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Iran Pres. Sends Condolence Message on Demise of Brave Teen Burnt to Death

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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In a message, Ebrahim Raeisi said Ali Landi will always be remembered as a national hero.

“The passing of my dear son, Ali Landi, this brave young boy from [the Iranian town of] Izeh, caused pain and sorrow,” said Raeisi.

“The name of this dear teenager, who bravely ventured into the fire to save two humans, will be registered among the heroes of this land,” he added.

“I express condolences on the sorrowful death of our dear child and I ask God Almighty to bestow patience and consolation upon his survivors,” he noted.

Landi was rushed to hospital due to severe burns after he saved two people from a fire, but passed away due to the severity of his injuries.

Polls show Biden facing dropping approval rating

By
IFP Media Wire
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Forty-four percent of American adults approve of Biden’s handling of his job while 53 percent disapprove, according to the poll, a sharp decline in his poll numbers since July.

Two months ago, Pew found that 55 percent approved of Biden’s handling of his job as president and 43 percent disapproved. Biden has seen his approval rating among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents drop 13 percentage points since then, declining from 88 percent to 75 percent. His support among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents has declined from 17 percent to 9 percent.

Overall, confidence in elected officials of both parties is declining, according to the Pew poll.

Pew finds that, since April, public confidence in GOP congressional leaders has declined by 5 percentage points while confidence in Democratic congressional leaders has declined 11 percentage.

Biden has entered a difficult stretch of his presidency as his White House has grappled with a resurgence of coronavirus infections among the millions of Americans who remain unvaccinated and a chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The White House is also trying to unite Democrats behind passing Biden’s economic agenda in totality, which has proven increasingly difficult as moderates and progressives have sparred over the substance, size and timing of the packages.

The poll does have some good news for Biden — it finds his economic proposals to be largely popular among the public, consistent with past polling. According to Pew, 51 percent of respondents said they support the Senate-passed $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, while only 20 percent oppose; the remaining 29 percent are unsure.

Meanwhile, 49 percent favor the $3.5 trillion budget package, while only 25 percent oppose and the remaining 25 percent are unsure.

And despite Republican complaints of Biden’s tax proposals, 66 percent of respondents to the poll said they support raising taxes on large businesses and corporations and 61 percent support raising taxes on households making above $400,000.

On specific issues, Biden has seen confidence in his handling of the coronavirus decline from 65 percent in March to 51 percent — still a majority — in the most recent poll. Forty-eight percent are somewhat or very confident he will make good decisions on economic policy, whereas 51 percent not at all or not too confident.

Forty-five percent are somewhat or very confident he will make good decisions on foreign policy, while 54 percent are less confident. And only 34 percent are somewhat or very confident Biden will bring the country closer together — one of his main campaign pledges — while 66 percent are less confident.

The Pew survey comes on the heels of Biden hitting an in-office low 43 percent approval rating in a Gallup poll out earlier this week.

Source: The Hill

Norway calls for the revival of JCPOA

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The Norwegian foreign minister reiterated that Iran will maintain its special place in her country’s foreign policy despite the changes that are going to happen in Norway’s government in a few weeks. 

Eriksen Søreide referred to the situation in Afghanistan and called for more disciplined talks on the issue. She said the developments in Afghanistan have far-reaching implications for the region and the world. 

The Norwegian foreign minister also spoke of the Iran nuclear deal and said that the agreement is highly important in international politics. She also expressed hope the nuclear deal will be revived. 

Amirabdollahian also said Iran is interested in holding a joint political commission with Norway at the level of deputy foreign ministers for political affairs. He also invited the Norwegian foreign minister to visit Iran.

Amirabdollahian also referred to the high potential for expanding relations with Norway, saying Iran’s new government’s priority is to deepen economic relations with other countries and that this administration is ready for expanding ties. 

The Iranian foreign minister said there is much room for serious cooperation between Iran and Norway. He stressed that the situation in Afghanistan can only be resolved through genuine dialog among Afghan factions and through the formation of an inclusive government. Amirabdollahian warned that if all groups do not help with the process, serious challenges could arise in future. The Iranian foreign minister said the Islamic Republic of Iran has done its utmost to give assistance to the Afghans. He said Iran is ready for cooperation with Norway for the purpose.

