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Expert: Upcoming visit by Russia’s deputy PM shows Moscow serious about Iran ties

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Valentinovich Novak

“He is the highest-ranking Russian official to come to Tehran to follow up on the Iranian President’s visit to Russia,” he explained.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Moscow in January and sat down for talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The two sides signed key cooperation agreements during the trip.

Eskandari said investment by Russian companies in the oil industry, cooperation in stabilizing the global oil market, serious cooperation in the framework of OPEC Plus, cooperation in the form of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, etc. indicate that they are willing to invest up to 50 billion dollars in Iranian oil and gas sectors.

One of the opportunities provided by Novak’s travel is massive purchase of wheat and oilseeds from Russia to meet the needs of the country as the world is facing a serious lack of wheat and oilseeds due to the Ukraine war and the widespread drought in the world, he added.

Iranians rally outside the Swedish embassy in Tehran

Iranians rally outside the Swedish embassy in Tehran

The protestors denounced what they called Sweden’s support of terror groups and also against the trial of former Iranian Judiciary employee Hamid Nouri in the European country.

The protesters were holding signs with some saying the MKO committed crimes in Iran in the 1980s.

Nouri is on trial on Sweden for alleged rights abuse during the same decade.

Nouri’s son has earlier said the court has focused on testimony given by dozens of anti-Iran individuals and members of the terrorist group Mojahedine Khalq Organization (MKO) who were each given plenty of time to testify against his father.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Monday accused Sweden of failing to respect the basic rights of Nouri.

Khatibzadeh said the court where Nouri has been put on trial is not eligible to do so. He also suggested that the Swedish government has taken Nouri hostage to force Iran into releasing Swedish-Iranian Ahmadreza Jalalin who has been convicted of espionage for Israel in Iran.

ICRC says ready to work with Iran to send aid to Yemen, Syria

Iran-ICRC

Robert Mardini, in a meeting with Ali Asghar Khaji, senior advisor to the Iranian foreign minister for special political affairs on Monday said the ICRC favors more bilateral cooperation with Iran to provide the people of Syria and Yemen with relief aid.

The ICRC chief also pointed to the presence of the organization’s office in Syria and its provision of services in the country.

Mardini noted that such aid should not be disrupted under the influence of political issues.

The senior advisor to the Iranian foreign minister for his part underlined that the political and security situation in Syria has improved compared to the past but the pressure of sanctions and economic problems continues to afflict people.

Khaji added that for this reason, the international bodies, particularly the ICRC, should pioneer in removing the sanctions and implementing UN Security Council resolution 2585 on the reconstruction of Syria’s infrastructure and they should step up their efforts to this end.

He also spoke about the complicated humanitarian situation of the Yemen people.

Khaji said now given that a countrywide truce is holding in Yemen, the ground has been paved for the removal of the siege of Yemenis, giving them aid, transferring patients to foreign countries via the Sana’a Airport and exchanging prisoners.

Tehran’s 18th International Exhibition of Flowers and Plants

Tehran’s 18th International Exhibition of Flowers and Plants

French envoy says trade between Iran, Europe standing at $6.5 billion

Iran Trade

He added that if other European countries that are not members of the EU are included, trade between Europe and Iran stands at 6.5 billion euros.

The French ambassador to Tehran added that the bloc tops the rest of the world in terms of helping countries to boost their trade and also in terms of establishing trade relations with world nations.

Thiebaud also said the EU is committed to good trade and economic relations with Iran and that eight million euros have been allocated to this project.

He stressed that the EU recently unveiled a 7-year cooperation strategy with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

According to the French envoy, as per the strategy, 87 million euros were allocated to various projects in Iran, including 7 million euros for trade cooperation projects.

Thiebaud voiced hope that the Vienna negotiations on the revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will pay off.

He said the EU is actively participating in the talks and it hopes to increase trade with Iran following the lifting of anti-Iran sanctions.

Iran’s leader: Knowledge-based companies must keep job opportunities alive

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei

In a meeting with a group of workers on Monday, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said experts and those who are cognizant about Iran’s internal issues confirm that the country has the potential to increase job opportunities and that Iran is capable of reducing joblessness drastically.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that one factor that can help keep the job opportunities alive is knowledge-based companies.

The leader said these companies can eradicate unemployment.

He said that officials can also make efforts to increase jobs, adding that this calls for some investment, intervention by the private sector and partial state management.

Ayatollah Khamenei voiced opposition to unwarranted imports of goods and said by unwarranted imports he meant importing goods from abroad while we have their equivalent that is of good quality.

The leader said, “This is a stab in the heart of domestic production”.

He maintained that following the Islamic Revolution in Iran, workers have shown that their national motives are brilliant and outstanding in all spheres, namely in the military, economic, and political areas.

Ayatollah Khamenei underscored that from the early days following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, adversaries of Iran began to provoke workers and this has continued to date.

The leader however said the working class rebuffed those who sought to portray workers as a symbol of popular protest and stood by the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic establishment.

