During the visit, the Iranian Foreign Minister will hold meetings with high-ranking Syrian government officials as well as Syria-based leaders of Palestinian groups in order to discuss the latest developments in the occupied Palestine.
Iran Blasts Israel’s Racist Crimes, Reiterates Call for Referendum in Palestine
“Attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, killing of worshippers, and religious desecration are the biggest proof of the racist and criminal nature of this usurping regime, which has always been the main cause of undermining the security, calm, and stability of the region,” Zarif said in a tweet in Arabic.
“I hereby stress that the only fair solution to the Palestine issue is referring to the will of the real children of this land and holding a referendum,” he added.
Iran, Algeria Discuss Promotion of Mutual Cooperation
In the phone call, the two sides congratulated each other on the Eid al-Fitr, and discussed the latest regional and international developments.
They also expressed pleasure with the good relations between Tehran and Algiers, and underlined the reinforcement of bilateral cooperation in various fields as well as the exchange of the two countries’ delegations.
Iran Elections 2021: Registration of Hopefuls Officially Begins
The Iranian election officials started registering the hopefuls at 8:00 a.m. local time at the headquarters of the Interior Ministry in Tehran.
The presidential hopefuls will have until Saturday to turn up at the venue and hand in their credentials.
The registration is the first phase of an electoral process that will climax on the Election Day and end after all ballots have been counted
According to the timeline of the presidential elections, the whole process will take under 40 days.
On May 26-27, the approved candidates will be announced.
Then the campaigning will begin from May 28 to June 16.
No candidate will be allowed to do any campaigning on June 17, one day before the polls are opened for a single day.
According to the election headquarters, there are 59,310,307 eligible voters across the country, 1,392,148 of whom are first-time voters.
Tehran has the highest number of eligible voters (9.8 million).
There were 64,000 polling stations during last elections, but that number has increased by 10% this year.
Chief Negotiators of Iran, E3 Hold Four-Way Meeting in Vienna
Expert-level meetings were also held both bilaterally and within the framework of the three working groups.
During the Friday meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission, the participants decided that the negotiations and consultations continue intensively and in a faster pace. Hence, several continuous meetings are held every day at different levels among Iran and the P4+1.
Iran, Turkey Discuss Latest Developments in Jerusalem al-Quds
In this phone call, the two foreign ministers also agreed that, should the UN Security Council fail to make an effective decision against the usurping Zionist regime’s aggression in its today’s meeting, Iran and Turkey would pursue the issue within the framework of the mechanisms of the United Nations General Assembly and the extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Zarif and Cavusoglu also stressed the need for close consultations between Tehran and Ankara in this regard.
Hamas Chief Calls Zarif to Brief Him on Jerusalem Tensions
During the phone call, Haniyeh also asked Foreign Minister Zarif for Iran’s support for the Palestinian people’s resistance.
The Iranian foreign minister, in turn, reaffirmed Iran’s solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine, and condemned the usurping and brutish Zionist regime’s measures against the fasting people of Palestine as well as its attack against Al-Aqsa Mosque and martyring and wounding defenceless worshippers.
Zarif reiterated Iran’s all-out support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause.
He also briefed Haniyeh on his consultations with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on supporting the Palestinian people’s resistance at the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Zarif Urges Iraq to Ensure Security of Iran’s Diplomatic Sites
In the phone call, Foreign Minister Zarif highlighted the Iraqi government’s duty to ensure the security of diplomatic sites in the country, and requested the Baghdad government to seriously pursue and identify the perpetrators of such unlawful moves.
He also expressed hope that such incidents would not happen again with the seriousness of the Iraqi government and the forces responsible for maintaining the country’s security.
The Iraqi Foreign Minister, in turn, expressed regret about such violent acts, and reiterated the Iraqi government’s commitment to ensuring the security of diplomats and diplomatic sites in the Arab country.
Foreign Minister Hussein said that he has already issued orders to tighten the security measures.
Iran Summons Iraqi Envoy to Condemn Attack on Its Consulate in Karbala
In the meeting with the Iraqi ambassador to Tehran, the director-general of the Foreign Ministry’s Protocols Department condemned the attack, and urged the Baghdad government to maintain security measures and arrangements in order to protect Iran’s diplomatic sites according to the 1963 Vienna Convention.
The Iraqi envoy, in turn, said the government of his country, as the host nation, is committed to ensuring the security and safety of the sites of foreign missions.
Earlier in the day, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh had told reporters that Iran late Sunday handed over a “letter of protest” to the Iraqi embassy in Tehran and urged the neighbouring Arab nation to pursue the case under international conventions.
“Iran strongly condemns attacks on its diplomatic sites in Iraq,” said Khatibzadeh in a weekly briefing in Tehran.
A day earlier, Iraqi protesters set fire to trailers belonging to Iran’s consulate in Karbala amid widespread anger over the killing of Ehab Wazni, an activist who took part in anti-government protests that swept Iraq in October 2019. He was shot overnight Saturday outside his home by unknown assailants.
Iran’s COVID-19 Fatalities Exceed 75,000: Ministry
In a press briefing on Monday, Sima-Sadat Lari reported 18,408 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of cases to 2,673,219.
So far, Lari added, 2,127,192 patients have recovered from the disease or been discharged from the hospital.
Lari said 5,533 patients are also in critical conditions caused by more severe infection.
The spokeswoman noted that 17,206,735 COVID-19 tests have been taken across the country so far.
She said 1,469,701 people have so far received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and 290,347 have received the second dose.
