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U.S. says prisoners issue separate from Iran nuclear talks

By
IFP Media Wire
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“The discussions on unjustly detained and innocent Americans remains separate from the JCPOA talks,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

“Special Envoy [Robert] Malley has reiterated, ‘…it’s very hard for us to imagine getting back into the nuclear deal’ — or agreeing to kind of a new iteration of the deal, to the point of your question — ‘while four innocent Americans’ — and others — “are being held hostage by Iran’,” she added.

“It’s really a matter of urgency to bring the detainees home, and we want it to be resolved immediately. But it is happening from a — through a separate channel — those conversations,” Psaki continued.

On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Tehran was ready for an immediate prisoner exchange with Washington.

“Iran has always and repeatedly expressed its readiness to exchange prisoners. Months ago we were ready to do it but the Americans ruined the deal,” a senior Iranian official in Tehran told Reuters, without elaborating.

“Now I believe some of them will be released, maybe five or six of them. But those talks about prisoners are not linked to the nuclear agreement, rather associated with it. This is a humanitarian measure by Iran,” the official added.

In January, Malley stated the United States is unlikely to strike an agreement with Iran to save the 2015 nuclear deal unless Tehran releases four American citizens Washington claims it is holding hostage. Iran has categorically rejected any US preconditions for its return to the landmark agreement.

In recent years, Iran has arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on espionage and security-related charges. Rights groups have accused Iran of taking prisoners to gain diplomatic leverage, while Western powers have long demanded that Tehran free their citizens, who they say are political prisoners. Tehran denies holding people for political reasons.

Iran has blasted the US for linking a humanitarian exchange of prisoners with the talks over the revival of the accord. Tehran has also 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.

Some Iranians are in US jails just because of ignoring Washington illegal sanctions on Tehran.

“In terms of the status of the JCPOA talks, we have made substantial progress — or substantial progress has been made over the last week or so, and is continuing to be made,” Psaki noted.

“Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. And so, until then, I’m not going to give you a rosy assessment. But it is, of course, good that substantial progress has been made. If Iran shows seriousness, we believe we can and should reach an understanding on mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA,” she said.

Amir Abdollahian has stated Iran and the P4+1 group of countries have never been this close to reaching a good agreement since they started talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Chritian Amanpour in Munich earlier this week,
Amir Abdollahian said Iran is optimistic about reaching an agreement in Vienna because the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi has a strong will to achieve a good deal.

He added in order to get close to a good agreement, the Iranian team showed good initiatives and flexibility, but now it’s the Western side including the US and the European troika that should show flexibility and initiatives.

Guterres says Russia must fully comply with UN charter

By
IFP Media Wire
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“The principles of the UN Charter are not an a la carte menu…. Member States have accepted them all and they must apply them all,” Guterres told reporters.

The secretary-general called Russia’s recognition of “the so-called ‘independence'” of two eastern Ukraine regions “a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.”

“It is a death blow to the Minsk Agreements endorsed by the Security Council,” the UN chief added, referring to a 2014 deal seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had also announced Monday that the military would mount a “peacekeeping” mission in the territories in Ukraine’s Donbas region that are already under control of Russian-backed separatists.

Guterres blasted the move as a “perversion of the concept of peacekeeping.”

“When troops of one country enter the territory of another country without its consent, they are not impartial peacekeepers. They are not peacekeepers at all,” he said, calling for an immediate ceasefire and a “return to the path of dialogue and negotiations.”

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden announced what he called the “first tranche” of sanctions against Russia, including steps to starve the country of financing, saying Moscow had started an invasion of Ukraine.

“We’re implementing sanctions on Russia’s sovereign debt. That means we’ve cut off Russia’s government from Western financing,” Biden noted, adding that the measures also would target financial institutions, and Russian “elites”.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has also welcomed the US sanctions against Russian banks on Tuesday, calling on the world to use “all its economic might to punish Russia”.

Speaking alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Kuleba accused Putin of killing the Minsk Agreement that aimed to restore peace in eastern Ukraine by recognising the independence of two breakaway Ukrainian regions.

“Russia’s move is a grave breach of international law and a new act of aggression against Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Therefore, Ukraine strongly believes that the time for sanctions is now,” he added.

Kuleba said Putin can still be stopped if Ukraine and its allies “act in a very reserved way and keep mounting pressure on” the Russian leader.

Blinken has also called off an upcoming meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, previously planned for Thursday, saying that Washington will not allow Moscow to “claim the pretense of diplomacy” while escalating the crisis.

“Now that we see the invasion is beginning, and Russia has made clear its wholesale rejection of diplomacy, it does not make sense to go forward with that meeting at this time,” Blinken noted.

