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Kazakh government says situation ‘stabilized’ following unrest

By
IFP Media Wire
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“The anti-terrorist operation to restore law and order in the country continues,” he stated.

“As of today, the situation has been stabilized in all regions of the country,” the report said, adding that law enforcement officers have retaken the earlier seized buildings of local administrations.

“The work of communal facilities and vital services is being restored,” Turgumbayev noted.

Law enforcement agencies of Kazakhstan have detained over 5,100 people who took part in the riots in several regions of the country, the press service of the republic’s Interior Ministry reported on Sunday.

“By this time, 5,135 people have been detained throughout Kazakhstan,” the press service added.

According to the ministry, 125 pre-trial investigations have been launched into murders, violence against government officials, robberies, hooliganism and thefts.

As Turgumbayev told the Khabar 24 TV channel, during the riots, more than 400 vehicles were damaged and destroyed, including 346 police vehicles. The looters have plundered more than 100 large trade facilities and banks.

Protests erupted in several Kazakh cities on January 2, escalating into mass riots with government buildings getting ransacked in several cities a few days later. The ensuing violence left scores of people injured, with fatalities also being reported. Subsequently, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev turned to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) requesting assistance from the Russia-led bloc. As a result, peacekeepers have already been deployed to Kazakhstan. Law and order, Kazakh authorities affirm, was restored to all of the country’s regions by the morning of January 7. However, the situation remains tense in Almaty. Tokayev declared January 10 as the day of national mourning in the republic.

Iran blacklists dozens of US officials over Gen. Soleimani assassination

By
IFP Media Wire
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In a statement released on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the United States, by conducting the “callous terrorist act,” acted in glorification of terrorism and in violation of the fundamental human rights.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran underlines that the heinous terrorist act will not in any manner diminish the resolute determination and resolve of the Islamic Republic of Iran in following the path of the revered General Soleimani in fighting terrorism and terrorist groups, in particular, the US-backed terrorist groups,” the statement read.

On January 3, 2020, the US military conducted an air operation under Donald Trump’s order targeting General Soleimani near Baghdad International Airport after his arrival. The attack also killed the general’s companions, including Deputy Commander of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

The following is the full text of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s statement and the name of the individuals freshly blacklisted:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with the “Act on Countering Violations of Human Rights and Adventurist and Terrorist Actions of the United States of America in the Region”, particularly, Articles 4 and 5, and in addition to the American individuals including Trump, Michael Pompeo, John Bolton, Mark Esper, Gina Haspel, Christopher Miller and Steven Mnuchin and also Matthew Tueller, Steven Fagin and Rob Waller, who were listed respectively on 19 January 2021 and 23 October 2020, identifies and imposes sanctions as set forth in the abovementioned Act on the following persons for the role they played in the terrorist act of the United States against Martyr General Soleimani and his companions, in glorification of terrorism and in violating the fundamental human rights. The said persons, as the case may be, have taken part in decision-making, organizing, financing, and carrying out the terrorist act or have otherwise justified terrorism which is a threat to the international peace and security through supporting such egregious terrorist attack.

It is reiterated that the United States, by conducting the callous terrorist act, has flagrantly breached its international legal obligations in countering terrorism and terrorism-financing, in particular, the obligation to refrain and desist from organizing and participating in terrorist acts and the obligation to respect, protect and fulfill human rights which constitute internationally wrongful acts entailing the international responsibility of the United States. As such, the Islamic Republic of Iran, in conformity and compliance with its human rights obligations and also duties in combating terrorism and countering terrorism financing, in particular the state terrorism perpetrated by the United States and to ensure the international peace and security, imposes the sanctions as stipulated in the Act on the said persons on a reciprocal basis.

The Islamic Republic of Iran underlines that the heinous terrorist act will not in any manner diminish the resolute determination and resolve of the Islamic Republic of Iran in following the path of the revered General Soleimani in fighting terrorism and terrorist groups, in particular, the US-backed terrorist groups.

In the light of the above and taking into account the provisions of the “Act on Countering Violations of Human Rights and Adventurist and Terrorist Actions of the United States of America in the Region”, all relevant national authorities will take appropriate measures for effective implementation of the sanctions set forth in the Act.

