US New Sanctions Another Sign of Trump Admin’s Wickedness: Iran

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January 17, 2021

Lifting of Sanctions Precursor to Potential Talks with JCPOA Parties: Iran

Mahmoud Vaezi, the chief of staff of the president’s office, made the comment in a tweet on Saturday.

“Although the United States’ recent sanctions have no use other than just being a show, they are another sign proving the wickedness of the criminal Trump administration,” he said.

“The Trump administration is a bankrupt government which cannot set aside its opposition to Iranians even in its last days in office,” he added.

“Surprising enough, despite all this flagrant animosity, they shamelessly claim they are standing by the Iranian nation’s side,” he said.

Iran Downplays E3’s Concerns over Its Uranium Metal Production

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 17, 2021

Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant Gets Refueled

In a statement on Saturday, the AEOI made clarifications in that regard.

“The issue of the factory producing uranium metal, which is stipulated in Article 4 of ‘The Strategic Action to Lift Sanctions and Protect the Iranian Nation’s Rights Act’ and which the AEOI is obliged to do as instructed by the Parliament, and the issue of the production of advanced fuel (silicide) to be used at the Tehran Research Reactor are two completely different issues,” read the AEOI’s statement.

“The AEOI has not yet provided the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with information on the Design Information Questionnaire (DIQ) for the uranium metal production plant, which is the subject of Article 4 of the Statute of the IAEA. This information will be provided after the required measures are adopted, and duly at the specified time stipulated in the relevant law,” the statement added.

“As also mentioned in the IAEA’s recent report, the plan to produce advanced fuel (silicide) was presented to the IAEA for the first time over two years ago, and during this time, complementary information as well as information on the design information questionnaire has been sent to the IAEA in several phases,” it added.

“Moreover, it is reminded that in the early 1980s, the IAEA was sent a report on the successful implementation, at a preliminary level and to a small extent, of research and development work regarding the production of uranium metal for peaceful and conventional purposes,” the statement read.

“It needs to be explained that uranium metal is an intermediary product in the process of producing advanced fuel (silicide), which is immediately produced afterwards during the non-stop production process,” it explained.

“It is hoped that the IAEA will avoid mentioning unnecessary details in it reports to eliminate any grounds for misunderstanding,” the statement further said.

Legal Proceedings Underway into Case of Seized South Korean Ship: Iran

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 17, 2021

Saeed Khatibzadeh made the comment on Saturday in response to a question by reporters about rumours on the possible release of the detained vessel.

“Legal proceedings are underway into the case of the South Korean ship seized in the Persian Gulf waters upon a judicial order due to polluting the environment,” he said.

“So, any developments in the case are subject to decisions by judicial officials,” the spokesperson added.

“The stances and decisions of the Judiciary are merely announced by its spokesperson, and any remarks made in this regard by people other than relevant authorities have no legal grounds,” he noted.

Tehran Vows to Sue US If It Keeps Harrassing Iranian Diplomats

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 17, 2021

In a statement on Saturday, Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran has issued an official memorandum in that regard and submitted it through the Tehran embassy of Switzerland, which represents US interests in Iran.

“In this memo, the American side has been warned that Iran will bring the US to the International Court of Justice if Washington fails to stop its illegal actions against Iranian diplomats at international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) whose headquarters are located on US soil,” the spokesman said.

“It has been a long time that the US government has, in breach of international law, imposed many restrictions on Iranian diplomats and their families at international organizations in the Unties States, and these actions have disrupted and obstructed the performance of diplomats of Iran and several other countries,” the spokesman underlined.

“Despite its commitments as a host of several international organizations, the US has never been a good host, and has, through the history of the UN, tried to harass and annoy the diplomats as wells families and children of the diplomats of countries with which it has bilateral differences,” he said.

Trump’s Blacklisting of Houthis Shows US ‘Contempt for Peace’: Zarif

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 16, 2021

“In its last disgraceful days, designating Houthis to worsen humanitarian nightmare and warmongering lies against Iran by Pompeo show utter contempt for peace,” Zarif said in a Friday tweet.

The top Iranian diplomat referred the numerous inhumane actions that the Trump administration has taken over the past four years in office and said, “The damage Trump regime has done to humankind is not enough for its extremists.”

“The planet will be better off without them,” Zarif noted.

Making the announcement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said three leaders of what it called the “Iran-backed” Yemeni group would also be branded as “especially designated global terrorists.”

The will go into effect on January 19, just a day before the administration of US President Donald Trump leaves office.

The designation has been met with harsh criticism from senior UN officials, the European Union, and prominent aid groups besides lawmakers and politicians within the US itself.

EU’s Blacklisting of Syrian FM Meant to ‘Obstruct’ Peace Process: Iran

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 16, 2021

In a statement on Saturday, Khatibzadeh said the EU’s move to sanction the Syrian foreign minister will escalate the crisis in the Arab country and further complicate the political settlement of this crisis.

