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Congressional Republicans vow to block US sanctions relief for Iran

By
IFP Media Wire
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The letter, obtained by The National, accuses the White House of withholding information from Congress and ignoring requests to provide details about the nature of negotiations with Tehran.

“Despite over a dozen letters by members of the Republican Study Committee asking for information on Iran sanctions enforcement, your administration has continued to leave Congress in the dark regarding its plans to weaken sanctions enforcement and provide sanctions relief to Iran,” the letter read.

The committee has more than 150 Republican members and advocates for conservative policies on defence and foreign policy issues.

In the letter, the signatories re-assert the power of Congress to impose sanctions on Iran.

“We are writing to remind you that the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and hence the ability to enact economic sanctions resides in Congress,” it said.

The Biden administration entered indirect negotiations with Iran this week in Vienna, with talks centred on Tehran’s demands for sanctions relief.

Russia’s representative to the talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, tweeted on Tuesday that progress has been made on “sanctions lifting and nuclear issues”.

Asked if the Biden administration was willing to lift sanctions on Iran, State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter stated on Monday that the goal is compliance.

“I won’t get into the details or any hypotheticals from here, but I’ll just focus on the goal, which is a mutual return to compliance … that’s in America’s national interest and we believe it’s the best available option to restrict Iran’s nuclear programme and also provide a platform to address Iran’s destabilising conduct,” Porter explained.

“If Iran demands more or offers less than a mutual return to compliance, these negotiations will not succeed,” she added.

But the Republican signatories to the letter, first reported on by The Free Beacon, are threatening to block any relief if they win a majority in the House in next year’s midterm elections.

“When Republicans return to the majority soon, we look forward to re-asserting Congress’s authority over economic sanctions by passing the Maximum Pressure Act and circumscribing the ability of your administration, like the [Barack] Obama administration before it, to lift sanctions and abuse waiver and license authorities to provide sanctions relief to Iran,” the letter said, referencing [Donald] Trump-era legislation that codified the sanctions regime aimed at stopping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

In the Senate, legislation to prevent the US from rejoining the nuclear deal was introduced in February and has gained the support of high-ranking senators such as Jim Risch, Marco Rubio, Susan Collins, Ted Cruz, Tim Scott and others.

It stipulates that the lifting of sanctions imposed on Iran cannot take place without addressing the full scope of “Iran’s malign activities”, which include “its nuclear programme, ballistic and cruise missile capabilities, weapons proliferation, support for terrorism, hostage-taking, gross human rights violations and other destabilising activities”.

For the Biden administration to lift some of the sanctions imposed under Trump — such as those placed on Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi — it would need congressional review.

Such a move would allow Republicans to force a vote on killing the agreement in Congress.

The Israeli government, which opposes a return to the nuclear deal, has warned the Biden administration that Iran is preparing to enrich weapons-grade uranium, Axios reported on Monday.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz is expected to visit Washington this week.

Senior Emirati official says UAE to send delegation to Iran soon

By
IFP Media Wire
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“I hope that it is the sooner the better and all our friends are aware of it,” Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, told reporters when asked when a UAE delegation would hold talks in Tehran.

The idea was to “turn over a new page” in relations, he added.

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, met Gargash and other Emirati officials on Nov. 24 in a rare visit.

The UAE started engaging with Iran in 2019 following attacks on tankers off Persian Gulf waters and on Saudi energy infrastructure. Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia began direct talks with Iran in April, with Riyadh describing the talks as “cordial” but largely exploratory.

“There is a recognition by the Iranians that they need to rebuild bridges with the Gulf. We are picking that up positively” he said.

Abu Dhabi still shared concerns about Iran’s regional activities but it wanted to work hard on improving ties, he stated.

Asked whether the UAE was coordinating with Saudi Arabia on its moves on Iran, he noted they were keeping its regional allies “in the picture”.

The warmer ties comes as indirect talks between Iran and the United States, and other world powers in Vienna to try to revive a 2015 nuclear pact, which Persian Gulf states have criticised for not addressing Tehran’s missile programme and regional proxies.

He stated the UAE shared Saudi Arabia’s concern about Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement’s rocket attacks on Saudi cities. Riyadh and its allies accuse Iran of supplying the group with arms, a charge both deny.

The UAE is a member of the Saudi-led coalition engaged in Yemen but largely ended its military presence on the ground in 2019.

