Wednesday, January 14, 2026
type here...
Home Blog Page 2199

Iran, P4+1 hold expert meeting in Vienna

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Vienna talks

At this meeting, the parties assessed the latest status of the talks for the effective and verifiable lifting of sanctions. According to IRNA, the meeting is based on an agreement reached at the last session of the Joint Commission of the Iran nuclear deal also known as JCPOA, and representatives of the countries participating in the talks stressed the priority of lifting the illegal and oppressive sanctions.

It added, at the meeting, the parties focused on determining the frameworks, indicators, and criteria for verifying the removal of sanctions and guarantees that the United States will not repeat its illegal actions.

The Vienna talks are being pursued as the vast majority of the negotiating delegations agree on the progress made in reaching a final agreement in the ongoing talks on lifting sanctions 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.

The eighth round of Vienna talks began last Monday between Iran the P4+1 group, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, 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.

Around two dozen killed in Pakistan snow-related traffic jam

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Police reported that at least six people had frozen to death in their cars, while it was not immediately clear if others had died from asphyxiation after inhaling fumes in the snowdrift.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said the military had mobilised to clear roads and rescue thousands still trapped near Murree, around 70 kilometres (45 miles) northeast of the capital, Islamabad.

Video and images shared on social media showed cars packed bumper-to-bumper, with one-metre-high (three-foot) piles of snow on their roofs.

“People are facing a terrible situation,” Usman Abbasi, a tourist stuck in the town where heavy snow was still falling, told AFP by phone.

For days, Pakistan’s social media has been full of pictures and video of people playing in the snow around Murree, a picturesque resort town built by the British in the 19th century as a sanatorium for its colonial troops.

The Punjab province chief minister’s office announced Murree had been declared a “disaster area” and urged people to stay away.

Prime Minister Imran Khan stated he was shocked and upset at the tragedy.

“Unprecedented snowfall & rush of people proceeding without checking weather conditions caught district admin unprepared,” he tweeted.

“Have ordered inquiry & putting in place strong regulation to ensure prevention of such tragedies,” he added.

Authorities warned last weekend that too many vehicles were trying to enter Murree, but that failed to discourage hordes of daytrippers from the capital.

“It’s not only the tourists, but the local population is also facing severe problems,” tourist Abbasi told AFP, noting, “Gas cylinders have run out and drinking water is not available in most areas — it’s either frozen or the water pipes have been damaged due to severe cold.”

He announced hotels in the town were running out of food, and mobile phone services were patchy.

The town of around 30,000 clings to the side of steep hills and valleys and is serviced by narrow roads that are frequently clogged even in good weather.

Sheikh Rashid stated residents had sheltered people trapped in the town and provided blankets and food to those they could reach on the outskirts.

Authorities said schools and government buildings had taken in those who could make it to the town from the clogged roads.

Helicopters were also on standby for when the weather cleared.

Rescue 1122, Pakistan’s emergency service, released a list naming 21 people it said had been confirmed dead. It included a policeman, his wife and their six children.

Hasaan Khawar, a spokesman for the Punjab government, noted they had frozen to death inside a trapped car.

Kazakhstan unrest: Thousands arrested  by police

By
IFP Media Wire
-

“In several regions of the country, law enforcement agencies continue measures to identify and detain criminals. The number of detained is currently 4,404,” the statement said.

The special services of Kazakhstan have also detained former head of the National Security Committee Karim Masimov on suspicion of treason, press service of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan said on Saturday.

“On January 6 of this year, the National Security Committee launched a pre-trial investigation into high treason under Article 175 of Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. On the same day, on suspicion of committing this crime, former chairman of the National Security Committee Karim Masimov and other people were detained and placed in a temporary detention center,” the statement reads.

56-year-old Masimov was relieved of his post by decree of the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, on January 5 and was replaced by Yermek Sagimbayev.

The country’s Interior Ministry also announced on Saturday at least 11 organizers and instigators of the riots were detained in the Aktobe region of Kazakhstan.

On Saturday afternoon internet access in Kazakhstan was blocked amid ongoing riots in parts of the country, Globalcheck project announced on Telegram.

“The Internet was turned off again. It worked a little over 7 hours,” the statement added.

The damage to business in Kazakhstan during the riots amounted to over 88.1 bln tenge (more than $200.4 mln), according to Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan.

“The total amount of damage to business, according to rough estimates, reached over 88.1 bln tenge. In the city of Almaty, the figure reached 86.8 bln tenge ($197.4 mln),” the statement said.

It was noted that 920 affected business entities were identified in 10 regions of Kazakhstan, including 856 in Almaty.

