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4.55 deaths as 220mln contract COVID-19 worldwide

By
IFP Media Wire
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According to the JHU, more than 219,828,000 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 worldwide and over 4,553,800 have died, as the more-infectious Delta variant threatens areas with low vaccination rates and strains healthcare systems in poor countries.

The United States is currently the leading country in terms of confirmed novel coronavirus cases, which exceed 39,850,300 million [with 647,580 deaths].

The virus-hit country is followed by India (with 32,945,900 cases and 440,225 deaths) and Iran (with more than 5 million cases and over 109,500 deaths).

Blinken claims Iran plotting against US citizens

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IFP Media Wire
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Earlier in the day, the United States imposed sanctions on four Iranian nationals with links to Iran’s intelligence agency who allegedly plotted to kidnap US citizen Masih Alinejad.

“Beyond this specific plot, the United States remains aware of ongoing Iranian interest in targeting other American citizens, including current and former US officials,” Blinken said in a news release.

Blinken added that the United States refuses to tolerate efforts to intimidate independent journalists or to silence dissidents, especially US citizens.

Earlier Friday, the Treasury Department listed Alireza Shahvaroghi Farahani, Mahmoud Khazein, Omid Noori and Kiya Sadeghi as the designated individuals.

The FBI accused the four men of participating in an alleged plot to kidnap Alinejad, an Iranian- American activist. The four were indicted in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on several charges including conspiracy related to kidnapping.

Source: Sputnik

Iranian journalist dies from COVID-19

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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She passed away on Friday night at the age of 35 after a 10-day battle with the respiratory disease in the intensive care unit in a Tehran hospital.

The Shahrara editor-in-chief said Manshadi was an experienced journalist who spent 14 years working for the Iranian daily.

Iran is grappling with its fifth wave of coronavirus outbreak. Over 110,000 Iranians have so far lost their lives to COVID-19.

Iran Denies Sputnik Vaccine Produced Domestically, Transferred to Russia

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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“The transfer of any kind of vaccines into and out of the country is subject to permission by the [Iranian] Food and Drug Organization, and such a permit has not been issued, so far, for coronavirus vaccines, including Sputnik,” said Kianoush Jahanbakhsh, the spokesman for the Food and Drug Organization.

He said such a claim is a “sheer lie” as the Russian side has not yet approved the initial Sputnik vaccine produced by an Iranian private company for mass-production under the Russian license.

“The Sputnik Light vaccine has been produced in the form of batch tests and has been waiting for weeks to receive final approval from Russia’s Gamaleya institute for mass-production”, he added. 

IRNA had earlier quoted Mohammad Kariminia, the head of Iran’s Biodefense Headquarters, as saying that Tehran and Moscow have agreed that the Sputnik vaccine be produced in Iran and then delivered to Russia, something which, as he added is being done at the moment.

Biden’s Iran envoy: US ‘can’t wait forever’ to restart nuclear talks

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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“We can’t wait forever as Iran continues its nuclear advances because at some point their advances will be such as to make a return to the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] much less valuable to the US than it would otherwise be,” Malley said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

Malley added that the US was “prepared to be patient” but noted that unless progress was being made again on negotiations that at some point “we’ll have to reach a different conclusion”, a similar outlook to that expressed by Biden recently in remarks during a White House visit by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

If diplomacy fails with Iran, then “we’re ready to turn to other options”, Biden stated.

Former US President Donald Trump abandoned the accord in 2018 and began imposing tough sanctions on Iran.

The sixth round of talks between Tehran and world powers on reviving the 2015 nuclear accord ended on June 20, days after Ebrahim Raisi won Iran’s presidential election.

Stalled talks aimed at reviving Iran’s nuclear agreement with world powers will likely not resume for another two to three months, according to Tehran’s foreign ministry.

“We are not seeking to flee the negotiation table and the government considers a real negotiation is a negotiation that produces palpable results allowing the rights of the Iranian nation to be guaranteed,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said during an interview broadcast on Tuesday evening by state television.

The Vienna talks are “one of the questions on the foreign policy and government agenda”, he added.

But “the other party knows full well that a process of two to three months is required for the new government to establish itself and to start taking decisions”, he noted.