 

Iranian envoy to UN condemns US unilateralism

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Majid Takhte Ravanchi was speaking at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Group 77 and China.
He said, “As we celebrate this year the fifty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Algerian Charter at the First Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Group 77 and China, we must stand united and resolutely strive for the common aspirations and interests of the members of the group, as laid out in that document. Let us focus our collective efforts on achieving economic and social development as well as achieving peace, stability and prosperity for all members of the group”.
He noted that the Covid pandemic was a wake-up call for the whole world that the development, prosperity and well-being of humanity are interconnected and interdependent.
The Iranian envoy said, “While all countries are working hand in hand to counter the pandemic, we are sadly seeing the United States imposes its unilateral and coercive actions including illegal sanctions on a number of countries which have suffered the heaviest losses and ordeal from the Covid pandemic”.
The Iranian representative said Tehran believes that the most important international crises and challenges facing humanity such as the Covid pandemic and unilateralism will not be beaten unless there is a collective response and joint efforts by all world nations under the banner of multilateralism and solidarity.

Final results show Moqtada al-Sadr wins big in Iraq election

By
IFP Media Wire
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The Sunni Taqaddum party won 37 seats in last month’s general election, while the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) secured 31 seats, state media reported, citing the commission.

A total of 329 seats were up for grabs in the election. More than 3,240 candidates were in the running, including 950 women.

Turnout in Iraq’s parliamentary election was 43%, according to the electoral commission.

Putin: Western countries learnt nothing from Afghanistan debacle

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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“We see, on the one hand, that many of our partners are saying… we were wrong, we shouldn’t have behaved like that in Afghanistan. However, they continue to behave like that in other parts of the globe,” Putin told an investment forum on Tuesday.

The United States and its Western allies have been widely criticized for their 20-year war in Afghanistan which wreaked havoc on the country and left a large number of Afghans dead but failed to achieve its stated goals.

The US-led forces were also sharply denounced for their chaotic withdrawal in August with some describing it as a terrible end to a catastrophic war.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Putin said U.S. government policies are hurting the dollar’s position internationally and Russia has to give up the use of the U.S. currency because of those policies.

A number of countries around the world, including Russia, China, India, Turkey and Iran, use their national currencies instead of the U.S. dollar in their trade, and this is spreading to more countries.

The Russian president also said that Russia does not intend to isolate itself by building an economic fortress to live inside, and that the Russian government is rather working to enhance its economic independence.

Iran paying reparations to families of Ukrainian plane crash victims

By
IFP Media Wire
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Iran's Foreign Ministry

The statement says following the tragic crash, Iran, in good faith and in a bid to dispel misunderstandings, made every effort to appropriately interact with Ukraine on various aspects of the accident.

It also said in addition to several meetings and contacts with Ukrainian officials, the delegations of the two sides held three rounds of talks over all technical, military, legal and criminal aspects of the air crash.

According to the Foreign Ministry statement, the Iranian delegation briefed the Ukrainian side on all its findings and made efforts to give necessary answers to the Ukrainian delegation’s questions.

The Foreign Ministry also says Iran called for negotiations with the Ukrainian airline, and the first round of talks was held on June 30, 2021.

Meanwhile, the statement says Iranian judicial authorities have put those responsible for the plane crash on trial and the first court hearing was held on November 21, 2021. According to the statement, the court hearings will continue until justice is administered.

The Foreign Ministry also says, to appease the families of the victims, Iran has set a figure as payment to the families of all victims regardless of their nationality.

It added that a large number of families have already been paid and legal measures are being taken to pay the rest. Iran has also told Ukraine, Canada, Afghanistan and Sweden, whose citizens are among the victims, Tehran’s ready to pay the families of their citizens killed in the accident.

The Foreign Ministry added iد its statement that it believes all aspects of the Ukrainian plane crash have been adequately addressed.

Tehran air unhealthy for all groups

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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People with heart or lung diseases, the elderly and children should avoid long or heavy outdoor activities and other people should reduce them.

Every year, from mid-October until mid-February, Tehran’s skyline is covered by a thick layer of smog which is largely blamed on a phenomenon known as inversion and the use of environmentally harmful mazut to fuel some power stations as the consumption of natural gas by residential areas increases dramatically.

In recent years, other large Iranian cities such as Isfahan and Mashhad have also experienced increasing air pollution.

