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EU’s Proposals for JCPOA Not Meeting Iran’s Expectations: Nuclear Chief

June 20, 2018

In a meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres in Norway, Salehi said given the fact that the Europeans’ proposals have not met Iran’s expectations, it is not clear whether or not the JCPOA could be preserved.

According to a report by Fars News Agency, Salehi also underlined that the benefits of the JCPOA for the Islamic Republic of Iran in banking, economic and trade areas have been much lower than its expectations.

He also called on the remaining sides of the nuclear deal and the UN to explicitly support the JCPOA and stand against the US policies.

Salehi highlighted the Islamic Republic’s capabilities particularly in domestic and regional areas and said the US policy of standing against Iran and trying to return the country to its pre-1979 approach to follow the US in all areas is doomed to failure.

He then described the current situation of the Middle East as dangerous and warned against the negative consequences of the situation for all regional states.

The UN chief, in turn, described Iran’s political and economic expectations from the EU as natural and said he would urge the remaining sides of the JCPOA to meet Iran’s demands as soon as possible.

Iran, UN, Russia, Turkey Discuss Syria Peace in Geneva

IFP Editorial Staff

June 20, 2018

Jaberi Ansari, who is Iran’s senior negotiator in the international peace talks on Syria, arrived in Geneva on June 18, and held negotiations on Monday and Tuesday.

In his bilateral and multilateral meetings with Russian President’s Special Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin, and Turkish diplomat Sedat Önal as well as the UN’s Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, Jaberi Ansari discussed various dimensions and details related to the constitutional committee of Syria.

According to an agreement between the representatives of Iran, Turkey, and Russia – the three guarantor states of the Astana Process – and the UN representative, the new round of talks and consultations will be held in Geneva within the next few weeks.

During his stay in Geneva, Jaberi Ansari also met with some Syrian opposition leaders Monday night and Tuesday afternoon to discuss issues surrounding the Syrian constitutional committee.

Jaberi Ansari left Switzerland for Iran on Tuesday evening.

Iran Vows to Stand by Syria during Reconstruction Era

IFP Editorial Staff

June 20, 2018

In a Tuesday meeting with Syria’ Economic and Foreign Trade Minister Mohammad Samer al-Khalil, Jahangiri said Iran’s private sector is prepared to actively participate in Syria’s reconstruction projects in all areas.

He said the participation needs the removal of all obstacles on the way of economic and banking relations between the two sides, a report by Entekhab said.

Iran’s first vice-president then underlined that economic ties between Iran and Syria should develop along with their political relations.

He also expressed the Islamic Republic’s preparedness to sign a trilateral accord with Syria and Iraq saying Tehran and Baghdad have already held talks on this field

Jahangiri also congratulated the Syrian government and army on their victory against terrorist groups and said the victory not only benefits the regional states but also the Europeans.

He stressed that all foreign forces should leave Syria as soon as possible adding no country is allowed to deploy troops in Syria without the approval of the central government in Syria.

For his part, Syrian Economic and Foreign Trade Minister called for the opening of Iranian banks’ branches in Syria, saying the move can resolve most problems hampering the banking relations between the two countries.

He also described the ongoing talks between Iran and Syria over ways to expand economic relations as positive and said the draft agreements over some strategic issues have already been finalized.

Iran, Turkey, Russia Kick Off Fresh Round of Syria Talks in Geneva

IFP Media Wire

June 19, 2018

Members of the Syrian opposition have also arrived in the Swiss city where officials of the three nations acting as guarantors of a ceasefire in the war-torn country are meeting under the auspices of the United Nations.

“I don’t expect, let’s be frank, a major breakthrough, but I am confident progress is possible,” said UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura in a statement to the press in advance of the meetings, Al Jazeera reported.

“There is something moving in that direction and we need to capitalize on it.”

The meeting in Geneva follows up on the agreement signed at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, Russia, in January, whose final statement called for the creation of a constitutional commission comprising government, opposition and Syrian civil society members.

The creation of the constitutional committee would be the first step in the political solution of the conflict as mandated by the Security Council Resolution 2254.

“Besides government and opposition, it will be important that independents, civil society, experts, and women – and as you know, we have been strongly recommending at least 30 percent of women – all find their place into this constitutional committee. We must have an inclusive process,” said De Mistura.

“I want to discuss with Iran, Russia and Turkey some preliminary thinking – and hear their own views too – on how the Sochi Final Statement can be given effect to.”

De Mistura said the government of Syria had already conveyed to him a list of 50 names. De Mistura said serious efforts were underway to draw the opposition list.

The UN envoy called for the Geneva meeting after concluding a round of consultations that took him to Turkey, Iran and Egypt to discuss how to speed up the process for the creation of a constitutional committee.

Alexander Lavrentyev, the Russian presidential envoy for Syria, and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin are attending the meetings for Russia.

Sedat Onal, the deputy undersecretary for foreign affairs of Turkey, and Hossein Jaberi Ansari, Iranian foreign minister’s special assistant for political affairs, are also attending the meeting.

French Firms Can’t Stay in Iran, Minister Says

IFP Media Wire

June 19, 2018

Most French companies interested in maintaining business in Iran “won’t be able to stay because they need to be paid for the products they deliver to or build in Iran,” Bruno Le Maire said Tuesday.

“And they cannot be paid because there is no sovereign and autonomous European financial institution” capable of shielding them, he told BFM television.

President Donald Trump’s decision in May to withdraw the US from an international nuclear deal with Iran left the Europeans scrambling to save the agreement, pledging to protect companies dealing with the Islamic Republic.

