Thursday, January 1, 2026
type here...
Home Blog Page 1901

Greece releases seized Iranian oil tanker despite US pressure

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Oil Tanker

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) said a Greek court ruled that the tanker and its crude cargo must be returned to the owner, and that the Athens government acted on the verdict.

The tanker was released in defiance of Washington’s order for Greece to confiscate the tanker and a treaty between Greece and the US on mutual legal assistance, the statement added.

A diplomatic row erupted between Athens and Tehran after the latter seized the Iranian tanker in the waters nears its coast citing “sanctions.”

It was reported later that the oil cargo of the vessel, estimated to be 700,000 barrels, had been transferred to the US.

Iran slammed the US seizure of the Iranian oil cargo from a Russian-operated ship in Greece as an “act of piracy” that was “in violation of international standards.” It also pledged punitive measures against Athens.

In a tit-for-tat move in May, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) seized two Greek oil tankers in the Persian Gulf over violations of maritime regulations in the Persian Gulf.

Iranian FM: New package proposed to resolve differences at Vienna talks

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iran FM Hossein Amirabdolahian

Amirabdollahian added that the US insisted on the approval of the recent resolution against Tehran at the IAEA with the aim of exerting pressure on Iran and extracting concessions from the country. He described the resolution as hollow.

The top diplomat also said Iran intensified its nuclear activities while notifying the IAEA of its move before the approval of the resolution at the Board of Governors.

He noted that despite this, Iran will not shy away from talks and it’s exchanging messages with the other side through EU Foreign Policy Chief Josef Borrell and his deputy Enrique Mora.

Amirabdollahian said during the exchange of messages with the US and also through the talks with the P4+1 group, Iran proved that it is open to talks, acts logically and is ready to reach a good, robust and lasting agreement.

Amirabdollahian also spoke about the situation in Yemen. He said Iran supports the continuation of the truce in Yemen and wants the siege of the country to be completely lifted.

He further called for talks between Yemeni factions to resolve their differences.

Iran Pakistan FMs Hossein Amirabdolahian & Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
Joint press conference between Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian (R) and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (L) in Tehran

On the Palestinian issue, the foreign minister underlined the need for the formation of a Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital.

He expressed hope that in the face of provocative moves by the fake Zionist regime, Muslim nations maintain their unity.

Amirabdollahian also reaffirmed Iran’s policy to support the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

He voiced hope that Afghanistan will move toward peace and stability.

Iran MP: Future of Vienna talks depends on US decision regarding sanctions

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Vienna talks

Abolfazl Amouei said if the US seeks to keep in place anti-Iran sanctions, the negotiations will get nowhere.

Amouei however noted that if the other side is ready to lift the bans, the talks will produce results quickly.

He also referred to the IAEA’s recent resolution against Iran, calling it politically-motivated.

The MP said the resolution also ignored Iran’s technical cooperation with the UN atomic agency and judged it in a biased way.

Amouei said the Vienna talks are not directly tied to cooperation with the IAEA but if the ambiguities caused by the agency are not resolved, no lasting deal will be reached in Vienna.

Talks between Iran and the P 4+1, namely Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany over the revival of the Iran nuclear deal have suspended due to what Iran calls the US excessive demands.

Iranian official: Export natural gas to Turkey rather than Iraq

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iran Gas

“Instead of exporting natural gas to Iraq and not being able to get its money, we can export the gas to other destinations like Turkey,” Hamid Hosseini said in an interview with ILNA, the Iranian Labor News Agency.

“I have not information on the process of natural gas export to the country [Iraq] after it was reduced due to non-payment of debts, but past experience has shown that we should insist on our claims after exports to this country.”

Hosseini added that Iraqis will continue to hesitate about payment of their debt if Iran ever tries to compromise with them.

“We should not worry about extension of contracts with this country because they have no source to supply them with natural gas other than Iran… Currently, Ankara is ready to import [our] natural gas during summer with a higher price,” he said.

The official noted that Iran is under no obligation to export to Iraq while it keeps ignoring payment of its debts.

Iran: No undeclared nuclear material

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iran nuclear program

Iran’s atomic organization has translated the full text of its response to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s allegation to Persian to shed light on Iran’s activities at three locations, singled out by the IAEA, for the public.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi in a report accused Iran of withholding information regarding the storage of nuclear material at the locations.

In response, Iran provided technically credible explanations regarding the alleged presence of uranium particles in Turquz Abad, Varamin, and Marivan.

Grossi’s report and his controversial visit to Israel to meet the regime’s authorities ahead of the recent meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors triggered Iran’s outcry. The UN nuclear watchdog approved an anti-Iran resolution during the meeting of the board of governors.

Iran slammed the body for adopting the hostile resolution and warned the move will have serious consequences.

Iran culture minister: MOU with Iraq seeks to remove obstacles to land travel

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iranian pilgrims Iraq

Under the two-year agreement that is set to be automatically renewed by mutual consent, the two sides will provide visa facilities to each other’s tourists.

They will also exchange banking rules aimed at facilitating investments in their tourism and relevant infrastructure sectors, including for construction of hotels.

During the meeting the Iranian minister said the agreement is part of efforts to remove obstacles to land travel that would allow Iranian tourists visit Iraq in their own vehicles all year round.

