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Iran: Tankers carrying fuel to Lebanon escorted by naval forces

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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“Today, powerful naval group ships escort vessels with strength, and the tankers of the Islamic Republic to Lebanon were protected by the navy in the heart of the seas,” Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said on Monday.

The 78th Navy Fleet of the Army’s Naval Force is currently stationed in the form of two destroyers in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, escorting oil tankers to the Suez Canal, he explained.

“Although they conducted war games in the Gulf of Aden to scare us…the Army’s naval destroyer is present in the Gulf of Aden every day,” the commander of the Army’s Naval Force added.

An unprecedented economic crisis has left Lebanon severely short of fuel and other basic necessities.

Iran has been shipping fuel to Lebanon through Syrian to help alleviate the situation.

Republican senators reject Trump as potential presidential candidate

By
IFP Media Wire
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These GOP senators definitely don’t want to see Trump announce a bid before the 2022 midterm elections, fearing that could sink their hopes of winning back the Senate.

More broadly, they’re generally reluctant to see him on the ballot in 2024 at all because of his track record with independent and swing voters.

Several Republican senators, who requested anonymity to discuss Trump frankly, said they don’t want to see Trump return as the party’s standard bearer.

“I think we’re better off when he’s not part of any story,” stated a Republican senator, who noted his view is widely shared in the GOP conference.

“He’s a clinical narcissist. He threw away the election in the debate with [Joe] Biden and he threw away the Senate out of spite,” the lawmaker added, referring to Trump’s first against Biden, which many Republican senators viewed as a disaster, and his influence on Republican voter turnout in the Georgia special election.

One thing is crystal clear: Most GOP senators think Trump announcing a bid before the midterms would hurt them.

“The 2022 election ought to be about the Biden administration and its rolling disasters so anything that would detract from the public being focused on what Democratic governance is doing to this country would be ill-advised,” said Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a Trump ally, when asked about the possibility Trump could announce his campaign in the next year.

Johnson, a top Democratic target next year, hasn’t decided whether to run for reelection, but expects Democrats to make the Wisconsin Senate race all about Trump.

“That’s what they always want to do. They want to distract and most of the mainstream media will be trying to do that as well. We need to focus — not only Republicans but the country needs to focus on what a disaster the Biden administration has been,” he added.

Republicans feel good about their midterm chances if the race is focused on President Biden’s agenda and record, given his softening job approval ratings.

Another Republican senator whose seat is up for reelection in 2022 said Trump’s reemergence as a candidate would be a gift to Democrats who want to make next year’s midterms about Trump, regardless of whether he announces a 2024 presidential campaign.

“The way my colleagues see it, he’s an asset in the primaries if he’s with you and then it creates challenges in the general election,” said the lawmaker, adding, “He’s different than any political person that I’ve ever known.”

Trump remains a big topic within the Senate GOP conference — and a bit of a mystery. The senator stated Senate Republicans discuss Trump from time to time among themselves and none of them have any idea of whether he’ll really run or not. 

Some GOP senators predict Trump will run because he craves attention and has a good chance of winning the party nomination in 2024. Others think he doesn’t want to risk losing again to Biden or may not be healthy enough to wage another grueling campaign.

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) recently met with a group of senior Senate Republican staff and suggested that Trump would like to run but would only do so if he felt healthy enough for the rigors of the campaign trail and office. 

One Republican senator who certainly doesn’t want to see Trump win the nomination in 2024, say GOP colleagues and aides, is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who this week was attacked again by the former president over his debt-ceiling strategy.

McConnell has steadfastly refused to acknowledge Trump’s attacks or mention him by name.

Many Senate Republicans blame Trump for the loss of their majority.

Democrats won upset victories in both of Georgia’s Senate races in January after Trump publicly questioned whether the state’s voting practices were rigged, which damped GOP voter enthusiasm ahead of the run-off election.

