Iran Denies Attempting to Stop British Oil Tanker in Persian Gulf

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July 11, 2019

The IRGC’s Navy on Thursday rejected a media report by CNN which claimed a number of IRGC speedboats approached a UK oil tanker and tried to stop it in the Strait of Hormuz, but withdrew after a British warship warned them off.

In a statement, the IRGC said it has had no confrontation with foreign vessels over the past 24 hours. The IRGC noted its vessels keep patrolling the Persian Gulf waters based on the routine operating procedure and the missions entrusted to it.

The IRGC underlined its forces are able to stop foreign vessels immediately within its geographical area of operation once they are ordered to do so.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also denied CNN’s claim later on Thursday.

“The British tanker has apparently crossed the Strait of Hormuz. Their claims are worthless and aimed at escalating tension. They make such claims a lot, and use these allegations to put a lid on their weaknesses.”

CNN quoted two US officials with direct knowledge of the incident as saying that the IRGC boats unsuccessfully tried to seize the British oil tanker Heritage in the Persian Gulf Wednesday.

The report claimed that the tanker was sailing out of the Persian Gulf and was crossing into the Strait of Hormuz area when it was approached by the Iranian boats.

“The Iranians ordered the tanker to change course and stop in nearby Iranian territorial waters,” CNN quoted the officials as saying.

“A US aircraft was overhead and recorded video of the incident, though CNN has not seen the footage,” the report added.

The report further alleged that the UK’s Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose had been escorting the tanker from the rear. “It trained its deck guns on the Iranians and gave them a verbal warning to back away, which they did.”

Montrose is equipped on the deck with 30 mm guns specifically designed to drive off small boats. UK officials had previously confirmed that the Montrose was in the region performing a “maritime security role.”

A UK government spokesman later confirmed the report, saying that the “HMS Montrose positioned itself between the three boats and the tanker British Heritage before issuing verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels.”

He described the Iranians’ actions as “contrary to international law”.

Iran had earlier warned the UK over its illegal seizure of an Iranian supertanker in Gibraltar, saying there will be consequences for London if it refuses to release the tanker.

US Suffered Another Failure at Mockery of IAEA Meeting: Iran

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IFP Editorial Staff

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July 11, 2019

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi made the comment following Wednesday’s session held at Washington’s request in Vienna.

“Another failure for the US at the mockery of the IAEA’s Board of Governors [meeting],” he wrote on his Twitter page.

“The US was isolated once again at its own hands,” Mousavi added.

He said the legal strength of the Iran nuclear deal as well as Tehran’s active diplomacy and rich political and ethical record leaves no pretext for all those “wise guys” who breach their commitments.

The IAEA meeting was held a few days after Iran boosted the level of its uranium enrichment to 4.5%. The move was part of Iran’s May 8 decision to reduce its commitments under the nuclear deal.

“We have been informed that the Americans were seeking to have some formal outcome of this meeting, something like a resolution […] but because they haven’t been in a position to convince the others to have their support for their claim, regarding consideration of Iran’s ceasing of its implementation of the JCPOA, there has been no conclusion,” says Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA Kazem Gharib-Abadi.

“The majority of the members of the Board supported the JCPOA, multilateralism and deplored unilateral actions of the US,” he told Press TV.

The Iranian envoy earlier told the IAEA’s special meeting that “the sadistic tendency of the United States to use illegal, unilateral sanctions as an instrument to coerce sovereign states and private entities should come to an end.”

Iran, Belarus Hold Fifth Round of Political Consultations

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IFP Editorial Staff

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July 11, 2019

During the meeting, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi held talks with Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Dapkiunas on a wide range of bilateral, regional, and international issues.

Considering the sensitivity and importance of the recent developments in the Middle East, Araqchi briefed his Belarusian counterpart on the latest developments regarding the Iran nuclear deal, the US government’s violation of the JCPOA as an international treaty, its economic campaign against Iran, and the impact of such behaviours on peace and security in the region and the world.

Araqchi also highlighted the strategic patience Iran has shown over the past year in reaction to the US violation of the JCPOA and Europe’s failure in this regard.

He further pointed to Iran’s “smart” policy of decreasing its JCPOA commitments step by step, and described it as a chance for diplomacy.

