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Khatibzadeh: Outstanding progress made in Vienna; US and Europe expected to take steps

“What is certain is that, within the framework of the talks, all sanctions — regardless of their label — that are incompatible with the commitments of the other side and prevent [Iran’s] economic benefits from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, should be removed,” Khatibzadeh said in his weekly presser.
The spokesman added that the remaining topics of the negotiations, are the most difficult, most important and most serious issues that should be resolved.
Khatibzadeh also touched on the comments by the Israeli regime’s prime minister on a possible agreement in Vienna, stressing that his remarks are addressed at Washington and European capitals.
“We neither pay attention to their [Israelis’] remarks, nor they are bases for our judgement,” the spokesman said.
He further noted that one of the key guarantees Iran has been seeking during the negotiations in Vienna is “the quick reversibility of Iran’s programs in case of any agreement in Vienna”.

On the negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Khatibzadeh said Tehran has always been ready for talks with the Persian Gulf neighbor, “despite difficulties and disagreements”.

He said Iran will take part in the fifth round of the negotiations if a final date is determined.

The spokesman also talked about Australia’s move to insert Hamas resistance movement in its list of terror groups.

He said Hamas now has the largest number of representatives in the Palestinian parliament and Australia’s decision to stand by the “open decades-long oppression of the apartheid [Israeli] regime” is a historic move, which people will never forget.

Khatibzadeh also touched on the visit by the Iranian delegation to South Korea and their consultations for the release of blocked Iranian assets.

He said Iran is witnessing no practical step by South Korea.

“As long as funds belonging to Iranian people are frozen in South Korean banks, we will put no topic beyond this on the agenda of the two countries,” he warned.

“The government of South Korea should know that we will never forget these days.”

The spokesman also addressed Britain’s debt to Iran, saying the British government has repeatedly showed that “one cannot be sure it implements an already-sealed agreement”, even on the eve of the deadline for its implementation.

Khatibzadeh said the British government is under a clear debt that should be paid to the Iranian nation stressing that the long process has become “tiresome beyond limits”.

The spokesman also said Americans have repeatedly called for direct negotiation with Iran.

He said the Donald Trump administration had similar demands from Iran, which Tehran considered a worthless stunt toward his political aims.

“It is not possible that Americans get different results from a single set of policies,” he stressed.

“If they want to see different results, it is natural that they should act differently.”

 

Army training jet crashes “leaving 3 dead”

An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the incident.
According to the managing director of Tabriz Red Crescent Society, the aircraft hit the wall of an empty school upon its crash, leaving the pilots and a person, who was driving in his car, dead.
But officials of the army are yet to confirm the deaths of the pilots.
Army training jet crashes “leaving 3 dead”

Army training jet crashes “leaving 3 dead”

Army training jet crashes “leaving 3 dead”

Army training jet crashes “leaving 3 dead”

Army training jet crashes “leaving 3 dead”

Army training jet crashes “leaving 3 dead”

Army training jet crashes “leaving 3 dead”

Army training jet crashes “leaving 3 dead”

Army training jet crashes “leaving 3 dead”

Oil prices calm down as Russia-Ukraine tensions, Vienna talks weigh

Brent crude futures and U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose more than $1 a barrel at the start of Asian trade and subsequently swung to nearly $1 loss on news of a possible summit between the United States and Russia.

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement on Monday that U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed in principle to a summit over Ukraine.

Brent crude futures were at $93.39 a barrel at 0445 GMT, down 15 cents or 0.2%, after earlier touching $95, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures had climbed 7 cents to $91.14 a barrel, off an earlier high of $92.93. U.S. markets will be closed on Monday for the Presidents Day holiday.

Oil markets have been jittery over the past month on worries a Russian invasion of its neighbour could disrupt crude supplies, but price gains have been limited by the possibility of more than 1 million barrels a day of Iranian crude returning to the market.

A senior European Union official said on Friday a deal to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement was “very very close”.

Analysts said the market remained tight, and any addition of oil would help, but prices would remain volatile in the near term as Iranian crude would only likely return later this year.