The freshly designated Americans are: Mark Alexander Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Robert Charles O’brien Jr., former national security advisor, Paul M. Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and commander of United States Cyber Command, Robert Greenway, former deputy assistant to the president and senior director for Middle Eastern and North African Affairs at the National Security Council, Victoria C. Gardner Coates, former deputy national security advisor, Matthew F. Pottinger, former deputy national security advisor, Joseph Keith Kellogg Jr., former national security advisor to the vice president, Frank Dixon Whitworth, director for Intelligence of the Joint Staff, Andrew P. Poppas, former director of operations of the Joint Staff, Kenneth Franklin McKenzie Jr., commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Richard Douglas Clarke, commander of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Scott Alan Howell, former commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), James C. Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), Joseph Thomas Guastella, former commander of United States Air Forces Central Command, David L. Goldfein, former chief of staff of the Air Force, Stephen R. Jones, Jason B.Bell, Andre T. Johnson, Kevin Auger, Jordan Smith, Abishai Giles, Landon Quan, Mark R. August, Bradley Chance Saltzman, Mark Holmes Slocum, Nathan Andrew Mead, Timothy Garland, Staci Coleman, Kurt A. Wendt, Alexus Gregory Grynkewich, Daniel H. Tulley, Rodney Lee Simpson, Allen Ray Henderson, Jason Colon, Brenden Endrina, Tayler Arbaugh, Ryan Kuhn, Jordan Cornelius, Korbin Steinwehr, Antonio Dorce, Charles Seth Corcoran, James Neal Blue, Linden Stanely Blue, Michael Anthony D’andrea, John M. Keane, Reuel Mark Gerecht, Andrew Croft, Nimarta Nikki Haley, John Michael Mulvaney, and Erik Dean Prince.

Report: Iran to hand over Afghan embassy to Taliban

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The embassy handover is reportedly aimed at helping Afghan nationals in their consular issues.

This comes as the foreign minister of the provisional government of the Taliban arrived in Tehran for meetings with Iranian officials.
Amir Khan Motaqi is heading a diplomatic and economic delegation that will discuss economic cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan during the visit.

“Amir Khan Motaqi, during his visit, will discuss political, economic, transit and migrant issues with officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the spokesman for the Taliban foreign ministry in a tweet.

Lebanon hit by nationwide blackout

By
IFP Media Wire
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The small Mediterranean country is already grappling with round-the-clock power cuts that last at least 20 hours a day due to a financial crisis that has hampered key imports, including fuel for power stations.

Demonstrators angered by the blackouts stormed an Electricite du Liban substation in the Aramoun region north of Beirut on Saturday, EDL said in a statement.

“Protesters disconnected a 150-220 kilovolt power transformer and opened circuit breakers connecting the Zahrani power plant to the Aramoun station,” it added.

“This caused disturbances on the electrical grid… which led to a total blackout across Lebanese territory as of 17:27 (1527 GMT),” it continued.

The disruption will pile more pressure on private generators that are already struggling to keep up with the near-total absence of state power. Private generator owners have hiked prices and rationed supply in recent months, with costs surging after the government gradually lifted fuel subsidies.

The average generator bill for a Lebanese family usually costs more than the monthly minimum wage of 675,000 Lebanese pounds — now worth just $22 as the local currency hits record lows against the dollar on the black market.

The international community has long demanded a complete overhaul of Lebanon’s ruinous electricity sector, which has cost the government more than $40 billion since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.

Lebanon has reached an agreement on bringing Jordanian electricity and Egyptian gas into the country via war-torn Syria, while Hezbollah has separately started hydrocarbon deliveries from Iran.

Iran says to transfer wheat, vaccines to Afghanistan

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Amir Abdollahian was speaking during a phone call with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar over key bilateral, regional and international issues.

He renewed Iran’s call for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

About the latest situation in the fight against the Coronavirus in Iran, Amir Abdollahian referred to the good trend of the nationwide vaccination in the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian foreign minister said, “We have been able to properly contain the virus, and so far 89% of people have been vaccinated and are receiving a third dose of vaccine”.

On the Vienna talks over lifting the sanctions against Iran, the Iranian foreign minister stressed that the discussions are going in the right direction.

Amir Abdollahian also said, “We have the necessary determination to reach a good agreement in good faith, and if the Western side also has this goodwill and determination, all parties can reach a good agreement”. The Indian foreign minister also said, “The number of Covid cases in India is rising, but due to the good speed of vaccination, we can stop the process”.

Jaishankar expressed pleasure with the forthcoming visit of Iran’s top diplomat to India and called it a very good opportunity to develop bilateral cooperation.

Govt. seeking to neutralize sanctions: Iran president

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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“Today, the power base for neutralizing the sanctions is up and running,” said Ebrahim Raisi in a speech on Parliament floor where he was defending the budget bill for the next Persian Year that his administration has already submitted to MPs.

“Our economic relations with regional countries have risen by up to three times over the past three months,” he said.

“Non-oil exports have fortunately increased by 40%, and the country’s forex resources are swelling,” he noted.

“Today, we are seeing exports bringing in revenues,” he said.

“The government seeks to reach an economic growth target of 8% and we hope we will achieve that. This is while the figure was less than 1% in the previous years,” said the president.

“We had promised to strike a balance in our foreign policy, and today, we are witnessing both interaction with countries and balance in the foreign policy, especially with regards to our neighboring countries,” he added.

“It has proven to the neighboring countries and the whole world that the Islamic Republic of Iran pursues a balance it its foreign policy,” the president noted.

President Raisi underlined people’s trust in the administration has increased over the past few months.
“This is a great asset which cannot be replaced by anything else,” he explained.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the president touched upon the administration’s decision to cancel the allocation of the greenback at a subsidized exchange rate for the provision of basic commodities called “preferential foreign currency.”

