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Iraqi official: Iran-Saudi talks to result in reopening of embassies

Al-Araji described the talks as very important. He underlined Iraq’s neutrality, saying Baghdad will take no side in conflicts between other countries nor will it let its soil be used for attacks against neighbors. 

Iran and Saudi Arabia have so far held four rounds of talks in Baghdad. 

Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in January 2016 following an attack by Iranian protesters on its embassy in Tehran during a demonstration against execution of Sheikha Baqer Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia cleric, in the kingdom.

Al-Araji also added that there are important clues about some parties that attack diplomatic missions and military bases in Iraq for money. 

The Iraqi official also spoke of his country’s efforts in the fight against terrorism. Al- raji said Iraq was involved in the US killing of the leader of the Daesh terror group in Syria on Wednesday. 

He stressed that Daesh has been weakened due to the death of its leaders, so it is trying to help its members flee prisons by attacking and destroying detention centers and camps.

Russia: Nuclear talks at final stage, determination required

“After a short break the Vienna Talks will resume tomorrow,” Russia’s chief negotiator Mikhail Ulyanov wrote on Twitter on Monday.

“Negotiations seem to be at the final stage which requires determination and energetic efforts from all participants to get to the destination point, i.e. full restoration of JCPOA, including sanctions lifting,” he added.

European Union deputy foreign policy chief Enrique Mora has also said nuclear talks will resume Tuesday in Vienna, and there is a need to swiftly conclude the negotiations.

“The 8th round of Vienna talks will resume tomorrow in Vienna. We need spirit of compromise to take us back to full implementation. In view of different undesirable trends undermining the JCPOA, there is a need to swiftly conclude these negotiations,” he wrote on Twitter on Monday.

Earlier, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani rejected any agreement with the P4+1 in Vienna that does not lead to the removal of anti-Tehran sanctions.

“The agenda of the Iranian negotiators for the continuation of the eighth round the [Vienna] talk has been carefully laid out,” Shamkhani said in a tweet.

“An agreement under which, the maximum pressure campaign [of the US] is not ended will make the economy of the country conditional, and cannot be the basis for a good agreement,” he added.

Over the past days, negotiators have been preparing a draft agreement and reviewing outstanding issues. Almost all parties involved in the discussions say they are complicated but moving forward. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has also stated Tehran is waiting for Washington to change its behavior in practice.

Speaking at his weekly press briefing on Monday, the spokesperson stressed that all statements about positive talks must now translate into action.

Khatibzadeh noted that Iran is after a good and reliable deal in Vienna and the US must pay the price for violating the Iran nuclear deal and UN Security Council Resolution 2231. 

He urged the European parties to the talks to end their inaction regarding the US violations.

Taliban reject UN report over Al-Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in a press release on Monday said these ungrounded claims that are based on no evidence and proof can harm the security of Afghanistan, the region, and the world.

The United Nations in their recent report claimed that the Al-Qaeda affiliates are more active in Afghanistan and they are freely operating inside the country.

The foreign ministry added that Afghanistan has fully been secured after the IEA gained power last year.

“Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is fully committed to the implementation of the Doha agreement and allows no one to threaten other’s soil from the country and wants the same from other countries as well,” reads the statement.

As per the press release, the IEA as a responsible government uses its all possibilities to ensure security, stability, and peace in the region and the world.

Shamkhani: Any agreement in Vienna must lead to removal of sanctions

“The agenda of the Iranian negotiators for the continuation of the eighth round the [Vienna] talk has been carefully laid out,” Shamkhani said in a tweet.

“An agreement under which, the maximum pressure campaign [of the US] is not ended will make the economy of the country conditional, and cannot be the basis for a good agreement.”

His comments come ahead of the scheduled resumption of the talks on the 2015 nuclear deal in Vienna on Tuesday.

Over the past days, negotiators have been preparing a draft agreement and reviewing outstanding issues. Almost all parties involved in the discussions say they are complicated but moving forward. 

The eighth round of the Vienna negotiations began on January 25. Iran has used the talks to convey the message that an agreement will be hastened if other parties show the will to remove unilateral sanctions against the country and offer the needed guarantees that the US will not renege on its relevant commitments again.

Iran says expects US in Vienna with sanctions lifted

Speaking at his weekly press briefing, Khatibzadeh also said all negotiating teams will return to Vienna on Tuesday and the US delegation is expected to come to the Austrian capital with a clear agenda to remove anti-Iran sanctions.

He added that all statements about positive talks must now translate into action. 

Khatibzadeh noted that Iran is after a good and reliable deal in Vienna and the US must pay the price for violating the Iran nuclear deal and UN Security Council Resolution 2231. 

