In the Sunday phone conversation, the two sides conferred on bilateral ties between Tehran and Oslo, the JCPOA, and the regional issues.
Zarif left Tehran for New York on Saturday afternoon to take part in a high-level annual meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
After his visit to New York, he is going to visit Venezuela to attend a ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
After Caracas, he is going to pay visits to Nicaragua and Bolivia as well.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is not engaged in any negotiations with the US officials at any level,” he said on Sunday, in response to a question asked by reporters.
The US’ calls for talks with Iran have been rejected by Tehran, which says the United States needs to stop “economic terrorism” against the Iranian nation if it really seeks talks with the Islamic Republic.
“We do not hold negotiations with those who have waged economic terrorism against our people. This should stop,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Thursday.
The top Iranian diplomat lashed out at Washington for unilaterally pulling out of a multilateral 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and reinstating its harsh economic sanctions against Iran.
“We never left the negotiating table…. They (Americans) themselves decided to do so. They now make a false claim to deceive [the public] that ‘we are ready to negotiate.’ If they are ready for talks, negotiations are not in sync with terrorism,” he said.
US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA in May 2018 and re-imposed harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism.
In a telephone conversation with UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Saturday, Zarif reiterated that Iranian supertanker Grace 1 has been unlawfully seized by the UK in the international waters off the coasts of Gibraltar.
Highlighting the illegality of the US oil sanctions, Zarif said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran will keep exporting oil under any circumstances.”
Grace 1 was bound for a legal destination in eastern parts of the Mediterranean, the top Iranian diplomat underscored.
“The European Union, which has always opposed the extraterritorial imposition of US sanctions, cannot take such measure itself, and the UK government must immediately make the necessary arrangements to end the illegal confiscation of the Iranian oil tanker,” Zarif added.
He further touched upon the case of Nazanin Zaghari and the other dual nationals detained in Iran on charges of violating national security, stressing, “The arrest and trial of these individuals have been in accordance with completely legal processes, and the UK government is expected to respect the enforcement of law and the independence of the Judiciary in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
For his part, the British foreign secretary emphasized Iran’s right to the export of oil, but voiced concern about the escalation of tensions in the region.
Hunt also hoped that that the outcome of the legal and judicial investigations in Gibraltar would result in the immediate release of Grace 1 carrying Iranian oil.
The Iranian supertanker was boarded and impounded by Gibraltar police and customs agencies, aided by a detachment of British Royal Marines, on July 4 at the US request in the Strait of Gibraltar.
Iran maintains that the oil tanker was not bound for Syria, and the UK was not allowed to seize the vessel, as the EU members cannot impose extraterritorial sanctions on the other countries.
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Donya-ye Eqtesad:
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Ebtekar:
Etemad:
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Ettela’at:
Javan:
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Jomhouri Eslami:
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Kayhan:
Setareh Sobh:
Shargh:
Vatan-e Emrooz
In a post on his Twitter account on Saturday, Hunt said he has had a “constructive” telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
“I reassured him our concern was destination not origin of the oil on Grace One &that UK would facilitate release if we received guarantees that it would not be going to Syria, following due process in Gib (Gibraltarian) courts,” the British diplomat noted.
“(I) Was told by FM Zarif that Iran wants to resolve issue and is not seeking to escalate,” Hunt added.
The UK official also noted that he has spoken with Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo “who is doing an excellent job co-ordinating issue and shares UK perspective on the way forward.”
In the meantime, Iran’s Ambassador to London Hamid Baeidinejad has warned the UK against the consequences of its failure to release the Iranian oil tanker it has seized illegally.
“Having miscalculated in its unlawful seizure of tanker, UK should not repeat its miscalculation. Ship did NOT violate any law or norm – but UK, through its illegal piracy, most certainly has. Failure to release the tanker and its cargo will NOT be left unanswered,” the Iranian envoy underlined.
Iranian supertanker Grace 1 was boarded and impounded by Gibraltar police and customs agencies, aided by a detachment of British Royal Marines, on July 4 at the US request in the Strait of Gibraltar.
Iran maintains that the oil tanker was not bound for Syria, and the UK was not allowed to seize the vessel, as the EU members cannot impose extraterritorial sanctions on the other countries.
Following the UN meeting, Zarif will leave the US for Venezuela, where he is going to attend the Ministerial Meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
While in Caracas, the Iranian top diplomat will hold bilateral talks with top Venezuelan officials.
After Venezuela, he will also pay visits to Nicaragua and Bolivia for bilateral meetings.
The trip to New York comes after Zarif protested the US for not issuing him a visa in the wake of the Donald Trump administration’s earlier plan to blacklist the Iranian top diplomat. The US president, however, later called off the sanction “for now”.
Until Friday, the US had refused to issue Zarif a visa despite the US government’s obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement.
A US State Department spokesperson told Al-Monitor that “we take our obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement seriously, and we adjudicate visa applications accordingly and in compliance with US law.”
The remarks came after the US administration decided not to designate Zarif at this time, ostensibly out of respect for the intensified allied diplomatic efforts.
Nima and Sina Keyvani, who had earlier won prestigious international awards in recent years, have earned the title of “Excellence in Innovation” from the UK’s Leading Designers Awards 2019.
This title has been awarded by the jury members of Lux Life Magazine in England to this Iranian architectural work.