EU to engage with Taliban without recognition of its government

By
IFP Media Wire
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The EU will engage with the Taliban subject to certain conditions, Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said, but he stressed that this does not mean Brussels will recognize the new government in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, the foreign policy chief revealed that the bloc is prepared to engage with the group “in order to support the Afghan population”.

Borrell was clear, though, that dialogue with the Taliban “doesn’t mean recognition” of its government, and that it is “an operational engagement”.

Such engagement, however, would increase subject to certain conditions and how the Taliban acts as a government. 

Borrell added that Afghanistan must not function as “a base for the export of terrorism to other countries”.

Alongside this requisite, the EU would have to see the formation of an inclusive, representative transition government which respects human rights, the rule of law, and the media. Free access to humanitarian aid is also a must.

Borrell stated that officials in Kabul would also have to allow foreigners and Afghans that face persecution to leave the country.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has taken a similar stance to that of Brussels. Speaking during a press conference in Pakistan on Friday, Raab was firm that the UK will not recognize the Taliban as the legitimate Afghan government, but will communicate with Kabul as doing so is necessary to help people flee.

Beijing, meanwhile, has been dubbed the group’s “main partner” by Taliban Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica on Wednesday, citing China’s plans to invest in Afghanistan.

Russia may officially recognize the Taliban as the authorities in Afghanistan, but will only properly consider the move after an inclusive government is formed, the Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.

However, speaking to a press briefing, Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova explained that recognition wouldn’t be a cause for discussion until there is a real government in Kabul.

The Taliban assured 100 states that foreign nationals and designated Afghan citizens “will be allowed to proceed in a safe and orderly manner to points of departure and travel outside the country”, according to a statement issued by Britain, the US, and other countries two days before the August 31 withdrawal deadline.

Source: RT

Arrest Warrant for Mehdi Hashemi over ‘Breaking Paroles

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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“Unfortunately, he failed to return to prison after his parole ended; the necessary legal warning had been given to him, but he refused to come back to jail; accordingly, an arrest warrant was issued for him,” announced the Judiciary.

“Following remarks by an MP in recent days suggesting that Mehdi Hashemi had been released on parole ‘for an unlimited period of time,’ this is to inform you that he had been granted no unlimited parole,” the Judiciary added.

“Under the law, the convict had been let out on parole for a certain period of time, but he has been absent for quite some time,” the Judiciary said.

Mehdi Hashemi, who went on trial on economic charges, was sentenced, in early 2015, to imprisonment, paying cash fines and restitution, and was banned from holding public office.

He appealed against the ruling. Accordingly, the case was sent to the appeals court, which finally upheld the verdict issued by the court of first instance.

Then he was sent to Evin prison in August 2015 to spend a 10-year jail term.

Ex-advisor: Trump ‘definitely’ to run in 2024

By
IFP Media Wire
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Jason Miller said that it’s “pretty clear” the former president will run again in 2024, putting the chances somewhere between “99 and 100 percent”.

Miller stopped serving as an official adviser to Trump in June after he became the CEO of Gettr, a new conservative social media platform. However, he has maintained regular communication with the ex-president while angling to get Trump to launch a presence on Gettr.

During an interview with Cheddar News on Thursday, Miller was asked, “What’s the likelihood President Trump runs again in 2024.”

Miller quickly responded, saying, “I would say somewhere between 99 and 100 percent”. He added that he thinks Trump is “definitely running in 2024”.

“I had a good conversation with him last night, and I’m gonna go see him in another couple days here,” Miller continued, noting, “He has not said the magical words to me, but if you talk to him for a few minutes, it’s pretty clear that he’s running.”

Reached by Newsweek for comment on Friday, Trump Spokesperson Liz Harrington did not say whether the former president plans to run in 2024.

“President Trump cares deeply about the country and is keeping all of his options open,” Harrington said, adding that he “predicted” that President Joe Biden would be “disastrous”.

“President Trump’s top priority is restoring honest and fair elections, and he is fighting hard to elect America First candidates in upcoming primaries and midterms,” Harrington continued.

Trump and his allies continue to baselessly claim that the 2020 election was “rigged” or “stolen” in favor of Biden.