As a result, Senate Republicans weren’t thrilled to read last week’s story in The Washington Post that Trump wanted to announce his 2024 campaign and had to be talked out of it by his political advisers.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) laughed uncomfortably when asked about Trump raring to return to the political arena, more than three years before Election Day 2024.

“I’m shocked, aren’t you?” he quipped.

Thune is up for reelection in 2022 and Trump has called for South Dakota Gov. Kristie Noem to challenge him in a primary.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Trump’s closest ally in the Senate who golfed with the former president a few weeks ago, told The Hill he’s “champing at the bit to get in the race”.

But Graham acknowledged there could be a downside to announcing his presidential bid early.

“The sooner he gets in, the more they can attack him but also the more money he can raise,” he said.

“I’ve been pushing the idea that a Draft Trump movement would be well received,” added Graham, one of the few Republican senators publicly endorsing another Trump White House bid.

“I think he was a good president on the things I care about,” he said, adding, “He’s going to have to deal with the problems in 2020 but, yeah, I think he’d be the most viable candidate right now.”

Trump has other fans in the Senate GOP conference such as first-term Sens. Bill Haggerty (R-Tenn.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), but they appear to be in the minority among Republican senators.

A senior Senate GOP noted many Republican senators view Trump as a potential liability in 2022 and 2024.

“Everybody would prefer he wait until after the midterms. We lost Georgia because of him,” the aide said, adding, “Once we got into a run-off, Trump said your vote isn’t trusted and don’t vote so it’s no surprise that we lost.”

“If Trump decides that he needs to get back in now, then it’s all about Trump all the time,” the aide warned.

Nearly half of Republicans want Trump to run for office again in 2024, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center released Wednesday.

The survey showed that 67 percent of the Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said “they would like to see Trump continue to be a major political figure for many years to come” and 44 percent would like to see him run for president again.

Twenty-two percent of those respondents would prefer to support a different candidate who held views that aligned with the beliefs of the former president.

About a third of Republicans, or 32 percent, said they would not like for Trump to maintain his status as a major political figure, according to the survey.

The percentage of people who would like for Trump to remain in the major political spotlight has increased by 10 points since a survey taken in the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. 

The Pew poll follows a recent survey of Iowa residents that showed 53 percent approve of Trump, an important group to consider as the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses could be an important factor in Trump’s possible 2024 campaign.

Iranian, Afghan artworks on display in Tehran

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The event kicked off on Friday with over 300 artworks on display at Saba Art and Cultural Institute in the Iranian capital.

Mehr News Agency quoted officials at the event as saying that the artworks were paintings, statues and photos and also new works of arts.

This year’s exhibition was entitled “New View, New Expression” and it sought to offer a new meaning for art and pave the way for displaying, selling and supporting works of young and creative artists.

More than 3,000 artworks were received by the exhibition in the six months prior to the event and only 300 ones from 150 artists were chosen to contest.

The second visual arts event is however held on a non-competition basis and the jury selected two artists for each sector as winners of Sateen’s grant to the tune of 70 million rials.

The minor section of the exhibition is designated to Afghan artists.

It features 50 artworks from 25 Afghans residing in Iran in painting, designing, calligraphy, photography, etc.

The second Sateen expo will run until October22, 2021

Moscow says U.S. needs Ukraine for anti-Russian goals

By
IFP Media Wire
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“The US needs nothing from Ukraine except opposition to Russia, total deterrence of our country and creation of what has been very appropriately called ‘anti-Russia’,” Russia’s Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said in the article titled “Why contacts with current Ukrainian administration are pointless,” posted on Monday in the Kommersant newspaper.

It means that such alliance is very fragile and will turn to ashes at a certain moment of time, the official added.

Russia will wait until responsible leaders appear in Ukraine, focusing on the buildup of based on equal rights and mutually beneficial relations and not on the total confrontation with Russia on the brink of war, he stated.

“[We should] wait until responsible leaders appear in Ukraine, aiming at the buildup of based on equal rights and mutually beneficial relations with Russia, rather than at the total confrontation with Russia on the brink of fire and setup of stupid ‘Crimean platforms’ created for dumbing down the country population and inflating their muscles before elections,” Medvedev said.

