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Blinken says time running out to revive Iran nuclear deal

By
IFP Media Wire
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Blinken in a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday discussed the progress made on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and noted that there was not much time left before a return to the original agreement becomes pointless.

“Yes, we [Blinken and Lavrov] focused on the JCPOA,” Blinken stated during a press briefing at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development conference in Paris.

“Given what Iran is doing with its nuclear program […], we are getting closer and closer to a point where simply returning to compliance with the JCPOA won’t recapture the benefits of the agreement,” he added.

Blinken reiterated that both Russia and the US are interested in seeing a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA.

Earlier in the day, following a meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Lavrov noted that Tehran is ready to resume negotiations on the JCPOA in Vienna as soon as possible.

In 2015, Iran signed the nuclear deal with the P5+1 group, which includes the United States, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and the European Union. It required Tehran to scale back its nuclear program and severely reduce its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief, including the lifting of an arms embargo five years after the deal was inked.

In September, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh stated the 4+1 group of countries that remain party to the JCPOA will resume nuclear negotiations in Austrian capital Vienna within the next few weeks.

During the last official meeting with the president and the cabinet members of the twelfth government in late July, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said that one key lesson for future administrations to learn from the experience gained during the tenure of Hassan Rouhani is that there is no benefit in putting one’s trust in the west.

“The others should use your experience,” Ayatollah Khamenei told the meeting, adding, “There is a specific experience… that I have noted to you and the people many times before, and let me repeat the same thing here, which is [the need for] a lack of trust in the west.”

“This is an experience that the posterity should use. As it became manifest during the tenure of this administration, nothing can be gained from putting one’s trust in the west,” the leader stated.

The leader added that domestic programs should in no way be tied to western states under any circumstances due to the proven failure of such an approach.

“Wherever you tied your work to the west, you failed, and wherever you rose and moved forward without trusting the west, you succeeded,” he said in an address to members of the outgoing administration.

“Wherever you tied issues to an agreement or talks with the west, America and the like, you failed to move forward,” he said, adding, “Because they don’t help. They are the enemies, of course.”

“The Americans say [in words] and promise that ‘we will remove the sanctions’ but they have failed to do so,” stressed the leader, denouncing the US attempts to add new terms to the agreement to push Iran to begin talks on other issues.

By adding such a clause, according to the leader, the Americans are seeking to gain an excuse for further meddlesome acts regarding the JCPOA, Iran’s missile program and regional issues.

“And if Iran refuses to talk about [those issues], they would say ‘you have violated the JCPOA and therefore there won’t be an agreement anymore,’” he stated.

Ayatollah Khamenei drew attention to the fact that the US has refused to provide Iran with a guarantee that it will not violate its commitments again.

He noted that Washington will not shy away from violating its contractual commitments in the same manner it did in 2018, a move that was “completely costless” for them.

NATO to expel several Russian diplomats

By
IFP Media Wire
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NATO has confirmed that Russia’s mission to the alliance would be halved from 20 to 10 positions, the alliance’s press service told TASS on Wednesday.

“We can confirm that we have withdrawn the accreditation of 8 members of the Russian Mission to NATO,” the official said alleging that those members were undeclared Russian intelligence officers.

“We can also confirm that we have reduced the number of positions which the Russian Federation can accredit to NATO to 10 (from the previous 20),” the press service added.

“NATO’s policy towards Russia remains consistent. We have strengthened our deterrence and defense in response to Russia’s aggressive actions, while at the same time we remain open for a meaningful dialogue,” the spokesperson assured.

Eighteen diplomats are currently working in Russia’s mission to NATO, and two positions are vacant.

Sky news had earlier reported that this decision was made following Russia’s alleged “malign activities over recent years”. As Sky News reported, NATO made its decision after asking its member countries to compile reports on suspicious hostile activity they may have noticed on their territory. All the relevant data were collected last month, before the decision was taken.

The TV channel quoted an unnamed NATO official claiming that the expelled Russian diplomats were allegedly “undeclared Russian intelligence officers”.