Tokayev stated on Saturday that the arrival of peacekeepers in the capital Nur-Sultan under the mandate of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation allowed sending more security forces to the flashpoint city of Almaty.

“After the joint CSTO peacekeeping force took over protective functions in Nur-Sultan Kazakhstan had enough of law enforcers freed up to move them to Almaty where they took part in the counterterrorist operation,” the presidency cited Tokayev as saying in a statement.

The unrest in Kazakhstan began earlier this month and was sparked by a twofold increase in fuel prices. People hit the streets in the cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau, and later the protests spread across the country, resulting in violent clashes with the police, looting, arson, and vandalism.

In Almaty, the old capital and Kazakhstan’s most populous city, hundreds of people stormed the mayor’s office and the old presidential residence. The rioters also attacked the police HQ, set buildings on fire, and engaged in numerous shootouts.

To curb the unrest, Tokayev introduced a state of emergency and dismissed the government. He also requested assistance from the country’s allies in the CSTO, who are sending peacekeeping forces to guard strategic objects in the country while Kazakh law enforcement agencies and the military re-establish order.

Iran covid: 26 killed, vaccination going on

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

The number of triple-vaxxed people in the country is inching toward the 10 million mark.

Health Ministry figures show that until Saturday, January 8, 9,841,553 people received their third dose of Covid vaccine also known as the booster shot.

The total number vaccine doses administered so far stands at 122,434,219. The vaccination drive that was rolled out last summer is credited with the current downward trend in Coronavirus deaths and infections.

Official figures show that 26 people died from Friday to Saturday. 701 new cases were also recorded. The cases include 168 hospitalizations.

These figures are way lower than the peak of the 5th wave of Covid that hit Iran several months ago.

At the time, daily fatalities reached as many as 800 with many hospitals in Tehran and other cities having reached capacity.

Despite the downward trend, a member of Iran’s National Headquarters Against COVID-19 on Friday warned against complacency or relaxation of health protocols, adding that it’s likely the new Covid strain dubbed Omicron will invade Iran in the coming weeks.

Russia says all parties recognize progress in nuclear talks

By
IFP Media Wire
-

“Now all the participants in the Vienna Talks recognize that some progress is being made towards an agreement on restoration of JCPOA and sanctions lifting,” Russia’s Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov, who heads the Russian delegation at the talks, wrote on Twitter.

“However persistent additional efforts are necessary to achieve this goal,” he added.

Ulyanov has recently stated that progress in Vienna talks is visible and main stumbling blocks are becoming clearer.

On Friday, French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said progress has been made regarding the nuclear negotiations in Vienna although time is running out.

“I remain convinced we can reach a deal. But time is running out,” Le Drian told BFM TV and RMC Radio.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price has also noted those nuclear deal talks with Iran in Vienna had shown modest progress, and that Washington hopes to build on the progress that had been made.

The eighth round of talks kicked off in Vienna on December 27. The negotiations seek to restore the JCPOA in its original form and bring the US back into the agreement.

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.

Russian deputy FM backtracks on comments against Iran’s Zarif

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

In a tweet, Mikhail Ulyanov congratulated Zarif on his birthday. He said he had attended several meetings before along with the former top Iranian diplomat, adding that he holds him in high regard. Ulyanov also said Russian officials will not forget numerous examples of successful cooperation between the two countries regarding the Iran nuclear deal, JCPOA. Many now regard Ulyanov’s latest tweet as a u-turn on the part of the chief Russian negotiator in Vienna.

In his previous comment on Twitter, Ulyanov said Zarif made some remarks regarding Russia’s role in the talks that led to the signing of the JCPOA “under the influence of toothache, headache or something else”.

The former foreign minister of Iran had said Moscow played a negative role at times during the negotiations over the nuclear deal.

“90% of health centers at risk of closure in Afghanistan”

By
IFP Media Wire
-

The reports review that millions of Afghan people will be left without health services and facilities and millions more may lose lives if the current economic and political situation continues.

IRC has also warned of the bleak future of the Afghan people as it estimates up to 97 percent of the country’s people to face starvation by the end of 2022.

The committee has called on the International Community to come forward and rescue Afghanistan’s health sector by providing aids and supporting the sector.

It comes a day after World Food Programme (WFP) said that it will need up to $2.6 billion to feed some 23 million Afghan people now on the brink of starvation.

The program has said that poverty in Afghanistan is horrific this time as it has entered cities and the new people who are starving are mostly teachers and construction workers who are laid off after the collapse of the previous Afghan government.

The first Deputy Prime Minister, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, has called on foreign nations to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghans without consideration of the country’s political issues. 

