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Rouhani to Appear before Parliament to Reveal “Truths” behind Economic Crisis

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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In a letter to Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Sunday, Rouhani said he will respond to the MPs’ questions, even though the lawmakers’ move to summon him was neither “within the framework of the Constitution” nor made “in appropriate time and conditions”.

“However, to prevent divisions among branches of power and respect the parliament, God willing, I will come to the parliament in due time and will respond to questions,” he said in the letter posted on the president’s website.

Eighty members of the Iranian parliament tabled a motion in an open session on August 1 to question Rouhani about his administration’s economic policies and its response to the country’s economic hardships.

The lawmakers are unhappy about the government’s economic performance and demand explanations, particularly about the high rate of unemployment and a sharp drop in the Iranian rial’s value against foreign currencies.

The president said he could use the chance to let Iranian people know about “some truths”.

“This could be a good opportunity to talk about some truths with our dear people, who are the real owners of the country and our legitimacy comes from their votes,” he said.

Iran Says Calls for Protest Rallies Orchestrated from Outside

By
IFP Media Wire
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Interior Ministry spokesman, Salman Samani, said on Sunday that the bulk of calls for protest rallies in Iran over the past month had originated from outside the country.

Elaborating about the role of social media campaigns for illegal demonstrations in Iran, Samani said, “Those parties circulating such messages expected to win approval in many cities, but in practice, we saw limited cases of demonstrations.”

The official added that only a handful of people were influenced by such propaganda and attended unlawful protests in a few cities.

Investigations reveal that the “main elements provoking” unrest in Iran are mostly individuals that do not care about the economic problems and only “seek to foment chaos by taking advantage of the conditions regarding the price hikes and livelihood problems,” Samani said.

The Iranian official gave an assurance that efforts were underway to control the protests and handle the situation with “minimum tensions and through dialogue,” adding that authorities were “determined to resolve people’s livelihood problems and ensure economic stability.”

The comments came after limited protests were held in the Iranian cities of Shiraz, Isfahan, Ahvaz and Karaj over the past few days against economic conditions. The protests have been largely described as peaceful without any major instance of violence.

Iranians are anxious over the collapse of the rial currency, which has lost nearly two-thirds of its value in six months, resulting in the rise of commodity prices.

Authorities have acknowledged that worries are legitimate, but the biggest concern of many Iranians is that the protests might be hijacked by malicious groups inside and outside the country and turn violent.

In January, several Iranian cities were scenes of protests, but they were hijacked by elements of the MKO terrorist organization. Unknown elements opened fire at protesters and killed several people.

Iranian officials have said the voice of protesters needs to be heard. However, they have warned of efforts by enemies to manipulate the legitimate demands of the people and create mayhem.

The Islamic Republic is additionally wary of Washington’s plots under the administration of President Donald Trump to stir unrest in the country after the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA. The US plan to impose new sanctions on Iran is another matter of concern.

Iran’s new central bank governor has promised fresh currency policies in the coming days, and the state has launched an unprecedented transparency push that has seen the arrest of dozens of profiteers.

“Iran Must Arrange Meeting between Trump, Gen. Soleimani”

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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In a recent opinion piece published in the E’temad daily newspaper, Mousavian has talked about the moves that President Rouhani can do in response to his American counterpart’s call for dialogue. What follows is the full text of his piece:

Trump in a recent joint press conference with Italian prime minister referred to the ongoing tension between Iran and the US, and said, “I’m ready to meet anytime they want to. No preconditions. It would be good for the country, good for them, and good for the world. I don’t do that from strength or weakness, but I just think it’s an appropriate thing to do.”

However, shortly after Trump’s remarks about unconditional talks with Tehran, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo once again listed some preconditions for holding talks with Iran. He had earlier set 12 conditions for improving ties with Iran, and had made the harshest remarks against Iran in a gathering of Iranians living in the United States.

Under such circumstances, if I were in President Rouhani’s shoes, with the decision of the Supreme National Security Council and the approval of the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in response to President Trump’s offer, I would ask him to make a visit to Tehran and would organise a tour of Iran for him before sitting down to negotiate. This tour could include:

  • Meeting with families of war martyrs, victims of Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons, the families of victims of the Iran Air passenger plane shot down over the Persian Gulf [by a US warship], and a visit to the Museum of War to get familiar with Iran’s resistance culture so that he would closely know the consequences of the US policy after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and understand the cause of Iran’s distrust.
  • I would ask Major General Soleimani to explain to him the realities of the region and provide documents and evidence to prove that the United States has played an important role in the destabilisation of the region by supporting the terrorist groups. He can also give Trump a complete and documented file to make it clear for him which country has been the source of instability in the region. As Trump is after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, General Soleimani can show him the dignified ways of withdrawal from quagmires in Afghanistan and Iraq and introduce ways to resolve crises in the region peacefully.
  • I would organise a visit to Iran’s nuclear facilities and would ask Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, to provide Trump with a brief history of Iran’s nuclear activities before and after the Revolution, along with documents to ensure him of the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities and the double standards of the United States before and after the Revolution.
  • I would put evidence and documents on the table showing that US sanctions were against the Iranian people to make him understand that their support for the Iranian people is completely in conflict with their policies, and that the Iranian people are the real victims of the sanctions.
  • I would organise a visit for him to ancient sites of Iranian culture and history so that he can closely understand he is facing a nation with 7,000 years of civilisation, not a country whose history is less than the age of Trump.
  • At the end, I would show him the three agreements between Iran and the United States including US-Iran 1955 Treaty of Amity, the 1975 Algiers Agreement, and the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) as a basis for further negotiations.

If Trump rejects the invitation, the ball will be in his court; because Trump wants to convince public opinion that he is willing to hold diplomatic talks to resolve problems and it is the Islamic Republic that is refusing. However, if Trump accepts to visit Tehran, part of his wishes will be met. He wants to be known as a history maker. Simply making a trip to Iran will provide him with such a plan and there will be no cost for Tehran.

Eventually, only one of two following things could happen – whether eye-catching progress can be made during his trip or not. If not, Trump would have taken the risk of travel and will return empty-handed while Tehran would have lost nothing. On the other hand, a visit by the US President to the Iranian capital to resolve their problems would retain dignity and authority for Iran.

Europe’s Proposal on Iran Deal “A Step Forward, but Not Enough”

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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After US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal on May 8, 2018, and ordered American government bodies, including the Treasury Department, to reinstate sanctions on Iran, they planned to bring back sanctions in two phases: one in 90 days and another in 180 days. The first round of sanctions will be slapped on August 6, 2018. According to US authorities, the sanctions include a ban on Iran’s access to the greenback, gold trade and purchasing certain metals such as aluminium and steel.

Majid Takht-e Ravanchi, the deputy chief of staff of the president for political affairs has, in an interview with Tasnim News Agency, weighed in on the issue.

He said Iran and the European signatories to the JCPOA had predicted that the US might pull out of the deal, and hence Iran was in contact with the Europeans to settle the issue.

“We both had a common understanding that the US may withdraw from the JCPOA, but not the way it did; rather, [we thought it would pull out] using other methods,” he said.

The Europeans had told Iran that they would work on ways of maintaining the Iran nuclear deal if Washington withdrew from the agreement, he said.

After the US’ withdrawal, said the official, the other signatories to the deal, including the three European countries as well as Russia and China, were given the opportunity to work on the issue.

“President [Hassan Rouhani] also said Iran would give them the chance to do something to make up for the losses the Iran is suffering as a result of the United States’ withdrawal,” Takht-e Ravanchi said.

He underlined that Iran’s expert talks with the Europeans are ongoing, and the reason no news is announced in that regard is that the negotiations have produced no tangible results so far.

“First, the talks should bear fruit, then the results will be announced,” he noted.

The official underlined Iran is also holding consultations with Beijing and Moscow in parallel with the negotiations with Europe.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Takht-e Ravanchi described the package of proposals presented to Iran by the Europeans as “a step forward,” but added Iran believes the move is not enough and more needs to be done

“I believe a time will come when we will be able to discuss the details of the package, and I think everything will become clear at the end of the day,” he said.

He underscored that details should be discussed in order to handle issues.

“In order to move forward, we should get into details. When sanctions are imposed on our oil [sales], we should know how we can sell oil,” he said.

He said Iran and Europe are pressing ahead with the talks and “we see that the other parties are serious in their work.”

The official further touched upon the reinstatement of US sanctions on Iran in two phases, and said one round of sanctions applies to items such as currency, automobiles, gold and things like that, and the second round goes for banks, oil, and the like.

“We have told the Europeans that we should get things settled before the sanctions prove effective,” he said.

He underlined that the Europeans should adopt measures before sanctions are slapped or their actions will be of no use.

“What good are talks if sanctions are imposed and the measures they adopt to compensate [for the consequences of the sanctions] are not effective?” he said.

The official said he believes the Europeans will take some action before the first round of sanctions go into effect on August 8.

Pakistan’s Imran Khan Eager to Visit Iran

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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“I’m eager to visit Iran and see this country’s beautiful historic sites,” he said in a Saturday meeting with Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost who conveyed President Hassan Rouhani’s message to Imran Khan on his electoral success in the parliamentary elections.