“Russia knows how to wait. We are patient people,” he added.

Ukraine is under direct foreign administration now and fully depends on the West, from money ‘handouts’ to direct management by special services, Medvedev stressed.

“The country [Ukraine] is under direct foreign administration. Furthermore, the administration is much tougher than interaction between the USSR and individual socialist countries during the known period,” the official wrote.

The USSR provided “sufficient room in forming the domestic policy to its geopolitical allies, understanding that it may end in tragic developments otherwise,” such as in 1956 in Hungary or in 1968 in Czechoslovakia, Medvedev said. 

“The simple pragmatic logic,” he noted. “Dependence is total in Ukraine – from cash injections to their economy (handouts from the US and the EU) to direct control of Ukrainian special services (by their US patrons),” the official added.

Informed source rejects Iranian forces’ entry into Azeri territory

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Iran Azerbaijan Flags

The suspicious reports accused Iran of military aggression in the Zangilan region and the village of Soltanli.

The Iranian Energy Ministry source told Nour News that in 2016, despite the Armenian occupation of the Zangilan and Soltanli regions, and to consolidate the sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the occupied territories, Iran signed a joint dam construction agreement with Baku on the Aras River.

The source explained that based on the agreement, the responsibility of securing the dam on both sides of the border was transferred to Iran.

The agreement stipulated that after the end of the occupation, securing the dam in the Azeri sector would be handed over to Baku under a new agreement, the informed source noted.

During the 44-day war between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Azeri military forces, while advancing to liberate the occupied territories, demanded the withdrawal of the Iranian guard forces from the northern part, with no regard for the previous agreement and refusing to clarify the technical and security details. It was not logical or possible at all, he explained.

The informed source went on to say that the Iranian Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan later reached a deal and the security of the northern part of the dam was handed over to the Azeri forces in the presence of border guard commanders of the two countries.

Tensions have been running high on the border between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan in recent weeks.

Iran, which recently held military drills in the area, insists that its northwestern neighbor should not have allowed Israeli elements to come to the Caucasus.

Tehran says the security of regional borders is a red line that must not be crossed.

Renting a car in Dubai affordable, easy

By
IFP Media Wire
-

If you are planning to visit Dubai, you should first of all know that you are going to enter the world of strange and horrific cars.  Also, for many of us, the desire to drive and walk through the luxury streets of Dubai is like a dream. One of the fun things you can do while visiting Dubai is rent a car and see the city’s attractions in luxury cars like Ferrari and Bugatti. But you can enjoy your trip in this city at a lower cost by renting economy cars. As a pioneering car rental in Iran, Dubai and Istanbul, Saadat Rent is here to talk about everything you need to know about renting a car in Dubai. Stay with us.

Why rent a car in Dubai?

If you want to travel to Dubai, you do not need to worry about vehicles. You can rent luxury or economy cars in this city and enjoy driving there. You can book your car before starting your trip in different ways and get in the car upon arriving in Dubai. If you are worried about the price, we have got to tell you renting a car in Dubai is affordable. Actually, it’s both economical and has easy conditions. But one thing to keep in mind is you should read the driving rules in this city in advance. Dubai is a law-abiding and strict city, and it does not forgive the slightest offense.

Terms and conditions of car renting in Dubai

Most international and domestic companies have similar conditions for renting a car in Dubai. Companies like Saadatrent have tried to find the most reasonable terms for their customers from all over the world. This way they can easily and quickly rent a car and enjoy their stay in Dubai. To rent a car in the city, customers must provide the following documents and book a car:

-A copy of your passport

-A copy of your airplane ticket

-A copy of your driving license

The important thing to do before receiving the car is to check the car technically and make sure the body is healthy. And after making sure there is no problem, get the car renting form and contract.

Safety rules for driving in Dubai

-It’s mandatory to stop for pedestrians in Dubai.

-Drivers must respect the right of way.