“Such an unpleasant measure will only result in further divergence and distrust between Brussels and Damascus. At a time when the Syrian crisis needs a political solution, blacklisting the country’s foreign minister as the person in charge of Syria’s foreign policy means nothing but obstructing the peace process,” the Iranian spokesman said.

He strongly called on the European Union to reconsider its decision, especially at a time when it was expected to condemn the Zionist regime’s attacks and aggression against the Syrian territory in violation of the country’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and express its serious opposition to the US’ unjust sanctions against the Syrian nation.

Khatibzadeh described the decision as unwise.

The European Union added Mekdad to its sanctions list on Friday.

“As a Government Minister, [he] shares responsibility for the Syria regime’s violent repression against the population,” the European foreign affairs ministers said.

Mekdad was appointed as Syria’s top diplomat in November 2020.

The EU has imposed sanctions against the Syrian regime since 2011. The restrictive measures include travel ban and asset freeze for Syrian government officials and prominent business people benefiting from the war economy.

The sanctions also prohibit the import of oil, and apply export restrictions on equipment or technology that could be used for the war.

In total, 289 Syrian individuals and 70 entities are blacklisted by the EU.

Iran Capable of Targeting Hostile Warships with Cruise Missiles: IRGC

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 16, 2021

“One of our important objectives in defence strategies is to be able to target hostile warships, including aircraft carriers and battle cruisers, with long range ballistic missiles,” said Major General Hossein Salami on the second day of IRGC’s missile drills held in central Iran.

“It is customary to strike mobile targets at sea by using low-speed cruise missiles,” he added.

However, the top general noted, ballistic missiles can hit targets over long distances and can be fired from deep inside Iran.

“So, we can hit mobile targets in the ocean,” he said.

“This capability is a major defence achievement, which has been achieved at the IRGC’s Aerospace Division,” he said.

IRGC Ballistic Missiles Destroy Targets at Indian Ocean on 2nd Day of Drills

IRGC Ballistic Missiles Destroy Targets at Indian Ocean on 2nd Day of Drills

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 16, 2021

The long-range ballistic missiles were launched on the second day of Great Prophet 15 war games held in the central deserts of Iran, and destroyed hypothetical warships north of the Indian Ocean.

Several missiles of various long-range classes, including Qadir, Sejjil and Emad, were reportedly test-fired on Saturday.

The key point about the Saturday launches was that the Iranian military, for the first time, showcased its capability of destroying targets at very long ranges in a military drill. Previously, the missiles test-fired in the drills hit targets at a maximum range of 300 kilometres.

Major General Mohammad Baqeri, the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, referred to the same point on the sidelines of the drills, and said choosing targets at ranges beyond 1,800 kilometres south of Sea of Oman and north of the Indian Ocean is a meaningful move.

“While we do not intend to start any aggression, we will target any hostile element with ill intentions against our country in shortest time possible with all our power,” he noted.

Iran to Begin National COVID-19 Vaccination in Coming Months: Rouhani

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 16, 2021

President Hassan Rouhani noted a COVID-19 vaccine called “Pasteur” jointly produced by Iran and another country will also hit the shelves in the next Iranian calendar year.

The president urged the public to keep observing health protocols, including decreasing travel and avoiding non-essential gatherings, to help contain the disease.

President Rouhani said he was grateful to people, medical personnel and all authorities for their contribution to the campaign against the deadly virus.

He then touched upon concerns expressed by the country’s health and medical personnel over the lifting of some restriction and the re-opening of some centres.

“These concerns are completely right given the misgivings over mutations in coronavirus as well as the cold season when windows are closed and there is the inversion phenomenon. Hence, health directives should be observed more closely than before,” he said.

The president also said he was pleased to see the trend of coronavirus infections and deaths is on the decline.

Se-Kooheh; Ancient Castle Shining on Hilltop in Southeast Iran

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IFP Editorial Staff

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January 15, 2021

Built on top of high hills in the Afsharid dynasty in the 18th century, the castle is located in the town of Hamoon in Sistan and Baluchestan province.

The name “Se-Kooheh” is adapted from the words “Sekoo” and “Seka,” which were the ethnic groups that initially settled down in the area. However, “Se-Kooheh” also literally means “three high places” in Persian, which could refer to an ancient castle, tower and citadel that are located there and could easily be seen from afar.

The colossal mud-brick Se-Kooheh castle is almost oval-shaped and is made up of two main parts: the ancient citadel and a tower.

The ancient citadel was constructed in the Afsharid era and the tower was built during the Qajar rule.

Forts and battlements are built around the castle for protection.

The structure was registered on the list of Iranian National Heritage Sites in 2002.

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