The advanced assault rifle was unveiled along with a number of sport weapons in a ceremony held in Tehran on Sunday, March 7, 2021.
The Iranian assault rifle has a calibre of 7.62×51mm NATO, and its effective firing range equipped with a day vision and a thermal vision scope is respectively 800 and 600 metres.
Massaf is apparently the Iranian version of the German assault rifle HK417, manufactured by Heckler & Koch.
Speaking in a Sunday meeting with Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney in Tehran, President Rouhani said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran is committed to the deal and its preservation, and is the only party that has paid for it, but this cannot continue this way, and the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 by all parties is essential for maintaining and reviving the JCPOA.”
Rouhani pointed to Ireland’s membership in the UN Security Council and its neutral policy, and said, “The Security Council should have taken appropriate action against the previous US administration for violating the resolution.”
Referring to the failure of the United States’ unlawful sanctions and maximum pressure against the Iranian people which has been admitted by the new US administration, President Rouhani said, “The activation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as a multilateral international agreement, is subject to the lifting of sanctions by the United States and the full observance of commitments by all members.”
Rouhani pointed to Iran’s move to suspend the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol based on a law passed by the Iranian Parliament, and said, “Despite the suspension of the implementation of the Additional Protocol, Iran is still determined to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency.”
“Iran is ready to take immediate compensatory measures in accordance with the provisions of the JCPOA and fulfil its obligations after the lifting of illegal US sanctions and their abandonment of the policy of intimidation and pressure,” he added.
He announced Iran’s readiness to cooperate with international institutions to resolve regional crises, and stressed, “The best way to resolve problems with European partners at various bilateral, regional and international levels is negotiation based on mutual respect and the avoidance of any threat or pressure.”
Rouhani also called for the development and deepening of Tehran-Dublin relations in all fields, especially economic and trade relations, and stressed the use of all existing capacities in this field.
“The two countries have a lot of untapped capacities in all areas, and we should attempt to tap those potentialities,” he added.
In turn, the Foreign Minister of Ireland referred to his country’s role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the next two years and the role of facilitating the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, and said, “Trump’s withdrawal from the deal was a historic mistake and the new US administration is determined to return to the deal.”
“We value the JCPOA as an international agreement for peace. We will do our best to maintain the JCPOA and we are ready to play any role that can help improve the situation and resume talks between all JCPOA members,” Foreign Minister Coveney said.
Referring to the changes in the US administration and the desire of the country’s statesmen to return to the JCPOA, the Irish Foreign Minister said, “With the new conditions, there is a good opportunity for negotiation and dialogue, which should be used to require all members to implement the deal.”
Speaking in a phone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Saturday, the Iranian president said the security, integrity, and peace in Iraq is a priority for Iran.
“We are against any kind of foreign intervention in Iraq’s internal affairs and we consider it detrimental to the country and the entire region,” he noted.
President Rouhani described Iraq as a Muslim country and a friend of Iran which has a very important position in the political and security interactions of the region.
He also stressed the development of relations and cooperation between the two countries in all fields of mutual interest.
Rouhani referred to the potentialities in Iran and Iraq for cooperation as two neighbouring countries, and said, “The promotion of economic cooperation alongside political relations is very important.”
The president also referred to the billions of dollars of Iran’s money illegally blocked in Iraq, which has not been yet released despite the promises of Iraqi officials, stressing that Iran’s assets in Iraq should immediately be released.
The president further noted that the presence of American troops in regional countries, including Iraq, causes instability.
“The Americans have always had a destructive role in the region, and the acceleration of implementing the Iraqi parliament’s resolution regarding expelling American troops from the country can help establish peace and stability in the country and the region,” he added.
Stating that regional issues and problems need to be resolved by regional countries themselves, President Rouhani emphasised Iran’s readiness for cooperation with regional countries in this regard with the aim of preserving security and peace.
The president also referred to the good agreements between Tehran and Baghdad for development of cooperation and relations, including the Shalamcheh-Basra railway project, stressing the importance of accelerating the implementation of the agreements.
“Fortunately, important steps have been taken in this regard, and we need to attempt to consolidate and develop this relation further,” he added.
In turn, the Prime Minister of Iraq described Iran as a friendly country and a good neighbour of Iraq, and stressed the development of relations between the two countries in all fields.
He further described the Shalamcheh-Basra railway as an important step in the development of economic and trade relations between Tehran and Baghdad.
Mustafa al-Kadhimi Appreciated Iran for helping establish stability and security in Iraq, describing America’s sanctions against Iran as illegal and unfair.
“Fortunately, with the changes in the American administration, new conditions have been provided for countries for cooperation, and Iraq will do whatever it can for the complete lifting of the sanctions against Iran.”
