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Iran still working to undo sanctions via diplomacy: Minister

Hossein Amirabdollahian and Ahmed Attaf

“I’d like to stress that we continue to be on the two paths of trying to render the sanctions ineffective and to have them terminated through diplomacy,” Amirabdollahian said at a press conference with Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf on Saturday.

Referring to the relations between Tehran and Algiers, he said the ties were at a desirable level and that talks would continue.

He said the two sides had agreed to waiver political visas first and then work to waive ordinary visas as well.

The Iranian foreign minister said bilateral relations would deepen in the fields of the science of new energy sources, agriculture, medical hardware, tourism, and industry and mines.
Amirabdollahian praised Algeria for thwarting Israel’s plan to join the African Union and to help return Syria to the Arab League.

He said he had also discussed Sudan and the latest developments in that country with Attaf.

The Iranian foreign minister said he had also earlier met with Sudan’s foreign minister and that they had agreed to reopen embassies.

Iran emerges as biggest crude steel producer in West Asia: Report

Steel industry in Iran

Iranian steelmakers produced 13 million tons of crude steel from January to May this year, registering a 2.2% rise compared with the corresponding period of last year.

Steel producers located in the Middle East, including Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, together produced a total of 18.7 million tons of steel during the period, up 1.1% year-on-year.

The world’s 63 steelmakers produced 786 million tons of steel during the same period, down 1.2%.

Countries located in Africa, including Egypt, Libya, South Africa and Tunisia, produced 2.6 million tons of steel, up 2.6% compared with the same period last year.

The steel output of countries in Asia and Oceania, including Australia, China, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, stood at 588.4 million tons, up 0.7%.

The 27 European Union countries produced a total of 56 million tons, down 10.4%.

The states located in “Europe, Other” region, including Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey and the United Kingdom, produced 16.6 million tons of steel, down 16.3% compared with the corresponding period of the preceding year.

North American countries, including Canada, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and the United States, produced 45.9 million tons of steel during the period, down 3.6%.

Steelmakers in the “Russia and other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries plus Ukraine” region, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine produced 36.9 million tons of steel, down 3.8%.

South American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, produced 17.1 million tons of steel, down 5.9% year-on-year.

Iran produced 30.6 million tons of crude steel last year and managed to maintain its place as the world’s 10th biggest steel producer.

In the meantime, the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO), affiliated to the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, stood in 20th place among the world’s top steelmaking companies.

Iran became the world’s second-largest sponge iron producer by producing 125,100,000 tons in 2022.

The country also produced 2.5 million tons of crude iron in 2022, 100,000 tons of which were exported overseas.

Iran security forces foil terror attack on Zahedan police station, kill all 4 assailants

Crime Scene

On Saturday, the terrorists tried to make their way into the police station in Zahedan, the capital of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan Province, but their attempt was abortive as Iranian security forces responded quickly.

Local officials said the attackers threw handmade grenades and engaged in a gunfight with the security forces.

In a statement, the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said four terrorists were involved in the attack, all of whom were killed in the operation.

Two members of the Iranian security staff also lost their lives in the clashes, the statement added.

Sistan and Baluchestan, which borders Pakistan, has witnessed many attacks targeting both civilians and security forces by terrorists who mainly sneak into the country from Pakistan.

On September 30, 2022, 35 people lost their lives as terrorists, taking advantage of a wave of unrest across Iran, launched armed attacks on several police stations and public places in Zahedan and set fire to an emergency health facility, and a bank, among other places there.

Palestine says reconstruction of Jenin, destroyed in Israeli raid, requires $15bln

Jenin

Mohamed Ziara noted a total of $15.5 million is needed to reconstruct buildings and roads in Jenin after the Israeli forces carried out a two-day aggression on the occupied West Bank city. He added that the damages listed by his ministry include buildings, roads and basic infrastructure like water and sanitation networks.

Ziara highlighted that the reconstruction process includes the complete removal of debris from four buildings at a cost of $1.5 million, partial damage to 25 buildings at a cost of $2 million, partial damage to 250 housing units at a cost of $2.5 million, and damage to 150 commercial and service buildings at a cost of $5 million, in addition to severe damage to a mosque at a cost of $1 million.

The Palestinian minister went on to say that Israeli forces bulldozed five kilometers of roads inside the Jenin refugee camp and $1.5 million is needed in order to repair them. Moreover, adjacent buildings which were partially damaged need to be fixed.