After reviewing the works and activities of the companies active in the field of architectural design, interior designing, and furniture and home designing, this Magazine awards its prizes to the most creative artists from around the world.
This year, the jury has awarded its prize to this Iranian group of architects for their combining of the traditional architecture of Iran with modern architecture.
According to Mehr News Agency, the Keyvani brothers had earlier won titles for “Orsi Khaneh”, “Gate of Gilan”, “Mehr-Khaneh”, and “Pardis-Khaneh”.
Their works have been published in many reputable magazines and books of the world’s architecture.
This is the first time that this award is being given to an Iranian company for their innovation. Iranian architects in recent years have always been among the winners of the prestigious award in other sections.
These subterranean structures held the water clean, usually employing wind-catchers and underground water channels.
Here you see IRNA’s photos of the reservoirs of Larestan, a city in Fars province, southern Iran:
The images, published by Iran’s Khorasan newspaper earlier this week, revealed for the first time part of the organization’s secretive social media influence campaign targeting Farsi, English and Arabic-speaking users on social media.
Members are “briefed at the start of their workday and start their social media operations at noon. At the end of the day, feedback is reviewed and issues that have to be used to defame the Islamic Republic are examined for the next day,” read the paper.
The MKO is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community. Its members fled Iran in 1986 for Iraq, where it enjoyed backing of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
The MKO has been banned in Iran and around the world for its role in numerous terrorist activities, especially in the early years after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, taking the lives of thousands of Iranians, along with foreign nationals.
Out of the nearly 17,000 Iranians killed in terrorist attacks since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, about 12,000 have fallen victim to MKO’s acts of terror.
Removing a decade-long ban on the MKO, the United States and its allies, however, have sought to use the group as a tool to pressure Iran over the past years.
Despite US and Saudi attempts to empower the MKO, the cult-like group’s activities have been largely limited to its now aging pool of members who had originally joined the group in the 1970’s and 1980’s.
According to the British daily The Guardian, the MKO is even known to rely on busing refugees and young eastern Europeans to fill up its lavish events in Europe, where most of the group’s members are known to reside.
Top figures known to have taken part in the terror group’s meetings include US National Security Adviser John Bolton, US President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper, and former Saudi Arabian spy chief, Prince Turki al-Faisal.
The group was already well-known for its reliance on fake social media profiles to push for its Washington-backed anti-Iran agenda before the recent leaks.
Last year, Iranian Foreign Minster Mohammad Javad Zarif slammed Twitter for blocking social media accounts of “real Iranians” while overlooking social media influence operations coming from “actual bots in Tirana”, referring to the group’s large complex near the Albanian capital.
Amid the Trump Administration’s heightened rhetoric and campaign of “maximum pressure” against Iran, the MKO has also sought to gain further support from Washington and its allies by expanding its anti-Iran operations.
Last month, an unverified audio tape leaked from the organization suggested the group may have colluded with foreign powers in carrying out mysterious explosions targeting two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf in June.
The terrorist group also recently announced a plan to assassinate top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani and the country’s new Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raeisi.
19 Dey:
1- Is Zarif Really Alone These Days?
* Keep Your Head Up General! Smile!
2- Rouhani: We’ve Left Door Open to Diplomacy
Abrar:
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2- Reuters: UK Not after Increased Tension with Iran
3- Trump Once Again Repeats His Readiness for Talking with Iran
Aftab-e Yazd:
1- Why Can’t China Stop Buying Iran’s Oil despite US Threats
2- Senior Lawmaker: We Shouldn’t Make a Fuss While Playing Chess with US
Arman-e Emrooz:
1- Trump Backs Off from Earlier Decision: US Fails to Blacklist Iranian Foreign Minister
2- Why Should JCPOA Remain in Place?
Donya-ye Eqtesad:
1- Price Hikes Controlled in Iranian Market
2- Three Emerging Risks Threatening US Economy
3- Foreign Pioneers in Iranian Industry
Ebtekar:
1- IRGC Ground Force: Terrorists’ Positions along Iran’s Borders with Iraqi Kurdistan Attacked
2- DM: Aggressors to Receive Iran’s Crushing Response
Etemad:
1- Has US Backed Off or Is This New Signal for Talks?
Ettela’at:
1- Jack Straw: UK Interference in Iran Even Worse than Colonial Era’s
2- US Efforts’ to Tear Apart Iran’s Economy Failed: VP
3- Terrorists’ Positions Destroyed along Iran’s Borders with Iraqi Kurdistan
Javan:
1- UAE Doing Whatever It Can to Exit Yemen
2- ‘Almost Nothing’ Achieved by Trump Admin. through IAEA’s Mechanism
Jomhouri Eslami:
1- World Media Cover US’ Isolation at IAEA Summit
2- Return of 44 Martyrs of Iran-Iraq War Whose Bodies Have Been Found Just recently
3- New York Times: UAE Concludes Victory in Yemen Impossible
Kayhan:
1- UAE Begs Iran to Let It Leave Yemen without Losing Face
2- Trump Repeats His Offers through Macron
* Bloomberg: Trump’s Behaviours, Even towards His Oldest Allies, Are Embarrassing
Sazandegi:
1- Way to Salvage Iran Nuclear Deal
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* Al-Akhbar: France Starts Initiative to Save JCPOA, Ease Tension
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