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Iran Says Ready to Take Steps to Have US Bans Lifted If Hurdles Removed

Next US Administration Should Bow to Iranian Nation’s Will: Rouhani

“If some hurdles are removed, we stand ready to take steps to have part or maybe all of the sanctions lifted,” said Hassan Rouhani on Saturday.

He added Iran faced hardships as well as ups and downs in the year to March 2021 due to US sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rouhani expressed his gratitude to all officials and people for contributing to efforts to cope with both the coronavirus and sanctions.

He also expressed hope that all Iranians will have received coronavirus jabs by March 2022.

“Some 790,000 doses of vaccines have been imported, and more will be imported as well, and God willing, Iranian vaccines will hit the market at the end of spring, too,” he said.

The president further touched upon the repercussions from former US President Donald Trump’s inappropriate policies.

“Now Trump is gone, but the adverse consequences of [policies adopted by] that moron still linger on,” he noted.

Chinese Foreign Minister Meets with Iran President in Tehran

“Tehran and Beijing enjoy very good relations and the two countries’ common stance on international issues attests to the favorable level of these ties,” Rouhani said in the meeting.

He hailed the bilateral economic cooperation despite the US sanctions and its economic war against the Iranian nation, saying enhanced interaction between the two countries’ private sectors would play a leading role in the promotion of economic ties.

Pointing to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Tehran and Beijing, Rouhani urged both sides to speed up the implementation of agreements signed in the field of important infrastructural and developmental projects.

The president commended China’s support for Iran in the international scene, including its stance on the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed between Tehran and major world powers, and the fight against the US unilateralism and extremism.

“Cooperation between Iran and China on the implementation of the JCPOA and the European countries’ fulfillment of their commitments as per the deal are very important and can lead to a change in the current situation surrounding the JCPOA,” Rouhani said.

The Chinese top diplomat had earlier held talks with Ali Larijani, the Iranian official in charge of a 25-year strategic cooperation document, which is to be signed later today.

Exclusive: Iran to Buy 10 Million Doses of Russian-Made COVID-19 Vaccine

Kazem Jalali

“Within the framework of the current deal between Iran and Russia, we will buy some one million doses of the vaccine from Russia,” said Kazem Jalali in an interview with the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website.

“I proposed around two months ago that we conclude an agreement with Russia to buy 20 million doses of the Sputnik-V vaccine,” said the ambassador.

Jalali underlined his proposal was welcomed by President Hassan Rouhani, Health Minister Saeed Namaki, and Chief of Staff of the Iranian president’s office Mahmoud Vaezi.

Finally, added the Iranian ambassador, it was agreed that a deal be clinched with Russia for the purchase of some 10 million doses.

He said many countries are now holding talks with Russia to buy COVID-19 vaccines, adding Iran should speed up the trend of purchasing the doses from Moscow.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Jalali added Iran is also making arrangements to jointly produce a coronavirus vaccine with Russia.

“All producers of coronavirus vaccines in the world have limited capacity for the production of vaccines. So, Russia welcomes the joint production of vaccines,” he added.

He said the jointly produced vaccines will be rolled out under the Russian license, and added its distribution will take place under the supervision of both sides.

Chinese Foreign Minister in Tehran for Talks

During his stay in Tehran, the Chinese top diplomat will hold talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and President Hassan Rouhani.

He will also meet Ali Larijani, the former speaker of the Iranian parliament who has played a key role in promoting Iran-China relations, especially with regard to the 25-year strategic cooperation agreement.

The IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency says the foreign ministers of Iran and China will finally sign the 25-year strategic cooperation deal between the two countries during their Saturday meeting.

Lar National Park: Must-See Site in Northern Iran

The Lar area measures around 73,500 hectares, of which 31,000 hectares are regarded as a national park area. There are no signs of urban or city life in and around this park. So, it enjoys pristine and fantastic scenery mesmerizing every visitor.