“There’s just so many pressures geopolitically it’s difficult to know what the answer is (on market movements) – with Ukraine and Iran,” said National Australia Bank commodity analyst Baden Moore.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Russia would be cut off from international financial markets and denied access to major exports needed to modernise its economy if it invaded Ukraine.

“If a Russian invasion takes place as the U.S. and U.K. have warned in recent days, Brent futures could spike above $US100/bbl, even if an Iranian deal is reached,” Commonwealth Bank analyst Vivek Dhar said in a note.

Analysts at Singapore’s OCBC bank said Brent could test $100 in the short term, possibly before the end of first quarter.

Despite the prospect of $100 oil, ministers of Arab oil-producing countries said on Sunday that OPEC+ should stick to its current agreement to add 400,000 barrels of oil per day each month to output, rejecting calls to pump more to ease pressure on prices.

To avert a major run up in prices, RBC Capital analysts said the White House is expected to prepare a large strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) release coordinated through the International Energy Agency.

“We anticipate that the U.S. SPR release will be larger than the one in November and more sweet barrels could be offered this time around through direct sale,” RBC Capital said in a note.

Raisi arrives in Doha for GECF summit, high-level talks

The president said before his departure for Qatar that his two-day official visit was on an invitation from the Qatari Emir, with the aim of developing bilateral ties with the “friendly, brotherly and neighboring” country and participation in the GECF’s summit Qatar is hosting.
Raisi said the visit is a step in line with Iran’s diplomacy with Persian Gulf countries and using their capacities to expand mutual political and economic relations.
The president touched on the joint massive natural gas field Iran shares with Qatar, stressing that mutual cooperation between the two countries is considerable and that Tehran and Doha can take major steps in cooperation in the fields of energy and economy during his visit.
Raisi also said Iran has been a founding member of the GECF and one of three main exporters of natural gas, along with Qatar and Russia.
“Cooperation in this forum and negotiations that we can have in this regard can be a very significant step for cooperation among [natural gas] producing and exporting countries,” he said.
Raisi is planned to hold talks with top Qatari officials and leaders of the GECF countries in Doha.
He is also expected to sign several cooperation agreements with Qatar.

Japan envoy: Hormozgan “attractive” for Japanese investors

“Japan international Cooperation Agency has had cooperation in promotion of tourism and protection of marine environment in Hormozgan and will pursue the continuation of the measures,” Kazutoshi Aikawa said in a meeting with Hormozgan Governor Mahdi Dousti.
“We hope for significant expansion of relations with Hormozgan Province after the conclusion of the nuclear negotiations and removal of the sanctions.”
The Japanese envoy also said the two countries can increase their shipping cooperation through Hormozgan, as a Persian Gulf littoral province.
Dousti, in turn, congratulated Kazutoshi on the Japanese national day, stressing that look to the East is a key strategy of the current administration in Iran.
The governor said Japan is an important country in the East and enjoys a special place in the mentioned strategy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Dousti stressed that Hormozgan Province is willing to form a joint commission with Japan to discuss the framework of cooperation and Japanese investment.
He underlined the significance of Bandar Abbas as a key port that can link eastern countries, including Japan, with Europe and the Black Sea area.
The governor added that Hormozgan seeks foreign investment and has created special investment zones where security of investments can be guaranteed by the state.

Uzbekistan to increase trade with Iran to $1bn

Omar Zakhaev made the announcement on Sunday at the 14th meeting of the Joint Commission for Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technical Cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Uzbekistan attended by Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade, Seyed Reza Fatemi in Tehran.
Zakhaev said he was pleased that the Joint Commission meeting was held after two years.
He noted that trade between the two countries has declined sharply in recent years mainly due to the Covid pandemic.
Zaghev called for providing conditions for the development of bilateral trade relations between the two countries, bartering, and holding industrial exhibitions.
Iranian Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade, Seyed Reza Fatemi, also said at the meeting that numerous topics have been proposed for economic cooperation between the two countries, and both sides are willing to expand relations.
Fatemi noted that economic relations with Uzbekistan is far from the desired level, but this meeting can be the beginning of expanding ties.
He reiterated that to develop cooperation, barter of goods and tariff preferences should be applied as soon as possible, adding a delegation from Uzbekistan will arrive in Iran next week for this purpose.