In a video message broadcast by RTA, a state media outlet, Mullah Baradar called the Afghan situation “critical.”

“On the one side, there are the oppressive sanctions, and on the other side there is no infrastructure in Afghanistan from the past 20 years to facilitate job opportunities for citizens,” he added.

According to Mullah Baradar, citizens across the country are in grave need of cash, shelter, and food.

“In the current situation, the Afghans are in need of the immediate humanitarian assistance of the world,” he continued.

However, Mullah Baradar said the Islamic Emirate is fully prepared to tackle the emergency situation and that the ministries and government departments have been instructed to help the citizens.

This comes as many areas were damaged due to avalanches and floods flowed as a result of heavy precipitation across Afghanistan.

Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned of a severe crisis amid the cold winter in Afghanistan.

The United Nations has earlier announced that it has collected $1.5 billion to tackle the Afghan crisis.  

Russia slams US stance over Kazakhstan unrest

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Asked about ongoing protests and rioting across Kazakhstan during a Friday press briefing, Blinken argued the situation there is distinct from brewing tensions over another Russian neighbor, Ukraine, but claimed that Moscow might have ulterior motives in spearheading a joint security response to quell the violence.

“I think one lesson in recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it’s sometimes very difficult to get them to leave,” he stated at the tail-end of the press conference, offering no elaboration.

The comment prompted a sharp response from Russia’s Foreign Ministry, which blasted Blinken for making light of “tragic events” unfolding in the ex-Soviet state, where initially peaceful demonstrations over a hike in fuel prices quickly escalated into deadly clashes with security forces, as well as arson, vandalism and looting.

“Today US Secretary of State Antony Blinken joked about the tragic events in Kazakhstan in his typical boorish manner,” the ministry said, dismissing the statement as a “snide remark” while arguing that its peacekeeping effort under the regional Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is “absolutely legitimate.”

Moscow ramped up the criticism further, also going on to cite a number of Washington’s invasions, interventions and military occupations over the decades, suggesting Blinken might learn a “history lesson” of his own.

“When Americans are in your house, it can be difficult to stay alive, and not to be robbed or raped,” it stated.

“Indians of the North American continent, Koreans, Vietnamese, Iraqis, Panamanians, Yugoslavs, Libyans, Syrians and many other unfortunate people who are unlucky enough to see these uninvited guests in their ‘home’ will have much to say about this,” it added.

Blinken mentioned Russia by name nearly 80 times during Friday’s press event, repeatedly accusing the country of “aggression” while warning of an imminent invasion of Ukraine. Moscow, which denies any such plans, has outlined some steps that could help reduce tensions in the region – including a commitment from NATO not to expand any further toward Russia’s borders. Blinken and the bloc have rejected that idea unequivocally, denying that Washington ever agreed to halt NATO’s growth, despite numerous assurances from previous US leaders that the alliance would not encroach “one inch eastward.”

Iran slams Wall Street Journal’s hostile article

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
parchameiran_by_asr_entezar

“Encouraging and advising leaders to opt for war especially when a serious diplomatic process is underway is ignorant, hostile and in contravention of the principles of international law,” Iran’s permanent mission wrote on its twitter page on Friday.

It added that those who design and implement such reckless plans will bear responsibility for the consequences.

The Wall Street Journal article titled “Biden’s Moment of Truth in Iran” was published on January 6.
It accuses Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons and of having little interest in a diplomatic breakthrough in the Vienna talks.
“With negotiations likely to fail, he’d better be prepared for a military strike,” the opinion piece read.

Iran and the P4+1 group have held many rounds of talks since 2021 to try to restore the 2015 nuclear deal that has unraveled since the United States unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018 drawing worldwide condemnation.

Iran has said it will implement its nuclear commitments under the deal if the United States removes its illegal sanctions and offers credible guarantees that it will not abandon the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action again.

Tajik president calls for closer all-out cooperation with Iran

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Iran Congratulates Tajikistan on National Day

In his message, the Tajik president said the two countries can further enhance bilateral ties with firm resolve as well as sincere and joint efforts in order to serve both nations’ interests.

Rahmon said the two countries have, over the past three decades, constantly adopted practical measures in order to further upgrade constructive relations and develop new ways of consolidating all-out cooperation.

He said Tajikistan has always favored the ever-increasing expansion of bilateral relations on different fronts via mutual understanding, collaboration and trust as well as launching proper programs and moves to achieve those objectives.

1...2,1982,1992,200...5,148Page 2,199 of 5,148

© All Content by IFP News ( Iran Front Page ) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Us

Popular Articles

Editor Picks