Iranian authorities say about 5,000 people lose their lives to air pollution in the country annually. The problem also forces the closure of schools for several days every year.

Aoun: Lebanon wants ‘best relations’ with Saudi Arabia

By
IFP Media Wire
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In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Aoun said on Monday evening that his country is seeking to reconcile with Saudi Arabia, which severed diplomatic ties with Beirut last month.

The crisis erupted last month after video footage circulated online from an August interview in which Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi made critical remarks about the Saudi-led coalition’s war against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Kordahi, a former game show host, stated the Iran-aligned Houthis are “defending themselves … against an external aggression”. Kordahi is a member of a small Christian party allied with Hezbollah, which backs the Houthis in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia has distanced itself from Lebanon in recent years, often criticising it for Hezbollah’s growing influence in politics. Riyadh considers Hezbollah a “terrorist” organisation.

Hezbollah has praised Kordahi for his remarks.

In response, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain recalled their envoys from Beirut and expelled their Lebanese ambassadors. Saudi Arabia also banned all Lebanese imports into the kingdom in a big blow to Beirut’s already crippled economy. Bahrain and the UAE called on their citizens to leave the country, while Yemen has also since recalled its envoy from Beirut.

The Lebanese authorities have called for dialogue with their Saudi counterparts.

President Aoun has dismissed Kordahi’s comments and said they do not reflect the Lebanese government’s position.

But he clarified that he has not asked Kordahi to resign from office over the remarks. He added that Kordahi will act in Lebanon’s best interest.

“When a Saudi journalist insulted me on the air, no action was taken against him,” Aoun, whose Free Patriotic Movement party is in alliance with Hezbollah movement, added.

The Lebanese president on Monday met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during which they discussed the PGCC crisis, among other things.

Qatar, also a PGCC member, reportedly offered to mediate talks between the two sides. However, Al Jazeera could not independently verify the report.

The two talked about developments of mutual interest regionally and internationally, as well as ways to enhance bilateral relations.

Aoun urged Qatar to invest in Lebanon amid ongoing civil unrest over the economic situations at home, saying his country desperately needed multiple investments in various fields.

Aoun also spoke about other issues, including the investigation into the 2020 Beirut port blast, and the role of the powerful armed Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Speaking about the investigation into the deadly Beirut port explosion, which took place on August 4, 2020, Aoun noted he did not agree with Hezbollah’s stance.

The group had repeatedly called for replacing Judge Tarek Bitar, who has been leading the investigations, over the allegations of “bias” that have been widely dismissed by rights groups and families of blast victims.

Last month, Bitar was forced to stop work for a third time over a lawsuit brought forward by a former minister who had been summoned for questioning.

Aoun also stated Lebanon’s central bank is under a criminal investigation. Luxembourg judicial authorities had opened “a criminal case” in relation to Governor Riad Salameh – who Aoun said is responsible for all the money lost.

The Lebanese pound has lost almost 90 percent of its value since late 2019 – the main driving force that has crushed the country’s economy which is now in tatters.

Earlier this year, the World Bank reported Lebanon’s economic and financial crisis could rank as one of the three severest the world has seen since the mid-19th century.

In the wide-ranging interview to the Doha-based network, the Lebanese president reiterated that parliamentary elections will be held as scheduled and that measures are being taken to organise the March 27 event.

Due to the ongoing political and economic crisis, as well as the controversial electoral law – which stipulates that Lebanon’s parliament is proportioned based on the state’s multiple religious and sectarian denominations – there has been speculation that the election could be postponed.

 

6 killed, dozens injured in Turkey heavy storms

By
IFP Media Wire
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Two women died in Istanbul’s Esenyurt and Sultangazi districts, while a construction worker died when a collapsing wall crushed him in the northern province of Zonguldak. A person died in Kocaeli while trying to strengthen his home’s roof as strong winds ripped the structure apart and carried it onto a street.

Fatalities included a woman who died trying to protect her son from a falling roof in the Esenyurt. Both the woman and her son were reportedly buried under the roof, the public broadcaster TRT reported, and while the woman died at the scene, the child was now being treated in hospital, it said. TRT added witnesses described how the mother threw her body over the child in an attempt to protect him at the very last moment before the roof came down.

Adverse weather conditions prompted a one-day suspension to education for Tuesday in 11 provinces including the 15-million metropolis as well as Kocaeli, Sakarya, Yalova, Bursa, Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Sinop, Tekirdağ, Bartın and Düzce in the northwest. Education was also suspended for one day at Bursa Technical, Balıkesir, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart and Yalova universities due to the fierce storm, according to the university administrations.

