.

That’s also why U.S. officials are now beating the war drums against Iran — to get the same type of regime change they got in in Iran in 1953 and in Iraq in 2003. They know that there is no way that the Iranian regime could stand up to the U.S. Air Force in a war. The entire country would be bombed, just as Iraq was. They would be killing not only Iranians who serve their government as soldiers but also wedding parties and other “collateral damage.” Killing tens of thousands of Iranians in the process of destroying their country would be considered no bigger deal than killing Iraqis and destroying their country.

Here is the thing that everyone should keep in mind: Neither Iran nor Iraq has ever attacked the United States. Iran is not over here. It is the U.S. deep state that is over there. The decades-long U.S. war against the Iranian people is just another reflection of what the conversion of the U.S. government to a national-security state has done to the morals and values of the American people.


16.08.2018 - State Department: US Mulls New Sanctions Against States Importing Iranian Oil
State Department: US Mulls New Sanctions Against States Importing Iranian Oil

The United States is determined to introduce secondary sanctions against countries that will continue to import oil from Iran
after Washington reintroduces sanctions on Tehran on November 4, US Department of State Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook told reporters on Thursday.

We are prepared to impose secondary sanctions on other governments that continue the sort of trade with Iran," Hook said. Hook emphasized that the United States hopes for full compliance by all countries and it is ready to assist them on a case by case basis.

"Our goal is to reduce every country's import of Iranian oil to zero by November 4, and we are prepared to work with countries that are reducing their imports on a case by case basis," he added.

On August 7, the United States imposed the first package of sanctions against Iran targeting the country's purchase of US dollar banknotes, trade in gold and other metals as well as transactions involving its national currency.

The second package is set to be introduced on November 4 that, among other things, aims to hit Iran's energy sector and oil exports.

The resumption of sanctions against Iran started in May when the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which is more commonly known as the Iran nuclear agreement.

The other parties to the nuclear agreement — the European Union, China, France, Russia, Germany, Iran and the United Kingdom — have expressed their continued commitment to the deal.

Earlier in August, the European Union released a statement saying it would protect any companies in its member countries who are doing legitimate business in Iran from the US sanctions.


17.08.2018 - Putin, Trump Agreed in Helsinki Iran Should Exit Syria - Reports
Putin, Trump Agreed in Helsinki Iran Should Exit Syria - Reports

On July 16, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first-ever summit meeting in Helsinki, Finland. Trump said they discussed the Syrian crisis at length and added that US-Russia cooperation there would save hundreds of thousands of lives.

According to a US administration official cited by Reuters, Trump's national security adviser John Bolton will discuss Iran's role in Syria during a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, in Geneva next week.

According to the senior US official, the two leaders agreed in principle during their summit in Helsinki that Iran should exit Syria; however, Moscow viewed that as a tough task.

The US official also told Reuters that Trump and Putin discussed arms control, including the New START treaty and the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, which banned nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 km (300 to 3,400 miles).

However, the official stressed that the leaders did not agree on a way forward on arms control, Reuters reported.

The US official said Trump has briefed Bolton, US State Secretary Mike Pompeo and US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman about his one-on-one meeting with Putin.

Bolton traveled to Russia in June. During his visit, he Bolton held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The sides exchanged views on pressing international issues, including the situation in Syria and Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment in early July on the claims that Bolton had asked Putin to make Iran withdraw its forces from Syria.

Both Russia and Iran, alongside Turkey, are the guarantor states of the Syrian ceasefire regime. There are Iranian-backed armed groups fighting on the side of Damascus in the war. Syrian President Bashar Assad has said, however, that no Iranian troops are operating on the Syrian territory.

 

[angelburst29]

Eric Zuesse has done some excellent research, providing sources, to explain, "Why Trump Cancelled the Iran Deal" which boils down to keeping the American Dollar - afloat. It's too long of an article to Post here but well worth - the read.