Blinken has also accused Putin of aiming to “destroy Ukraine’s democracy” and control the country and its people.

“This is the greatest threat to security in Europe since World War II,” Blinken continued, adding, “Ukraine is in danger. President Putin is blatantly and violently breaking the laws and principles that have kept the peace across Europe and around the world for decades.”

Blinken said the two Russian banks targeted by US sanctions on Tuesday, VEB and PSB, hold more than $80bn in assets.

“These measures will freeze their assets in the United States, prohibit American individuals or businesses from doing any transactions with them, shut them out of the global financial system and foreclose access to the US dollar,” he stated.

Moscow’s ambassador to the United States has hit back at the imposition of sanctions on Russia by the US, suggesting the move would hurt global financial and energy markets as well as ordinary citizens.

“Iran’s exports to Russia rose more than 60% this year”

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Hadi Tizhoush made the announcement at the Second International Conference on Trade and Economic Cooperation of Iran and Russia in Tehran.
Tizhoush said Holding such events causes trade in other countries, especially Russia, to be discussed from different angles.
He said that a roadmap should be drawn up for foreign trade, adding that in order to develop exports, infrastructural issues such as logistics should be examined.
Tizhoush also said this capacity exists on the border of Russia’s Astrakhan with Iran, so since 2017, the Iranian Chamber of Commerce in the city has been established.
According to the official, this business center, as an economic center, can strengthen the presence of exporters in Russia and serve as a launch pad for trade with this country.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Asl Roknabadi, an advisor to the Internal and Foreign Trade Facilitation Faction of the Iranian parliament, announced the establishment of a foreign trading house in other countries at the meeting.
He said during a meeting that the faction had with the head of the Trade Development Organization, a 14-point plan for the establishment of 195 Iranian trading houses in other countries was presented.

3 more countries impose sanctions on Russia over Ukraine

By
IFP Media Wire
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The U.S., the United Kingdom and European Union have all issued sanctions against Russia in reaction to Putin’s recognition of Luhansk and Donetsk, two regions controlled by Russian-backed separatists, as independent states. Putin has also ordered Russia to move into these areas to perform “peacekeeping functions.”

When announcing Australia’s sanctions, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said they would include targeted travel bans and financial sanctions against members of Russia’s national security council, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

Morrison stated broader sanctions would be extended to the separatist-controlled regions and added that he expected to impose more sanctions on Russian citizens seeking to benefit off a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Australian prime minister also noted that Ukrainian visa applications would be moved to “the top of the pile.”

“The invasion of Ukraine has effectively already begun. This invasion is unjustified, it’s unwarranted, it’s unprovoked and it’s unacceptable,” Morrison said, according to the ABC.

“We can’t have some suggestion that Russia has some just case here they’re prosecuting — they are behaving like thugs and bullies,” he added.

In a press briefing, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Russia’s actions on Monday a “violation of Russia’s obligations under international law and the charter of the United Nations.”

“Canada also denounces Russian military actions, including orders to move into Ukraine, which is a clear incursion of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Make no mistake this is a further invasion of a sovereign state and it is completely unacceptable,” Trudeau added.

As part of Canada’s sanctions against Russia, Trudeau announced that all Canadians would be banned from taking part in “financial dealings with the so-called independents states of Luhansk and Donetsk.”

Canadians will also be banned from purchasing Russian sovereign debt.

Canada will also be targeting members of Russia’s parliament who voted to recognize Luhansk and Donetsk as well as two state-backed Russian banks.

As Reuters reported, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, “Russia’s actions very clearly damage Ukraine’s sovereignty and go against international law. We once again criticise these moves and strongly urge Russia to return to diplomatic discussions.”

Kishida stated Japan’s sanctions would involve prohibiting Russian bonds from being issued in Japan, freezing the bank accounts of certain Russian individuals and restricting travel to Japan. Moscow elites and Russian banks will also be targeted.

The Japanese leader noted the details of the sanctions would be worked out and announced over the next few days.

He added that Japan’s energy supplies would not be impacted in the short term thanks to sufficient reserves of oil and liquified natural gas. If energy prices begin to rise, Kishida said he would consider all possible options to prevent an impact on Japanese businesses and households.

U.S. announces initial sanctions on Russia over Ukraine

By
IFP Media Wire
-

On Tuesday, Biden said the U.S. would sanction Russian financial institutions, VEB and Russia’s military bank.

The announcement came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics as independent and thereafter ordered Russian troops into the Donbas region.

On Tuesday, Russian lawmakers greenlit a request by Putin to use military force outside of Russia.

“He is setting up a rationale to take more territory by force, in my view,” Biden said of Putin in remarks from the East Room.

