During the meeting, the two sides conferred on various issues in bilateral political ties, history, and the agenda of Iran-Turkey Joint Economic Commission as well as other solutions to develop mutual ties.
Zarif and Cavusoglu also discussed regional issues, joint cooperation in fight against terrorism, and the Syria developments.
Tanzania’s President John Magufuli, one of Africa’s most prominent coronavirus sceptics, died aged 61, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan said on Wednesday after a more than two-week absence from public life that led to speculation about his health.
She said he died from the heart disease that had plagued him for a decade. She said burial arrangements were under way and announced 14 days of mourning and the flying of flags at half-staff.
Magufuli had not been seen in public since Feb. 27, sparking rumours that he had contracted COVID-19. Officials denied on March 12 that he had fallen ill and on Monday the vice president urged Tanzanians not to listen to rumours from outside the country and said it was normal for a human being to be checked for the flu or fever.
On Friday, Vice President Samia Hassan became first female president to assume the post in the East African nation.
“The final statement of this meeting, like its previous meetings, lacks a realistic understanding of the ongoing developments and is a continuation of previous hostilities and pressure of the Saudi regime on other GCC members,” said Saeed Khatibzadeh on Thursday night.
He said some GCC member states, swayed by Riyadh’s pressure, still long for the failed Iranophobia project.
“What achievement has this wrong trend had for regional stability and security over the past decades?” he asked rhetorically.
“The Saudi regime is promoting hatred and violence in the region by hijacking the GCC and its meetings and imposing its destructive opinions [on GCC members],” he said.
In reaction to GCC’s unwarranted allegations in which it linked irrelevant issues to the 2015 nuclear deal and made farcical claims, Khatibzadeh said, “As it has been said time and again, the JCPOA is an agreement between Iran and permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany.”
“The agreement was negotiated once, and it was finalized,” he added.
“The same way that our regional issues are not related to countries beyond the region, the Saudi regime’s efforts to get the GCC involved in issues which are basically irrelevant to the GCC are futile, and will only paint a blurred picture of Saudi Arabia before the world,” he added.
“Some GCC member states which make colossal military purchases and host foreign bases and provide for the Israeli regime to gain a foothold [in the region] and betray the cause of Palestine should be answerable for their actions,” he said.
The spokesman stressed that the three Persian Gulf islands of the Greater and Lesser Tunbs as well as Abu Musa are “integral parts of Iran’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
He called on GCC member states to pay attention to realities in the region instead of issuing threadbare statements and change their approaches from levelling baseless allegations to regional dialogue and cooperation.
Afkar Newspaper:
1- Happy New Year!
Arman-e Melli Newspaper:
1- Adios, Tough Last Year of Century
Ebtekar Newspaper:
1- Getting Over the Tough Year
* Will New Iranian Year 1400 Be Promising for People?
Etemad Newspaper:
1- Let’s Hope Spring Will Shine
2- Analyst: Nowruz Not a Tradition, but a Culture
3- Fears and Hopes for Iranian Economy in New Year
Ettela’at Newspaper:
1- Rouhani: The Year 1400 Will Definitely Be Better Than This Year
Iran Newspaper:
1- Review of Tough Days and Hope for Better Year
* Rouhani and His Cabinet Present Report Under Rain
Jomhouri Eslami Newspaper:
1- Nowruz Opportunity for Evolution of Soul
Khorasan Newspaper:
1- Let’s Hope for Fresher Air in Nowruz 1400
Mardom Salari Newspaper:
1- What Choice Do We Have Other Than Being Hopeful?
2- Let’s Hope for Evolution of Our Souls
Sazandegi Newspaper:
1- Happy New Century
Shargh Newspaper:
1- Spring Is Loading
2- Let’s Trust in Power of Spring in Bringing Unity
3- New Design in New Century’s Foreign Policy [Editorial]
Tejarat Newspaper:
1- Rouhani: Next Year to Be Year of Big Victories
Vatan-e Emrooz Newspaper:
1- 1400 Will Be Year of Iranian People
* Iran Prepares for Big Test in New Year
Chief of Staff of the Iranian President’s Office Mahmoud Vaezi said Riyadh rulers should be answerable before the world’s public opinion for killing their Muslim brothers.