Iranian wrestlers receive hero’s welcome at home

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The Iranian wrestlers were welcomed by Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Hamid Sajjadi and a group of other officials and wrestling enthusiasts at Imam Khomeini International Airport south of the capital Tehran.

Iran won three golds, three silvers and a bronze medal finishing in third place in team ranking.

U.S., Chinese presidents to hold virtual summit by year’s end

By
IFP Media Wire
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Xi Biden

Biden and Xi Jinping plan to meet virtually before the end of this year, a senior U.S. administration official told CNBC on Wednesday.

The two leaders reached an “agreement in principle” for a virtual bilateral meeting, the official said. It will be part of an effort to manage competition between the two countries, the official added.

The meeting will occur virtually as Xi is not planning to attend any upcoming multilateral events in person, including G20, COP26 and APEC, sources familiar with the matter stated. Details will be worked out in the coming days.

The agreement follows a six-hour meeting in Zurich Wednesday between White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi. Tensions have been on the rise between the two nations over Taiwan and the U.S.-China trade dispute.

On Monday, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai accused China of failing to live up to its commitments under former President Donald Trump’s phase 1 trade deal and vowed to defend U.S. economic interests.

Iran UN envoy: Tehran will stick to JCPOA if others do

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Majid Takhte Ravanchi was speaking at the Disarmament and International Security Committee of the UN in New York.

Takht-e Ravanchi also criticized efforts to tie the JCPOA to Iran’s missile program. He said Iran’s missile defense capability has been pursued within the framework of inalienable rights and in accordance with the country’s international obligations.

Referring to the chronic security threats and the emergence of new threats, he said that under such circumstances, the situation of international peace and security has deteriorated and the year 2020 witnessed unpredictable events and the continued armament of artificial intelligence, cyberspace and outer space.

The Iranian envoy also spoke of the devastating effects of the use and testing of nuclear weapons since 1945. Takhte Ravanchi stressed that nuclear disarmament is the mandate of the nuclear powers under Article 6 of the NPT, to which they have not yet adhered.

He added that over the past year, more than $72 billion has been wasted on nuclear weapons around the world. According to the Iranian envoy, at a time when the world is fighting Covid-19, the US government’s budget for nukes for 2022 remains the same as the Trump-era budget.

Takhte Ravanchi said the policies of the United States and the Zionist regime have prevented the creation of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East- an initiative proposed by Iran since 1974.

He noted that the international system must put pressure on the Zionist regime to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear member and to accept IAEA inspections.

Takhte Ravanchi warned against the use of chemical weapons, saying the Islamic Republic of Iran rejects weapons of mass destruction and calls for the full and non-selective implementation of the chemical and biological weapons conventions. He also called on the United States, as the sole holder of chemical weapons, to dismantle its arsenal as soon as possible.

Iranian FM: Tehran will never hesitate to help Lebanon

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

According to Lebanon’s Al-Manar channel, the Iranian foreign minister will meet on Thursday with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bo Habib.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh earlier told reporters at a weekly meeting about Amirabdollahian’s visit to Beirut that the formation of the government in Lebanon has been Iran’s long-standing desire.

Khatibzadeh added that the foreign minister, in his meeting with Lebanese officials will talk about bilateral relations.

Britons still wrestling with fuel shortage

By
IFP Media Wire
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The Petrol Retail Association (PRA) said its daily poll showed 13 percent of independent retailers in the capital and southeast – the region worst hit by the crisis – were still dry on Wednesday.

The figure is an improvement on Tuesday’s 15 percent and Sunday’s 22 percent, however some forecourts have been left waiting four days for delivery.

Gordon Balmer, executive director of the PRA, stated that “this is leaving some motorists continuing to feel insecure about fuel availability at their local neighbourhood filling stations”.

“Independent forecourts report a complete lack of visibility as to when their next delivery might arrive, and some have been dry for four days and still waiting for a delivery,” he continued.

“We have yet to see any explanation from the government of the benefits arising from the suspension of competition law between the major oil companies in the delivery of downstream fuel,” he noted, adding, “We need to restore a competitive market with incentives for those who deliver on the job.”