What does a war of attrition in Ukraine mean for Iran’s domestic policy and international ties?

Russia Ukraine War

He noted that economically speaking, the soaring energy prices that have been shot up by the Ukraine war have been beneficial to not only Iran but other oil and gas exporting nations and these countries are in a better position.

He however noted that cheap Russian oil is a cause of worry because Moscow is selling crude at lower prices to circumvent Western sanctions and this will compound the situation a bit for the Islamic republic.

According to this international affairs expert, another key question is to what extent the Ukraine conflict could affect Moscow’s cooperation with the West over Iran’s nuclear program.

As for Russia’s ties with Israel, Ahmadi said it’s unclear if the Russians will continue their cooperation with the Zionist regime in Syria at the expense of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The political expert also said the evolution of the Ukraine conflict into a war of attrition can also impact the way Russia will cooperate with the West over Iran’s nuclear deal.

Ahmadi added that it’s unclear if Moscow will keep preventing the Iran-West ties from getting critical. He maintained that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot concede defeat in Ukraine because his fate is intertwined with the result of the war.

Khatibzadeh: Washington’s decision can easily lead to agreement in Vienna

Saeed Khatibzadeh

Saeed Khatibzadeh said in his weekly presser that messages between Iran and US are constantly being exchanged through the European Union and Washington’s decision can easily materialize an agreement in Vienna.

“The visit is being paid after the phone talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and EU Foreign Policy Chief Joseph Borrell. Seeing Borrell’s proposal, which was welcomed by Amir Abdollahian, it was necessary for a face to face meeting and consultation in Tehran to take place,” Khatibzadeh said on Mora’s upcoming visit.

The spokesman also talked about the visit by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to Tehran.

“Iran was one of the closes countries [to Syria] that helped in the triumph over extremism and terrorism in Syria, and it was natural for it to be a destination for consultations,” he said.

Khatibzadeh also said the Qatari Emir will pay a visit to Tehran in the near future. He said the visit “demonstrates the very close relations between Iran and its neighbors.”

He said the Iranian president will visit one of the neighboring countries of the Persian Gulf after the Qatari Emir’s travel.

The spokesman also touched on the case of Iranian national Hamid Nouri, who faces life imprisonment based on charges filed by Swedish prosecutors, and the allegations that it is connected with the case of Ahmadreza Jalali, an Iranian-Swedish national, who has been convicted of espionage in Iran.

“Reports by intelligence and security bodies show some western countries and Israel helped Jalali in his espionage operation, and unfortunately, the basic rights of Nouri have not been respected and the court has not been competent… The Swedish government should not think Jalali’s case will be overlooked with such attempts to hold this issue to ransom,” he said.

Khatibzadeh also mentioned the negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. He said there have been no new developments after the previous round of talks in Baghdad, adding that an agreement has been reached and Iran hopes it can be implemented.

Khatibzadeh also touched on the escalating terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. He said Iran is “concerned” about the situation of the people of Afghanistan.

“Unfortunately, we are witnessing a rise in extremism and we were ready to help the current ruling group in Afghanistan to fight terrorism,” he said.

He also talked about the visit by the UN Special Rapporteur on Unilateral Coercive Measures to Tehran to examine the damage from the sanctions.

“She will hold meetings with civil and elite groups, NGOs and organizations and personalities, as requested by herself and based on prior coordination,” he said.

Iran rolls out free measles vaccination for Afghan, Pakistani migrants

Afghan Refugees in Iran

Director of the Ministry’s Preventable Diseases Department Mohsen Zahraei says illegal Afghan migrants are worried that they would be arrested and returned to their country if they try to get their children vaccinated, while others are concerned about the costs.

Zahraei said this has led to the spread of measles, especially among the Afghan population that has flooded Iran.

“Thanks to a good coordination with the Interior Ministry, Afghan and Pakistani nationals can visit all health centers, irrespective of their legal or illegal residence in Iran, and get their children vaccinated against the measles and other diseases,” he said.

“Most of those suffering from measles are under 10 years old. It is necessary that all families get their children in the 12 to 18-months age group vaccinated against the measles.”

The official added that the World Health Organization has commended Iran for succeeding in getting the measles eliminated despite affected neighboring countries.

Zahraei stressed that this is an achievement that should be protected.

He said, to that end, the health ministry has identified 3,000 cases suspected of having the measles in a month, but the number of infections is on the rise with120 cases confirmed by early last week.

He warned that the measles is even more contagious than the coronavirus and takes the lives of 1 to 5 percent of the affected population in the countries, where it is spread.

Iran urges nationals to leave Moldova

Moldovan police officers

The Embassy issued a statement, saying, “Given that the war in Ukraine has dragged on and it’s likely that war will spill over into Trans-Dniester in the republic of Moldova, all dear Iranians are strongly advised to leave the region ASAP”.

The statement also said the Iranians whose stay in Moldova is not necessary had better leave the country quickly.

The Iranian Embassy in Ukraine also wished health and happiness for all Iranians, especially those in Ukraine and Moldova.