The Lar National Park lies on the border between the northern Mazandaran province and north-central Tehran province. It has two ecosystems: a mountainous one and a water ecosystem, hosting a variety of plants and animals. This area is a habitat of rare animals and plants some of which are found only in Iran and, hence, are very significant.

Lake Neor: Unique Wildlife Habitat

The lake lies in a valley 2,500 metres above sea level. The lake has an area of over 210 hectares and is, in fact, made up of two small and big lakes which join each other in spring to make a single lake, which is 5 metres deep on overage.

The Lake Neor area is a protected wildlife sanctuary monitored by the Department of the Environment of Iran. Hunting any kind of seabirds at the lake is forbidden. The area boasts valuable features in terms of wildlife, ecotourism, beekeeping, agriculture and husbandry. The flora of the area contains a wide variety of plant species. Furthermore, Lake Neor is the habitat of some species of migratory birds.

The word “Neor” is a Mongolian word. In the Azerbaijani Turkish language, “Neor” refers to a small lake which no river flows into.

Iran Welcomes Ghani’s Call for Tehran-Kabul Water Cooperation

“The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the Afghan president’s remarks about turning water into an issue for cooperation between the two countries, and expressed Tehran’s preparedness in that regard,” Khatibzadeh said on Wednesday.

Asked by reporters about the remarks made in connection with the opening of Kamal-Khan dam in Afghanistan, Khatibzadeh said, “The Hirmand River has a defined legal regime, and according to an agreement signed between the two countries in 1972, Iran’s water share is fully defined and the Afghan government is committed to the water share rights.”

“Of course the issue of the nature’s water share and protecting the lives of Hamun lakes is a separate one, which has long been a subject of negotiation with the Afghan government,” he added.

“Fortunately, the significance of Hamun Lake and the necessity of providing it with its water share is considered by the Afghan government. The drying up of the Hamun lakes would cause serious damages, including sandstorms, to the people on both sides of the border,” he added.

Khatibzadeh said the issue of developing Sistan region is an issue to which the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has always paid attention.
“Naturally, the required water needs to be provided for the development plans in appropriate ways. In this regard, since many years ago, the government has been studying and implementing various plans including the transfer of desalinated water from Sea of Oman, use of deep water resources, transfer of water from other internal resources, and most importantly the implementation of water consumption optimization plans,” he noted.

Iran Denounces Human Rights Council’s ‘Illegitimate’ Resolution

In a statement on Wednesday, Khatibzadeh said certain European countries were behind the resolution, which was passed owing to ill-founded, non-consensual, and internationally illegitimate votes.

“This resolution has extended the mandate of a special rapporteur whose reports fail to make any mention of the deaths of dozens of innocent children and hundreds of patients lacking access to medicine and medical equipment, and one who does not care about the blatant violation of the ‘right to live’ and ‘right to access healthcare’ of thousands of Iranian citizens,” he added.

The spokesman said all anti-Iran resolutions adopted by the Human Rights Council since March 2011 have been anchored in one-sided allegations made by the sponsors of the resolution and supporters of the special rapporteur’s agenda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“Countries that abuse other nations’ rights can neither portray themselves as advocates of human rights, nor can they judge other states on the situation of human rights. They must, instead, be held accountable for their own crimes regarding blatant violations of human rights,” Khatibzadeh noted.

He said some of the main sponsors of the politically-motivated resolution who impose the greatest international pressure on Iran for its human rights situation are in fact among the biggest violators of human rights in the world.

According to Khatibzadeh, these countries impose or implement cruel sanctions against the Iranian nation, sell advanced weaponry to Saudi Arabia [to be used] against the people of Yemen, have strategic cooperation with the Zionist regime against the people of Palestine, and support terrorist groups against the people of Iraq and Syria.

“As repeatedly emphasised earlier, it is basically unjustifiable and non-constructive to appoint a special rapporteur for the human rights situation of a country like Iran.

“Iran has always lived up to its commitments towards its own citizens and the international community despite being subject to US economic terrorism and its cruel pressures,” he added.

The spokesman said Iran is a religious democracy that has strived for and feels committed to the promotion of human rights at national, regional and international levels within the framework of its religious obligations and Constitution.

