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Iraqi PM promises to increase Arbaeen visas for Iranians

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The announcement was made on Sunday after Kazemi’s meeting with Iran’s first vice president Mohamamd Mokhber in Tehran.

Kazemi said the visa quota for Iranians is 60 thousand due to the Covid pandemic, promising to increase the number given their eagerness for participation in the Arbaeen ceremonies.

Kazimi thanked Iran for standing by Iraq in the war on terrorist groups including Daesh.

He also said most US forces will leave Iraq by the end of this year.

Kazimi said Iraq needs Iran’s gas and electricity and that “we declare all doors of Iraq are open to Iranian companies”.

Mohamamd Mokhber, Iran’s First Vice President, also underlined the need to use the capacities and capabilities of the two countries, especially in the economic field, saying, “Tehran and Baghdad can boost their relations by relying on these capacities.”

Mokhber also referred to the assassination of Iran’s anti-terror icon and top general Qassem Soleimani, saying the participation of huge crowds of Iranians in General Soleimani’s funeral sent a very important message and showed close bonds between the Iranian and Iraqi nations. Mokhber also praised Iraq for hosting the recent Baghdad summit to resolve regional crises.

He said Iran believes that foreign countries’ presence in the region is detrimental to West Asian nations.

IAEA Chief: No Need to Adopt Resolution against Iran

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Upon return from his day-long trip to Tehran, Rafael Mariano Grossi told reporters at Vienna airport that some issues between the IAEA and Iran were settled during his visit to Tehran.

Grossi underlined the IAEA had reached an agreement with the previous Iranian administration, adding the new Iranian government, too, should abide by the agreement in order to settle the outstanding issues between the agency and Iran.

The IAEA chief, however, underlined that his agreement with Tehran was not a permanent one; rather, he explained, the agreement would give diplomacy some time with the IAEA missing any information on Iran.

He said he discussed Tehran’s uranium enrichment program with the Iranian nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami.

Grossi added that after the IAEA’s monitoring camera are serviced, the agency will need to sit down for talks again with the new Iranian administration and discuss issues which are cause for concern.

Grossi added he will share his views with the IAEA’s Board of Governors, which will accordingly make a decision on whether or not to adopt a resolution against Iran.

However, he added, there is no need to issue such a resolution as had settled the most immediate issue with Tehran, i.e., the possibility of imminent losing of information.

Grossi also discussed his negotiations with Eslami as straightforward and constructive.

Following Grossi’s talks with Eslami, the two sides issued a statement under which IAEA inspectors will be allowed to service specific monitoring equipment at Iranian atomic sites and replace their memory cards, which will be maintained under the Iran-IAEA joint seal.

The meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors kicks off on Monday in Vienna.

Iran and the IAEA had been at odds over a number of issues, namely Iran giving the agency access to the footage recorded by monitoring cameras installed at Iranian nuclear sites.

Difference grew between Iran and the IAEA after Tehran scaled down its commitments under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) following former US President Donald Trump’s unilateral withdrawal from the deal.

Iran restricted the IAEA’s access to monitoring cameras at its nuclear sites, saying the country will fully comply with its nuclear obligations only if the other signatories to the JCPOA keep their side of the bargain.

EU mulls security, economic pacts with Afghanistan neighbors

By
Fatemeh Askarieh
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Germany and France tabled a proposal that the EU set up a deal with Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan among others, according to a document seen by Bloomberg.

“Special thought should be given to potential involvement of Russia, China and Gulf countries,” the document reads.

After the US withdrew its troops from Afghanistan last month, there have been concerns by global powers that it left a power vacuum that could be filled by the likes of China or Russia.

The proposal goes on to mention Norway, Turkey, the US and the UK getting involved as financial partners.

The proposals were shared with the EU’s foreign ministries, and four topics were outlined: Security and stability, including counter-terrorism measures, migration and the prevention of human trafficking, humanitarian support for Afghanistan, and economic cooperation and development.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed for an injection of cash into Afghanistan to avoid an economic meltdown that would spark a “catastrophic” situation for the Afghan people and be a “gift for terrorist groups”.

His remarks came after his special envoy on Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, warned the Security Council on Thursday that the freezing of billions of dollars in international Afghan assets to keep them out of Taliban hands would inevitably spark “a severe economic downturn”.

“At the present moment the UN is not even able to pay its salaries to its own workers,” Guterres told reporters.

“We need to find ways to avoid a situation that would be catastrophic for the people and, in my opinion, a source of instability, and an action, gift for terrorist groups still operating there,” he continued.