10.08.2018 - Why Trump Cancelled the Iran Deal

Introduction:

The following is entirely from open online sources that I have been finding to be trustworthy on these matters in the past. These sources will be linked-to here; none of this information is secret, even though some details in my resulting analysis of it will be entirely new.
It explains how and why the bottom-line difference between Donald Trump and Barack Obama, regarding US national security policies, turns out to be their different respective estimations of the biggest danger threatening the maintenance of the US dollar as the world’s leading or reserve currency. This has been the overriding foreign-policy concern for both Presidents.

Obama placed as being the top threat to the dollar, a breakaway of the EU (America’s largest market both for exports and for imports) from alliance with the United States. He was internationally a Europhile. Trump, however, places as being the top threat to the dollar, a breakaway of Saudi Arabia and of the other Gulf Arab oil monarchies from the U.S. Trump is internationally a Sunni-phile: specifically a protector of fundamentalist Sunni monarchs — but especially of the Sauds themselves — and they hate Shia and especially the main Shia nation, Iran.

Here’s how that change, to Saudi Arabia as being America’s main ally, has happened — actually it’s a culmination of decades. Trump is merely the latest part of that process of change. Here is from the US State Department’s official historian, regarding this history:
(Article continues.)

 

[fabric]

It's not too often I'll come across stories about what Iran is really like on the ground and find personal accounts by people who've been there fascinating to read. This one, I thought was quite good. A snippet:

Hello, and welcome to the real Iran!

Have you ever considered the possibility that almost everything that you have been told about the world by the Western mass media is a lie and fabrication?

I am sure you have, at least lately, when the insanity of Western propaganda is becoming very clear and obvious. But what about the extent of indoctrination you were subjected to?

If you live in Europe or North America, how poisoned are you by the lies about Cuba and Venezuela, Russia and China, North Korea and yes - about Iran? Are you beyond recovery? If you see the truth, if you were confronted by reality, would you still be able to recognize it, or would you perceive it as propaganda and lies?

I have just left Tehran, a city with a tremendous history and culture, overflowing with museums, theatres, wonderfully kept parks dotted with modern art sculptures. It is a city with modern and fully subsidized public transportation, consisting of high-tech metro, ecological bus ways, as well as suburban trains. A city of tall trees, and quiet squares, of elegant cafes, and extremely educated and kind people.

[continued here]

 

[JGeropoulas]

Just saw this very informative article: "BREAKING: DRILL GOES ‘LIVE’ – IRAN SEIZES CONTROL OF HORMUZ STRAIT, U.S EMPIRE STUNNED". Just last night I heard Pompeo make a remark just as this article describes--one completely downplaying what's happened. He said, the Iranians were just putting on a show to bolster public opinion in Iran, which is crumbling. I couldn't help but notice this momentous statement in this article:

"This marked a huge turning point in history, almost as if an alternate time-line had crossed into our own"

Here are highlights:

" The US... are hedging their reportage of this major event, the circulation of the news surrounding which will no doubt have an absolutely deleterious effect on the stock value of firms which US elites have invested in, whose military and financial interests are at odds with those of Iran.

In addition to this, we have seen media... has gone into overdrive, delivering the next round of ill-informed, reality distorting ‘regime change’ discourse regarding Rouhani. Their reportage exposes an deliberate aim to misinform the public.
They additionally make anachronistic references to ‘street opposition’, even while today there are no protests occurring in the Iranian Islamic Republic. What they fail to explain is that Rouhani is a ‘conservative-friendly reformist‘. His popularity and re-election just last May, with about 70% voter turn-out.

Today’s immense development cannot be overstated. The Strait of Hormuz is a water-way of tremendous significance, and Iran’s liberation of this passage, supported by the Chinese Navy stationed in nearby Oman, signifies the tectonic shift we have witnessed over the last five years. It was five years ago that the US’s military planners strategists came to the sober conclusion that they no longer had the force-projection ability, nor the international support, to strike Damascus directly with US or UK air force assets.