He said the destructive approach of the sponsors of the anti-Iran resolution have numerous shortcomings including “instrumental and political use of human rights”, “ignoring the values, beliefs and special cultural characteristic of different communities”, “not paying attention to realities as a result of the influence of media fuss and propaganda”, and “ignoring and remaining silent towards the flagrant violations of the Iranian nation’s rights under cruel sanctions.”

“Supporters of this resolution should primarily condemn the US administration’s acts of economic terrorism and escalation of unilateral and oppressive sanctions, and acknowledge how the sanctions impede the Iranian people’s access to basic necessities such as medical supplies at the time of the global pandemic,” Khatibzadeh said.

He said such efforts to portray the plaintiff as the defendant and vice-versa will not yield any result for the sponsors of this resolution.

He then expressed regret over the politicized and instrumental use of human rights and the adoption of double standards on the issue of human rights, which is getting normal.

Khatibzadeh said the quality of the reactions and stances of the resolution sponsors regarding the suppression of recent protests in the US is a good yardstick against which to measure and verify the human rights concerns of this group of countries.

He finally denounced Iceland’s move to draft the anti-Iran resolution at the 46th meeting of the Human Rights Council with the support of certain European countries, saying the resolution was drafted and adopted based on a selective, biased, confrontational, and politically-motivated attitude.

100,000 More Doses of Sputnik-V Vaccine Delivered to Iran

Russia says it has received orders for the vaccine from numerous countries, but Iran is on top of the list of deliveries, and will receive further batches in coming weeks.

 

Iran Welcomes Any Peace Plan Ending Yemen Plight: Foreign Ministry

In a Tuesday statement marking the sixth anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition’s invasion of Yemen, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said “the simultaneous declaration of a ceasefire and the lifting of blockade will pave the way for preventing the continuation of this human disaster, and prepare the ground for dialogue.”

“Since the beginning of this war, the Islamic Republic of Iran has emphasised that the Yemen crisis has no military solution, and that Iran supports any peace plan focused on ending the aggression, declaring a nationwide ceasefire, ending the occupation, lifting the economic siege, starting the political dialogue, and finally letting Yemenis take the helm of shaping their political future free from any foreign interference,” it added.
The statement came after the Saudi foreign minister proposed a peace plan to get Riyadh out of the Yemen quagmire with the support of the United Nations.

What follows is the full text of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s statement:

As the military aggression of Saudi Arabia and other member states of the so-called Coalition against Yemen enters its seventh year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its disgust at the continuation of this big crime against the innocent people of Yemen.
Today is the sixth anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition’s continued invasion of Yemen.

During the past six years, the siege and military aggression has targeted 24 million people, and dozens of people are either killed by the airstrikes or die of hunger, disease, shortage of medicine and fuel in medical centres on a daily basis.

What makes it more tragic is that the brutal aggression and unfair siege has not stopped for a moment even with the outbreak of COVID-19.

Undoubtedly, according to the statistics declared by international bodies and even based on the admission of some of those who provide political and arms support for this inhumane aggression, what is happening in Yemen involves various crimes and atrocities whose legal pursuit at the international level is the duty of relevant international bodies and all the advocates of freedom and human rights.

Despite numerous claims made about cessation of support for the aggression, various weapons are still being sold to the aggressive coalition and even technical support required for operating these weapons is being provided. The military experts of certain countries serving the Saudis are complicit in the crimes and carnage against the Yemeni nation.

Under such circumstances, the simultaneous declaration of a ceasefire and the lifting of blockade will pave the way for preventing the continuation of this human disaster, and prepare the ground for dialogue.

Since the beginning of this war, the Islamic Republic of Iran has emphasised that the Yemen crisis has no military solution, and that Iran supports any peace plan focused on ending the aggression, declaring a nationwide ceasefire, ending the occupation, lifting the economic siege, starting the political dialogue, and finally letting Yemenis take the helm of shaping their political future free from any foreign interference.