-Heed speed limit while driving in Dubai.

-Using cell phones is prohibited under any circumstances.

-Eating and drinking while driving is prohibited and is subject to fines

-Penalties for drinking alcohol before and during driving are severe.

-Children under 10 are banned from sitting in the front seat.

-Fastening the seat belt is mandatory.

China denounces Taiwan chief’s ‘anti-Beijing’ comments

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Beijing has announced China must be and will be reunified, “Taiwan independence” attempts will be smashed with joint efforts of compatriots across the Strait.

Ma Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks when responding to a question about Tsai’s remarks on cross-Strait relations made on Sunday.

Claiming that Tsai’s remarks “incite confrontation, distort facts, mislead the public in the name of so-called unity and consensus, while colluding with external forces to seek independence,” Ma noted that Tsai and the administration of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) continuously made provocative attempts to seek “Taiwan independence”.

Such provocation is the root cause of the tension in cross-Strait relations and the greatest threat to regional peace and stability, stressed Ma.

He reiterated that Taiwan is a part of China’s territory. 

“The fact has never changed and will never be changed,” Ma continued, adding that “China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity has never be partitioned and will never be partitioned.”

Reaffirming the country’s firm determination in fighting against “Taiwan independence”, the spokesperson also clarified that actions are taken only against the DPP and other separatist forces, rather than ordinary compatriots in Taiwan.

Ma reiterated China’s commitment to peaceful reunification, saying a peaceful reunification best serves the interests of the whole Chinese nation including Taiwan.

We are willing to settle disputes under the one-China principle and work jointly to push forward the process of peaceful reunification and contribute to a peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, said Ma.

The spokesperson highlighted the commitment to the 1992 Consensus and opposition against “Taiwan independence” as the common political foundation to cross-Strait relations. He said the DPP’s rejection to recognize the 1992 Consensus destroyed the basis of the dialogue.

“The DPP closes the door to dialogue by seeking ‘Taiwan independence.’ Isn’t it a change to the status quo? If it means ‘goodwill’ then what should be defined as a bad will? If it is not ‘rash advance’, then what should be called as rash advance?” he added.

Ma slammed the DPP for dividing the Taiwan society and plotting “green terror” by suppressing the opposite and promoting desinicization since it took the office.

Ma said the DPP disguised its “Taiwan independence” attempt as democracy, and pointed out its attempt forcibly cuts the cultural and national ties across the Strait and has significantly damaged the fundamental interests of Taiwan compatriots.

National reunification is a common wish for Chinese compatriots within China to those from abroad. And Taiwan is an inalienable part of China which belongs to all the Chinese people including the 23 million compatriots in Taiwan, Ma stated.

Stressing that the future of Taiwan should be jointly decided by all Chinese people, Ma added DPP’s plot will not resist the major trend of development, nor will it manipulate the public opinion.

China must be reunified and will be reunified. We are ready to unite with all Taiwan compatriots to crush any “Taiwan independence” attempts and work jointly to pursue the national reunification as well as the promising future of national rejuvenation.

U.S. navy engineer arrested over espionage charges

By
IFP Media Wire
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According to court records unsealed on Sunday, Jonathan Toebbe and his wife, Diana Toebbe, were arrested and charged with violating the Atomic Energy Act after attempting to sell the design of nuclear-powered warships to a person they believed was a representative of a foreign power.

The Justice department said Toebbe, who held a security clearance, unwittingly communicated with FBI agents and passed along sensitive military secrets, in a scheme that stretched nearly a year.

In December 2020, an FBI official received a package from someone attempting to establish “a covert relationship” with a representative from a foreign country, identified only as “COUNTRY1” in court documents.

Toebbe had listed a return address in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, containing a sample of restricted data and instructions for establishing a covert relationship to obtain additional information.

He began corresponding via encrypted email with an individual whom he believed to be a representative of the foreign government, who was instead an undercover FBI agent, and continued a correspondence for several months before reaching an exchange agreement for thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency.