Ezzatollah Zarghami & Hassan Nadhem
Iranian minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts Ezzatollah Zarghami (R) and Iraqi minister of culture, tourism and antiquities Hassan Nadhem (L)

“There is no prohibition concerning air tourism … This memorandum reiterates the need for removal of all obstacles to land tourism over the year that is not limited to Arbaeen. In this regard, the Touring and Automobile Club is providing the needed infrastructure to issue license plates,” Zarghami said.

The minister added that Iran is after registering the “unique” Arbaeen march — which brings tens of millions of pilgrims to Iraq every year — with the United Nations as the largest human gathering in the world.

He expressed hope that Iran and Iraq can also recognize travel agencies of each other so that they manage all travels between the two countries, which he said would boost their economies and help them create more jobs.

Hassan Nadhem, in turn, underlined the significance of his visit to Iran, saying both sides have prepared common plans and projects in the fields of art, culture and tourism.

He also underscored the importance of Arbaeen march in helping boost cultural relations with Iran.

Iran judiciary asks UN to hold Germany, Belgium accountable for diplomat’s ‘illegal’ trial

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Belgium Court
A Belgian police officer stands guard at the entrance to the Antwerp courthouse

Kazem Gharibabadi, secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, in a letter to the United Nations, asked for a probe into the human rights violations against Assadollah Assadi, who was arrested in 2018 on trumped-up terror-related charges, and called for his immediate release.

Belgium said that the country’s police had intercepted a car allegedly carrying homemade explosives and claimed that Assadi had handed the materials to two people in Belgium earlier.

Belgium handed Assadi a 20-year prison sentence.

In the letter, Gharibabadi argued that Germany and Belgium, as signatories to several human rights protocols, including European Convention on Human Rights, have grossly violated the conventions by arresting Assadi and denying him his basic rights.

Iran says the verdict against the diplomat was issued based on flimsy evidence and has slammed the case as politicized.

Iran-flagged tanker carrying crude reaches Venezuelan waters

By
IFP Media Wire
-
Venezuela PDVSA

The cargo is the third of Iranian crude supplied by Iran’s Naftiran Intertrade Co (NICO) to Venezuela’s state-run oil firm PDVSA following a supply contract providing the South American nation with lighter crude. Venezuela has been processing the Iranian oil in its refineries.

The Suezmax tanker Sonia I, which departed from Iran’s Kharg Island port in early May, touched waters close to Venezuela’s Amuay refinery on Saturday, according to an official notice of its arrival and Refinitiv Eikon vessel data.

Other two Iran-flagged tankers, the very large crude carriers (VLCCs) Dino I and Silvia I, had arrived last month at Venezuelan ports carrying the first cargoes of Iranian crude for Venezuela. They later loaded Venezuelan heavy oil and fuel for Iran in exchange, according to the tracking data and PDVSA’s schedules.

Defying US sanctions on both nations, Iran has since 2020 sent fuel to Venezuela and helped in refinery repairs.

The contract signed by state companies from the countries in May covers refurbishing and expanding PDVSA’s 146,000-barrel-per-day El Palito refinery, and it also widened a swap deal agreed last year to exchange Iranian condensate for Venezuelan heavy crude.

On Saturday, Iran and Venezuela signed a 20-year cooperation plan in Tehran, with leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei saying the allies would continue to resist pressure from Washington.

The plan covers cooperation in the fields of oil, refining, petrochemicals, defense, agriculture, tourism and culture. It also included the delivery of the second oil tanker built by Iran’s SADRA shipyard for Venezuela.

Iran president accepts labor minister resignation, caretaker appointed

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iran Presidents Ebrahim Raisi

Spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said Abdolmaleki’s resignation was submitted to the president on Monday and has been accepted.

Jahromi said Abdolmaleki will continue to work with the government as a presidential advisor.

The spokesman said Mohammad Hadi Zahedivafar, who is currently deputy first vice president for economic coordination and supervision, has been appointed as caretaker labor minister.

Abdolmaleki announced his resignation amid controversy over his handling of the raises approved by the parliament for the retirees.

In his resignation letter to President Ebrahim Rasisi, Abdolmaleki said he is leaving to help “increase coordination” in the government.

Abdolmaleki is the first minister in Raisi’s cabinet to leave office, and resigns after being at the helm for just 300 days.

South Korea says discussing Iranian frozen funds with US

By
IFP Media Wire
-
South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin

Speaking in a joint press conference with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday, Park stated that South Korea wants to have a mutually beneficial relationship with Iran; however, there are some obstacles regarding Iranian funds frozen in South Korea due to US sanctions.

“Korea will discuss it with Iran and also with the United States,” he added.

He also expressed hope that the issues surrounding the negotiations on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal would be solved as soon as possible.

“If that happens then I think that these obstacles could be fixed as well,” Park went on to say, adding that more diplomacy and dialogue with Iran is needed to have a positive result out of the negotiations on the nuclear issue.

US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley said in a tweet that he had a call with South Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Cho Hyundong, adding that Washington and Seoul were “committed to coordinating our efforts across a wide range of shared interests on Iran.”

Iran is one of the main oil suppliers for South Korea and imports industrial equipment, home appliance, and car parts from this country.

South Korea has failed to pay its debt regarding the 7.8 billion dollars of oil it bought from Iran in 2017. Seoul has also stopped buying Iran’s oil as a matter of enforcing US sanctions, but Iran has said that it constituted a violation of international law.

1...1,9001,9011,902...5,135Page 1,901 of 5,135

© All Content by IFP News ( Iran Front Page ) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Us

Popular Articles

Editor Picks