He said the government cares about people’s livelihood and believes a substitute should be introduced if the allotment of the preferential forex is stopped.

Iran negotiator: Differences over sanctions removal decreasing

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Bagheri said differences over sanctions removal known as open parentheses are decreasing.

He made the remarks on Saturday at the end of the of talks with representatives of the P4+1 group, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany in Vienna.

Meanwhile, Russia’s chief negotiator in the Vienna talks Mikahil Ulyanov has in a tweet described the atmosphere at the negotiations as positive and businesslike.

Ulyanov said all his counterparts in the negotiations share this assessment of the Vienna talks.
He said the parties to the talks are moving forward, though not fast but incrementally.

Earlier, experts from the Islamic Republic of Iran and representatives of the P4+1 group met Saturday as part of the eighth round of the Vienna talks on lifting sanctions. At the meeting, the parties assessed the latest status of the talks for the effective and verifiable lifting of sanctions. The meeting happened following an agreement reached at the last session of the Joint Commission of the Iran nuclear deal also known as JCPOA.

The eighth round of Vienna talks began last Monday and has reached a critical stage.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian recently stated in an interview that the Islamic Republic wants guarantees that new sanctions will not be placed on the country and that the existing sanctions are not re-imposed once they have been lifted.

He noted that a good agreement could be reached if the West shows seriousness.

Iran, Turkmenistan call for inclusive govt. in Afghanistan

By
IFP Media Wire
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The issue was raised on a Saturday meeting between Serdar Berdimuhamedov Vice President of Turkmenistan and Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran’s Foreign Minister in Tehran.

Serdar Berdimuhamedov has traveled to Tehran as a special envoy heading a preparatory delegation ahead of the upcoming visit of the Turkmen president.

During the meeting, the two officials discussed joint cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, energy, transportation and transit.

Also, given the imminent visit of the president of Turkmenistan to the Islamic Republic of Iran, during this meeting, Amir Abdollahian and Berdimuhamedov exchanged views over the documents to be signed during the Turkmen president’s visit.

Regional issues and the situation in Afghanistan were other topics discussed by the Iranian foreign minister and the Turkmen vice president. The two sides underlined the need for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

During the meeting, the vice president of Turkmenistan underscored the importance of bilateral relations with Iran and the role of the Joint Economic Commission in the development of relations between the two countries.

He also stressed that there are very good capacities for cooperation between the two countries in the fields of transportation, technical and engineering services, electricity, oil and gas.

Given the many historical and cultural commonalities between Iran and Turkmenistan, the two sides stressed the importance of developing economic and cultural relations and described cooperation between the provinces of the two countries as important in this regard.

It should be noted that Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov also attended the meeting and outlined bilateral cooperation and joint projects and programs.

Iran urges expanding energy cooperation with Turkmenistan

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Javad Ouji made the comment in a meeting with a delegation from Turkmenistan in Tehran on Saturday.

He added that there is sufficient infrastructure in Iran for gas imports and swaps.

Referring to the results of his meeting with the Turkmen officials, he said, “Today, we had good talks with Sardar Berdymukhamedov, Deputy Chairman of government and Rashid Murdov, Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan, over various fields related to energy.”

Ouji outlined the launching of the gas swap from Turkmenistan via Iran to the Azerbaijan Republic since the beginning of January this year, saying, “Our colleagues at the Sarakhs metering station in Turkmenistan are monitoring the implementation of the swap, which starts at 4 to 5 million cubic meters per day, or 1.5 to 2 billion cubic meters per year”.

Ouji noted that Iran and Turkmenistan plan to focus on reviving the gas contract and also discussing increased swaps with neighboring countries.

The oil minister underlined the determination of the Iranian government to develop international relations.

He said, given the determination of the Oil Ministry of Iran and the Energy Ministry of Turkmenistan, we can have the highest level of relations, especially in the field of energy.

President Raisi: Iran facing no vaccine shortages

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Raisi added that this will be conducive to protect public health in Iran. The president also urged all Iranian to observe health protocols despite the downward trend in deaths and infections so as to cut off the chain of the new Coronavirus strain known as Omicron.

Iran’s Health Ministry announced on Saturday the number of triple-vaxxed people in the country is inching toward the 10 million mark. Officials say around 500 Omircon cases have been registered throughout Iran so far.

Raisi also thanked all people involved in the healthcare sector for their efforts to help contain the Covid pandemic in Iran.

Raisi noted that the decision on restrictions imposed on arrivals from countries where Omicron has spread is left to the Ministry of Interior and relevant organizations, so that appropriate decisions can be made regarding the continuation or removal of these restrictions, depending on the situation.

The president, however, said given the reduction in the number of cases and deaths due to widespread vaccination, the National Headquarters Against Coronavirus, as a decision-making authority, has decided that schools and universities can reopen.

Raisi said, “Whenever the situation of the Covid outbreak changes, the National Headquarters Against Coronavirus will decide and act accordingly with sensitivity and accuracy”.

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