Imran Khan, the leader of PTI party, thanked the Iranian ambassador for the congratulatory message and described Iran as a trustworthy friend of Pakistan, Tasnim News Agency reported.

“We seek to create friendly and brotherly relations will all neighbouring countries, particularly Iran,” he said.

Imran Khan said his government will spare no chance to boost Pakistan’s economy, hence it will work towards promoting trade with Iran.

 

Ready to Mediate between Tehran and Riyadh

The cricketer-turned-politician hailed Iran’s efforts to promote peace and stability in the region, saying Pakistan understands Iran’s concerns regarding regional developments.

Imran Khan said Pakistan is ready to play a constructive role to mend fences between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Tehran and Riyadh have been at loggerheads in recent years over a long list of differences, particularly their conflicting view on conflicts in Yemen and Syria, among others.

Last week, Imran Khan’s PTI party won Pakistan’s election. Based on the official result, PTI won 115 seats out of 272 seats in the National Assembly.

Iran Strongly Condemns Assassination Attempt on Venezuelan President

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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In a statement on Sunday, Qassemi condemned the attempt and described it as a move to create instability and insecurity in Venezuela.

He also said that the attempt served the interests of the enemies of the Venezuelan government and nation.

The Venezuelan president says he has survived an assassination attempt involving explosive drones. Maduro was speaking at a military event in Caracas when the alleged attack occurred.

Live footage of his speech shows the president suddenly looking upwards – startled – and dozens of soldiers running away.

Iran Strongly Condemns Assassination Attempt on Venezuelan PresidentMaduro accused neighbouring Colombia and elements within the US of instigating “a right-wing plot” to kill him, but Bogota has denied it as “baseless” accusation.

Seven soldiers were injured, and several people were later arrested, the Venezuelan authorities said.

Two drones loaded with explosives went off near the president’s stand, Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said.

Photos on social media showed bodyguards protecting Maduro with bulletproof shields after the alleged attack.

Meanwhile, a little-known group called Soldiers in T-shirts said on social media that it was behind the alleged attack.

It said it had planned to fly two explosives-laden drones at Maduro, but they were shot down by the military.

The claim was not backed up by any evidence, and the group did not respond to media requests for comment.

Top Judge Laments West’s Concerns over Rights Situation of Iranian Protestors

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Sadeq Amoli Larijani

Speaking in a human rights conference in Tehran on Sunday, Ayatollah Amoli Larijani said the West is largely silent over the targeting of civilians in Bahrain and Yemen.

“In Bahrain, patients and children and women are being assaulted. War crimes are being committed in Yemen. Recently, a hospital was targeted and [many] people were killed,” he said, referring to an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition which hit a hospital in the Yemeni city of Hudaydah on Thursday and killed 60 and injured over 100.

Bahrain has since 2011 been witnessing a pro-democracy uprising, which the government forces and Saudi troops have been trying to quell. Yemen has also been the scene of a Saudi military campaign, which Riyadh says aims to restore to power the fugitive president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

“We see the self-proclaimed protectors of human rights keep mum [regarding the two countries]. But when it comes to Iran, they support street rioters and those who set fire to shops,” he said, ISNA reported.

Iran has saw sporadic protests in Tehran and other cities in recent months over economic hardships and other issues, which some officials have suggested are parts of hostile plots to foment chaos in the country.

The US has offered support for the protesters, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggesting on June 21 that “Iranian people deserve respect for their human rights.”

Ayatollah Amoli Larijani was reiterating a long-standing Iranian position that western countries abuse the cause of human rights in order to advance their short-sighted political interests.

Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 that overthrew the despotic regime of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Tehran has found itself in the western countries’ black list of human rights violators.

IRGC Confirms Reports of Holding Naval Drill in Persian Gulf

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif said the drill was staged near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has threatened to close in case its oil exports are hampered by the US and its allies.

“This drill was aimed at controlling and protecting security of the international waterway [Hormuz strait] and was part of annual IRGC drills planned beforehand,” Tasnim News Agency quoted him as saying.

The spokesman did not elaborate further about the details of the drill, which had not been publicized yet.

Unnamed US officials told Reuters on Thursday Washington believes Iran has started carrying out naval exercises in the Persian Gulf.

The report said Iran has apparently moved up the timing of annual drills amid heightened tensions with Washington.

One official said possibly more than 100 vessels were involved in the drills, including small boats.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington have seen a surge since US President Donald Trump took office January 2017. Trump pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May, and is set to re-impose full sanctions in two stages in August and November.

The US is also working to pushing the world to cut trade with Iran and stop purchasing the country’s oil. Iran has vowed to hamper the region’s oil flow in case the US cut down to zero Iran’s oil export.