Miller addressed the same question about Trump’s 2024 plans during an episode last month of The New York Times’ Sway podcast hosted by Kara Swisher.

“Just hearing the way that he’s talking very much sounds like someone who is more likely to run than not,” Miller told Fisher, noting, “But unfortunately, he didn’t give me any kind of secret wink or nod. I don’t think we’re going to hear anything from him formally until after the midterms. But to me, he sounds like someone who’s running.”

Trump has consistently teased an announcement about running in 2024 but has stopped short of publicly confirming his plans. During a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference back in February, the former president suggested it was a possibility.

Trump falsely claimed that Biden and the Democrats lost the White House in the 2020 race, stressing, “Actually, you know they just lost the White House. I may even decide to beat them for a third time.”

During an August interview with right-wing news network Newsmax, Trump was asked directly about his 2024 plans. He did not give a straightforward answer but stated that “a lot of people are going to be very happy”.

A Quinnipiac University poll released in early August suggested that a 2024 Trump run would be supported by a substantial majority of Republican voters. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of GOP respondents said another Trump presidential run would be good for the country. However, 95 percent of Democrats said it would be “bad”, as did 60 percent of independents.

Source: Newsweek

Khatibzadeh: US Sanctioning Iranians on Baseless Charges

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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“Unfortunately, current US officials are pursuing the failed policy of the previous administration,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh.

“Sanctions supporters and profiteers in the United States saw their toolbox of sanctions had been emptied due to Iran’s maximum resistance, and this time are trying, by resorting to Hollywood-style scenarios, to keep their sanctions-driven existence alive,” he added.

“Washington should know that it has no other option but to beat its addictions to sanctions and use a respectful language and behaviour in dealing with Iran,” the spokesman explained.

His remarks came after Washington blacklisted four Iranian intelligence operatives for an alleged kidnapping conspiracy on U-S soil. 

The US Treasury Department said the sanctions target all property of the four individuals in the United States or in U-S control, and prohibits all transactions with them. 

They were alleged to be hatching a plot to abduct an anti-Tehran figure in July.

Damascus: Israeli strikes unable to block Syria anti-terrorism drive

By
IFP Media Wire
-

Syria’s Foreign and Expatriates Ministry made the remark in a letter addressed to the United Nations secretary-general and the president of the Security Council on Friday, after Israel carried a missile attack targeting some posts in the surroundings of Damascus.

“In the framework of the Israeli occupation authorities’ continuation of their policies and terrorist crimes against the sovereignty of the countries in the region, and their continued violation of Security Council resolutions related to the crisis in Syria, on Friday dawn the Israeli enemy carried out an air aggression on the Syrian lands from the direction of the south eastern side of Beirut, targeting the surroundings of Damascus,” the ministry said.

It added that the government in Damascus held Israel accountable for the crimes, affirming that the repeated Israeli attacks would not deter it from fulfilling its constitutional duty to continue the fight against the terrorist groups.

The ministry further renewed its call on the UN and the Security Council to assume responsibilities based on the UN Charter and act firmly to prevent the recurrence of the Israeli regime’s attacks on Syrian territory.

It also urged the UN and the Security Council to condemn the blatant attacks and to hold the Israeli regime accountable for its terrorism and crimes committed against Syria, Palestine, and Lebanon.

On Friday, Syrian air defenses thwarted another Israeli attack against the Arab country, and shot down a number of “hostile” missiles in the skies over the capital city of Damascus. Israeli aircraft fired several missiles from the direction of Lebanon at areas in the vicinity of Damascus but most of the projectiles were intercepted and destroyed before hitting any of their targets.

Syria and the Israeli regime are technically at war due to the latter’s occupation since 1967 of the Arab country’s Golan Heights. The Israeli regime maintains a significant military presence in the territory, which — similar to Lebanese airspace — it uses as a launchpad for attacks against Syria.

The Israeli attacks started to grow significantly in scale and frequency after Syria — backed by its allies — gained the upper hand in the battle against anti-government militant groups and reversed their gains countrywide.

Tel Aviv claims that its attacks target alleged supplies that are headed for the Lebanese resistance movement of Hezbollah. On countless occasions, though, the strikes have targeted the reinforcement belonging to Syria’s military and its allies.

Source:SANA

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