This marked a huge turning point in history, almost as if an alternate time-line had crossed into our own, one in which the US Empire was suddenly feckless and incapable of militarily defeating a 4th rate regional military power. In reality, the US military had been in terminal decline, along with its economy, as well-noted, by the neoconservative think-tank, the PNAC (Project for a New American Century) since 2000. "

BREAKING: DRILL GOES 'LIVE' - IRAN SEIZES CONTROL OF HORMUZ STRAIT, U.S EMPIRE STUNNED - Fort Russ

 

[angelburst29]

Russia Begins Operations in Syria: End Game for the US Empire?

Aug 27, 2018 - BREAKING: DRILL GOES ‘LIVE’ – IRAN SEIZES CONTROL OF HORMUZ STRAIT, U.S EMPIRE STUNNED
BREAKING: DRILL GOES 'LIVE' - IRAN SEIZES CONTROL OF HORMUZ STRAIT, U.S EMPIRE STUNNED - Fort Russ

FRN has been made aware that Iranian Revolutionary Guards Chief, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, just hours ago declared that Iran has fully liberated the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz from foreign and hostile subjugation. Iran had been conducting ‘drills’ in the area, beginning in mid-June, and supported by the Chinese Navy, when the drill went ‘live’.

 

[angelburst29]

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held a series of meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York before heading back to Iran on Thursday.

September, 27, 2018 - Iran’s President Wraps Up UN Trip with Host of Meetings
Iran’s President Wraps Up UN Trip with Host of Meetings - Tasnim News Agency


Rouhani had arrived in New York on Sunday to attend the 73rd UNGA meeting. Besides delivering a speech to the assembly, he held several meetings with his foreign counterparts and heads of major international organizations.

On the last day of his stay in New York on Wednesday, he held talks with President of Switzerland Alain Berset on a range of issues.

The Iranian president welcomed Europe’s decision to set up a payment system to allow oil companies and businesses to continue trading with Iran under US sanctions, calling for more serious efforts to implement that financial mechanism.

He also reiterated that Iran would keep honoring its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) should the remaining parties make up for the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement.

For his part, Berset praised Iran’s full compliance with the JCPOA, saying it is a duty to support Iran’s rights in the wake of US pullout from the nuclear accord.

He also emphasized the necessity for an effectual financial framework for continued trade with Iran.

In another meeting at the United Nations, Rouhani discussed political and economic issues with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe.

Praising the friendly and traditional relations between Iran and Japan, Rouhani said Tehran is open to Japanese investment in its energy projects and development of Iran’s southeastern port of Chabahar.

Abe also highlighted Iran’s constructive role in regional stability, saying Tokyo will keep cooperation with Tehran in various fields.

The Japanese leader also reaffirmed his country’s support for the Iran nuclear deal.

Elsewhere in the busy UN headquarters, the president sat with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

In the get-together, Rouhani described Italy as Iran’s top European trade partner, urging efforts to carry out the previous agreements and boost economic interaction between Tehran and Rome.

He also denounced the US dual policy towards Iran, saying Americans threaten Iran, but on the other hand offer negotiations. “Negotiations in such circumstances do not make sense.”

As regards the new wave of US sanctions on the Islamic Republic, Rouhani said Iranians have already dealt with harsher sanctions and will keep countering the US’ illegal and inhuman sanctions.

Conte, for his part, hailed the close economic and cultural relations between Iran and Italy, giving an assurance that his country would not allow the ties with Iran to be harmed despite the troubles the US has created for the nuclear deal.

Another highlight of the Iranian president’s tight schedule was a meeting with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

In the gathering, Rouhani urged the UN to do its duty to strengthen the international law in such a way that no country could arbitrarily violate international regulations and UN Security Council resolutions.

He also voiced Iran’s readiness to work with the UN on regional and international issues and in settlement of conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

Calling on the UN to take a more active role in delivering humanitarian aid to war-torn people of Yemen, Rouhani said Iran, Russia and Turkey have taken steps for establishing peace and stability in Syria and have prevented an outbreak of conflict and killing in the province of Idlib.