Ziara stated that teams from the Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing have immediately initiated a rescue plan to deal with the aftermath of the Israeli aggression by opening roads and securing collapsing buildings in order not to endanger citizens, and will continue until all these tasks are completed.

He pointed out that unexploded ordnance could be found across the camp, emphasizing that the ministry’s staff and civil defense teams are working to remove them safely.

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), has also appealed for support to help rebuild Jenin refugee camp devastated by two days of Israeli military assault earlier this week.

“The Israeli military operation of July 4-5 in Jenin was the most intense in over two decades. For many of the camp’s residents, it brought back horrific memories from 2002 when the camp witnessed one of the most severe rounds of violence during the Second Intifada (uprising). Families told my UNRWA colleagues that the situation made them feel helpless and frightened for their and their children’s lives,” said in a statement on Thursday.

He added that the camp sustained significant damage – the streets are full of rubble; electricity and water are cut in most parts of the camp and many houses have been destroyed.

“Today, we had to set up a temporary health center because a major part of the UNRWA health center was destroyed during the operation. The Jenin municipality, local authorities and the Palestinian Authority have started a massive clean-up operation to remove the rubble and clear the roads. However, I am extremely concerned that possible unexploded ordinances remain which place the lives of residents and humanitarian aid groups at risk,” Lazzarini stated.

“Right now, our priority is to restore basic services in the camp and to support those whose homes were damaged with emergency cash assistance. It is essential that we repair our own buildings and re-open four UNRWA schools which provide education for 1,700 children and a health center where residents get primary care. To make sure this happens, UNRWA is rapidly deploying more teams and assistance to support residents and the local authorities,” he pointed out.

The UNRWA commissioner-general stressed that his agency needs the support of its partners and donors to help rebuild and rehabilitate its structures and the homes of Palestinian refugees.

Israel launched the military campaign against Jenin in the early hours of Monday morning, mobilizing upwards of 1,000 troops as means of supposedly damaging the resistance “infrastructure” in the city and the refugee camp that it hosts.

At least 12 Palestinians and one Israeli trooper died as a result of the conflict, during which a steadfast Palestinian resistance response prompted the regime to pull out its forces after less than two days.

Israeli troops finally pulled back from Jenin following a 44-hour-long incursion.

Iraq probes kidnapping of Israeli academic

Elizabeth Tsurkov

A government spokesman said on Friday that they were waiting for the results of the investigation into the March kidnapping of the woman.

Tsurkov went missing after travelling to Iraq for research purposes on behalf of Princeton University, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Wednesday.

“Elizabeth Tsurkov is still alive and we see Iraq as responsible for her fate and well being,” it announced in a statement.

Tel Aviv added that Tsurkov was being held by Kataib Hezbollah.

In a statement on Thursday evening, Kataeb Hezbollah stressed it was looking into the fate of “Zionist hostage or hostages” in the country.

Tsurkov’s mother Irena said she had not heard from her daughter in two months.

Israeli citizens are forbidden from travelling to Iraq, which is considered an enemy state.

On her personal website, Tsurkov has stated that her research aims to “understand and convey” the views and experiences of people in the Middle East and “highlight abuses by powerful actors … in the region”.

The academic has more than 78,000 followers on Twitter and appears to have last tweeted in March.

Tsurkov is also a fellow at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, a Washington, DC-based research group, as well as a contributor to the News Line Magazine based in the US capital.

The magazine has called on the United States government to help secure her release.

3 Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers in WB

Israeli Forces

Two men, Hamza Maqbool and Khairi Shaheen, were killed during an early Friday morning raid in Nablus. A third, named as Abdul Jawwad Saleh, was shot by Israeli forces in the village of Umm Safa, which neighbours Ramallah, later on Friday.

The Nablus raid was described by some locals as an “invasion”.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society announced in a statement its crews “transferred the bodies of two martyrs from the Old City of Nablus”.

Israeli forces cordoned off the house before fatally shooting the men, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa. Three others were also injured.

In Ramallah, the 24-year-old Saleh was shot during a protest by Palestinians against an illegal Israeli settlement outpost, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Palestinians stated that the settlers threw stones at them, and that Israeli soldiers at the scene opened fire, shooting Saleh.

The Israeli military announced it was checking the report.

The incidents come less than two days after an Israeli army raid in the Jenin refugee camp that killed 12 Palestinians and wounded 140 others, 30 of them seriously.