New intel adds to US fears Russia readying for military action against Ukraine

The intelligence regarding the order to tactical commanders and intelligence operatives is one of several indicators the US is watching to assess if Russian preparations have entered their final stages for a potential invasion.

Other indicators, such as electronic jamming and widespread cyber-attacks, have not yet been observed, according to some of the sources. The sources cautioned that orders can always be withdrawn or that it could be misinformation meant to confuse and mislead the US and allies.

But the news of the intelligence comes after President Joe Biden noted on Friday that he believes President Vladimir Putin has made a decision to invade — a comment echoed by Vice President Kamala Harris and by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday.

Blinken said the Russian playbook is “moving forward.”

“We believe President Putin has made the decision,” Blinken stated Sunday in an interview on CNN.

“But until the tanks are actually rolling and the planes are flying, we will use every opportunity and every minute we have to see if diplomacy can still dissuade President Putin from carrying this forward,” he added.

New satellite imagery shows intensified activity among Russian units close to Ukraine’s northeastern border, with units that were in garrisons appearing to take up field positions. The satellite images were collected by Maxar on Sunday.

According to the latest US intelligence assessment, Russia now has close to 75% of its conventional forces postured against Ukraine, a US official with direct knowledge of the intelligence told CNN.

The concentration of forces within striking distance of Ukraine is highly unusual and part of the reason the US believes Russia is ready to attack, the official claimed.

This includes some 120 of Russia’s total estimated 160 Battalion Tactical Groups or BTGs which are positioned within 60km of Ukraine, according to the official. While that figure represents 75% of Russia’s principal combat units, it is less than half of the total troops in the Russian military.

US officials have reported that Russian troops combined with separatist forces could be as high as 190,000 deployed around Ukraine.

Some 35 of 50 known air defense battalions are deployed against Ukraine. In addition, the US estimates some 500 fighter and fighter-bomber aircraft are within range of Ukraine, as well as 50 medium to heavy bombers.

Together, the Russian forces now vastly outnumber Ukrainian military forces, according to the assessment.

The White House has announced that Biden has agreed “in principle” to a meeting with Putin, as long as Russia does not further invade Ukraine. The potential Biden-Putin summit was proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron.

There has been a flurry of statements in the West and Kiev lately that Russia could invade Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed they were unsubstantiated escalation and that Russia doesn’t threaten anyone. At the same time, he didn’t rule out provocations to corroborate these Western statements and warned that the use of force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine will have serious consequences.

Iranian rights official slams crackdown in Canada

Kazem Gharibabadi, in a tweet, described the protesters as peaceful, saying their protest has been stifled in the so-called Land of the Free.
Gharibabadi also slammed the silence on the issue. He said, “Nobody ever dares to talk about egregious human rights violations taking place on a daily basis in Canada.“
The truck drivers are angry over Covid pandemic restrictions. They held numerous rallies over the past month in Ottawa but their action was met with police crackdown after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked emergency powers.
On Sunday, Canada’s capital was quiet after police broke up the truck drivers’ weeks-long rallies that morphed into demands for the government to resign.
The Freedom Convoy of the truck drivers challenged Canada’s reputation for politeness and respect of authority.
During the crackdown, many people were arrested amid silence from the Western governments.

Iran hosts exhibition of compound sculptures

The exhibition, sponsored by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, puts on display the works of art by handicraft artist Mohammad Shams.

Iranian FM: Tehran ready to expand ties with Norway in oil, gas industries

Amir Abdollahian also cited agriculture, renewable energy and fisheries as other spheres in which the two countries can work together.

Amir Abdollahian and Anniken Huitfeldt were meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Sunday.

The Iranian foreign minister stressed the need for Iran and Norway to pursue trade and economic ties regardless of the Vienna talks.

He added that good agreements have been signed between the two countries in the past, and they can serve as a basis for expanding cooperation.

Referring to the strategic position of Iran, Amir Abdollahian described the country’s south and north transit routes as a capacity to facilitate the access of European countries, including Norway, to the Central Asian region and the Caucasus.

The Norwegian foreign minister also expressed hope that after an agreement is reached in the Vienna talks, a new chapter will open in economic relations with Iran.