For his part, Guterres stressed the need for full implementation of the JCPOA, which he said is endorsed by the UN and the Security Council, adding that the sanctions against Iran are out of step with the UN decisions.

The Secretary General also assured Iran that the UN encourages Europe and the other partners to stand against the sanctions on Iran.

In a separate meeting, Rouhani and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro talked about ways to counter the US hostile policies.

Urging closer interaction among independent states to deal with the excessive demands of enemies, Rouhani voiced Iran’s willingness to boost ties with Latin American nations, including Venezuela.

Maduro, for his part, called for enhanced ties with Iran, saying the two states should promote cooperation in international circles like the UN and OPEC.

The Iranian president left New York for Tehran early Thursday.


September, 29, 2018 - JCPOA Serves Interests of Intl. Community, China Says
JCPOA Serves Interests of Intl. Community, China Says - Tasnim News Agency



China's foreign minister said the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers serves the interests of all parties and the international community.

Wang Yi told the UN General Assembly on Friday that the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was endorsed at the time by the global body's Security Council.

The agreement is still supported by China, Russia, France, Britain and Germany, and Wang said it "serves the common interests of all parties concerned and the international community at large."

He warned that if the deal is not implemented, "the international nuclear non-proliferation regime will be undermined" and the authority of the Security Council will be challenged, AP reported.

Wang called for talks to resolve the issue "through dialogue and consultation."


September, 29, 2018 - Moscow Says to Do Everything to Save JCPOA
Moscow Says to Do Everything to Save JCPOA - Tasnim News Agency



Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, saying Moscow will do "everything possible" to preserve the deal.

Delivering his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York, Lavrov said Trump's pullout from the deal was part of a dangerous trend of unilateral measures that risk damaging the post-World War II global order, AFP reported.

The top Russian diplomat emphasized that the US move was a breach of UN resolutions and a threat to stability in the Mideast while Iran keeps carrying out all its obligations.

In a statement last month, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow "continues to consistently implement its commitments under the JCPOA... We reiterate our decisive commitment to take all the necessary measures to preserve and fully implement the JCPOA."

US President Donald Trump announced in May that Washington was pulling out of the nuclear agreement which lifted nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran in exchange for restrictions on Tehran's nuclear program. The deal had been signed between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- plus Germany in 2015.

The US administration reintroduced the previous sanctions while imposing new ones on the Islamic Republic. It also introduced punitive measures — known as secondary sanctions — against third countries doing business with Iran.

A first round of American sanctions took effect in August, targeting Iran's access to the US dollar, metals trading, coal, industrial software, and auto sector. A second round, forthcoming on November 4, will be targeting Iran’s oil sales and its Central Bank.


September, 30, 2018 - Iran’s ‘Secret Atomic Warehouse’ or Metal Scrap Storage (+Video)
Iran’s ‘Secret Atomic Warehouse’ or Metal Scrap Storage (+Video) - Tasnim News Agency



Turquzabad district in southern Tehran where the Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called "secret Atomic warehouse" is seem to be actually a metal scrap storage.

Tasnim reporter visited the Turquzabad district in southern Tehran and talked to the people about the recent claimes raised by the Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said a secret warehouse existed in the district.

Neighbors of the warehouse were amazed by Netanyahu's foolish claims and found them hard to believe. They said the Prime Minister must have been misled or fooled because the building was nothing but a metal scrap storage.

"Somebody must have given him (Netanyahu) this information to make him fool," said one Iranian who owns a nearby carpet cleaning service. "There is nothing out of ordinary about this place.”

Since Netanyahu's speech at the UN General Assembly, Iranian high-ranking officials, such as Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his deputy Abbas Araqchi, dismissed Netanyahu’s claims and said that Israel is the only regime in region with secrets and undeclared nuclear weapons program as well as the fact that Israeli prime minister must have been fooled by his misled intelligence service.

The world Darquzabad which is a derivative from Turquzabad (the small village in Netanyahu's report) reminds all Iranians of a term used for "nowhereland" in Persian.

 

[goyacobol]

I wonder if this recent event will also give the U.S. neocons a jolt?