Khatibzadeh urged the European parties to the talks to end their inaction regarding the US violations. 

He also spoke of talks with Saudi Arabia. The Foreign Ministry spokesman thanked Iraq for its efforts to mediate the negotiations. He also said Tehran is ready for more talks but the continuation of the negotiations is contingent upon Riyadh’s decision. 

The Foreign Ministry spokesman also responded to a question about the conviction of three members of the al-Ahvazieh anti-Iran terror group in Denmark.

He said it’s regrettable that European countries give sanctuary to these groups while their governments are aware these cells are engaged in acts of terror in Europe and have links to Saudi Arabia.

German chancellor: Reaching a deal depends on Iran;Tehran rejects idea

“It depends on Iran. We gave them a clear message that now this is the time for decisions and for progress, and not for prolonging the process,” Scholz stated in an interview with The Washington Post. 

“We will not accept the ability of Iran of having a nuclear bomb that can be used. This is the decisive moment, and we hope that they will use the chance. We have not too much time left. Because we know about the progress of the nuclear program of Iran,” he added. 

 

Responding to a question over discussing with Iran over its defense programme and ballistic missiles, the chancellor noted western powers have a lot of questions to tackle when looking at Tehran. 

“I think we all know that we have a lot of questions to tackle when looking at Iran. We are now discussing how to deal with this [nuclear] agreement, and if there is a future which will have a good impact on peace and the situation over there. So it is absolutely critical that we now hear if Iran is willing to solve the problem,” he continued. 

Tehran has rejected calls for wider negotiations over its military activities and missile defense program, stressing it would only discuss over its nuclear program with world powers. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has said Tehran is decisively and explicitly after a good deal with the P4+1 group but it also insists on safeguarding its red lines and national interests with the same level of decisiveness and explicitness. 

Amir Abdollahian made the comment in a telephone conversation with Josef Borrel, EU Foreign Policy Chief and lead coordinator of the Vienna negotiations, over the trend of the ongoing negotiations in the Austrian capital. He noted, the nuclear deal has unfortunately provided no economic benefits for Iran in recent years. 

The Iranian foreign minister added, “We will reach a good deal only if it realizes our economic interests sustainably and reliably.” 

Amir Abdollahian also once again stated that Iran is determined to reach a good deal and to this end, it will remain in constant and close contact with the EU. 

Iran insists that the talks must lead to the removal of all American sanctions that were imposed against Tehran following Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the landmark agreement in May 2018. Tehran has also demanded credible guarantees that Washington will not abandon the deal again. 

 

Young woman murder triggers flurry of reactions in Iran

The murder took place on February 5 and the murderer was filmed parading the severed head of his wife in the streets of Ahvaz. 

The footage of the incident was published by Iran’s Rokna News Agency. The agency was handed a temporary closure notice on Sunday for publication of the footage, in response to “public demands” for officials to ensure such acts of violence are not promoted in the society. 

This comes amid public outrage and a flurry of reactions on social media against the murder and the handling of the situation. 

Some called on officials to steer away from their focus on security issues and focus on a cure for cultural wounds such as “wrong” honor traditions in such areas as Ahvaz. 

There were also other tweets condemning the publication of the footage online as “another threat against women” by normalization of violence against them. 

These were posed against others, who said censoring such acts of violence will help them perpetuate. 

Ahvaz prosecutor Abbas Hosseini Pouya says the murderer, who is the 17-year-old girl’s husband, as well as his brother-in-law, who is a proxy to the murder, have been arrested. 

Hosseini said the murder was an honor killing after the girl escaped to Turkey and sent her husband images from herself that angered the husband. 

The prosecutor said the girl was brought to Iran by her father before her husband, helped by her brother, moved to kill her. 

“Definitely, we will hold those involved to account, as in addition to the murder, severing this woman’s head in public is also a crime,” Hosseini said. 

He added that publishers of the footage of the murder will also be held to account.

Israeli PM discusses Iran, Russia with Biden

“The President thanked the Prime Minister for his invitation to visit Israel and said he looks forward to a visit later this year,” the White House announced in a statement about the call.  

During the call, the leaders also “discussed the recent US operation against the Daesh leader in northwestern Syria and the ongoing US commitment to protect the American people and support the defense of its partners across the Middle East region.” 

The White House’s statement also added that Biden also voiced “his administration’s full support for replenishing Israel’s Iron Dome system”.  

The leaders also spoke about the potential for Russian aggression against Ukraine and other matters including “the threat posed by Iran and its proxies.”   