Top Violator of Child Rights Shedding Crocodile Tears for Iranians

By
IFP Editorial Staff
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In a recent video posted on his Twitter account, Netanyahu said the children and teenagers of Iran have been going through “a regime that oppresses them and denies them a life of dignity, prosperity and respect.”

In the video, Netanyahu gives an example of an imaginary 15-year-old Iranian girl named Fatemah who is trying to live a normal life but is unable to do so due to the ongoing distress in the country.

Fatemeh, Netanyahu says, is faced with water and electricity shortage, cannot remove her head-covering outside her home, and her school is shut down due to air pollution, Jerusalem Post reported.

The video was the last in a series of such clips in which Netanyahu struggles to encourage the Iranian people to stand up to the Iranian government.

This is while the world still remembers a notable example of the Israeli violation of child rights, the case of Ahed Tamimi, a 17-year-old girl who was arrested and put on trial in an Israeli military court for slapping an Israeli soldier.

Late last month, Tamimi was set free after serving an eight-month prison sentence, which the UN human rights experts have described as a violation of the international Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Amnesty International said Tamimi’s case is a reminder of Israel’s ongoing human rights violations against Palestinian children.

Fars News Agency in an article says Netanyahu’s call for helping Iranian children is sheer hypocrisy.

The report says Netanyahu sheds crocodile tears for Iranian children and teenagers while his government has a dark record in violating the Palestinian children’s rights.

During the 70-year history of the Israeli regime, Palestinian children have lived in the harshest conditions, the article wrote.

The prosecution of Palestinian children in Israeli military courts for acts like throwing stones is systematic, and violates the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the article said.

According to a report released by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), “Israel is the only state in the world that systematically prosecutes children in military courts – between 500 and 700 each year. The Israel Prison Service revealed that an average of 204 Palestinian children have been held in custody every month since 2012.”

According to a report by the Israeli rights group B’tselem, the Israeli regime currently has near 300 Palestinian minors in its prisons.

“At the end of May 2018, 291 Palestinian minors were held in Israeli prisons as security detainees and prisoners, including 3 administrative detainees. Another 6 Palestinian minors were held in Israel Prison Service facilities for being in Israel illegally,” it says.

Of note, 60% of Palestinian children arrested by Israel were verbally, physically or psychologically tortured, according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club (PPC).

As recently as Wednesday, a group of senior UN officials voiced concerns over the violation of children’s rights in Gaza.

“Senior UN humanitarian officials in the Occupied Palestinian Territory have expressed their deep concern for the continued violation of children’s rights in and around the Gaza strip,” said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General at a news briefing.

New ATR Planes Land in Tehran on Eve of US Sanctions

By
IFP Editorial Staff
-

The planes are part of a deal for 20 new aircraft that national flag carrier Iran Air agreed to buy from the French plane-maker in April 2017, of which eight were delivered before.

The agreement came after restrictions on Iran’s aviation industry were removed under the 2015 nuclear deal, which placed confidence-building curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the removal of international sanctions.

But the US’ withdrawal from the deal in May 2018 has hampered the deal, as the US is set to re-impose anti-Iran sanctions and escalate pressure on the country to force negotiations on a new deal.

The first series of sanctions on Iran’s automotive and metal sectors, gold trade, aviation industry and other fields will “snap back” on August 6.

Washington has revoked export licenses needed by all Western plane-makers due to their heavy use of US parts.

Further sanctions on oil and transactions with the central bank of Iran will come into effect November 4.

Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan, an advisor to Iran’s roads minister, said on Saturday Iran has paid for the five planes by cash on Friday, Tasnim News Agency reported.

 New ATR Planes Land in Tehran on Eve of US Sanctions

ATR to Lose

ATR, co-owned by Airbus and Italy’s Leonardo, has been lobbying the US Treasury to allow it to deliver aircraft it built for Iran by giving it temporary new licenses

The plane-maker has said it will suffer financial damage if it cannot deliver the aircraft it has already produced following earlier US approvals.

But the US government seems unwilling to issue any licenses that would allow companies like ATR to continue trade with Iranian airlines.

Farzaneh Sharafbafi, the CEO of Iran Air, says three more ATR planes are also expected to be delivered to Iran in case the French plane-maker manages to receive the required permissions.

Iran has also purchased over 100 Airbus planes, of which only three have so far been delivered to Iran.

Airbus said last month it would not attempt to deliver any more planes to Iran in the wind-down period.

In the wake of the deal, Iran also inked another agreement to buy 80 new planes from US aviation company Boeing. Boeing has not delivered any planes so far and does not seem to be allowed to do so in the future.

New ATR Planes Land in Tehran on Eve of US Sanctions

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