The raid, which forced thousands to flee the camp which was left in rubble and ruin, was the largest Israeli attack in the West Bank in more than 20 years.

Israel has been conducting near-daily raids and killing Palestinians in the West Bank since June 2021 in an attempt to crack down on a growing armed resistance.

Lebanon mosque shooting leaves 2 dead

Lebanon Ambulance

The casualties took place after a young man started shooting randomly at worshipers with a military machine gun when they were leaving the Friday prayer at the mosque, Lebanese media reported.

Al-Mayadeen channel and the state-run National News Agency reported more gunfire broke out later between Lebanese troops and the gunman, adding that the shooter was wounded in the fire exchange and is currently in critical condition.

The reason behind the shooting in the eastern town of Bar Elias is under investigation but a security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, was cited by the news agency as saying that the two victims and the five wounded were all Syrian citizens.

The town is home to a large number of the one-million Syrian refugees who fled to Lebanon from their country’s 12-year foreign-backed militancy.

Syria has been in the throes of foreign-sponsored militancy since March 2011. While the Daesh terrorist group was crushed by the Syrian government, the militant groups continue to hold sway in some parts of the country under the patronage of Western powers.

Tehran’s streets host 10-km-long celebration march on Eid al-Ghadir

10-km-long celebration march on Eid al-Ghadir

Millions of people joined the celebrations in Tehran on Friday from Imam Hussein Square to Azadi Square to mark the anniversary of the day when Prophet Mohammad appointed Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Shia Imam, as his successor and leader of Muslims some 14 centuries ago.

Marching through the decorated and illuminated streets, the people sang eulogies and were served cold drinks, sweets and food.

Cultural and entertainment programs were also held along the designated routes for the festivity.

Some 1,300 stations were set up along the route to offer services to the participants.

Iranian media described the march in Tehran as the world’s largest Eid al-Ghadir celebration.

Large celebrations were also held on the streets in other cities and towns to mark the occasion.

China says to continue efforts to bring Iran’s nuclear deal back on track

JCPOA

Speaking at a regular press conference on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and its so-called maximum pressure campaign against Iran are the cruxes of the current situation vis-à-vis the agreement.

“China will continue to communicate and coordinate with relevant parties to bring the JCPOA back on track at an early date,” he stated.

The official added Beijing would safeguard the “authority and efficacy” of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorses the JCPOA.

China will “promote the political and diplomatic resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue,” the diplomat said, adding, “The most pressing task at hand is for all parties to resume full and effective implementation of the JCPOA through dialogue and negotiation, avoid taking any step that might escalate tensions or sharpen differences, and create conditions for diplomatic efforts.”

He underscored the importance of interpreting “accurately” and implementing “in its entirety” the relevant provisions of Resolution 2231

“This bears on the authority and efficacy of UNSC resolutions,” the spokesman said. He underlined that Iran responded to the US maximum pressure policy with countermeasures.

Iran proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear program to the world by signing the JCPOA, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, with six world powers. However, Washington’s exit in May 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the deal in limbo.

Multilateral diplomatic efforts to revive the JCPOA have been stalled since last August, with Iran blaming the United States for failing to guarantee that it will not leave the deal again.

Former US President Donald Trump pulled out of the UN-endorsed agreement in May 2018 and imposed what he called “maximum pressure” sanctions against Iran.

Iran has repeatedly announced that the JCPOA revival is possible if the US and the European signatories to the agreement have the will to reach that aim, warning that the opportunity will not last forever.

Iran executes 2 individuals behind 2022 terror attack at Shia shrine in Shiraz

Shah Charagh Terror Attack

Iranian media reported on Saturday that the pair were hanged in public early in the morning, after a months-long legal procedure over the case came to a close.

The two men had received death sentences in March after they were found to be “directly involved in the arming, procurement, logistics and guidance of the main perpetrator of the terrorist attack.”

Others were also handed down jail terms.

In late October 2022, a terrorist affiliated with Daesh launched a shooting assault at the compound of Shah Cheragh Shrine in Shiraz, Fars Province, killing over a dozen pilgrims and injuring some 40 others.

The gunman started shooting from one of the entrances of the shrine before heading to the main compound firing at pilgrims and staff.

The terror attack came as Iran was grappling with a wave of protests and riots in the aftermath of the death of a young woman in police custody.

Daesh claimed responsibility soon afterwards. Iran made several arrests in connection with the case.