In Istanbul, authorities urged citizens late Monday not to go outside unless necessary due to falling objects and clogged roads. Traffic on the July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge, also known as the Bosporus Bridge, was briefly halted due to security concerns, leading to hourslong traffic jams. Istanbulites suffered from long queues at bus stops as ferry services were canceled and Metrobus services crossing the Bosporus were also suspended. The Bosporus was also closed to ship traffic in both directions.

The governor’s office added that motorcycles and electric scooters will not be allowed in traffic from 11 p.m. (2000GMT) Monday to 6 p.m. (1500GMT) Tuesday due to the powerful storm.

The strong winds also forced authorities to cancel ferry services between the coastal resorts of Bodrum and Datça, the private DHA news agency reported. Some boats docked in Maltepe and Pendik suffered severe damage due to the storm, which also caused a cargo ship to collide with a pier at the Port of Ambarlı.

Seas overflowed and roofs blew away in some provinces of Izmir, Kocaeli and Bursa. Turkish State Meteorological Service (TSMS) issued an orange-level storm warning for 17 provinces, the second-highest of the four danger levels, and a yellow alert, the third-highest danger level, for 35 provinces.

According to the TSMS, more torrential rain and thunderstorms are possible in the Marmara, Aegean, western Mediterranean and western Black Sea regions and the northwest of central Anatolia.

Mud rain was seen in Istanbul in the morning hours due to the storm. Many drivers flocked to car washes to clean their mud-covered cars. According to the TSMS, the speed of the wind reached 129.95 kilometers per hour (80.78 miles per hour) in the Beylikdüzü district of Istanbul, 62.14 mph in the Adalar district on the Princes’ Islands and 49.71 mph around the Bosporus.

Turkey’s flag-carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) reported disruptions to its flight schedule and sent at least six planes that were unable to land to airports outside Istanbul.

A clock tower blew over because of the heavy wind in the Çatalca district. Also, two trucks and one pickup truck overturned in Çatalca. No injuries were reported.

The sea washed across the shoreline in Izmir due to the storm getting stronger in its Karşıyaka district. The roads turned into lakes and one side of the double lane road was flooded. Some homes and businesses were also flooded.

The severe storm also made life difficult for the citizens in Karşıyaka. Trams were canceled due to seawater flooding the tram line. Meanwhile, all sea voyages in Izmir were temporarily suspended due to adverse weather conditions. City crews are working to clear the water.

The heavy storm also affected Kocaeli and caused the roofs of some houses to blow off. Due to the storm, the roof of a two-story house under construction in Kocaeli’s Körfez district was damaged. Firefighters arrived at the scene and removed the damaged roof. The planned ferry services in Izmit were also canceled.

A storm with winds reaching speeds of 80 kph in Bursa blew away roofs and knocked down trees and poles. The tram that provides citywide transportation was left stranded under a roof blown off during the storm.

A plane that could not land in Yenişehir returned to Ankara. The TSMS warned people to be cautious amid the strong winds expected to reach 90 kph. The warning also stated that the rain and thunderstorms predicted for the province are expected to remain strong until early Tuesday.

Storms are expected from the south and southwest directions in the western Black Sea region. It is estimated that the storm will turn severe with winds of up to 75-90 kph in the evening on the same day and will later taper in strength early Tuesday.

 

 

119 killed by Covid in a single day in Iran

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

The health Ministry announced on Tuesday 119 people died of Covid in the past 24 hours, pushing the total number of fatalities since the pandemic started to 129,830.
Meantime, 4,253 new infections have been logged since Monday including 801 hospitalizations.
Since the Covid outbreak began in Iran, 6,117,4456 people have contracted the disease. Of that figure, 5,883,470 people recovered from the Coronavirus.
The number of Covid vaccine doses administered to Iranians has crossed the 105 million mark.
The number of cities marked red zones in Iran has fallen to zero. Red zones are areas facing the highest risk from the Coronavirus.
Meanwhile, 22 cities across Iran are orange, 207 yellow and 219 blue with the latter showing the lowest level of risk.
Authorities say Covid has abated in most of Iran but people should remain careful because another wave of the pandemic is still a possibility given the emergence of the new strain of the virus known as Omnicron.

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