KAN has recently reported a US military official was present during an Israeli simulated drill preparing for an assault on Iranian nuclear facilities using dozens of warplanes. 

Held in mid-January, the classified exercise envisioned a “massive” strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities and played out multiple scenarios, including mid-air refueling, responding to anti-aircraft munitions, and performing long-range attacks. An unnamed US Air Force officer allegedly attended the drill as an observer, the outlet added, noting that the official’s presence was unusual for this type of exercise. 

Tehran says Israel is well aware of Iran’s capabilities and capacities and its own limited capabilities as well as the fact that the Islamic Republic does not compromise or joke about its national security. 

In late December, Iran simulated an attack on the Zionist regime’s nuclear facilities known as Dimona during extensive military drills. 

Iran has stressed that the recent wargames were intended to send a warning to Israel. 

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami stated after the exercises that Iran will cut off the hands of enemies if they make a wrong move and that the distance between actual operations and military exercises is only a change in the angle of launching the missiles. 

Major General Mohammad Bagheri has also noted the exercise made it clear that Israel’s Iron Dome system can be defeated and penetrated if a barrage of missiles is fired from different directions at a target at once. 

The top Iranian general described the drill as one of Iran’s most successful military exercises. 

Iran’s ballistic missiles have a range of 2,000 km and the entire occupied Palestine and US bases in the region are within their reach.

Former Iran MP: Talk of 90% uranium enrichment highly suspicious

Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh، head of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission، added that portrayal of a dispute which is about to be resolved as a threat is questionable. 

Falahatpisheh, in an interview with Tehran-based Ensafnews website, added that 90% enrichment means Iran is seeking a nuclear weapon while the Islamic Republic is in fact not after nukes at all and it has stated time and again that such WMDs have no place in its defensive doctrine. 

He noted any statement that would depict the Islamic Republic as pursuing its nuclear program for military purposes will be detrimental to the country and the Iranian people will bear the brunt thereof. Falahatpisheh said anyone who brings Iran a step closer to detente is the nation’s servant. He added, , “I believe that before Iran suffers losses, we should avoid new tensions and welcome an agreement that could benefit the country because the two main parties to the nuclear deal, namely Iran and the United States, are most eager to reach an agreement”. 

Falahatpisheh suggested that all signs now show Iran and the P4+1 group are on track to reach an agreement in the Vienna talks. 

The former lawmaker however warned that some quarters inside Iran feed off tensions and maintain their interests and posts by imposing security-based policies on the country. 

Falahatpisheh also supported the idea of negotiations with the US. He said other sides like Europe, China and Russia are using Iran’s refusal do so as a card to their own advantage.

The former Iranian MP noted that the European troika has now taken a tougher line on Iran than the US itself and Russia is also using the Iran-US tension as card in its showdown with the West over Ukraine.

Biden Iran envoy says returning to Vienna in hope of saving JCPOA

“President (Joe) Biden still wants us to negotiate in Vienna,” Malley told MSNBC in an interview on Sunday night.

“We’ll come back next week. That’s a symbol or a sign of our continued belief that it is not a dead corpse – that we need to revive it because it is in our interest,” he added.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a European official noted top envoys to the Vienna talks – which are indirect because Iran has refused to sit down with US diplomats – were likely to meet on Tuesday in the Austrian capital. Talks on reviving the nuclear deal were halted last week and the negotiators returned to their capitals for consultations.

On Friday, Washington restored a sanctions waiver that will allow countries to cooperate with Tehran on civil nuclear projects. The European parties to have urged Iran to seize the “opportunity” of the US waivers. Iran has stressed US steps on lifting sanctions are “good but not enough”.

The US administration has recently announced it sees a path to an agreement in the Vienna talks, but Iran must make “tough political decisions now”. US officials have also warned that there are only weeks left to return to the deal given Iran’s rapid nuclear developments.

Iran has repeatedly rejected any deadline or precondition over the deal, stressing Washington that unilaterally withdrew from the agreement must first lift its sanctions against Tehran. Iran has also demanded credible guarantees that the United States will not abandon the deal again.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdolahian has recently noted that the US has put forth no serious or significant initiatives in the Vienna negotiations.

Amir Abdollahian added that what matters for Iran is tangible action by the US and what happens on the ground.

He also spoke of the signing by the US president of sanctions waiver for Iran. The FM said any move or executive order by Biden which would remove sanctions is positive.

The top diplomat also denied Malley’s comment that Washington has set some conditions for Tehran in the negotiations. He stated Iran has not received any such conditions from the US and the trend of the talks in Vienna is such that makes preconditions pointless.