Friday, December 26, 2025
Home Blog Page 2540

Iran Says War Unlikely, but Will Respond Firmly If US Triggers One

Ali Rabiei

Ali Rabiei noted Washington is unlikely to make any miscalculations about this.

“I think the US won’t have any miscalculations. We have told the US and everybody else clearly that we won’t start any war, directly or indirectly, but if the US makes a grave mistake, we will powerfully defend our security and vital interests,” he said.

“I believe the US is highly unlikely to come up with any miscalculations about Iran’s firm intentions as well as deterrence and revenge capability,” the spokesman added.

“So, we are unlikely to see new tensions aimed at triggering a fresh war in the region,” he said.

Rabiei underlined that the United States, even in the past, was aware of Iran’s capabilities and, hence, did not make the mistake of waging a war.

“The US used to have such intentions and would put such options on the table before, but Iran’s firm intentions and deterrence capability made them not come up with any miscalculations over these years,” he said.

The spokesman said the rumours of war are spread by those who cash in on the brouhaha by media over the issue.

“Such rumours have their roots in the pretentious behaviour of, and the psychological warfare launched against Iran and other peoples in the region by those who benefit from the media fuss over these rumours,” said Rabiei.

“This issue is nothing new. We have, for years, been witnessing this phenomenon with varying intensity,” he added.

The spokesman underscored that Iran will continue to keep a close watch on US movements in the region irrespective of rumours.

“I repeat that we keep closely monitoring all of the United States’ military movements in the region regardless of rumours of a war. And we don’t see these rumours as a source of concern for us given our deterrence capability,” he emphasized.

Meanwhile, he said there is no denying that there are some people in the United States who favour “military adventurism.”

“There are some in the United States who are interested in military adventurism in order to deflect the American public’s attention from domestic issues in the country and election defeats. We cannot deny that and we have evidence in that regard,” he explained.

US Sentenced to Paying Damages to Iranians Harmed by Its Crimes

Iran to Prosecute 45 Americans over Their Role in Medical Sanctions

Gholamhossein Esmaili made the comment when questioned whether or not reports are true that a number of Iranians harmed by US crimes have filed suits against Washington following the United States’ crimes against Iranian people over the past years.

He was also asked what the outcome of the lawsuits has been.

“Under a law passed by the Iranian parliament, citizens who have suffered harm or losses because of the United States’ criminal acts can file suits at Iranian courts and the Tehran Justice Department, which will look into the lawsuits accordingly,” he said.

“Several cases have been filed in this regard so far and many rulings have been issued, too,” Esmaili added.

He said two cases have been reviewed in recent months.

One of them, said the spokesman, was related to a number of families of those killed in the terrorist incident in Chabahar.

“They had filed a lawsuit and demanded compensation. This case has been reviewed in the court,” he noted.

“Based on the verdict issued …, the US has been sentenced to paying $1 billion in damages to the families,” he underlined.

The other case is also related to over a dozen other Iranian citizens harmed by US criminal acts, said Esmaili, adding the court also reviewed the case and sentenced Washington to paying damages.

He underlined that criminality has been inherent in US statesmen in different eras.

Gholamhossein Eslmaili said the Americans have committed numerous crimes throughout history.

“American criminals committed many crimes during the course of history in different countries, especially in the Middle East region and Islamic countries, including Iran,” he said.

Iran Urges Seoul to Behave ‘Responsibly’ over Seizure of Korean Tanker

In comments on Tuesday, Saeed Khatibzadeh said, “The South Korean government’s behaviour in this regard is not understandable and is rejected.”

“We urge the Korean government to deal with this technical issue logically and responsibly,” Khatibzadeh noted.

“As announced before, the problem with the South Korean ship is a completely technical one,” he said.

“Like all countries, the Islamic Republic of Iran is very sensitive about protecting its marine environment and deals with any violations in accordance with the law,” Khatibzadeh explained.
“As the authority in charge of such issues, the [Iranian] Ports and Maritime Organization is professionally trying to offer the necessary assistance to the ship and its crew, and will inform the public about it accordingly,” he said.

He also weighed in on reports suggesting a South Korean delegation is travelling to Iran to follow up on the matter.

“A trip by South Korea’s acting foreign minister was already on the agenda, and it was made public accordingly, and this visit will take place in the near future, but it has nothing to do with the issue [of the seized ship],” he added.

“And the two countries have not reached any agreement on a separate visit between the two sides because this issue is running its defined legal course within a technical framework, and there is no need for a diplomatic visit,” he said.

Zarif Hails Qatar’s Resistance, Urges Concerted Action for Strong Region

“Congratulations to Qatar for the success of its brave resistance to pressure & extortion,” the top Iranian diplomat said in a post on his Twitter account on Tuesday.

“To our other Arab neighbours: Iran is neither an enemy nor threat. Enough scapegoating—especially with your reckless patron on his way out,” Zarif added, referring to the termination of Donald Trump’s tenure as the US president.

“Time to take our offer for a strong region,” Foreign Minister Zarif noted, concluding his message with the hashtag “HOPE”, a regional peace initiative proposed by Iran.

The tweet came after four Arab states that had imposed an embargo against Qatar for three years restored diplomatic relations with Qatar.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar in 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

Doha denied the accusation and rejected the conditions for ending the partial blockade, including closing the Doha-based Al Jazeera broadcast network and curbing relations with Iran.

Iran Finalizes First Prepayment for COVAX Vaccine: CBI Chief

In a post on his Instagram account on Tuesday, Abdolnasser Hemmati said the first prepayment for the purchase of coronavirus vaccine through COVAX allocation scheme has been remitted by the Central Bank of Iran.