Armenian calls for Tehran-Yerevan cooperation in oil and gas

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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The Armenian foreign minister congratulated Amirabdollahian on his appointment as Iran’s top diplomat. He also described Iran-Armenia talks as “good and expanding”. 

Mirzoyan underlined the need for holding an Iran-Armenia joint commission as soon as possible. He also called for the two countries to start their cooperation in the oil and energy sector. 

Amirabdollahian also underscored the transit capacity between Iran and Armenia and described cooperation in the energy sector as an important component in economic relations. The Iranian foreign minister said the Islamic Republic is ready to host Armenia’s energy minister for a review of the related possibilities of the two countries.

Iran ready to cooperate with Singapore in security, counter-terrorism, narcotics

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

The top Iranian diplomat touched on the growing political and parliamentary relations between the two countries, and mentioned the challenges in the economic relations between the two sides and called for these challenges to be addressed.

He also referred to the agreement to support joint ventures between the two countries, stating that it is necessary to form a trade and commerce working group between Iran and Singapore.

The agreement to avoid double taxation, which is currently ready to be signed by the two sides, was another issue mentioned by the Iranian foreign minister in this meeting.

Amirabdollahian also stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes Singapore’s investment in the oil and petrochemical industry, as well as the development of ports and tourism, and announced Iran’s readiness to cooperate in the fields of security, counter-terrorism, narcotics, organized crime and cyber security.

He said Iran is ready to cooperate with ASEAN and welcomes a joint commission between Iran and Singapore.

During the meeting, the Singaporean foreign minister described as stable, respectful and excellent the ties between the two sides.

Balakrishnan referred to the Singaporean president’s visit to Tehran, stressing that his country is ready to develop cooperation with Iran and said there is vast potential for expanding bilateral relations.

It should be noted that the two sides also discussed the latest situation in Afghanistan and Yemen.

Erdogan: Turkey-US ties not ‘healthy’

By
IFP Media Wire
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“I cannot say that a healthy process is running in Turkish-American ties … We bought F-35s, we paid $1.4 billion and these F-35s were not given to us. The United States needs to first sort this out,” Erdogan told reported on Thursday after attending the UN General Assembly in New York.

The two countries should work together as friends but “the current direction does not bode well”, Erdogan said, adding he and Biden had not “started off right”.

“I’ve worked well with [George] Bush junior, I’ve worked well with Mr [Barack] Obama, I’ve worked well with Mr [Donald] Trump, but I can’t say we started well with Mr Biden,” Erdogan noted.
Erdogan said that “Biden has started to supply terror groups [PKK/YPG] with weapons, vehicles, and equipment”, adding, “US hasn’t acted honestly and isn’t acting honestly.”

Erdogan stressed that Ankara would meet its defence needs from elsewhere if Washington did not help.

Turkey has no intention to reverse its decision on the purchase and use of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, Erdogan stated.

He noted that “for us, the work with S-400s has been completed and we will not backtrack. The United States should understand this”.

Ankara’s decision to purchase the Russian-made system infuriated the United States and NATO. So far, Washington has not abandoned its efforts to make Turkey give up the Russian air defense system. Turkey has not caved to US pressure and said that it would keep the S-400 system. Washington has responded by excluding Ankara from the US program of developing the fifth-generation F-35 fighter-bomber.

Sources: TRT, Haberturk, Sabah

US House approves $1bn for Israel’s Iron Dome

By
IFP Media Wire
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The House passed legislation on Thursday to provide $1 billion to support Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system after Democrats stripped the funding from a stopgap bill to prevent a government shutdown due to progressive objections earlier this week.

The standalone bill to ensure the Iron Dome funding passed handily on a bipartisan basis, 420-9, with two Democrats voting “present”. Eight liberal Democrats and one Republican voted in opposition.

House Democrats passed a bill on Tuesday that would keep the federal government funded through Dec. 3, but Republicans universally opposed it because it included a provision to suspend the debt limit into next year.

Because of the widespread GOP opposition on Tuesday, House Democrats couldn’t afford more than three defections and still pass the bill on their own. Democratic leaders therefore opted to remove the Iron Dome funding from the government spending bill to accommodate progressives’ concerns and instead consider it on a standalone basis.