The undercover agent sent $10,000 in cryptocurrency to Toebbe as “good faith” payment before he agreed to travel to a location in West Virginia to complete the transaction. With his wife acting as a lookout, he concealed an SD card within a peanut butter sandwich at a prearranged “dead drop” location.

The undercover agent sent Jonathan Toebbe a $20,000 cryptocurrency payment and received in return a decryption key for the SD card, which contained restricted data on US submarine nuclear reactors.

The FBI arrested Toebbe and his wife on Saturday, after two more “dead drops”.

Attorney General Merrick B Garland welcomed the arrest. 

“The work of the FBI, Department of Justice prosecutors, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Department of Energy was critical in thwarting the plot charged in the complaint and taking this first step in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” he stated.

Toebbe was an employee at the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, also known as Naval Reactors, and had access to information related to military sensitive design elements, operating parameters and performance characteristics of the reactors for nuclear-powered warships.

The couple were charged with conspiracy to communicate restricted data and communication of restricted data and are scheduled to make an appearance in federal court in Martinsburg, West Virginia, on Tuesday.

Iran to Iraqi govt.: Dismantle terrorist bases in northern Iraq

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Khatibzadeh, holding his weekly briefing session on Monday, said Iran has often told the government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan region that the presence of terrorists in northern Iraq is contradictory to good-neighborliness. 

He noted that the situation is not sustainable and the terrorist bases must be dismantled. 

Khatibzadeh also spoke of Sunday’s vote in Iraq, saying Iran welcomes successful holding of elections in the country. 

The Foreign Ministry spokesman later turned to the Iran nuclear deal and the Vienna talks. He slammed the European troika’s inaction, which he said, emboldened former US president Donald Trump to violate all international treaties including the nuclear agreement, known as the JCPOA, and UN Security Council Resolution 2231. 

On the outgoing German Chancellor’s call on Iran to immediately return to the Vienna talks, Khatibzadeh advised Angela Merkel and the troika to note that had it not been for their inaction, Trump wouldn’t have dared to leave the JCPOA and breach Resolution 2231. 

He said Iran expects the other sides to realize that there is no escape from commitments, urging them to give assurances to the Islamic Republic that no one will be able to violate the JCPOA and reinstate sanctions. Khatibzadeh said Germany itself failed to abide by many of its commitments under the nuclear deal. 

He also noted that no new deal will replace the JCPOA. Khatibzadeh said there will be more interactions regarding the deal and the Vienna talks in the next days.

Taliban says U.S. not to recognize them as Afghan rulers

By
IFP Media Wire
-

The Doha talks were the first face-to-face meetings between senior representatives of the Taliban and a U.S. delegation since American troops withdrew from Afghanistan in late August. 

In a statement, the insurgent group said that the discussions “went well”.

The statement added the U.S. agreed to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, while the Taliban stated they would “facilitate principled movement of foreign nationals”.

In a readout on the discussions, the U.S. State Department said, “The two sides also discussed the United States’ provision of robust humanitarian assistance, directly to the Afghan people.”

“The U.S. delegation focused on security and terrorism concerns and safe passage for U.S. citizens, other foreign nationals and our Afghan partners, as well as on human rights, including the meaningful participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society,” it added.

Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen told The AP that the Taliban committed to ensuring that terrorism does not again take root in Afghanistan.

A State Department spokesperson told the The Hill on Saturday that “this meeting is not about granting recognition or conferring legitimacy”.

“We remain clear that any legitimacy must be earned through the Taliban’s own actions,” the spokesperson added.

Despite promises from the Taliban that it would not allow terrorism to fester in the country, the remarks followed a deadly suicide bombing at a mosque in Kunduz that killed and wounded tens of people and injured many others on Friday — an attack Daesh later took responsibility for.

Daesh, which considers the Taliban an enemy, was involved in a separate bombing outside Kabul’s main mosque that killed at least two people one week ago. Daesh also claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide bombing in late August that killed 13 U.S. service members and dozens more Afghans.

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