“This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” he added.

The president made clear that the sanctions were an initial response to Russian aggression and warned his administration would impose further sanctions if Moscow engaged in a broader invasion of Ukraine.

“If Russia goes further with this invasion, we stand prepared to go further as with sanctions,” Biden continued.

Biden stated that the sanctions on Russian sovereign debt would cut off the Russian government from Western financing.

He did not immediately detail which elites would face sanctions.

The Biden administration earlier this year identified several individuals linked to the Kremlin who could face sanctions in the event of an invasion of Ukraine, according to a senior administration official.

The White House, which earlier this week initially did not call the Russian troop deployments to the region an invasion, announced limited sanctions on Donetsk and Luhansk on Monday afternoon that blocked U.S. investment, financing and trade with the two areas.

Biden said NATO reinforcements would continue to operate only in a defensive capacity, but that this should not be taken to mean that the alliance will not respond in kind to Putin’s military maneuvers.

“Today, in response to Russia’s admission that it will not withdraw its forces from Belarus, I have authorized additional movements of U.S. forces and equipment already stationed in Europe to strengthen our Baltic Allies, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania,” he added.

“As Russia contemplates its next move, we have our next move prepared as well,” Biden stated.

Even with the new announcement of sanctions, Biden seemed to acknowledge the penalties would be insufficient in stopping Putin from launching a wide-scale attack against Ukraine.

“We still believe that Russia is poised to go much further in launching a massive military attack against Ukraine,” Biden said.

“I hope we’re wrong about that,” he added.

The move came after the United Kingdom slapped sanctions on Russian banks and high net worth individuals while Germany, another of Kyiv’s Western allies, halted the approval process for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

European Union foreign ministers have also agreed to sanction 27 Russians and entities after Moscow recognised two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, as well banks, the defence sector and limiting Russian access to European capital markets.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said Germany and the European Union are in a position to decide on further sanctions against Russia if it invades Ukraine, which cannot be ruled out.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen added the European Union is ready to take further action against Russia if Moscow keeps on ramping up its military activity in Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to continue to work together to target those who supported Putin’s “aggressive approach”, London announced.

Iran’s Raisi: Work must swiftly begin on 14 deals inked in Qatar

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Late on Wednesday, Raisi said the visit to Qatar was made with the goal of “increasing mutual trust and cooperation between neighbors” as well as pursuing “Iran’s share of the region’s economy and trade.”
He said during his meetings in Doha, the two sides held talks on issues of bilateral interest, including economy, commerce, energy, investment, and culture.
“Fourteen agreements were signed, which should be pursued and implemented by my colleagues in the administration,” he said. “Likewise, the Qatari emir tasked top officials with following up on the deals immediately.”
He said Iran would soon open a trade office in Qatar, adding, “It was agreed that swift measures be taken to remove the obstacles in the way of trade, economy and investments between Iran and Qatar.”
The two sides, Raisi added, agreed to facilitate customs affairs and issuance of business permits in line with that objective.
The president also briefed reporters on his meeting with businessmen in Qatar and said they were willing to be active in the Iranian market.
Raisi also referred to his meetings on the sidelines of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) and said, “Bilateral issues and cooperation at regional and international levels were discussed.”

Amir Abdollahian says Iran ready to re-open EU office in Tehran

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Amir Abdollahian added whenever Iran and the bloc came very close to doing so in the past, an artificial crisis against Iran was created in Europe.
The top Iranian diplomat also said Tehran has not entered into talks in Vienna for talks’ sake but it is seeking a good deal with the P4+1 groups of countries.
Amir Abdollahian added that Iran and the P4+1 has never been this close to an agreement since they started their negotiations with the aim of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal that plunged into disarray due to the withdrawal of the US.
Amir Abdollahian denied that the US sanctions isolated Iran, saying the bans and the Europeas’ inaction to redress them caused some problems for the Islamic Republic but they failed to cut off Iran from the rest of the world.
The Iranian foreign minister also suggested that the ball is now in the court of the Western parties to the negotiations and that they should show flexibility and initiatives.
He warned that the US and the European troika will be responsible for the possible failure of the talks.
The foreign minister also spoke about Afghanistan. In response to a question about whether Iran recognizes the Taliban as the rulers of Afghanistan, he said this is contingent upon the formation of an inclusive government in the country.
On Saudi Arabia, Amir Abdollahian said Iran welcomes normalization of ties with the kingdom.
The top diplomat noted that three Iranian envoys have already been stationed at the Islamic Republic’s mission in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and this showed the two sides are moving forward in their negotiations.

EU imposes sanctions against Russian individuals and entities

By
IFP Media Wire
-

All members of Russia’s Duma, parliament’s lower house, will be hit with EU sanctions, which typically involve travel bans and asset freezes.