The debate over the Iron Dome funding once again laid bare the internal Democratic divisions over Israel, which have repeatedly flared since they took over the House majority two years ago.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) spoke with the Israeli foreign minister on Tuesday and assured him that lawmakers would address the Iron Dome funding, despite its removal from the bill to prevent a government shutdown on Oct. 1.

Funding for the Iron Dome, which is designed to help Israel defend itself from rocket attacks launched by Hamas in Gaza, has long enjoyed bipartisan support. Democratic members of the House Appropriations Committee sought to stress that the funding is purely for defensive purposes and cannot be used by Israel for procurement of offensive weapons.

“As we continue to stand up for a two-state solution that achieves peace, security and hope and opportunity for both Israelis and Palestinians, we vigorously, strongly, unshakably stand for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism,” Hoyer said.

But moments before Hoyer took to the podium on the House floor, tensions flashed as Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the lone Palestinian American member of Congress, spoke out against the Iron Dome funding.

“We cannot be talking only about Israelis’ need for safety at a time when Palestinians are living under a violent apartheid system,” Tlaib stated, calling the Israeli government “an apartheid regime.”
“We should also be talking about Palestinian need for security from Israeli attacks,” she added.
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), who is Jewish, subsequently abandoned his prepared remarks and angrily blasted Tlaib for having “besmirched our ally”.
“I cannot, I cannot allow one of my colleagues to stand on the floor of the House of Representatives and label the Jewish democratic state of Israel an apartheid state. I reject it,” Deutch noted.

Deutch argued that describing the Israeli government in such terms is “consistent with those who advocate for the dismantling of the one Jewish state in the world. And when there is no place on the map for one Jewish state, that’s anti-Semitism”.

The Senate is expected to consider the standalone Iron Dome funding bill at a later time.

But the bill that the House passed on Tuesday to keep the federal government funded through Dec. 3 and suspend the debt limit before an October deadline is set to fail amid widespread GOP opposition in the Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is insisting that Republicans won’t help Democrats prevent a disastrous default on the nation’s debt obligations, as the GOP protests Democrats’ plans to enact a $3.5 trillion spending plan to expand social safety net programs.

Democrats argue that they acted to suspend the debt limit multiple times during the Trump presidency and that the accumulated debt is also a result of spending from those years.

“From the start, they’ve planned to use a party-line fast-track process to ram this through the Senate on their own,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Thursday, referring to the budget reconciliation process Democrats are using for their spending plan to circumvent a GOP filibuster.

“That’s why Republicans will not help this unified Democratic government with its basic duty to raise the debt ceiling,” he added.

Source: The Hill

Power firm warns Lebanon headed for complete blackout

By
IFP Media Wire
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Electricite du Liban (EDL) can generate less than 500 megawatts from fuel it secured through a deal with Iraq, the company said in a statement.

Iraq signed an agreement in July allowing the cash-strapped Lebanese government to pay for 1 million tonnes of heavy fuel oil a year in goods and services. The heavy fuel oil is not suitable for use in Lebanon, but it is exchanged in tenders for a suitable grade.

EDL added its reserves of both Grade A and Grade B fuel oil had reached a critical point and had run out already for some plants that have now stopped production.

“The network already experienced total blackouts across the country seven times and if this continues there is a high risk of reaching total and complete blackout by end September,” the statement reads.

Worsening shortages of fuel have meant little if any state-supplied power for the past few months. Power cuts across the country can currently last up to 23 hours a day, with most Lebanese relying on costly private generators amid a devastating economic crisis.

The country raised fuel prices on Wednesday for the second time in less than a week, amid severe rationing spurred by the collapse of a subsidy system.

To fill a medium-sized vehicle’s tank, most Lebanese would now have to pay close to the monthly minimum wage of 675,000 Lebanese pounds ($43 on the black market), at a time when nearly 80 percent of the population is estimated to live below the poverty line.

Lebanon has gradually increased fuel prices in recent months because the cash-strapped central bank can no longer afford to fund fuel imports – while the Lebanese currency’s loss of 90 percent of its value in less than two years has pushed entire swathes of the population into poverty.

Since the end of June, the price of petrol has more than tripled amid severe rationing that has turned entire streets into chaotic queues for cars lining up to fill up at the pumps.