However, some major firms such as French oil group Total and carmaker PSA have already been winding down activities in the Middle Eastern country.

International companies dealing with Iran face a 180-day deadline to dismantle their operations in the country before new US sanctions kick in.

Le Maire rebuked the United States, saying it “should not be the planet’s economic policeman.”

Many European companies have major businesses in the US, which make them vulnerable to the “extraterritorial” US measures because leading banks are linked to the US financial system due to their dollar-denominated transactions.

Earlier this month, the European Investment Bank (EIB) balked at an EU proposal to do business in Iran after reportedly coming under pressure from the United States.

European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, had reportedly asked the EIB to support investments by European businesses in Iran but Washington called on the bank “in back channels” to object to the plan.

“The United States is pushing pressure on the bank not to go ahead and invest in Iran, warning of the consequences,” an EU official was quoted as saying.

The bank was reportedly unhappy with the European Commission’s proposal because the lender raised most funds on US markets.

Le Maire said on Tuesday, “Our priority is to build independent, sovereign European financial institutions which would allow financing channels between French, Italian, German, Spanish and any other countries on the planet.”

“It’s up to us Europeans to choose freely and with sovereign power who we want to do business with,” he added.

French automaker Renault has said it will remain in Iran despite the sanctions because it does not sell cars in the United States.

From Addict to Cyclist; How to Ride Again after 20 Years of Struggling with Drugs

Fatemeh Askarieh

June 19, 2018

Mohammad Aqa-Mirbabaei, 42, who lost his father in an accident when he was a kid, spent 20 years addicted before he decided to pick up exercise to become clean again.

According to a report by ISNA, the decision to become a recovering addict may not seem to be very insurmountable, but Mohammad, a man from the northern city of Babolsar, sure beat the odds when he became a professional cyclist after doing the sport for more than five years.

As if his story was not inspirational enough, he then decided to travel all over the country as of 2016 to promote addiction recovery as well as using bicycles instead of vehicles.

Going from town to town, Mohammad has now visited more than 20 provinces of Iran and wants to ride through all cities of the country; something he claims has never been done before in the world.

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Iran Condemns US’ Meddlesome Statement on Rioter’s Execution

IFP Editorial Staff

June 19, 2018

In a Tuesday statement, Qassemi underlined that the rioter enjoyed his legal right to be represented by a lawyer in the court during his trial.

Mohammad Salas, the driver of the bus that killed several police forces during the February 19 unrest in Tehran’s Pasdaran Street, confessed to his crime and was sentenced to death following legal and judicial procedures in the Iranian courts, he said.

The spokesman underlined that the rioter’s death penalty had nothing to do with his personal beliefs.

Qassemi then pointed out that the US government is itself notorious for violating many international treaties.

“Over the past year, the US has unilaterally pulled out of a number of international deals, violated its pledges and evaded its responsibilities under the international law.”

The spokesman went on to say that along with these violations, the US president’s anti-human rights and discriminatory policies on immigration, particularly his scandalous decision to separate immigrant children from their parents and accommodate them in immigration camps, have sparked protests by not only a large number of countries, international bodies and figures but also closest people to the White House.

With such a record, the US is not in a position to interfere in the internal legal affairs of other independent countries, tarnish their image and distort realities about them.

Qassemi’s statement came after the US condemned Iran’s execution of Mohammad Salas, 51, who was hanged early on June 18.

“Salas’s rushed execution is the latest example of the Iranian regime’s disregard for the human rights of its citizens,” Heather Nauert, Spokeswoman for the US State Department, said in a statement late on June 18.

Nauert cited reports that Salas was denied access to a lawyer and said his trial was “grossly unfair,” excluding witnesses who could have testified that Salas was already in custody at the time of the police officers’ deaths.

Salas received the death sentence on March 19 after several court sessions.

During the clashes in Pasdaran Street, Salas drove the bus into a group of police officers, killing three and wounding a number of others. In a separate attack, one member of the Basij forces was run over and killed, while another was stabbed to death.

Police spokesperson said 30 police forces were injured and many public and private properties were destroyed in the riot. The security forces were trying to quell the riot involving Gonabadi Dervishes, a Sufi community in Iran.

Ancient Site Belonging to 5th Millennium BCE Discovered in Southern Iran

IFP Editorial Staff

June 19, 2018

According to director general of the Cultural Heritage, Handcraft and Tourism Department of Bushehr Province, Naser Amirzadeh, “this historical site was discovered in Tahamachi hill area, located three kilometres west of the village of Ameri, in the port city of Deylam.”

The site discovered indicates that an ancient civilisation had existed in this region, he added.

Based on the information received from security units in Deylam port, and after the discovery of clay works by local people, a team of experts from the Cultural Heritage Organisation was deployed to the area, he noted.

“This historical site is located in a vast plain near the village of Shah Abdollah. There are large hills of 5 to 6 metres high above the surface of the surrounding lands that are home to historical and cultural items which are clearly visible,” IRNA quoted Amirzadeh as saying.

Amirzadeh also mentioned that historical and cultural items found on the hills include potteries with brown geometric patterns in dark green and black colours.

“In addition to pottery, rocky tools and bones have also been found on the site,” underlined Amirzadeh.

“Considering the initial findings in the region, which were first identified in the port city of Deylam, it can be guesstimated that the site dates back to the 5th millennium BCE, which is historically very significant for the Persian Gulf coast.”

More than one thousand historical monuments including historical buildings and objects have been discovered in Bushehr province, of which 294 tangible ones and 53 intangible works have been registered on the National Heritage List.

Deylam County is located 200 km north of the city of Bushehr.