Iran nighttime driving ban lifted as Covid vaccination accelerates

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The spokesman for Iran’s National Coronavirus Combat Taskforce said the driving ban had been imposed only to prevent gatherings and to protect people’s health. Alireza Raisi added that authorities lifted the restriction to help accelerate the vaccination drive in Iran and this does not mean gatherings are allowed.

Since last autumn amid a rise in the Coronvirus pandemic, Iranians have been banned from driving from 22 pm to 3 am. But the rule did not apply to ambulances and service vehicles.
The spokesman for Iran’s National Coronavirus Combat Taskforce also spoke of the need for people to get vaccinated and observe health protocols.

He warned citizens to be wary and keep wearing masks because mere vaccination is not enough.

The vaccination process has accelerated in Iran in recent weeks after an increase in vaccine imports and production.

Authorities say they will soon hit the record of administering 2 million vaccine shots per day. They also say all citizens will be fully vaccinated in a few months.

Trump rips Biden over Afghanistan withdrawal

By
IFP Media Wire
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Trump opened his video message by calling 9/11 a day of “great sorrow for our country” and one for honoring the “the bravery of our police, fire and first responders of every kind”.

“The job they did was truly unbelievable. We love them and we thank them,” the former president said.

The Republican then launched into an attack on Biden over the handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“It is also a sad time for the way our war on those that did such harm to our country ended last week. The loss of 13 great warriors and the many more who were wounded, should never have happened,” he added, referencing the 13 US service members who lost their lives on August 26 in a Daesh bombing at the Kabul airport while chaotic evacuation flights were underway.

Biden has referred to the withdrawal as a “success”, though critics have labeled it a disaster, pointing to the deaths of service members and civilians, as well as the quick Taliban takeover of the country shortly after the US began its efforts to withdraw from the 20-year military conflict.

Biden “was made to look like a fool” in his handling of the exit, Trump noted, who made waves when he was president for negotiating a deal with the Taliban to be out of Afghanistan by May of this year, a deal that was changed once he left office and Biden was in the White House.

“We had $85 billion of the finest and most sophisticated military equipment, taken from us without even a shot being fired. The leader of our country was made to look like a fool,” Trump said, adding that though the Biden administration ultimately left Afghanistan, they “surrendered in defeat”.

Trump ended his video by seeming to once again tease a possible run for president in 2024, something he hasn’t denied he will do, but also hasn’t confirmed.

“We will struggle to recover from the embarrassment this incompetence has caused. Do not fear, however, America will be made great again,” he continued.

Trump’s criticism of Biden’s foreign policy comes as his administration faces a new wave of criticism over a report that a recent drone strike ended with the death of not a dangerous terrorist as was claimed, but rather an aid worker and multiple children.

Source: RT

Damascus calls on US, Turkey to withdraw from Syria

By
IFP Media Wire
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Mikdad made the remarks in a meeting with the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, and his accompanying delegation in Damascus on Saturday as the two sides discussed the latest international developments and their repercussions on the situation in the region.

The Syrian FM said unilateral coercive economic measures imposed by the United States and western countries on the Syrian people, particularly on the health sector during the coronavirus pandemic, have made it more difficult for the country to battle the deadly disease.

Over the past years, the US has been maintaining an illegal military presence on Syrian soil, collaborating with anti-Damascus militants and stealing the country’s crude oil resources.

It has also slapped rounds of crippling sanctions on Syria, which has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011.

Parts of the restrictive measures have been imposed under the so-called Caesar Act, an American piece of legislation that alleges to support the Syrian people by protecting them against the Syrian administration’s way of governance.

The bans target almost all Syrian economic and trade activities, as well as the country’s government officials.

President Bashar Al-Assad states the aggression forces have imposed an economic blockade on Syria after their failure in the militarily and security arenas, emphasizing that the country’s people will be able to overcome this stage and achieve the final victory.

Mikdad also added all countries should adhere to the international law and the Charter of the United Nations in their international relations and avoid interfering in each others’ domestic affairs or trying to impose foreign agendas against the interest and determination of other nations.

Pedersen, for his part, pointed to his attempts on the regional and international levels to improve the situation in Syria and briefed Mikdad on the results of his meetings in the past.

The foreign minister and the UN envoy also stressed the importance of guaranteeing non-intervention in the work of Syria’s constitutional committee.

Source: SANA

FBI releases declassified documents on 9/11 attacks

By
IFP Media Wire
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The FBI released a heavily redacted report from April 2016 related to its investigation regarding the role that the Saudi Arabian government had in supporting the hijackers who carried out the terror attack.

The report shines a light into the bureau’s probe of Omar Al-Bayoumi, who was thought to be a Saudi student in California. He had been suspected of providing logistical support to two of the hijackers, Nawaf Al-Hazmi and Khalid Al-Midhar.