He also reacted to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s call for the reinstatement of sanctions against Iran.
“We helped [Yemenis] in order to prevent further tyranny and keep more people from being killed. Yemenis were under blockade and couldn’t get food, and it is the Islamic duty of all countries to help their brothers and sisters in Yemen,” he added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Vaezi touched upon Washington’s economic war against Iran.
“A lunatic president came to power in the United States and disrupted the whole world, and, provoked and ordered by Zionists, put maximum pressure on Iran,” he said.
He noted the US wanted to make the Iranian Establishment collapse and pit people against the System, but to no avail.
President Hassan Rouhani, however, said there is no denying that sanctions created very tough conditions for people.
“Since 2018, the United States’ cruel sanctions and economic war against the Iranian nation created very hard conditions for the country, and, over the past more than a year, the coronavirus outbreak added to the problems.
“Despite all difficulties and hardships, the country’s economic growth was positive in the first 9 months of the current year, which is invaluable and should be appreciated,” he noted.
Today, he said, the situation is more prepared than ever to “break the sanctions.”
“The Americans have announced, in a straightforward manner and time and again, that the path taken by the previous administration was wrong, and that the maximum pressure policy was a non-starter, and stressed they would like to live up to their commitments and return to the Iran nuclear deal,” said the president.
“Of course, just words are not enough, and we are waiting to see action,” he said.
President Hassan Rouhani said Washington even prevented Iran from procuring medical equipment and medicines for coronavirus patients.
“The US pressed ahead with an act of terror for three years and keeps doing it even now. They blocked all of our financial resources. They created problems for many of our activities and exports,” said Rouhani on Tuesday.
“We even faced so many problems for buying coronavirus vaccines. The criminal US government has committed a major crime against the Iranian nation,” he added.
“Even the current US administration, which says the previous administration made a mistake and chose the wrong path and says wants to make up for those mistakes, has not adopted any tangible action since two months ago when it took office,” said the president.
He said if the White House takes practical action to deliver on its commitments, it will benefit all.
“What is important is action, and they should walk the walk, and if they take practical steps, it will not only benefit the Iranian nation. In the first place, it will be in the interests of their own people. It will also be in the interests of Iran, the region and international organizations,” President Rouhani explained.
“If they take practical steps, it will be beneficial for international obligations as well. I hope they will act rationally and step in the direction of the law,” he added.
Ali Rabiei made the comment in response to a question by reporters that whether a proposal by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to mediate between Tehran and Washington would be fruitful.
“We are confident that Mr. Lavrov has expressed Russia’s preparedness for mediation in good faith, but it is clear to all signatories how they should return to their obligations and what it takes under the JCPOA and international regulations,” he added
“Despite a change of the US administration and its slogans, Washington keeps violating [United Nations Security Council] Resolution 2231,” he said.
“The US was a country that pulled out of the JCPOA, and today, no one who has common sense would expect Iran to stop the remedial measures it adopted in response to the US breach of commitments before the United States respects the UN resolution,” the spokesman noted.
“However, we are grateful to Russia and other members of the international community to convince the US to comply with the simple principles of international law,” Rabiee said.
“We hope the US government will choose the only right option as soon as possible and prove its ability to bring the United States out of confusion, chaos and law-breaking,” he said.
These days the streets of Tehran and many other cities of Iran are packed with people who, despite severe economic problems and the pandemic, try to give their lives a new colour ahead of Nowruz, which will be celebrated on Saturday, March 20, 2021, this year.
What follows are YJC’s photos of Tehran residents getting prepared for the New Year:
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