The top banker said the prepayment has been made in a process in cooperation with two Iranian and three European banks in spite of the obstacles caused by the US sanctions.

Iran has wired the prepayment to the account of the WHO broker on the first day after the January holidays, he added.

Hemmati also noted that Iran has allocated a much larger sum of money for the purchase of coronavirus vaccine, saying the CBI will provide currency for the purchase at the discretion of the Health Ministry officials.

The CBI governor finally expressed hope for the delivery of the vaccines bought from abroad and for the mass production of a homegrown vaccine.

Iran Says Can Produce Up to 9kg of 20%-Enriched Uranium per Month

Ali-Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said between 17 and 20 grammes of 20%-enriched uranium is produced per hour in the country.

“We have the capability to produce 8 to 9 kilogrammes a month until we get to the 120kg ceiling stipulated in the law (recently passed by the Parliament,” he noted.

Salehi underlined Iran has stockpiled as much fuel as needed to operate nuclear reactors in the country for five years.

“The 20%-enriched uranium that we are producing now will be stored as well,” he added.

The official then touched upon the activities his organization is conducting.

“The organization is conducting extensive activities, including the construction of 2 atomic power stations in Bushehr. These two facilities are the biggest industrial projects in the country and come with a price tag of around $10 billion,” he added.

“We don’t have any other project in the country which costs $10 billion,” he noted.

Salehi added major activities are also underway in the exploration and exploitation sector.

He noted yellowcake production capacity in the country has increased eight-fold, and between 35 to 40 tonnes of the material will have been produced by March 2021.

First Case of Mutated Coronavirus Strain Identified in Iran: Minister

Iran to Resume Trade with Arab States in Compliance with Health Protocols

In remarks at a televised speech on Tuesday, Health Minister Saeed Namaki said the presence of the new strain of the coronavirus in Iran does not mean any new panic, urging people to observe the health protocols more strictly.

The minister said the first carrier of the mutated coronavirus is an Iranian national who has returned home from the UK.

The new variant of coronavirus was detected after a long process of screening, he added, saying the patient had been admitted to a private hospital and was tested positive with the mutated strain after several procedures.

The patient is currently in good health conditions, the minister noted.

The passenger has acted quite wisely after arriving in Iran and has self-isolated despite holding a negative PCR test result upon arrival, Namaki said, noting that the new strain of COVID has not been detected in any of the people in contact with the patient.

He further dismissed reports about another case of the mutated coronavirus in the western provinces, saying a physician suspected of being infected underwent several tests and more than 240 people in contact with that doctor were also screened, but there was no trace of the new strain.

He also hailed the Islamic Republic’s success in lowering the daily death toll from COVID-19 to a two-digit number after months, saying only 98 coronavirus patients have died over the past 24 hours, although even one single death is still too much.

Namaki finally noted that the decline in the coronavirus fatalities is a result of unwavering efforts of the healthcare personnel and the medical society.

Iran on Tuesday confirmed 98 new deaths caused by the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, the lowest figure since June 20, 2020, increasing the overall death toll to 55,748.

Daily Surge in Iran’s COVID-19 Fatalities Down to Lowest in Six Months

Coronavirus in iran

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima-Sadat Lari reported 6,113 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of cases to 1,255,620.

So far, Lari added, 1,029,028 patients have recovered from the disease or been discharged from the hospital.

Lari said 4,829 patients are also in critical conditions caused by more severe infection.
The spokeswoman noted that 7,885,416 COVID-19 tests have been taken across the country so far.

According to Lari, the four cities of Sari, Amol, Ramsar, and Northern Savadkuh are currently in the “red” zone, 43 cities in the “orange” zone, and 401 cities in the “yellow” zone in terms of coronavirus outbreak.

Iran Capable of Enriching Uranium Up to 40-60 Percent: Spokesman

In comments on Tuesday, Kamalvandi said the Parliament’s legislation has also allowed the government to prepare the grounds for uranium enrichment beyond 20 percent if needed.

Iran on Monday announced the beginning of the process to enrich uranium to 20 percent purity at its Fordow nuclear facility.

The measure was taken under a law, dubbed the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions, which the Parliament approved late last year.

The legislation requires the AEOI to produce at least 120 kilograms of 20-percent enriched uranium annually and store it inside the country within two months of production.

It also urges the AEOI to start the installation, gas injection, enrichment and storage of nuclear materials up to an appropriate enrichment degree within a period of three months using at least 1,000 IR-2m centrifuges.

Iran Denies Holding South Korean Vessel ‘Hostage’, Calls Seoul ‘Hostage-Taker’

Seized South Korean Ship in Iran

“Regarding the allegations of ‘hostage-taking’ which I’m hearing these days; if there is a hostage taker here, that’s the South Korean government which has taken hostage over $7 billion in Iranian funds for groundless pretexts,” Rabiei said in a Tuesday press conference.

Even when it comes to commodities like medicine which they claim are not under sanctions, they cite baseless pretexts to deny Iran’s access despite the difficult conditions of our people, he noted.

“We haven’t been a hostage-tanker. If there is any hostage-taker here, I believe it’s the Korean government. Our nation’s historical memory will never forget it. They [Koreans] did not make any extra efforts to give the Iranian people access to their money,” he reiterated.

“Regarding the vessel, it has been seized based on a judicial order, according to our military and judicial officials. It has been confiscated because of oil pollution in the Persian Gulf,” Rabiei noted, referring to the IRGC Navy’s Monday seizure of a South Korean chemical tanker in the Persian Gulf.

“It had earlier received warning, and the request for its seizure has been a technical one made by a technical organization. It is usual in the world, and it’s nothing complicated,” he added.