“The doors of diplomacy are still open,” he added.

Araqchi further pointed to the US request for a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors, and described it as a big irony in the history of diplomacy as the US itself is known as a violator of the JCPOA and the UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

At the IAEA meeting, it was not welcomed by any country, even the US allies, he added.

Araqchi then said the US foreign policy, especially in the Middle East, and its behaviours towards Iran serve as a a threat not only to regional peace and security but also to the international community.

“It is necessary that all countries counter such an approach,” he urged.

The Belarusian diplomat, in turn, highlighted the history of amicable ties between Tehran and Minsk from the past to the present, and praised the historical civilization and culture of Iran.

Dapkiunas also underlined the sensitivity of the current situation for global and regional peace and security, and said, “Increased tension and insecurity in the Middle East threatens not only the regional states but also other countries in Europe and the rest of the world.”

He also expressed the hope that Iran’s nuclear issue will be resolved through peaceful means including dialogue.

He pointed to Iran’s move to keep the doors of diplomacy open, and described it as a prudent and wise decision.

Dapkiunas finally expressed his country’s preparedness to use all political capacities available to help resolve the issue.

During the meeting, the two sides also discussed various political and economic issues in bilateral ties and ways to develop and strengthen cooperation between Tehran and Minsk in various fields.

They also underlined the necessity of further using the economic capacities available to boost the volume of trade between the two sides to the level desired by top Iranian and Belarusian officials.

Iran, Belarus Slam US ‘Dangerous’ Approach to Int’l Treaties

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IFP Editorial Staff

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July 10, 2019

In a Wednesday meeting in Tehran, the two sides pointed to the US’ destructive attempts to alter international treaties by exerting pressure on other governments, and described it as a dangerous approach.

They also discussed the most important regional issues and developments including the significance and role of the JCPOA in regional and international peace and security as well as the US economic war on the Iranian people.

Zarif and Dapkiunas exchanged views on the most significant developments in mutual ties as well as the grounds for Tehran-Minsk cooperation in international areas.

Iran FM, Macron’s Top Aide Meet in Tehran

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IFP Editorial Staff

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July 10, 2019

During the Wednesday meeting in Tehran, the two sides conferred on international issues and the latest developments in bilateral ties between Tehran and Paris.

Bonne, who arrived in Tehran on Tuesday, earlier held talks with Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

In that meeting, the French diplomat said President Emmanuel Macron is looking for joint initiatives to secure a ceasefire in Washington’s economic war against the Islamic Republic.

According to Bonne, Macron believes such a ceasefire will lead to a de-escalation of growing tensions in the region.

Bonne underlined that he is visiting Iran neither as a mediator nor as a carrier of a message from the US.

Iran Nuclear Chief Tells ‘How to Avoid Conspicuous Catastrophe’

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IFP Editorial Staff

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July 10, 2019

The main reason for this animosity stems from their respective divergent political mindsets; each looking at the world from a different angle. Iran declaring itself as an egalitarian modern, independent nation state with ethical and religious values and the US depicting itself as a savior of liberalism. Both have global aspirations but with different goals and aims. Iran aspiring for generalization of justice, fairness and equality among world nations while the US striving for expanding hegemonism. Beside the difference in the worldviews, Iran is a status quo and an influential regional power but the US is an expansionist big power trying to become the sole one.

Ever since the revolution, Iran has been insistent and steadfast on safeguarding its sovereignty and rights, including the development of peaceful nuclear technology as its inalienable right.

However, the US exercising its influence internationally began to use the fabricated nuclear issue as a pretext against Iran and imposed inhumane sanctions against our nation. Utilizing their formidable mass media, they began a futile attempt to turn this pretext into a widespread public belief and subsequently use it as an instrument of political pressure.

The sanctions were everything but effective and it was Iran’s resilience which left no option to the previous US administration other than coming to terms with Iran. Within this environment the then secret track two negotiation based on request by the US administration through the Omani interlocutor began in 2011 and after two rounds of negotiations the U.S through the intermediary (Sultan of Oman) informed Iran of its intention and readiness to recognize Iran’s enrichment right.