The Iraqi Prime Minister also said that a special committee has been formed in the country to facilitate the process of the transit of goods between the two countries.
During the talks, the two sides conferred on the latest status of bilateral relations and the regional developments.
They also expressed pleasure with the growing trend of reciprocal ties in various fields, and underlined the two countries’ resolve to further develop collaborations in all areas.
The phone call came a few days after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned of an attempted military coup.
On February 25, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh called on all parties in Armenia to show self-restraint and avoid violence.
Pashinyan has faced protests after losing last year’s bloody conflict with Azerbaijan over a disputed region.
In his Saturday message to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Rouhani expressed hope that the relations between the two countries would deepen further in all fields of mutual interest in bilateral and international fields.
“I wish Your Excellency health and success, and the people of the Republic of Ghana prosperity and felicity,” he added.
The Independence Day of Ghana is a national holiday celebrated annually on March 6. The day is an official state holiday for the citizens of Ghana both within and in the diaspora to honour and celebrate the Heroes of Ghana who led the country to attain its independence.
Independence Day is also remembrance of the day that marks the declaration of Ghanaian independence from the British colonial rule.
Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami said the project is aimed boosting the country’s crude exports.
“We have always wanted to take [Iran’s] oil exports beyond the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, and this end will be achieved with the construction of this port,” he noted on Saturday.
He said the port known as the port of Jask is the country’s second oceanic port after Chabahar.
The minister added construction work for the Jask port will get underway soon.
He underlined the Jask port will house a major industrial town as well as energy industries.
“The Jask port is similar to Chabahar port and our largest oil terminal will be constructed there,” he said.
The minister said the Jask port will have a capacity of more than 100 million tonnes and will play a key role in boosting national economy.
President Hassan Rouhani said it would be forbidden to make trips to cities marked as “red” and “orange” in terms of the prevalence of COVID-19.
“We request people to avoid travelling during Nowruz holidays to protect their own health,” he said.
“It will be forbidden to travel to red and orange towns and cities,” he said.
“No one should make any plans to travel to these cities,” he stressed.
The president said the tolerance of the country’s health system “has a limit,” urging the public to cooperate when it comes to observing health protocols.
“The start of the vaccination drive in the country should not lead to people considering the situation as normal,” he said.
President Rouhani also complained that foreign vaccines are not distributed among countries fairly.
He also called for a change of lifestyle given that there have been numerous mutations in coronavirus.
“The coronavirus-style of living should continue for at least one year from now due to the many mutations of the virus,” said the president.
Iran’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi made the comment while elaborating on the actions taken to stop the adoption of the anti-Iran resolution by the three European countries.
“With the three European countries beginning to present a US-backed resolution against Iran at the Board of Governors, different measures were put on the agenda [to stop the move],” he said.
“The moves included extensive consultations with members of the Board of Governors in Vienna and the capitals of member states, the [Iranian] foreign minister’s sending a letter to his opposite numbers in different member states of the Board of Governors, Iran explaining its stances to the IAEA and Board of Governors’ members in a briefing text, tapping into the potential of the Secretariat of the IAEA and the agency’s director general to strive to maintain cooperation and interaction [between Iran and the IAEA], making special coordination with Russia and China, which expressed their opposition to the resolution, and sending messages by the Iranian president, foreign minister, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and the deputy foreign minister for political affairs,” he explained.
“In all these consultations, messages and correspondence, it is clearly announced that the adoption of the resolution would be seen [by Tehran] as a destructive move on the way of Iran-IAEA cooperation which, among other things, would inhibit the recent agreement between Iran and the IAEA,” he noted.
“Anyway, the Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the prudence and vigilance of members of the Board of Governors and the IAEA director general to prevent unnecessary tension,” said Gharibabadi.
He also appreciated the stances adopted by Moscow and Beijing in that regard, urging the three European countries and the United States to take advantage of the existing diplomatic potential to fully and effectively return to their obligations under the JCPOA and UN Security Council Resolution 2231 as Iran will respond to such a move with a goodwill gesture.
He also touched upon the IAEA chief’s announcement that a technical team from the agency would travel to Iran in early April.
“Such interactions between Iran and the agency is nothing new, and no new agreements or arrangements have been planned,” he said.
“The two sides have been working and interacting for quite some time to settle some issues pertaining to the Safeguards Agreement, and they have held several technical meetings over the past two years,” he said.
“The forthcoming meeting is in line with the same ongoing trend and is not at the level of the IAEA director general,” he said.
“Any engagement with the agency on Safeguards Agreement issues is aimed at resolving them as soon as possible, and we, too, have emphasized the necessity of goodwill and of the IAEA avoiding any politically-tainted move in this process,” he said.
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