Balmer stated some businesses had been forced to throw away fresh produce as the ongoing fuel crisis had also caused shop sales to plummet by between 20 and 50 percent.
“Most independent retailers have built a reputation with their local customers for reliable service, good facilities and a well-stocked convenience store,” he continued.

“Sadly retailers have been throwing away large quantities of fresh produce as the ‘closed’ sign has deterred not just forecourt business but shop sales too, with some quoting reductions in non-fuel sales of between 20 and 50 percent,” he said.

“Attempts by the government to deal with this fuels crisis, now into its fourteenth day, have thus far had only limited success in London and the southeast,” he added.

“Much more attention on this issue affecting this region is urgently needed,” he added.

Number 10 on Monday said it was “hard to put a specific date” on when fuel supplies would return to normal – but insisted the situation was improving.

It came as army tanker drivers started delivering fuel to petrol stations in a bid to ease shortages as Operation Escalin got underway.

The troops were set to be concentrated in London and the southeast, where the worst fuel shortages remain.

Iran: U.S. sanctions hampering humanitarian aid to Afghan refugees

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-
Internally displaced Afghans at a camp outside Kabul, Afghanistan, during a visit by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres June 14, 2017. REUTERS/Josh Smith - RTS170LZ

“The negative consequences of oppressive U.S. sanctions affect the capacity of host countries to support Afghan refugees and prevent the realization of the principle of humanitarian solidarity in helping Afghans,” Baghaei explained during the 72nd session of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for refugees in the Swiss city.

For decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been a major destination for Afghan refugees fleeing war. There are currently millions of registered and undocumented Afghan refugees in Iran. The country has been targeted by many rounds of U.S. sanctions which have made trade including the purchase of much needed medicine and pharmaceuticals increasingly difficult for Iranians.

The Iranian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva also called for the formation of an inclusive Afghan government which represents all ethnicities and religions and respects human rights and has good relations with neighboring countries.

Baghaei also referred to the negative consequences of military intervention in Afghanistan, saying that lasting peace and stability are Afghanistan’s priorities.

“The people of Afghanistan deserve international understanding and support in such a situation. In Afghanistan, no humanitarian aid can be substituted for lasting peace and stability, and the international community must properly fulfill its responsibility to support the Afghan people,” he stated.

IRGC dismisses Israeli Army chief’s threat as nonsense

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

“Statements by the chief of general staff of the Zionist regime’s army about the continuation of military operations to destroy Iran’s capabilities are nothing but nonsense,” Brigadier General Ali Fadavi stated in an interview with Yemeni media on Wednesday.

“The United States…has failed to bring Iran to its knees in 42 years, let alone the Israeli regime talking about destroying Iran’s capabilities,” the IRGC deputy commander-in-chief noted.

He also stated that it is not only Iran that’s talking about the decline of the United States, but this is also being heard from inside America.

Chief of General Staff of the Israel Army Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi said on Tuesday that Israel will continue to conduct operations aimed at eliminating quote “the Iranian threat” on all fronts and at all times.

Israel has in recent months stepped up military threats against the Islamic Republic.

Tehran insists that it will never start a war but will defend itself with all its resources, and has warned of a crushing response to any strike on its soil.

Cyclone Shahin causes heavy material damage in southern Iran

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Deputy for Planning and Economic Affairs of Sistan and Baluchestan’s Agricultural Jihad Organization Farideddin Salimi said fisheries’ subdivisions in the southern coast of the province suffered 166 billion and 555 million tomans in losses.

Salimi noted that the most damage was to Sistan and Baluchestan’s fisheries, adding fishing piers, breakwaters and protective walls and fishing ponds suffered most. These installations are in the cities of Konarak, Dashtiari, Chabahar and Zarabad.

Meanwhile, Jalal Zaee the director general of Sistan and Baluchestan’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department says historical monuments in the south of the province and also the Chabahar Museum suffered 2 billion tomans in losses when Cyclone Shahin struck.

The cyclone also has left at least 6 people dead in southern Iran.

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