These negotiations culminated in a nuclear deal called the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). After about two years since its implementation the new US administration withdrew from the deal with the excuse that the deal has been the worst in its kind in all American history. This being the case, Iran’s response had been one of strategic endurance. However, the US kept on increasing the sanction pressure which eventually lead Tehran to begin exercising its right as envisioned in paragraphs 26 and 36 of the deal and thereby suspending parts of nuclear limitations set in the deal so as to remedy the lost balance between its rights and commitments until Europeans rectify the imbalance.

The US after many acerbic comments against Iran and the declaration of twelve irrational and submissive demands, eventually came to its senses and yielded to the facts on the ground and reduced its demands to only a specific one. President Trump iterated a number of times that their only demand is for Iran to denounce the possession of Nuclear Weapon. On the other hand, Iran traditionally never trusting the US administration’s promises and commitments has so far categorically refused any direct negotiation, because there is absolutely no guarantee that such second round of negations wouldn’t face the same fate as the first one. As the supreme leader has reiterated, “no direct negotiation under pressure and that such negotiation is poisonous.”

The main question now is “is there a way out of this impasse?”. Certainty, the continuation of the current dire situation—without any exaggeration—would lead into undetermined and appalling consequences. Surely, such an unpleasant circumstance is not welcome by us.

Yet, there may be a solution taking into consideration the aforementioned constraints, namely, “no direct negotiation under pressure” on the one hand and “denouncement of Nuclear Weapon possession” on the other hand. The solution may lie in simultaneous revocation of all US sanctions and Iran’s denouncement of production, accumulation and use of Nuclear Weapons—as previously declared in a decree (Fatwa) by the supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei in 2009 and having been registered in the United Nations in 2013—through a joint statement by the head of states of 4+1 plus the US and the Islamic Republic of Iran. This mechanism that does not entail direct negotiations could possibly pave the way for future to hopefully make up for the confidence and trust lost all during the past decades.

* Article by Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), originally published on Le Figaro on July 9, 2019, in French

Iranian Carmaker Resumes Auto Production in Syria

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IFP Media Wire

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July 10, 2019

The joint venture to produce the Sham – a mid-range family saloon based on Iran Khodro’s Samand car – started before the outbreak of the war in Syria in 2011.

The war seriously damaged many car plants in Syria, putting a temporary damper on the two allies’ plans to bring their economies closer together.

Other than the Sham, Iran Khodro used to assemble Peugeot cars in Syria, while Saipa – the second largest Iranian car manufacturer – produced its own models.

“Although car factories in Syria suffered damage, we tried to return them to the production line after the war,” Iran’s Labor, Cooperatives and Social Affairs Minister Mohammad Shariatmadari said on Tuesday.

“Our efforts are to help the car industry continue (its life) in Syria. Currently, the production line of the Sham is back up and running,” he added.

Shariatmadari made the remarks after signing a memorandum of understanding with his Syria counterpart Rima al-Qadiri in Tehran.

Under the five-year agreement, Syria will be able to use Iranian experts in the country’s reconstruction and provided with technical and professional education help.

“Cooperation between Iran and Syria in the field of labor force and economy will maximize in the future,” Shariatmadari said, hailing the document as “valuable”.

Tehran has played a crucial role in helping President Bashar al-Assad overcome eight years of foreign-backed terrorism, providing military expertise and logistics.

It has given Damascus direct financial aid and help restoring its infrastructure despite sanctions which affect many Iranian businesses operating in Syria.

An Iranian supertanker currently being held off the coast of Gibraltar was seized by Britain’s Royal Marines last week on the pretext that it was shipping oil to Syria, which Tehran has denied.

Syria has enthusiastically encouraged business ties with Iran, helping set up a joint chamber of commerce and a joint bank to facilitate money transfers in the face of US sanctions on both countries.

Iranian companies have signed several major projects, including a mobile network license, phosphate mine and oil refinery announced in January 2017.

Since the war began, there have been more Iranian goods for sale and Iranian dates, saffron, raisins and cosmetic products are becoming a ubiquitous sight in Damascus shops.

Early this year, the two countries signed 11 agreements, including a “long-term strategic economic cooperation” deal, in a sign of changing winds in the Middle East which is shaping up to new realities.

Al-Qadiri on Tuesday thanked the Iranian government and nation for standing with Syria in its “resistance” against terrorists and their foreign supporters.