Importers and gas station owners say they are out of stock but authorities have accused them of hoarding supplies to sell at higher prices once subsidies are officially lifted.

The country, which has fallen into a financial crisis since late 2019 believed to be among the worst in the world since the 1850s, also endured 13 months of political paralysis in the wake of the Beirut port explosion.

A government led by billionaire Najib Mikati finally received a vote of confidence on Monday – but Lebanon’s ruling political class has been widely blamed for the 4 August 2020 blast, as well as for leading the country into dire economic straits due to decades of corruption and cronyism.

The economic and political collapse has affected all vital sectors of the country, including healthcare, basic transportation and access to food.

Source: Middle East Eye

Russia FM, EU foreign policy chief discuss JCPOA, Afghanistan

By
IFP Media Wire
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“The talks focused on a wide range of pressing regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Mail, along with the JCPoA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iran nuclear deal) and the Middle East settlement. They also touched upon the state of and prospects for Russia-EU relations,” the statement reads.

Lavrov arrived at the UN Headquarters on Wednesday to attend the High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly. The Russian foreign minister has already held a number of meetings with foreign counterparts. He is expected to deliver a speech on September 25.

Meanwhile, Borrell told reporters that the European Union was working on the opening of its office in the Afghan capital of Kabul, but added, citing security concerns, that he could not speak about the timeframe.

After the United States ended its military operation in Afghanistan and withdrawn its troops from the country, the Taliban mounted an offensive and swept into Kabul, meeting no resistance on August 15. On September 6, they claimed full control of Afghanistan’s territory and on September 7, declared a new interim government.

Source: TASS

Blinken discusses JCPOA, Afghanistan with Persian Gulf FMs

By
IFP Media Wire
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President Joe Biden’s administration is keen to get Iran to return to talks on its nuclear programme after a three-month hiatus caused by its change in government, but Blinken is warning that the window for negotiations may soon close.

“Every passing day as Iran continues to take actions that are not in compliance with the agreement… we will get to a point at which simply returning to the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) will not recapture the benefits of the agreement,” Blinken told reporters after the meeting, using the abbreviation for nuclear deal’s official name.

The meeting, which took place on the margins of the 76th UN General Assembly, is the first time representatives of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) have met together with Blinken, who took office in February.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and UAE’s Minister of State Yousef Al Otaiba attended.

A source familiar with deliberations said the agenda included Iran, Afghanistan and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the meeting’s ambience was described as positive and professional.

Syria and Lebanon were not discussed because the meeting ran out of time, the source explained.

Three sources confirmed to The National that Iran was the main topic during the meeting.

A US return to the Iran nuclear deal was also discussed along with Tehran’s regional behaviour and contingency plans should Iran fail to rein in any renegade actions.

The sources added GCC members agreed on the benefits of capping Iran’s nuclear programme through a US return to the JCPOA, but there was no consensus on the concessions Tehran should receive if such a return occurs.

One source said that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan asked Blinken about contingency plans if efforts to return both parties to the JCPOA falter and if Iran’s regional behaviour deteriorates.

“What is the plan?” Prince Faisal asked.

Blinken assured the foreign ministers that the US is committed to the security of the Gulf, but gave no clear answer, the source added.

Despite meetings between Iran’s new Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his European counterparts in New York, hopes are diminishing for a swift return to the deal.

Iran’s hard-line government has not committed to returning to talks nor to rolling back Tehran’s breaches of the deal.

On Afghanistan, one source said Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani favoured using aid as a leverage with the Taliban without sanctioning the group.

Others stressed the need for the Taliban to uphold Afghanistan’s international commitments before any recognition could occur.

Blinken thanked the GCC ministers before the meeting for helping during evacuation efforts in Afghanistan. He called it “a vivid demonstration of how our Gulf partners provide critical support in times of need, and we greatly, greatly appreciate it”, according to a source.

While discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Blinken emphasised upholding the two-state solution and he thanked Qatar for its aid to the Palestinians.

One of the representatives at the meeting noted that Palestine used to be “the mother of all conflicts in the region, but is now the grandmother”, one person who was present at the meeting said.

He added the meeting is “a reflection of the importance that we all attach to the work that we’re doing, between the United States and the GCC”.

Source: The National

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