“This package of sanctions that has been approved by unanimity by the member states will hurt Russia, and it will hurt a lot,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a news conference alongside France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian at a meeting in Paris.

“We will raise the level of sanctions in proportion to Russian behavior,” Borrell noted.

He added that the sanctions package would also affect the Russian finances, limiting Moscow’s ability to access EU’s financial markets, but did not provide any further details on that.

The official has warned that the sanctions may even get worse depending on Russia’s actions in relation to Ukraine.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to continue to work together to target those who supported Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “aggressive approach”, Johnson’s office has announced.

“The leaders agreed they needed to continue to work in lockstep to target Russian individuals and entities bankrolling President Putin’s aggressive approach,” a spokesperson for Johnson stated after the British and French leaders spoke by phone.

“Russia’s actions don’t just threaten Ukraine’s sovereignty, but are a blatant attack on freedom and democracy, the leaders agreed,” the spokesperson added.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday said Russia has now moved “from covert attempts to destabilize Ukraine to overt military action.”

“Moscow has now moved from covert attempts to destabilize Ukraine to overt military action. This is a serious escalation by Russia, and a flagrant violation of international law,” Stoltenberg stated at a news conference in Brussels following a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission.

He called the Russia-Ukraine crisis “the most dangerous moment in European security for a generation.”

“NATO is resolute and united in its determination to protect and defend all allies. In the last weeks, allies have deployed 1000s more troops to eastern part of the alliance and placed more on standby. We have over 100 jets at high alert and there are more than 120 allies’ ships at the sea from the high north to the Mediterranean,” he added.

“We will continue to do whatever is necessary to shield the alliance from aggression,” he continued.

The United States has said Russia’s deployment of troops into two Moscow-backed, self-proclaimed republics in eastern Ukraine amounts to the “beginning of an invasion”.

Deputy NSA Jonathan Finer told CNN on Tuesday that Washington’s response would be “swift and severe”, with the White House understood to be preparing sanctions.

Earlier, the United Kingdom slapped sanctions on Russian banks and high net worth individuals while Germany, another of Kyiv’s Western allies, halted the approval process for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

Moscow has brushed aside the threat of retaliatory measures from the West, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying Russia was accustomed to sanctions.

Raisi says Iran ready to share oil and gas experience with Trinidad and Tobago

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Those are the words of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a meeting with Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Keith Rowley in Qatar.

Raisi also praised the spirit of seeking independence and freedom among nations in Latin America, saying Iran has always supported demands for freedom and independence by all world nations against the oppression of arrogant powers.

While expressing interest in expanding relations with Trinidad and Tobago, the president said at a time when the enemy wanted to shut down Iran’s oil industry by imposing sanctions, the Islamic Republic managed to achieve a high level of technical know-how, which developed its oil and gas industry.

Raisi further referred to the remarks by the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago about the impact of US sanctions on his country’s interactions with other Latin American countries.

He said this is further proof of US oppression and arrogance.

Keith Rowley also noted that his country is rich in hydrocarbon resources and said Trinidad and Tobago, like Venezuela and Cuba, seeks to expand its relations with Iran.

Rowley said Trinidad and Tobago has tried to diversify economic partners and is interested in benefiting from Iran’s experience and capabilities in the field of oil and gas.

 

Raisi: Iran ready to share technical knowledge with Africa

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

“The Islamic Republic has always believed that African countries have hard-working people and substantial reserves and talents for growth and development and in line with this vision, Iran is ready to expand trade and economic cooperation with African countries, especially Mozambique, and to transfer experience and technical knowledge to these countries,” Raisi said in a meeting with Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on the sidelines of the meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Doha.

Raisi also said from Iran’s point of view African countries are resource rich lands full of talents that have always been plundered by Western countries over the past centuries.

The president said that the Westerners and the Americans were only pursuing their own interests wherever they went and did not take any steps to develop those countries, adding that the rise of insecurity and the activities of terrorist groups in some African countries in recent years are also rooted in Western and American interference.

Raisi also said he will task Iran’s Foreign Ministry to pave the way to set up a joint economic commission with Mozambique to speed up the expansion of bilateral ties.

The Mozambican president expressed his country’s interest in expanding relations with Iran.

“We have a great deal of natural resources. And by utilizing the technical capabilities of Iranian experts we can exploit these resources for the benefit of the Mozambican people and to develop interactions between the two countries,” Nyusi stated.

The Mozambican President also stated that one of the serious problems in the development of his country is the spread of insecurity and terrorism, which he said is mainly directed and controlled from outside the borders of Mozambique.

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