“We expect you will also be helping our nation in Syria’s reconstruction and development phase,” she said, speaking to reporters along with Shariatmadari.

President Bashar al-Assad has estimated that Syria’s reconstruction will cost between $250 billion and $400 billion. He has made it clear that the West won’t be part of it.

‘Macron Trying to Secure Ceasefire in US’ Economic War on Iran’

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IFP Editorial Staff

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July 10, 2019

The remarks were made by Macron’s senior diplomatic advisor Emmanuel Bonne during his Wednesday meeting with Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in Tehran.

According to Bonne, Macron believes such a ceasefire will lead to a de-escalation of growing tensions in the region.

Bonne underlined that he is visiting Iran neither as a mediator nor as a carrier of a message from the US.

France is fully aware how resilient Iran has been against various pressures and sanctions over the past 40 years, he said, adding that despite the US willingness and interest, Iran’s influence and power in the region has increased significantly over the past 20 years.

Macron’s senior diplomatic advisor then added given the undeniable regional influence of Iran, Paris is interested in holding talks and expanding cooperation with the country to settle the current crises in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon.

For his part, the Iranian official slammed the Europeans’ passive approach towards the Iran nuclear deal and their lack of willingness to counter the US destructive policies and said the Europeans failed to take advantage of a one-year time given by Iran to adopt a resolute measure in this regard.

“We seriously demand a resolute move by the Europeans regarding the JCPOA and their time has come to an end,” he said.

He then referred to Iran’s decision to scale down its commitments under the nuclear deal and said this is an unchangeable strategy by the Islamic Republic.

“We will continue reducing our commitments within articles 26 and 36 of the Iran nuclear deal,” he said.

Shamkhani referred to the US maximum pressure policy and said it has already ended up in failure.

Iran has shown in practice that it enjoys various economic, political and military capabilities to cope with various tensions and challenges, he added. “This means that no country can coerce the Islamic Republic of Iran into doing anything.”

He also said the US has already taken hostage the Europeans’ sovereignty and this is up to the European states to stand for their identities and independence against the US unilateralism.

During the meeting, the two sides also discussed mutual and regional ties and mechanisms to fulfil Europeans’ pledges under the JCPOA.

Zarif Calls Trigger Mechanism ‘Nonstarter’ in Dealing with Iran

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IFP Editorial Staff

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July 10, 2019

Mohammad Javad Zarif made the comment in response to remarks by some Western officials who have said they could use the trigger mechanism in response to Iran’s actions.

“The trigger mechanism cannot become operational,” said Zarif on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting.

“The JCPOA has a mechanism which is supposed to stop violations of the deal,” said the top diplomat.

“Now, the JCPOA has been breached, and Iran has enforced that mechanism,” Zarif underlined.

“In the five letters I wrote to Ms [Federica] Mogherini [the EU foreign policy chief,], both before and after the US pullout from the JCPOA, the mechanism stipulated in Article 36 of the JCPOA officially came into force,” he said.

He further said Iran will not agree to attending talks with other parties under pressure.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s stance is straightforward, and that is, negotiations are never possible under pressure. They should stop pressure and economic war against Iranian people, and then there will be a chance to talks about the JCPOA,” he said.

Zarif also touched upon a meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about Iran’s nuclear activities slated for July 10, 2019.

He said the meeting is being held at the request of the US which, itself, has breached the JCPOA by withdrawing from it.

Lagoon’s Revival Brings Back Smile to Faces of Local Fishermen

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IFP Editorial Staff

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July 10, 2019

Choghakhor Lagoon located in the south of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province has been revived to the rainfall, bringing joy to local fishermen. In fact, residents are earning a living again through fishing after several drought spells.

The body of water is an international lagoon and one of the most beautiful ones in Iran. It lies 65 kilometres from the provincial city of Shahr-e Kord.

A whole variety of fishes are found in this lagoon.

A specific feature of the lagoon is that a species of fish belonging to the gambusia genus lives there.

The pleasant weather and picturesque scenery in the area draws large numbers of local and foreign tourists. The best time to visit the lagoon is spring and summer.

What follows are photos of the lagoon retrieved from ANA news agency:

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