Iran 'gets revenge' for West's proxy terrorist attack in Ahvaz by launching missiles on ISIS in Syria


Sott.net
Mon, 01 Oct 2018 08:26 UTC


© Fars News (IRAN) / Reuters
Iran's Revolutionary Guards fire missiles during a war game
On the same day that Iran published videos of its navy harassing US aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf earlier this year, Russian media are reporting that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has:

​

It was a pretty spectacular show of force by the Iranians:

​

Tehran of course accused the US and its Gulf allies of enabling the carnage in Ahvaz, with President Rouhani calling the US a "sponsor" of the states that provided the terrorists with material and political support, while the IRGC vowed "a crushing and devastating" response - which has been duly delivered.

The missiles were launched at the last remaining ISIS pocket east of the Euphrates in southeastern Syria, which is surrounded by the Syrian Army to the west and the US-backed SDF to the east. This is the pocket that the US and SDF have been leaving alone in order to provide the pretext that because ISIS still exists in Syria, a US presence is still justified. They haven't done anything in months. Well, on the evening of the third anniversary of Russia's intervention in Syria, it looks like the Iranians are sending a message. Not only are they not going anywhere, they're actually fighting the terrorists the US is coddling.

Shooting at America's proxies in Syria is a smart countermove. Even though whichever ISIS positions were hit in eastern Syria probably had nothing to do with the parade attack, Iran is entitled to follow the standard set by everyone else and use that as cover to 'demonstrate deterrence' to the usual suspects by trying out its new, homegrown ballistic missiles.

Poor Syria; everyone's using it as a 'war game proving ground'. However, bombing some remote locations in the middle of the desert is better than the alternative - the risk of that relatively discrete war zone spilling over into a wider, less predictable, riskier regional war zone, which is why even the US-British-Israeli media will be directed by its bosses to tacitly accept Iran's narrative of 'avenging the terror attack' (by simply ignoring it, probably, or by referring to it obliquely as 'Iran threatening the whole region').
http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php

 

[sToRmR1dR]

I wonder if this recent event will also give the U.S. neocons a jolt?

Iran 'gets revenge' for West's proxy terrorist attack in Ahvaz by launching missiles on ISIS in Syria


Sott.net
Mon, 01 Oct 2018 08:26 UTC

IRGC Releases Images of Ground Zero after Missile Attack on Terrorists in Syria - Tasnim News Agency

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force released the photos of the sites used by terrorists that it annihilated in a recent missile and drone attacks inside Syria.

The IRGC Aerospace Force on Tuesday released the images its pilotless aircraft have taken from the ground zero during the recent missile and drone strike against the positions of terrorists in Syria.

On early Monday morning, the IRGC fired six mid-range ballistic missiles at the bases of Takfiri terrorists in an area east of the Euphrates in Syria in retaliation for a recent terror attack in Iran’s southwestern city of Ahvaz.

Following the missile strike, the IRGC flew seven combat drones and bombed the positions and strongholds used for accommodating and supporting the terrorists.

Commenting on the photos of the target zone, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said the eastern parts of the Euphrates and the bases of Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group are fully supported by the US forces and have a specific position.

Describing the Euphrates as a natural defense wall for the target zone in its western side, the commander said that area is also a no-fly zone and controlled by the US-led military coalition.

General Hajizadeh said employment of pilotless aircraft like Shahed-129 for aerial imaging at the moment of explosion could practically disclose the whole operation and make the US-led coalition help evacuate the target zone.

The IRGC utilized a different tactic to carry out the “Muharram Strike”, he added, saying the operation involved special intelligence tactics that allowed for a surprise attack on the commanders of Daesh.