The document’s details information from interviews conducted in November, 2015 with a person who, according to the FBI, had contact with Bayoumi. The name of the individual was redacted from the report.

In addition, the report detailed that the person interviewed had connections to the Saudi Arabian consulate in Los Angeles and maintained “anecdotes of personal interactions with Consular leadership”.

In the report, the FBI details that Bayoumi provided translation, travel assistance, lodging and financing to the hijackers.

The 2004 9/11 Commission Report found scant evidence that the Saudi government had been linked to the hijackers.

However, according to a 2017 court record by a former FBI official in Los Angeles, investigators found evidence that Bayoumi was an undercover intelligence operative and was active in a terror cell along with Fahad Al-Thumairy.

The FBI launched Operation Encore in 2006, which investigated possible Saudi involvement in the attacks. The operation lasted for about a decade before ending in 2016.

Saturday’s action comes as the US commemorates the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that cost nearly 3,000 lives and led to America’s longest conflict in Afghanistan.

Biden earlier this month ordered the Justice Department and other agencies to review certain documents and declassify them.

Source: The Hill

Iran’s Shamkhani calls for immediate expulsion of terrorists from Iraq

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in a Sunday meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazimi in Tehran described the increasing movements of terrorist groups in the Iraqi Kurdistan region as worrying and disrupting the security of the borders of the two countries.

He also spoke of the cooperation of compromising countries of the region with Israel, saying, “Such actions within the framework of the new US national security doctrine not only does not help create security and stability, but will escalate crises and intensify insecurity in the region”.

He added that twenty years of catastrophic US occupation of Afghanistan proved that the US presence and intervention in the region has resulted in nothing but instability, insecurity and great material and spiritual damage to the people of the region. Shamkhani maintained that following up the case of the assassination of the great resistance commanders of martyrs General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mehdi Mohandes and punishing its perpetrators is still at the top of the demands of the two nations of Iran and Iraq and the Resistance Front.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazimi also said the Iraqi government and people will never forget the sacrifices and assistance of the Iranian government, people and armed forces in that difficult situation in Iraq.

Al-Kazemi noted that the continuous cooperation between the national security institutions of the two sides in various fields complement and accelerate the relations between Iraq and Iran, saying Baghdad is ready to help resolve misunderstandings that are detrimental to regional stability.

Kazemi thanks Iran for standing by Iraq in fighting Daesh

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

In a joint press conference with the Iranian president in Tehran on Sunday, Mustafa al-Kadimi said “I thank the Islamic Republic of Iran for standing by Iraq from the very beginning in the fight against these forces of darkness”.

Kazemi noted Iraq’s position towards relations with Iran is stable and “the Iraqi government and people stand by the Iranian people and government in all challenges, problems and various conditions”.

Referring to his talks with Iranian officials, Kazimi also said the two sides explored ways of expanding bilateral relations and turning commonalities into opportunities to serve interests of the two countries.

He added, “I have always said that there is a 1400 km border between us and the Islamic Republic of Iran, but our relations are much deeper and wider than this common border and include economic, cultural and other areas.”

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi also welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadimi’s announcement of visa-free travel for Iranian citizens.

Raisi said announcement to cancel visas between the two countries was good news and that Iraq and Iran are determined to develop the railway corridor between them.

Raisi added, “Iran’s relationship with Iraq is not just about being neighbors, but it’s about common beliefs and deep ties between the two nations, and to the dismay of the enemies, these relations can further expand”.

Raisi said the role of the two countries in the region and the world as well as at the international level can affect relations between Iran and Iraq.

The Iranian president expressed hope that relations between the two countries will increase day by day.

Erbil airport in Iraqi Kurdistan hit by drone attacks

By
IFP Media Wire
-

The internal security service for Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, of which Erbil is the capital, initially said three rockets had hit near the airport.

A second statement by the Kurdish counterterrorism force added the attack had been carried out by explosive-laden drones.

“There are no victims in the attack carried out by two armed drones,” the statement read.

There were no immediate reports of casualties. Witnesses stated they heard at least six explosions in the area.

Lawk Ghafuri, head of foreign media relations for the Kurdistan Regional Government, said on Twitter that Kurdish security forces were investigating the incident.

“The drone was carrying explosive devices, and exploded away from Erbil International Airport’s terminals and territories. No casualties are reported,” Ghafuri added.

The airport, which also serves as the base for United States-led coalition forces, suffered no damage, according to its director Ahmed Hochiar.

The US-led coalition in Iraq confirmed on Sunday that its forces in Erbil were attacked by two drones on September 11, claiming there are no injuries.

The airport in Erbil has come under attack several times in the past year, including by drones carrying explosives.

Source: Al-Jazeera

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