The general concluded that the hybrid operation involved missiles and combat drones, noting that images of the ground zero reveal the great accuracy of the strike.

https://www.facebook.com/tasnimnews.english/posts/2135512946690861

 

[angelburst29]

October 17, 2018 - Iranian Security Staff unconscious when Kidnapped to Pakistan: Guards Chief
Iranian security staff unconscious when kidnapped to Pakistan: Guards chief | Reuters


FILE PHOTO: Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, attends a news conference in Tehran February 7, 2011. REUTERS/STRINGER/File Photo

A group of Iranian security personnel kidnapped on the border with Pakistan this week were unconscious at the time, the commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards said, following reports that they had eaten drugged food.

Iran’s Fars News agency also quoted Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari on Wednesday as saying that infiltrators had helped with the abduction of at least 10 staff to Pakistan on Tuesday.

Fars mentioned the reports of tainted food on Tuesday.

An Iranian separatist group called Jaish al-Adl said on Tuesday it had seized the personnel, which included members of the Guards, at the Mirjaveh border post in Sistan-Baluchestan province to avenge the oppression of Sunni Muslims in the area.

Iran’s Shi’ite Muslim authorities say militant groups operate from safe havens in Pakistan.

Jafari said what he called “enemies” had tried unsuccessfully in the past to occupy Iranian turrets or border posts. “This time they were able to carry out their operation by bringing in an infiltrating force,” he said.

“They were sure that as long as the fighters and defenders are alert, they cannot achieve their goal, so they were able to kidnap these individuals by making them unconscious.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif asked Pakistan to step up efforts to secure the border in a telephone call on Wednesday with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said Wednesday, according to Fars.

“(Zarif) requested increased seriousness of the Pakistani security and border forces in protecting the security of the borders of the two neighboring Muslim countries,” Bahram Qassemi said.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday both militaries were working to ascertain the whereabouts of the Iranians.

In previous cases of cross-border clashes, Iran has threatened to hit militant bases in Pakistan unless Islamabad took action.

However, the head of the Guards’ ground forces, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, said on Tuesday that Iran was ready to conduct joint military operations with Pakistan to release the kidnapped personnel.

In September, the Revolutionary Guards killed four Sunni militants at a border crossing with Pakistan, including the second-in-command of Jaish al-Adl.

Jaish al-Adl kidnapped five Iranian border guards in 2014, releasing four of them two months later after mediation by local Sunni clerics.


October 17, 2018 - Latest US Sanctions show disregard for Human Rights of all Iranians: Foreign Minister
Latest U.S. sanctions show disregard for human rights of all Iranians: foreign minister | Reuters

The United States’ latest economic sanctions against Iran display a disregard for the human rights of all Iranians, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday.

The U.S. Treasury on Tuesday sanctioned two Iranian banks and a handful of companies it says are linked to Iran’s Basij militia.

“Latest US sanctions violate 2 ICJ orders: to not impede humanitarian trade & to not aggravate the dispute. Utter disregard for rule of law & human rights of an entire people. US outlaw regime’s hostility toward Iranians heightened by addiction to sanctions,” Zarif said in a Twitter post.

By ICJ, Zarif was referring to the International Court of Justice.

Tensions between Iran and the United States rose after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from a multilateral agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme in May and re-imposed sanctions in August.

U.S. officials have said a new set of sanctions targeting Iran’s oil industry, will be imposed on Nov. 4.

“U.S. addiction to sanctions is out of control,” Zarif also wrote on Twitter.

He said in the tweet that one of the banks was vital for food and medicine imports and seemed to suggest it was not close to the militia - a volunteer force mainly involved in Iran’s internal security operations - without naming it directly.

“Iranian private bank key to food/medicine import is designated because of alleged EIGHT degrees of separation w/ another arbitrary target. In comparison, all humans on planet are connected by SIX degrees of separation. You do the math,” Zarif said on Twitter.

Earlier, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi railed against the “spitefulness” of the U.S. government in imposing the sanctions, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.

Renewed sanctions could shrink Iran’s exports of oil and other goods, leaving the rial currency more volatile and banks facing financial difficulties.

Protests linked to the economic situation in Iran erupted last December, spreading to more than 80 cities.

Sporadic protests, led by truck drivers, farmers and merchants, have continued since then and have occasionally resulted in violent confrontations with security forces.